so i have got lots to get on with and i am determined to keep delivering for the british people. it has been great to be talking to people here in the east midlands about our progress today. the bbc�*s political editor, chris mason, has speaking to the labour leader, sir keir starmer, he gave his reaction to the prime minister's election date comments. we are ready for a general election. i think the country is ready for a general election, to turn its back on this decline and usher in the hope and change that a labour government can bring. the prime minister is now hinting, without setting a date, that it might be later in the year. what is he hiding? why can't he set a date? you know, squatting in downing street for months on end, dithering and delaying when the country wants change, what is he hiding? and you can see the full interview with sir keir and our political editor, chris mason, at five o'clock this afternoon here on bbc news. live now to our political correspondent, harry farley.

what is the advantage for rishi sunak to make this statement at this point? sunak to make this statement at this oint? ,, . ., ., sunak to make this statement at this oint? ,,, . ., ., ., sunak to make this statement at this oint? . ., ., ., , sunak to make this statement at this oint? ,, . ., ., ., , ., point? speculation had been mounting on westminster _ point? speculation had been mounting on westminster for _ point? speculation had been mounting on westminster for the _ point? speculation had been mounting on westminster for the last _ point? speculation had been mounting on westminster for the last couple - on westminster for the last couple of weeks about when an election would be. we knew it was highly likely to be this year at some point and what we have seen over the last few days as the opposition party, labour, liberal democrat piling on pressure to hold a may election, an election in the spring at some point. and what rishi sunak has done is address it for the first time and try to kill off that speculation, try to kill off that speculation, try to kill off that speculation, try to dampen down any excitement about the possibility of a spring election, a may election and said his working assumption is an election in the second half of this year. so i think the reason that is to try and get ahead of any speculation, head of any expectation even that an election will come before then then and as you heard, keir starmer the labour leader accusing rishi sunak of squatting in

downing street. the liberal democrats have used exactly the same phrase in the last few moments to respond to what the prime minister has said. it is worth saying that there was no obligation or even expectation on rishi sunak to hold an election in the first draft of this year, in the spring, at any point, the decision for when to hold it is solely down to him and it must happen before the 28th of january 2025, but the day to down to him. so i think he was trying to get ahead of the speculation and kill off attacks that he was dithering by saying my working assumption is it will be the second half of the year. you mention the other party. politically, does it make it more difficult for them, if they have got longer, the whole campaign to go on, the apathy, is not likely to get worse? . , . ., , ., the apathy, is not likely to get worse? . _ ., ,~ ., worse? that is certainly a factor

but what you — worse? that is certainly a factor but what you can _ worse? that is certainly a factor but what you can definitely - worse? that is certainly a factor. but what you can definitely expect from westminster this year is an awful lot of talk about the prospect of an election and it now looks like we will have that talk for even longer if an election does happen in the second half of this year. i think what rishi sunak was saying is he has got he wants to do before the election. he knows there is going to be budget in march and we can expect i think very confidently that rishi sunak will be hoping to cut taxes in the budget and i think from the conservative perspective, they will be hoping that by the time it comes down to an election in the second half of the year people will feel the effects of those tax cuts in their pay packets, that perhaps a hope will be that inflation will fall than even bob and i think from opposition parties, at the moment, labour holds the lead in the polls are between 17 to 20 percentage points ahead of the conservatives. so i think they will be hoping to maintain that lead, hold onto that lead over the conservatives and wait

until it comes. in lead over the conservatives and wait until it comes.— until it comes. in terms of the progress _ until it comes. in terms of the progress in — until it comes. in terms of the progress in the _ until it comes. in terms of the progress in the pledges - until it comes. in terms of the progress in the pledges at - until it comes. in terms of the l progress in the pledges at rishi sunak is made to the electorate, i was getting on? you sunak is made to the electorate, i was getting on?— sunak is made to the electorate, i was caettin on? ., , ., , was getting on? you remember at this narrative last — was getting on? you remember at this narrative last year, _ was getting on? you remember at this narrative last year, rishi _ was getting on? you remember at this narrative last year, rishi sunak- was getting on? you remember at this narrative last year, rishi sunak set - narrative last year, rishi sunak set out his five pledges and said that the electorate should judge him are going to thrive pledges that he set out. and they were, really he has only made significant progress or achieved actually one of those pledges, to have inflation by the end of last year. that did happen. he has reduced the number of small boats crossing the channel but not completely stop them. his pledge was to stop the boats. they have come down by a third but he hasn't achieved a pledge to stop the boats and he hasn't managed to grow the economy are cut nhs waiting lists either. so i think he will be thinking, perhaps an election later in the air buys more time to try and make some progress on those five pledges that he set out 12 months ago, to achieve already by the end

