NEW: @BloombergUK Saturday read

— Sunak is facing calls from some allies to name the election date to head off a leadership challenge after May 2

— Oct/Nov/Dec still the aim. Dec 12 is one date that’s been discussed

— but June/July in play as a back-uphttps://t.co/TtF2swGPgm

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) April 13, 2024

— Tory rebels plan to move against Sunak after May 2

— they claim 25 letters are in and that another 10 are ready to go straight after locals

— so they think they need ~15 more MPs to hit 53

— PM naming a date could get ahead of it and put off lettershttps://t.co/TtF2swGPgm

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) April 13, 2024

— but there’s still talk of a June/July election

— Sunak allies ruled that out only a few weeks ago, yet now they say it’s not impossible

— some aides who fear the PM can’t last til autumn think an ECHR snap election might be a better bethttps://t.co/TtF2swGPgm

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) April 13, 2024

— there’s also a key timing issue

— if Sunak looks like he’s going to face letters after May 2, then calls a snap election out of desperation, that could tip Tory MPs over the edge into removing him

— very few Tory MPs appear to want a summer electionhttps://t.co/TtF2swGPgm

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) April 13, 2024

— the biggest rumour in Westminster at the moment is that Sunak has been in talks about a post-election job

— two sources say he wants to run an AI project backed by Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman

— No10 and Blackstone deny talkshttps://t.co/TtF2swGPgm

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) April 13, 2024