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Rishi Sunak has announced it is his ‘working assumption’ that the next general election will take place in the second half of 2024 and not in May, as some had assumed.

The British prime minister was speaking as he was quizzed by journalists over when Britons will head to the polls.

“My working assumption is we’ll have a general election in the second half of this year and in the meantime I’ve got lots that I want to get on with,” Sunak said.

UK elections frequently take place in May or June, though the last was in December 2019, when disgraced former PM Boris Johnson won a resounding majority.

Asked if he could rule out a May election for 2024, Sunak repeated that it is his “working assumption” a vote will be held later in the year.

The prime minister has previously ruled out an election in January 2025 – the latest possible date, legally, for the polling day to occur.

Despite low support, Sunak continued: “I want to keep going, managing the economy well and cutting people’s taxes. But I also want to keep tackling illegal migration, so, I’ve got lots to get on with and I’m determined to keep delivering for the British people.”

The opposition Liberal Democrats, who pose a serious electoral threat in many of the Conservatives’ traditional wealthy heartlands, had been calling on him to press on with the vote in May, rather than trying to “cling on” to power for the rest of 2024.

The main opposition party, Labour, had gone even further, claiming that a vote in the spring was the “worst kept secret in Parliament”.

Labour leader – and presumed prime minister-in-waiting – Keir Starmer criticised Sunak’s comments today, telling Sky News: “People are crying out for change. And I say to the prime minister, what’s he hiding? If he’s not going to set a date, what’s he hiding from the public?’

Starmer then went on to criticise Sunak for “squatting” in Downing Street, calling for him to leave office.

“I think the vast majority of the public want to see an election as soon as possible, and the reason is that the choice now is to turn our back on 14 years of decline and usher in a decade of national renewal with hope and change,” he said, adding, “People can’t afford for the prime minister to be squatting for months on end this year.”

Polls have consistently shown Labour with a polling lead of around 20 points for some months, though the UK’s first-past-the-post electoral system means that could be translated into a variety of outcomes.