of last year. live now to joe twyman, the co—founder of deltapoll. at the moment what are the polls looking like and what do you make of this decision, this announcement, not a specific announcement but a hint on the timing of the election? the timing announcement doesn't really surprise me and the reason it doesn't surprise me is because of what the polls are showing. conservatives have not been ahead in a published opinion poll since december 2021. and they haven't been within double digits of labour, sorry, single digit of labour since september 2022 so it has been a long time since the gap has been even reasonably close between the two main parties. i think if significant progress had been made on the five pledges that were mentioned, and if they are necessarily resonated with they are necessarily resonated with the public, then we perhaps might have seen a more bullish approach to a may election. that it is, when you

look at data from us and others, you will see that the public genuinely believes those pledges have been missed and perhaps only one or perhaps even non—had been met. that is not a good foundation on which to build an election campaign. so i imagine that instead the focus now will switch to the budget and the will switch to the budget and the will be that among those in downing street that the announcement made also resonate with the public and bring about some sort of positive change, notjust in the voting intention, a long lasting change in the question of who is best to run the question of who is best to run the economy. fin the question of who is best to run the economy-— the question of who is best to run the economy. on that issue of the economy. — the economy. on that issue of the economy. sir— the economy. on that issue of the economy, sir keir— the economy. on that issue of the economy, sir keir starmer- the economy. on that issue of the economy, sir keir starmer was - the economy. on that issue of the i economy, sir keir starmer was trying to say the conservative party had a zero credit rating on the economy, trying to paint himself as a person who could fight an election on an economy issue. tell us how it is looking in the to who the electric trust when it comes down to the economy? in trust when it comes down to the economy?— trust when it comes down to the econom ? . , , ., , economy? in many ways, from my perspective — economy? in many ways, from my perspective as — economy? in many ways, from my perspective as a — economy? in many ways, from my perspective as a pollster, - economy? in many ways, from my perspective as a pollster, this - economy? in many ways, from my perspective as a pollster, this is i economy? in many ways, from my perspective as a pollster, this is a | perspective as a pollster, this is a most interesting statistic to look

at if you are conservative, because in our day take we asked who is best placed to manage the economy, labour or the contempt it? and the conservative figure since june of last year has not been higher than 33% or lower than 29%. to put it another way, 33% or lower than 29%. to put it anotherway, in 33% or lower than 29%. to put it another way, in statistical terms it hasn't moved at all. voting intentions fluctuated a bit, as have leadership ratings, but the question of who is best to deal with the economy, despite all the announcements, the autumn statement and everything else, that has not moved sincejune last and everything else, that has not moved since june last year and everything else, that has not moved sincejune last year and if i was a conservative, i would be deeply concerned because it has never been the case their party has come from behind on the question of economic competence and leadership to win the most heat in the general election and the conservatives are behind on both, notjust a little, but by a lot. behind on both, not 'ust a little, but by a loch behind on both, not 'ust a little, but by a lot. thank you very much for our but by a lot. thank you very much for your thoughts _ but by a lot. thank you very much for your thoughts on _ but by a lot. thank you very much for your thoughts on that. - live now to ayesha hazarika, journalist and former labour adviser. what do you make of this

announcement or a semi announcement? i haven't been surprised by this, to be honest, for a couple of reasons. the first reason is that it is rare for a prime minister to actively choose to leave downing street before they have two, normally they are. because there is a leadership challenge knitting on their heels. so i think rishi sunak wants to spend as much time as he can in downing street, seeing they have been there for two years, it feels better psychologically than going quickly and i think after the rwanda vote, when the government won that reasonably confidently, i think that made his strategists feel he had mark comfort, because if those numbers had been tighter or if he had lost that vote, it may have signified that there could be a leadership challenge after a very

difficult set of local election results. and also a lot of tory mps know that they are probably going to lose herjob now and in a way everybody wants to cling on for as long as possible. the everybody wants to cling on for as long as possible.— everybody wants to cling on for as long as possible. the polls haven't shifted that _ long as possible. the polls haven't shifted that much _ long as possible. the polls haven't shifted that much in _ long as possible. the polls haven't shifted that much in the _ long as possible. the polls haven't shifted that much in the last - long as possible. the polls haven't shifted that much in the last little | shifted that much in the last little while. how dangerous is it for labour to have this continue, to a pushed further into the long grass. does it make it more difficult? i think it puts more pressure on the labour party. you heard from keir�*s speech, he wants a general tomorrow if possible when there is big poll lead and as time goes on, that poll lead will probably narrow. there will be scrutiny on the labour party but as joe will be scrutiny on the labour party but asjoe said, the polling numbers have been consistently pretty tough and pretty bad for the government for quite some time so i can understand why they want to go along. i think that gap will narrow and it will only narrow probably

