Rishi Sunak tonight ruled out holding the general election on 2 May as he dismissed growing speculation he could go to the polls in just seven weeks’ time.
The Prime Minister told ITV West Country: ‘In several weeks on May 2 we have elections on local issues, police and crime commissioners, mayors.
‘There won’t be a general election on that day.’
Mr Sunak had earlier insisted the Tories are ‘united’ despite a rising sense of panic over the ‘massacre’ the party is facing.
The PM said the country had ‘turned a corner’ after ‘a difficult couple of years’ as he was challenged on fresh rumours of a coup bid.
He also underlined that his ‘working assumption’ remains that the election will happen in the second half of the year.
Westminster is awash with speculation over Mr Sunak’s prospects for survival amid anger over the handling of the race row involving Tory donor Frank Hester, and disappointment at the lack of a Budget bounce.
Some Cabinet ministers are discussing what would happen if Mr Sunak was replaced before an election, even though they remain supportive, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Tory MPs told MailOnline that plotting is reaching fever pitch in the corridors of Parliament.
Rishi Sunak (pictured on a visit to Gloucester Rugby Club today) insisted the Tories are ‘united’ today despite a rising sense of panic over the ‘massacre’ the party is facing
Westminster is awash with speculation over Mr Sunak’s prospects for survival amid anger over the handling of the race row involving Tory donor Frank Hester, and disappointment at the lack of a Budget bounce
‘There is huge muttering,’ said one former Cabinet minister. ‘It is quite miserable as a Tory in the House of Commons at the moment.
‘Normally there have been two or three people huddled together plotting. But now it is five or six in the Tea Room.’
The MP said Mr Sunak ‘can’t do anything right’, and was being buffeted by different groups in Downing Street and CCHQ who cannot agree on tactics.
‘Some want to go in May and others want to hold back,’ they said.
There have been claims circulating that Mr Sunak is preparing to trigger an election next week to take place on May 2 – although many regard that as an attempt to frighten rebels into staying in line.
Some Tories are also angry with ‘Yorkshire Mafia’ allies of Mr Sunak including former chief whip Julian Smith, who has a constituency neighbouring his Richmond seat and is regarded as highly influential.
However, No10 insiders have been voicing defiance, mocking those on manoeuvres against the PM as lazy.
Asked about ex-minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns demanding a new leader before the election, the Prime Minister replied: ‘I think actually the party is united in wanting to make sure that we don’t have the Labour government, because our plan is the right one for the country.
‘And actually, we’ve been through a difficult couple of years. Of course that’s the case, whether it’s with Covid, recovering from that, the impact of the war in Ukraine.
Mr Sunak was presented with a personalised Gloucester shirt during his visit today
‘But the start of this year, we really have turned a corner and we’re now pointing in the right direction. You can see that most clearly with the economy.’
Even critics of Mr Sunak believe the number of no confidence letters in Mr Sunak sent to 1922 chair Sir Graham Brady remains between 20 and 30, although no-one knows for sure.
That is well below the 53 required to trigger a formal vote of Tory MPs. Sir Graham is believed to have urged Mr Sunak not to go for a May poll at a meeting earlier this week, pointing to Labour’s massive poll lead.
One major obstacle for rebels is finding a replacement they can unite around, with some MPs pushing the idea of Boris Johnson coming back in a by-election.
