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Andy Burnham has ruled out holding a snap general election in the next 12 months.
His comments came shortly after Chancellor John Healey unveiled the Burnham government’s first budget and promised to give Britons “breathing space”.
However, the biggest financial announcement of the year has been criticized for not taking major decisions to change the UK economy.
It has sparked speculation that the PM is still considering calling an early election, despite repeatedly rejecting the idea.
Critics have suggested that Burnham may avoid major decisions until he is free from the constraints of the 2024 manifesto – something that can only happen when voters go to the polls again.
But the Prime Minister told reporters: “I don’t know how many times I’ve done this now, but yes, I can rule out calling a general election in the next 12 months.
“I have repeatedly said since I came into this job, I don’t think about myself, I don’t think about my own party and its prospects.
“I’m thinking about the people, and I’m thinking about what I can do to help them have that care for the people that I talked about on my first day in Downing Street.”
He added: “We have a 10-year plan to come, and that will inform the spending review next year. These are my priorities, not looking at our own internal party political advantage.”
The Prime Minister has previously insisted that the next national vote would not take place until the current parliamentary term ends in 2029.
He also rejected claims that Healey’s budget was not bold, saying: “It’s pretty bold to help 20 million households with their energy costs through a tax cut this winter.
Burnham said that if you “add up” all the announced measures, “that’s a significant amount of help coming to people in 2027.”
He also pointed out that the “pressure on finances from the situation in the Middle East” had left him and the government without “enormous room for manoeuvre”.
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