'Save the date': George Osborne 'said' a general election would be held on November 14
George Osborne has predicted that the next general election will be held on November 14.
The former chancellor urged voters to “save the date” after he was “informed” that the date had been included in Plan No 10 for 2024.
In the latest episode of Political Currency, the podcast he hosts with former Labor cabinet minister Ed Balls, Osborne said: “We know it's going to be a general election year… November 14, save the date.
“A little birdie told me that the various work programs necessary to prepare for the general election have this date highlighted. I'm pretty sure that's the date Downing Street has now chosen.
As part of the MDU initiative, the foundation's member doctors have raised over £35,000 for the RMBF.
BASC granted permission for a judicial review of Defra's decision
“That certainly doesn't mean they won't be pushed away by it.”
Elections on November 14 will mean that Sunak will announce them in Conservative Party conference in early October.
Osborne, who is close to many people around Sunac, added that “logic guides you [to the date]” on a wave of opinion polls showing conservatives trailing in the polls by 18 points.
Rishi Sunak confirms election next year despite legal right to wait until January 2025
He said: “By the way, logic leads, because in the first half of the year it will not happen. I mean, this kind of thing Rishi Sunak we discussed the May elections last year. This is a non-starter. According to the polls, he is behind by more than 20 points. He will not have spring elections.
And he added: “Thus, you have autumn left. And you are probably thinking: “I know, we will have a party conference as a kind of launching pad. We will fit in the autumn report as a mini-budget, either before that or just after that.” And that will get you to the middle of November. So November 14 seems to be written by itself.”
Speaking during a visit to Nottinghamshire last week, Rishi Sunak said: “I think the general election will be in the second half of this year and in the meantime I have a lot of things I want to work on.”
Rishi Sunak predicts general election will be held in “second half of year”
Sunak is due to hold an election by January 2025, and Labor politicians had tipped him to do so this May.
Osborne also said Sunak had made a mistake in the first few weeks of the year by focusing on immigration rather than the economy.
“I was listening at home, I was like, why are you talking about immigration and asylum seekers and Rwanda again? That's how we ended last year, and it's a mess.
“I'm not saying immigration isn't a very important issue, but let's be honest, it's not like the public thinks the Conservatives have got it under control at the moment. You should talk about the economy.'
Week in Review: How Rishi Sunak lost control of the election narrative
Politics.co.uk is the UK's leading digital-only political website, providing comprehensive coverage of UK politics. Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
