A government minister has insisted the public “do not want a general election” if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister – despite a poll indicating almost half would.
Labour has come under pressure to call a snap election as the party prepares to install a new figure in Downing Street following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation.
His likely successor, Mr Burnham, has so far indicated he will not call for a national contest, as some MPs fear a snap election could see them lose their seats to Reform UK or the Greens.
Housing minister Steve Reed said on Sunday that “the public do not want a general election” as he called for the transition in No 10 to be “orderly”.
He added: “The public do not want a general election, and that’s not just my instinct. You can look at the polls that tell us the vast majority do not. They want us to get on with the job.”
However, a recent YouGov poll found almost half of Britons believe there should be a general election once Sir Keir’s replacement is confirmed.
The poll found that 48 per cent of voters believe there should be another election once Burnham is in place, compared to 35 per cent who do not.
Another IPSOS poll has also shown only a minority would be in favour of Mr Burnham being handed the keys to No 10 without a contest.
The survey of 1,131 British voters, carried out in the days before Sir Keir confirmed his resignation, shows just 13 per cent are in favour of a coronation, while 39 per cent of the public would prefer a Labour leadership contest.
The question of whether Mr Burnham has the authority to govern based on his mandate from the Makerfield by-election and his party alone could pose a major issue for the former mayor.
Home Office minister Mike Tapp, who opposed Sir Keir being replaced, has publicly called for one, while one of Mr Burnham’s main backers has privately warned: “We will be trapped with the empty 2024 manifesto if he doesn’t go to the country.”
Mr Reed said Mr Burnham is “committed” to Labour’s manifesto but will “want to change some things”, including on devolution.
He said there would be “changes of emphasis” but suggested the “fundamentals” would remain, including the fiscal rules.
Asked whether Mr Burnham would scrap the triple lock, the Housing Secretary told Sky News: “Well, there are conversations going on in Parliament all the time, but we’re elected on a manifesto and Andy is committed to that manifesto.
“Now he’ll want to change some things, and one of the areas he’s talked about, and I think very excitingly, is devolution, handing more power directly to communities.”
He also insisted Labour swapping prime ministers was “very, very different” from when it happened under the Tories, referring to Boris Johnson’s lockdown parties.
There has been mounting speculation that the MP for Makerfield could call a general election to take advantage of a boost in support for Labour following his return to frontline politics.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage almost immediately called for a general election following Sir Keir’s resignation on Monday, while shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly has said that the Tories are ready to fight a general election.
However, a number of MPs – some of whom have very small majorities – are pleading with him not to take the risk, when an election does not need to be called until 2029.
Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson, on the hard left of the party, warned: “We’d get battered if he did”, while Rachael Maskell said there is “no need for a general election”.
