Burnham guilty of election date slip

Burnham apeared to let the election month slip today
Burnham apeared to let the election month slip today
 
 
 

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Andy Burnham let plans for a May election slip this afternoon while announcing a ban on sunbed use for under-18s.

Speaking at an event to announce the policy, which involves the government getting behind a private members bill, Mr Burnham said: "We can have changed a little piece of the law by May, er, this year".

The slip-up is the surest sign yet that the government will go to the polls on May 6th, the day of the local election.

The vast majority of political pundits, including politics.co.uk, have been predicting that date for some time, but speculation of a March election around the turn of the year had led some commentators to ponder if Mr Brown would go to the country before the Budget.

Europe minister Chris Bryant was also responsible for a slip-up earlier this week when he spoke about relations between the UK and Venezuela to diplomats in London.

"I hope that by the time of the general election on May 6, relations will have improved," he said.

Number 10 insists ministers have not yet been told the general election date.

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