Deputy PM Oliver Dowden urges Rishi Sunak to call early election amid fears of Tory wipe out

DEPUTY PM Oliver Dowden has urged Rishi Sunak to call an election sooner rather than later.

The PM insists the “working assumption” is a general election in the second half of this year.

No10 officials and strategists want to wait until October or November with hopes that an improved economy and another round of tax-cutting could improve party fortunes.

But with opinion polls showing the Tories at a new record low, senior figures have considered a vote in June or July.

Sources say Mr Dowden is among those to have “voiced this view” amid concerns the party could be wiped out.

Allies claimed he was not actively pushing for an early poll but did not deny various options had been discussed.

Tory critics of the PM say the local elections on May 2 are likely to be a leadership flashpoint.

Some ministers believe Mr Sunak would choose to call an election rather than face a brutal showdown with rebel Tory MPs attempting to oust him.

The maximum term of a Parliament is five years after the day it first meets.

After that time it will automatically dissolve, with Polling Day expected to happen 25 days later — not including weekends and bank holidays.

The last general election was called in December 2019 by Boris Johnson, so parliament will next automatically dissolve on December 17, 2024 — meaning a general election will take place on January 24, 2025, at the very latest.

There must be 25 days notice for an election, so candidates can go into campaign mode.

That means the latest the next contest could be announced is December 29, 2024.