Rishi Sunak appears to have revealed the date of the next general election.
Speculation has been mounting in Westminster about when the prime minister will decide to go to the country.
He has until January 2025 at the latest to hold the election, but many Tory MPs believe he may be tempted to have it next May instead.
But in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) this morning to mark his first anniversary as PM, Sunak dropped a huge hint that it will actually take place next October.
The video said: “So what can a country achieve in 52 weeks? Watch this space.”
With the Tories continuing to trail Labour by up to 20 points, it makes sense for Sunak to want to put off the election for as long as possible in the hope that he can turn around his party’s fortunes.
Going to the polls in October 2024 would be a huge gamble, however.
A poll by the More in Common think-tank last week revealed that 73% of voters want the election to take place by May next year, with just 15% wanting it to happen next autumn.
Luke Tryl, the group’s UK director, said: “While it’s understandable that Rishi Sunak will want to wait as long as possible to call an election in the hope that Conservative prospects might improve, our polling suggests that waiting too long may, in fact, have the opposite effect.
“A weary public is not in the mood for a 12-month plus General Election campaign and overwhelmingly would like an election over and done with before next summer.”