The Labour Party has taken the lead in recent opinion polls, with a YouGov survey conducted earlier this month showing them at 24% support. Reform UK followed with 22%, and the Conservatives were close behind at 21%.
This represents a shift from the last poll conducted during Sir Keir Starmer's premiership, which placed Reform UK at 24%, and both Labour and the Conservatives at 19%. The change in polling has prompted discussion regarding whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham might consider calling an early general election.
While there is no constitutional or legal requirement for Prime Minister Burnham to hold an election, historical precedents exist for leaders calling snap polls after taking office. However, there are also risks, as demonstrated by past leaders such as Gordon Brown in 2007 and Theresa May in 2017, who faced negative outcomes after considering or calling early elections.
The window for an early election is narrowing, with Parliament set to return on 1 September before adjourning two weeks later for party conferences.