Edinburgh and Lothian Labour MPs see no reason for Andy Burnham to call early election
Question has only one answer, but it just won’t go away
It's the question he's always being asked. Will there be an early election? Andy Burnham has repeatedly said no, but the question never goes away.
After last week's UK Budget, TV interviewers asked him again. He again ruled it out. And then the same interviewers observed he couldn't say anything else.
His predecessor Gordon Brown - who, back in 2007, was also a new prime minister with good poll ratings - learned the hard way that allowing election speculation to grow and then deciding not to call an election is extremely damaging.
But there is good reason to take Andy Burnham at his word. There is a large Labour majority in the Commons, the last election was only two years ago and there's no requirement for another one until 2029.
A quick survey of Edinburgh and Lothian Labour MPs found no-one believing he would or should opt for a a trip to the ballot box anytime soon.
"We're not going to get the same size of majority, so some people are going to lose their seats, which means it's not a popular idea among MPs," said one. "And more importantly, voters don't want another election. We've had too many recently."
The argument usually put in favour of an early election is that Andy Burnham needs his own mandate. The constitution, of course, allows governing parties to change leader without a fresh election, though some leaders feel the need to prove they can win their own victory. But in the current circumstances there are arguably more important priorities.
It is true Mr Burnham wants to go beyond what was promised in the 2024 election manifesto, but at least for the time being he is ready to live within those constraints rather than risk squandering a hard-won Commons majority.
Labour was elected two years ago promising change and that’s what the public wants to see. Rather than another trip to the polls, voters might prefer Mr Burnham to get on with the job.