only a small amount because when you go around the country, the message of people are saying is that they are fed up and ready for a change. so i think by delaying it to the second half of the year, they are delaying the inevitable. i know there are some tories, david davis this weekend were saying that they can turn things around but when you look at the fact really affecting people's lives, their cost of living crisis, their troubles with the nhs, public services, it is going to be very difficult for the tories to turn on that feeling.- very difficult for the tories to turn on that feeling. rishi sunak was talking _ turn on that feeling. rishi sunak was talking there, _ turn on that feeling. rishi sunak was talking there, keen - turn on that feeling. rishi sunak was talking there, keen to - turn on that feeling. rishi sunak - was talking there, keen to emphasise changes to tax at the coming up, that he thinks people will be better off. labour, how big a problem is it tax? this morning, keir starmer, a lot of the questions were about specifics on tax and a came back think there was a way, trying to focus on growth. how difficult is the subject of tax for labour? historically, the issue of tax and

the broader issues of the economy have always been a bit of a weakness. historically, public services is a stronger area for labour, the economy probably less. and i were to after the extraordinary events of the last couple of years, that has changed because of how badly the economy has gone under the conservatives. particularly with that mini budget for mistress, if you look at all the focus groups, all across the country, even in tory heartlands, the blue wall, the fact that their mortgages went up under a conservative government which prides itself on fiscal competence and looking after your pennies on mortgages and all of that kind of thing. so i would say normally i would agree and say the economy is a vulnerable area for labour but i think that the conservatives have gifted the labour party are confident on the economy, because although people say you can't trust labour with taxes, they will turn around and say, let me read to you the taxes that have gone up and they

will prosecute the fact that we have now living in a state with the highest tax take in living memory and we are not getting much for it. a lot of people filling up their self—assessment deadline to pay their tax at the end of this january and people really struck by how much tax they are paying and they still can't get to see their doctor. to go back to the — can't get to see their doctor. to go back to the issue _ can't get to see their doctor. to go back to the issue of _ can't get to see their doctor. to go back to the issue of apathy, - back to the issue of apathy, what can the party is due avoid any risk of people getting bored and switching off? i of people getting bored and switching off?— of people getting bored and switching off? of people getting bored and switchin: off? ., ~ ., , switching off? i do think that is something _ switching off? i do think that is something that _ switching off? i do think that is something that everybody - switching off? i do think that is l something that everybody should switching off? i do think that is - something that everybody should be alive to. when you look at the polling, a lot of people say they will prefer keir starmer over rishi sunak but there is a lot of people think they don't know and they feel pretty fed up with politics as a whole. so i think the political apathy, the cynicism that there is around politics right now is something that is real and all parties should be alive to that. i think you had a bit of that and keir

starmer�*s speech this morning. he did allude to the fact that a lot of people are fed up with westminster, fed up with the drama of politics, just been a nonstop soap opera for a long time but certainly the feeling of disillusionment that a lot of people have in politics, it is a real problem does need to be challenged. we have to show that politics matters, that democracy is important in the politics can be a fourth for good.— important in the politics can be a fourth for iood. ., ~ ,, , . fourth for good. thank you very much for talkin: fourth for good. thank you very much for talking to — fourth for good. thank you very much for talking to us. _ thank you very much for talking to us. sir keir starmer has said the election is a chance to "turn the page" and get the uk's future back. during a speech in bristol earlier today, sir keirsaid labour would offer service and national renewal, setting out what he descibed as "project hope, in contrast to what he called the politics of divide and decline." the biggest challenge we face, bar none, the shrug of the shoulder. because this is the paradox

of british politics right now. everyone agrees we are in a huge mess, services on their knees, an economy that doesn't work for working people, even when it grows, let alone when it stagnates like now. everyone agrees as well that it's been like this for a while, that britain needs change, wants change, is crying out for change. and yet, trust in politics is now so low, so degraded that nobody believes you can make a difference any more. also, after the sex scandals, the expenses scandals, the waste scandals, the contracts forfriends, even in a crisis like the pandemic, some people have looked at us and concluded we are alljust in in it for ourselves. a nation that is so exhausted, tired, despairing, even that they have given up on hope.

a national mood which, if we aren't successful with our project hope, the tories would subtly seek to exploit it. but seriously, after failing to deliver change, after ludicrously pretending that they could represent change, they now sense the opportunity of a new strategy, an attempt to take the change option off the table altogether. and notjust at the next election. no, their strategy also has one eye on salting the earth of britain's future. a plan to make sure that if labour does earn the right to serve, we will find it harder to bring our country together for the common good. so, i say to every voter in this country, know that all this is coming your way, know that if we are to heal

the wounds of the past ia years and move forward,