Grant Shapps was cornered on LBC this morning over Rishi Sunak’s decision to call the general election early.
Presenter Nick Ferrari pointed out that the Tories have not been in the lead in the polls since December 6, 2021 – and Labour are now storming ahead.
So he asked the defence secretary: “What on earth makes you think that’s going to change in 17, 18 days?”
The minister claimed polls are just a “snapshot in time”, and that they are not “always accurate”, pointing to the incorrect poll predictions seen before the 2015 election, 2016 EU referendum and 2017 election.
However, he admitted the Tories are now the “underdog”, despite being in power for 14 years.
Ferrari also pointed out that polling guru Sir John Curtice said on Sunday that Rishi Sunak must be questioning his decision to call the general election early.
He asked: “This is a massive own goal, wasn’t it, going early?”
Shapps paused, before replying: “That’s the kind of decision only a prime minister can make, it’s at the behest of a prime minister, and they will weigh up when they think it’s best to go to the country.
“I don’t have much I think I can add in terms of layers to that.”
“Would you have gone this early?” Ferrari hit back.
“Well it wasn’t my decision...” Shapps said.
“I’ll take that as a no,” the LBC presenter cut in.
Shapps replied: “I wouldn’t take it as anything, it just wasn’t my decision.”
“Were you supportive of it, Mr Shapps?” Ferrari asked. “Or did you think a little more time to let what you’d promised with the economic policy, let it work its way through, shouldn’t we have perhaps have allowed ourselves another five months or so of that?”
Sunak called the election on the day inflation hit 2.3%, the lowest it has been since 2021.
Shapps side-stepped in response, saying: “Only the prime minister can make those decisions.”