Are we heading for a May election? Poll shows Labour eight points ahead as voters give Budget benefit of doubt - but difficult decisions loom next autumn as Badenoch warns of £49bn timebomb

Published: 03:40 EDT, 1 November 2026 | Updated: 03:46 EDT, 1 November 2026 Labour is on high alert for a May election amid Andy Burnham's poll bounce and the Budget delaying difficult decisions.MPs are bracing for the PM to pull the trigger next spring despite his repeated assurances that there will not be a national vote in 2027.Opinium research carried out largely after the Chancellor's fiscal package put Labour on 30 per cent, with Reform and the Tories statistically tied on 22 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.That kind of split could deliver a handsome majority of nearly 100 for Mr Burnham, according to Electoral Calculus estimates. The speculation has been fuelled by John Healey pushing back key decisions in the Budget last week. A spending review due in the second half of next year will need to spell out a path for defence budgets hitting 3 per cent of GDP by 2030. Mr Healey has also acknowledged there will have to be difficult choices on departmental spending, with think-tanks flagging that current plans seem to entail huge real-terms cuts in the coming years.Kemi Badenoch warned today that, together with promises such as an NHS-style social care system and more council housing, the pressures mean there could be £49billion hole in the finances by 2030-31. MPs are bracing for Andy Burnham to pull the trigger next spring despite his repeated assurances that there will not be a national vote in 2027 Mr Burnham's personal ratings have been dipping from initial highs, but remain in positive territory Kemi Badenoch warned today that, together with promises such as an NHS-style social care system and more council housing, the pressures mean there could be £49billion hole in the finances by 2030-31She suggested Mr Burnham was being prevented from raising taxes even further by Labour's previous commitments not to hike income tax, national insurance or VAT in this Parliament.'Who's going to pay for it? The Prime Minister gave the game away on Friday when he said he would have written the 2024 manifesto differently. Let me translate that,' she wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.'He wishes he had more room to raise taxes even further. To fund their promises and appease their MPs, Labour are going to have to raise taxes by £1,700 for every household.'Labour MPs have been ramping up their preparations as the expectation of a snap election rises in Westminster. 'I have told my staff to prepare for a May election,' one told the Sun on Sunday.'Andy Burnham is a winner and that is his appeal. But next May Labour will lose a lot of council seats.'He will not want to be seen as a loser - so I think a May election is the most likely.'The election rumours have continued despite Mr Burnham repeatedly trying to kill them off. Asked in an interview last week when the next election will be, Mr Burnham said: 'I said yesterday, no election in 2027. I said that really, really plainly yesterday.'I'll say it again today to you and the reason I say that is because I am not coming into this job full of political calculation in terms of ''what do I need to do for how it benefits me or the party?''.'I come into the job genuinely feeling that the country needs a really clear change in terms of the way politics has been done because we're in a messy position.'However, the remarks did appear to be a shift in Mr Burnham's position, as he previously stated that there will not be an election until 2029. The speculation has been fuelled by John Healey pushing back key decisions in the Budget last week