Rishi Sunak’s top aides advised against early election. Isaac Levido and Michael Brooks warned ex-PM on 3 April voters ‘less likely to feel financially optimistic’

Rishi Sunak’s top aides advised him not to call an early election, warning him that voters would be less likely to feel “financially optimistic” in the summer and that Conservatives would not be able to “hit Labour hard with both fists”.

Isaac Levido, who directed the election campaign for the Conservative party, and Michael Brooks, a Tory strategist, issued the warning to the former prime minister in a blunt memo on 3 April, seven weeks before the election was called.

Rishi Sunak’s top aides advised against early election, memo reveals

“We need as much time as possible for economic metrics to improve and for voters to feel better off. An earlier election gives us less scope to communicate about economic progress, because voters are less likely to feel financially optimistic.”

Calling an election before the summer would remove “potential positive psychological effects of summer”, including those resulting from lower energy bills, holidays, better weather, the Euro 24 football tournament and even the Olympics, according to the memo.

The memo acknowledged there was a risk for the Conservatives that a late election “could leave us vulnerable to internal party division and other off-message distractions and policy challenges (eg strikes, increased Channel crossings)”.