‘Squatter’ Sunak urged to call election after downplaying chance of spring vote

Rishi Sunak has been accused of “squatting” in Downing Street by his political opponents after he downplayed the prospects of holding a general election in the spring.

The Prime Minister revealed on Thursday that it is his “working assumption” that he would trigger the vote for the “second half of this year”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused him of “dithering and delaying” while the Liberal Democrats claimed Mr Sunak had “bottled it” amid dire polling for the Tories.

Regardless of when the ballots open, the long election