Kemi Badenoch has claimed that the Labour government is preparing for a general election next May.
The allegation from the Conservative leader directly challenges the position of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who explicitly ruled out a snap election before 2029.
Mr Burnham stated on 25 September that he would not call an early vote. During an interview with ITV Calendar, the Prime Minister said he could "knock that dead".
The claim that a vote could come "next May" – that is, May 2027 – arrives as tension persists between the government and the opposition over election timing. The Conservative leader said her assertion was based on the Prime Minister's focus on post-election policies in his conference speech.
Mr Burnham assumed the premiership on 20 July 2026 after replacing Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party. Polling by BMG Research for The i on 23 and 24 June found Labour support rising by around five points, to 27 per cent, when voters were asked how they would vote with Mr Burnham as leader instead of Sir Keir Starmer.
Prior to that transition, an Opinium poll published on 7 July 2026 placed Labour on 19 per cent and the Conservatives on 18 per cent.
In separate developments, Green Party leader Zack Polanski is expected to call for a "three-year emergency brake" on private rent rises at the party's annual conference in Brighton today.
The proposal would temporarily limit rent increases to the lowest of Consumer Prices Index inflation, wage growth or 2 per cent. This follows criticism from Mr Polanski on 30 September regarding government plans to modify the state pension triple lock.
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