Jeremy Hunt has hinted that the next election could be held in October after Rishi Sunak ruled out a vote on May 2.
Mr Hunt, the Chancellor, appeared to suggest the election would take place in autumn as he set out the Government’s approach to the next Whitehall spending review.
Discussing the timeline for the review, he said it would be “very, very tight” to complete it before the deadline of April 2025 “if the general election is in October”.
Mr Hunt told the Lords economic affairs committee on Tuesday: “No governments decide a spending review this far ahead of when that spending review is happening.
“This particular spending review has to be complete before next April, when the next financial year starts.
“And of course if the general election is in October, that will mean it is very, very tight – and that is why we are thinking in advance about the most important element of that spending review, which is the productivity element.”
Mr Sunak has previously said his “working assumption” is that the contest will be held in the second half of this year.
Last week, he ruled out holding a vote on May 2, the same day as the local elections, after speculation that the Tories might choose to call the election early amid fears of a further slide in the opinion polls.
