Rishi Sunak rules out general election in May

Rishi Sunak has finally confirmed what most MPs already knew: there won’t be a May general election. Speaking to ITV News West Country on Thursday night, the Prime Minister was asked if there would be a general election at the same time as the local elections on 2 May. He replied: ‘There won’t be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters is the choice.’

It’s been clear for some time that Tory election strategists were not keen on going to the polls in May. While there have been some in No. 10 keen on the idea previously, the fact that the UK is technically in a recession and the Tories are polling on around 25 points means that even the May enthusiasts have gone cold on the idea. Sunak has hinted at this – suggesting previously that the most likely date for the election is the second half of the year.

So, why has he now specifically ruled it out and gone further with his language? Ultimately the sense in government is that the May election speculation was having a destabilising effect on the Tory party.