UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says there will not be an early general election in the next year. Mr Burnham stated this while unveiling his administration’s first budget proposal on Wednesday.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve done this now, but yes, I can rule out calling a general election in the next 12 months,” he stated.

The next UK general election is expected by August 2029, and there has been speculation that Mr Burnham is preparing for an earlier poll.

The prime minister insisted that he is more focused on citizens than his party or a snap election.

He added, “I’m not thinking about myself. I’m not thinking about my own party and its prospects.”

Mr Burnham’s declaration came after Kemi Badenoch claimed that the prime minister might call a general election sooner than he planned.

Ms Badenoch, who noted that the Conservative Party was “coming back” after it slumped in popularity at the end of 14 years in government, stated, “This is an era of political volatility and multi-party politics. I do think Andy Burnham is going to call an election sooner than he is saying. All the policies he announced are for after an election.”

In September, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also accused Mr Burnham of lacking a mandate.

“I believe there must be a general election because Andy Burnham has no mandate – the messiah without a mandate, we deserve a general election on who continues to govern this country,” Mr Farage noted.

Since he emerged as prime minister in July, Mr Burnham has outlined several programmes, raising questions about whether he would secure a fresh mandate before 2029.