Sunak All but Rules out Spring Poll as Starmer Seeks to Make Election About the Economy

The Conservative government and the opposition Labour Party are gearing up for a general election but when will it be and what will the battleground issues be?

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer gives a speech, at the National Composites Centre at Bristol and Bath Science Park in Bristol, England on Jan. 4, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has almost ruled out the prospect of a spring general election, as Labour’s leader, Sir Keir Starmer, told an audience in Bristol he wanted to make the economy the number one issue.

When the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, cut national insurance rates in the Budget in November, there was speculation Mr. Sunak might be aiming for a spring general election.