Rishi Sunak rules out election as 202 MPs vote him in – but almost 400,000 sign The Independent’s petition
Rishi Sunak has ruled out an early general election after becoming leader of the Conservative party, despite calls from every opposition party and growing public support for a snap vote.
Almost 400,000 people have signed The Independent’s campaign petition for a general election, as Mr Sunak was made prime minister-in-waiting on Monday.
A poll run by YouGov in the wake of Liz Truss’s resignation last week found that almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of the public believe the new PM should call an early election.
Mr Sunak was named Tory leader after winning the support of more than 200 Tory MPs, and is expected to go to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III to take over at No 10 on Tuesday.
But the new Tory leader made clear he would not be going to the country early in remarks to Tory MPs a behind-closed-doors meeting after he was crowned by the 1922 Committee of backbenchers.
Tory MP Simon Hoare said opposition parties “always want an election”, but Mr Sunak had ruled one out. “His key message to the public is, ‘Can you give us the space and the time, can you give us more of your patience, and he’ll argue it’s worth their time’.”
One MP told the Mirror that Mr Sunak “made it clear he will go [to the polls] in two years”, while another third MP said he had “made it clear it’s a long way to the next election”.
As things stand, the latest date at which the next general election could take place under the law is January 2025. The PM has the power to decide the date any time before then.
Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s deputy leader, repeated the party’s call for a general election, tweeting: “Nobody voted for this.”
In a statement, she said: “Rishi Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need. We need a general election so the public get a say on the future of Britain – and the chance for a fresh start with Labour.”
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said Tory MPs had “installed another out-of-touch prime minister with no plan to repair the damage and without giving the British people a say”.
The SNP has said the Tories “cannot be allowed to impose a third prime minister without a general election”.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said he should accept a vote and “must not unleash another round of austerity”.
Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said his crowing by 200 MPs was “antidemocratic”, while Green MP Caroline Lucas said it was “difficult to think of a prime minister with less of a mandate to govern than Rishi Sunak”.
