There was a look, a pause, then: ‘I’m going to rule it out, yeah… There’s no early general election. I don’t think people want it. Several sources claim James Purnell, the Downing Street chief of staff, is keener on an election than Burnham. 10 adviser notes: ‘I don’t think the survivors would ever forgive Andy.’ But the Tories don’t want an election, because they want three more years for the public to forget past failures in government.