Minister dismisses poll 'chatter'

Mr Alexander said the cabinet was focussed on the economy

Speculation that Gordon Brown might call a general election next spring has been dismissed as "chatter" by Labour's election co-ordinator.

There have been suggestions an early poll might benefit Labour, in case the economy deteriorates further.

But Douglas Alexander told the BBC he had not spoken to the prime minister about an early election, adding "not a poster site has been booked".

He said the government was focussing on getting through the economic downturn.

The prime minister has to call a general election by June 2010 at the latest but there have been various reports that some Labour MPs believe he should call one in April or May 2009.

Glenrothes victory

Mr Alexander, who along with being international development secretary is the party's election co-ordinator, was asked about speculation of a spring election on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show.

He said: "As election coordinator I haven't spoken to Gordon Brown about the possibility of an election. We are getting on with the job.

Of course there will be chatter in the newspapers, there may be chatter in the tearoom but I can assure you at the level of the cabinet we are entirely focussed on trying to help people Douglas Alexander

"I am trying to work with other colleagues in cabinet to take Britain fairly through the downturn - I think that is what the British people would expect of us and that is the entire focus of our work."

The reports follow Labour's victory at Glenrothes, which ended a series of by-election defeats for the party, and comes amid fears that the economic situation is unlikely to recover within 18 months.

Some polls suggest the Conservatives' lead over Labour is narrowing and it has been speculated tax cuts will be announced in the upcoming pre-Budget report.

But Mr Alexander, asked whether any part of his week was spent planning for an early election, replied: "Not a poster site has been booked - we are getting on with the job of focussing on how we can help families through the difficult times they are facing."

He added: "Of course there will be chatter in the newspapers, there may be chatter in the tearoom but I can assure you at the level of the cabinet we are entirely focussed on trying to help people with rising food bills, rising fuel bills and all the concerns they have got."

Asked about a possible election earlier this month, Mr Brown, whose failure to call a snap election last year led to accusations he had "bottled" the decision, said his "undivided focus" was on the economy.

A YouGov for the Sunday Times showed the Conservatives' lead over Labour at its lowest this year.

It also suggested the prime minister and Chancellor Alistair Darling were more trusted to deal with the economic situation than Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne, by a margin of 36% to 25%.

However, a ComRes poll for the Independent on Sunday suggested the Tories had stretched their lead by three points to 11% over the past month.

The Conservatives were on 43%, Labour was up a point on 31%, while the Liberal Democrats were down 4% on 12%.

YouGov interviewed 2,080 people online between November 13 and 14 while ComRes telephoned 1,010 adults on November 12 and 13.