British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has ruled out an autumn election, his spokesman said this evening.
The spokesman said Mr Brown's statement came in an interview with the BBC to be broadcast later. The spokesman said: "I can now confirm that the Prime Minister has said there will be no autumn poll."
The decision to abandon any thoughts of an autumn poll came after the latest opinion poll gave the Conservatives a big lead in key marginal seats.
It is bound to lead to charges that Mr Brown is running scared after Conservative leader David Cameron's speech to his party conference saw the Tories eat straight back into Labour's poll lead.
But the move surprised many in his party and among trade union officials who believed that a November 1st poll was a near certainty.
The country's biggest unions had been asked to bring forward next year's affiliation fees to help Labour fight an autumn election while a number of union press officers had been put on standby to help Labour's media drive in the run up to a poll.
Speaking outside No 10, BBC broadcaster Andrew Marr said he got the impression that Mr Brown was against holding an election next year as well.
The interviewer said: "I would say in effect, unless something extraordinary happens, he is ruling out a general election either this year or in 2008." Mr Marr said the Prime Minister was "calm" when he interviewed him and answered his "very direct questions" politely.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: "We are disappointed that after weeks of spinning the Prime Minister has now decided not to call an election. This is an extraordinary demonstration of his weakness and indecision. He has changed his mind in the face of the strength and clarity of the Conservative argument."