Andy Burnham told he's ‘missed his chance’ to call early General Election as tax hike fears set in: ‘Not going to go well for him!’

Upon entering Downing Street, Mr Burnham oversaw a surge in Labour's polling of five to six points.

This led Labour to overtake Reform in the polls for the first time in 15 months, with the Prime Minister’s personal approval ratings also rising.

However, with Chancellor John Healey’s October budget looming, the Government’s polling appears to have levelled off.

Last week, Mr Burnham acknowledged that the upcoming economic statement would be “challenging” as the “picture around the world is challenging”.

Amid fears of tax hikes, Mr Spence said that the Prime Minister had already squandered the political capital that would have carried him to victory in an early General Election.

He said that Mr Burnham had “dithered” over whether an early election would represent change or continuity.

Andy Burnham has been warned he has 'missed his chance' to call an early General Election

PA

“I think he was hoping that saying continuity would mean that he wouldn’t have to go to the country early.”

Mr Spence claimed there had been a “very short window” entering Downing Street where Mr Burnham could hope for preserving a Labour majority.

“He did have that bounce, wasn’t much of a bounce, but it was there,” he said.

“I think he would have had half a chance with calling an early General Election.”

Political commentator Benedict Spence said tax hikes would damage Labour's chances in a new vote

GB News

However, the political commentator warned that calling an election now to secure a mandate for tax rises would be much harder.

“If he’s having to do it, to give himself a mandate to say, ‘Oh, please, please let me put your taxes up, I’ll be ever so good about it’, I don’t think that the people of this country will support that.”

“They are already suffering from the highest tax burden in the post-war period and are not going to take too kindly to that as an idea.”

“If he wants to call the earlier General Election on that basis, I can see why he would feel that he might have to, but it’s not going to go well for him,” Mr Spence warned.

Mr Burnham acknowledged that the upcoming economic statement would be 'challenging'

PA

While Mr Burnham has not acknowledged any plans to hold an early General Election, Labour sources suggest the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras by-election could serve as a dry run.

The contest was triggered when Sir Keir announced his resignation in early September and will take place on October 8.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski will challenge Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali for the seat, a threat to Mr Burnham’s party from the left.

"Because Keir’s seat was a target and Polanski is running in it, this gives the PM a perfect opportunity to see if the Green threat has gone with a change of leader," a Labour Party insider said.