In 1964 there were less than three weeks between the UK general & US presidential elections. During that time Khrushchev was overthrown in the USSR & China produced its first atomic bomb. The world endured.

— David Ross – 'GAFFERS' available now (@RossFootball) October 20, 2023

The Times are reporting that

Officials have warned cabinet ministers that holding a general election while the US also went to the polls would come with “huge” security risks.

The prime minister is considering holding an autumn election in the hope that the economy will have improved enough to close the gap with Labour.

An autumn contest could overlap with the US election on November 5 next year — a scenario not seen for decades. A Whitehall source said ministers were advised of the security risks involved in an election that coincided with a US presidential race.

The insider said: “There are huge security and market implications if two Five Eyes countries are holding elections at once. It could potentially open up two countries to cyberwarfare and electoral manipulation from hostile states and if a security threat were to arise during a campaign it would leave western countries exposed.”

A second Whitehall source said: “Far more care would have to be taken around national security and meddling from hostile countries.”

Both officials said their standing advice to ministers was that clashing elections were best avoided.

The presidential election is to be held on November next year while October is widely believed to be the most likely date for a general election, which legally could be held as late as January 2025. Labour is preparing for a May contest.

Officials are understood to be concerned about a scenario in which an incoming Labour government with inexperienced ministers has to deal with a global crisis while a new US administration has not completed its civil service and diplomatic appointments.

Unlike in the UK, American governments make new appointments to such posts at the start of a presidency.

A former minister said the cabinet had been warned last year of the risks of concurrent contests. The source added: “It was made known that the settled intelligence and security opinion was that this would be a terrible idea and one we would do well to avoid.”

The insider pointed to the added risks to security should the result of the US election be contested. “We’ve seen that happen before and it can have very destabilising consequences.”

I have been working on the assumption that Sunak would go for an election in October/November of 2024 as only an idiot would call an election that would see a general election campaign that would straddle Christmas and the New Year holidays.

If Sunak listens to the security concerns then I think he may go for a September or May election, I’m inching towards the September date as Sunak will want to stay if office as long as possible in the hopes of turning around the current polling deficit.

TSE