Top Tory under fire after admitting Kemi Badenoch isn't ready if Andy Burnham calls snap election

Speaking at a More in Common fringe event, Mr Hollinrake said: "We are not where we need to be right now. We don't want an election right now, ideally."

The comments sparked fury from Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick.

Mr Jenrick, who spent today campaigning in Redcar, told GB News: “That is the Tory party all over: they say one thing public and the opposite in private.

"Lying to the British public is second nature to them. The old parties always look after themselves.

"The country needs a general election, but the Tories selfishly only care about their own jobs.

"They know they’ll be punished again for the damage they’ve done to the country and their lack of remorse."

Mr Jenrick's comments came shortly after Mrs Badenoch predicted the Tories would win the next general election.

In her opening speech at the Conservative Party Conference, the Leader of the Opposition said: "When we win the next election, and we will, we are going to need to hit the ground running."

Kevin Hollinrake is chairman of the Conservative Party

PA

Despite only offering conditional support for an early election herself, Mrs Badenoch has openly predicted Mr Burnham will call a snap election.

Shortly before arriving in Birmingham, the Tory leader said: “We could be having a general election next May.”

At a 1922 Committee party last night, Mrs Badenoch added: "I want all of you to know that I am getting ready for a general election."

However, Mrs Badenoch's Shadow Cabinet colleagues appeared to reject the suggestion that Mr Burnham might go to the polls before 2029.

Mr Hollinrake told today's More in Common fringe event: "I tend to think where the polls are now, he [Andy Burnham] is going to go long in terms of this particular parliament. It doesn't look winnable outright by anybody."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp added: "If the election is two to three years away, which I think is more likely than not, and you project forward our progress, I think we'll be in a good place, not just to be the largest party, but to win outright."

Meanwhile, Reform UK started ramping up its calls for a snap general election after Mr Burnham succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader.

Robert Jenrick and Nigel Farage are both calling for a snap election

PA

Nigel Farage said at the time: "If he is so hellbent on bringing about the sort of radical changes he thinks the country requires, he must first seek a mandate from the British people."

The Clacton MP doubled down on his call for an early election after the Prime Minister unveiled his plan to axe the triple lock.

Speaking to GB News at Reform UK's conference in Birmingham, Mr Farage also claimed the party is 80 per cent ready for the next election.

However, Tory MPs were keen to stick the boot into Reform UK over Mr Jenrick's defection in January.

During the fringe event, Tory deputy leader Alex Burghart put his arm around Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy to show the party is no longer divided.

Mr Hollinrake also advised party members to look at how Tory switchers to Reform were portrayed in the so-called "Birmingham Tapestry".

Despite Tory disagreements about when Mr Burnham will call an election, Labour insiders have seized on the divisions.

A Labour MP told GB News: “Kevin Hollinrake is stating the obvious when he admits that under Kemi Badenoch, the Tories are not where a serious opposition needs to be.

“We are at the point in the electoral cycle where an Opposition is usually ahead in the polls, yet all we’ve heard this week only serves to demonstrate how far the Tory Party is from providing a serious alternative government.

“Andy Burnham is winning support across the country because he is focused on the key issues facing Britons, and Kevin Hollinrake’s warning no doubt reflects what he is hearing from voters on the doorstep."

A veteran Labour campaigner added: "It’ll be tricky, but a three-way split favours us over the Tories.

"Whether it’s now or in four years, the Tories will still be pretty irrelevant and Andy Burnham will still be Prime Minister."

The sabre-rattling about an election came just days after Labour insiders warned Mr Burnham is still plotting a poll for 2027.

However, Sir John Curtice has warned the Prime Minister against holding an election before 2029.

The polling guru also pointed out that the Tories remain in a difficult place when it comes to taking the fight to Reform UK.

Speaking at a Demos fringe event last night, Sir John said: "Essentially, the fundamental structural problem you still face is that Nigel Farage whipped from underneath your feet the coalition that elected Boris Johnson to get Brexit done.

"You've made a bit of progress in getting it back, but there's still a long way to go, and that still remains, in a sense, your fundamental challenge."

GB News has approached the Tory Party for comment.