A general election next year? We could end up with two...

A Tory recovery on the back of tax giveaways could complicate Labour’s plans for an emphatic victory, says Sean O’Grady

Jeremy Hunt is shown an Airbus A350 wing being made at an aircraft plant in Broughton near Chester on Thursday (via Reuters)

Reductions in national insurance contributions – the headline tax giveaway announced by Jeremy Hunt – will take effect on January 1. It’s the same day that Tory electoral strategist Isaac Levido is due to move from 10 Downing Street to Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ). Speculation has broken out about the timing of the next general election, although that decision is entirely in the hands of one man…

What do we know about the date of the next general election?

Nothing, except the law dictates it must take place on or before 28 January, 2025. British general elections generally take place either in spring or early summer, or October. Winter elections, which make campaigning harder, are exceptional.