- Written by Chris Mason
- Political Editor, BBC News
Civil servants, advisers, members of parliament, you name it, there’s a lot of chatter going on inside and outside the government that the prime minister might be trying to call a general election, or at least have something to say. It’s not the first time this year. about it.
Cards on the table: I don’t get too excited about this kind of thing. Because it’s usually quickly debunked.
This time, at least as of this writing, feels different.
Since yesterday I have been asking for a clear answer as to whether Rishi Sunak intends to call an election and have not received a clear answer.
The calls that would normally be returned are not being returned.
It’s not a complete wall of silence, but the only significant issue is that it’s not being directly addressed.
Mr Sunak appeared briefly on camera this morning to welcome the fall in inflation, but stuck to his view that a general election would be held later this year.
The Prime Minister’s Q&A was far more consensual than usual, with Conservative MP Craig McKinlay’s return to Parliament and discussion of the blood infection scandal coupled with discussion.
It took SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn to tackle the issue head on.
Downing Street knows there’s a whirlwind of chatter.
And Rishi Sunak’s answer will do nothing to ease the confusion, even though it simply repeats what he has said repeatedly for the past six months.
As is customary on Wednesdays after PMQs, the prime minister’s team took questions from reporters for about 30 minutes.
While sticking to his long-held idea of ​​holding elections in the second half of this year, he again did nothing to quash all speculation.
We have heard that senior civil servants who spend their days in regular conversations with Downing Street and the central government are facing a wall of silence from the people they normally interact with.
A senior Conservative leader who is standing down at the election has just hugged one of my colleagues goodbye.
In other words, all the components of the choreography and behavior expected on the day the general election is announced are taking shape.
It’s worth saying that each of them has an individually plausible alternative explanation.
But all this adds up becomes very hard to explain if there is no election imminent, or if the Prime Minister is not about to say anything about when an election might take place.
In Westminster, a rumor needs to be spread to be confirmed, so it can spread within the time it takes to listen or blink.
But they can be shattered in an instant.
