Slough’s MP has warned his party “can’t be complacent” despite a strong poll lead as the nation gears up for a general election.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Labour’s Tan Dhesi acknowledged his party’s strong standing in the opinion polls while also urging caution.

The next general election is widely expected to be held in 2024, although in theory it could be held as late as January 2025.

Mr Dhesi said: “We can’t be complacent, I think that’s key. Just because the opinion polls are showing us in the lead at present, we can’t be complacent.”

Opinion polls have shown the Labour Party consistently in the lead for a general election for the best part of two years, with an early December YouGov poll putting them 23 points ahead of the Conservatives.

But it comes just a few years after a crushing defeat for Labour in the December 2019 general election, which saw the Tories win a resounding majority.

While Mr Dhesi held his seat in Slough, many other Labour MPs across the country lost their seats – and then party leader Jeremy Corbyn stood down in the aftermath.

However, the Slough MP added that he hopes people would want to see change “after 13 long years, and the crashing of the economy, and Partygate, to the billions wasted during the pandemic.”

Labour’s standing in the opinion polls has improved drastically since late 2021 in the wake of the Partygate scandal – with the party’s lead growing further following Liz Truss’ mini-budget in 2022.

Mr Dhesi added: “There are so many things that do need correcting, and it’ll be a monumental task for the next government.

“I hope very much that the British people will want to have that change and they will elect a Labour government. Next year is going to be a crucial year for the direction that the country is going to be taking.”

The date of the next general election is yet to be confirmed, although it is speculated that it may fall in either the spring or autumn of 2024.

Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, the latest date the general election can be held is January 28, 2025.

It is the prime minister’s decision when the election is held, with the requirement for approval from parliament for an early election scrapped by this same Act.