Labour grandee tells Burnham to call early general election next year

Former home secretary Alan Johnson has urged Andy Burnham to call a general election before next summer to prove his policies are popular and distinct from the Starmer era. Johnson suggested that Burnham cannot serve the entire Starmer term and needs his own mandate, citing Gordon Brown’s failure to call an election as a cautionary tale. Despite Burnham’s insistence that he is focused on the country’s needs and not party political interest, Reform UK is preparing for a snap election.

• Former home secretary Alan Johnson believes Andy Burnham should call a general election before next summer.
• Johnson suggests Burnham needs to prove his policies are popular and a break from the Starmer era by holding a vote in 2027.
• He argued that Burnham cannot serve the entire Starmer term until 2029 and needs his own mandate.
• Johnson cited Gordon Brown’s failure to call an election after replacing Tony Blair as PM in 2007.
• Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has written to the Cabinet Secretary requesting formal pre-election talks with civil servants, believing Burnham will call an election sooner rather than later.
• Badenoch believes Labour’s manifesto prevents Burnham from raising taxes for his agenda.
• Burnham stated that an early election is not ‘what people are looking for right now’ and that he is focused on the needs of the country, not party-political interest.
• Reform UK is also preparing their party for a snap election.
  https://uk.layer3.press/articles/91bcb184-014a-422d-9fa2-9e0badf3431e