Nicola Sturgeon says she cannot see how Andy Burnham avoids a snap general election despite his denials
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, speaking to ITV News, said welfare cuts could plunge people into "absolute crisis" as he marked his first 100 days in office.Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, as a Labour poll puts the party on 30 per cent — a rating Electoral Calculus projects could deliver Burnham a majority of nearly 100 seats.Polling after the Budget put the Conservatives on 20 per cent — trailing Reform on 22 — with a split Nicola Sturgeon said left Burnham with "almost no fiscal room for manoeuvre.Opinium polling data, conducted largely after John Healey's Budget, showing Labour eight points ahead of Reform — with Labour MPs already putting staff on standby ahead of a possible May election.
Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme that Burnham has "very, very limited, almost no fiscal room for manoeuvre" and no political mandate for major reforms, making a snap election hard to avoid. Her intervention came despite Burnham insisting just days earlier there would be "no election in 2027."
Sturgeon added that Burnham's political capital "dissipates quickly" and urged him to "get on and do these things" before goodwill runs out.
A Labour MP has said the election is "May Day for sure," with colleagues reportedly putting staff on standby and pointing to the Budget's failure to address big economic questions.
Opinium polling after the Budget put Labour on 30 per cent, with Reform and the Tories tied on 22 and 20 per cent — a split Electoral Calculus says could deliver Burnham a majority of nearly 100.
