Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out an early general election, telling ITV's Good Morning Britain on Monday that voters should put the idea out of their minds. Asked about a manifesto for closer EU ties, he said an election was not on his mind and his focus was governing. "There is no election coming any time soon. People may as well just put that out of their mind," he told the broadcaster.

Burnham said Britain was starting to regain its momentum, positivity and direction, and that improving relations with Europe was part of that effort.

Defence path to come in Wednesday's Budget

Burnham also said Chancellor John Healey would use his first Budget on Wednesday to set out a path to meet Britain's NATO spending commitments, including reaching 3.5% of gross domestic product on core defence by 2035. "We will meet our NATO commitments," he said, adding that the government would set out a plan for what it thought was the right way to do that. He said funding the defence investment plan and laying out a route to NATO goals were priorities, with national security a priority in a challenging world.

Migration reform principle backed

On migration, Burnham said he stood by the principles of reform set out by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, following speculation that the plans could be watered down after a political backlash. He backed her proposal to extend the time it takes to secure indefinite leave to remain to 15 years from five for some migrants, saying settlement should be treated as a right to be earned rather than something granted automatically. Mahmood will set out the final conclusion soon, so the detail is not yet settled law.