Rishi Sunak ruled out a January election in a speech on Monday, 12 May, after the Conservatives suffered blows in local and regional elections earlier this month. In a pre-election pitch to voters, the prime minister said: "At some point in the second half of this year, we will all go to the polls... I remain confident that my party can prevail, not because of our record alone, but because we will be the only party really talking about the future." It came as the Tories dropped behind Labour in the polls. Mr Sunak has previously declined to rule out an election in July, repeatedly saying his "working assumption" is that it would be later this year.