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In a bold, surprising and audacious move, the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came out of 10 Downing Street on Wednesday evening, 22 May, under pouring rain and called a surprise general election for 4 July 2024.
During his address to the nation, Sunak said, “Now is the time for Britain to choose its future,” claiming that Tories could be trusted.
The optics were not great for the PM.
In this high-stakes gamble, the Conservatives are 20 points behind Labour and have been so for several months. It is a fact that no PM has made a comeback from being 20 points behind.
For Labour leader Keir Starmer, despite being ahead in polls, this will be a mammoth fight to win power for the party after 15 long years.
While the surprise announcement was welcomed by a delighted Labour party, that was wanting an early election, senior Tories are shocked and concerned that their party could face an electoral erosion.
Some MPs are even considering submitting letters of no confidence in the PM.
Starmer, widely expected to become the next prime minister, told voters that the election will give them the opportunity to bring about change. He said,
After transforming his party since its wipeout five years ago, under Jeremy Corbyn, this will be Starmer’s biggest battle, as Labour has the reputation of snatching defeat out of the hands of victory.
Sunak, on the other hand, appears to be fighting this election, focussing on the belief that the country should trust the Conservatives in difficult times, while warning that Starmer’s promises cannot be trusted.
While many observers expected an autumn election, most believed he would call an election after completing two years as the PM in October.
Earlier this year, he had said that his “working assumption” had been that elections would take place in the second half of the year, which was being assumed as October or November at the earliest.
So why did he make this sudden decision?
But was he aware of something that most are struggling to put their finger on? Did he take this risk at a time when Tories are so far behind Labour, because he believes the outlook would never be better than this summer to face voters?
As an observer noted, this is a PM who likes spreadsheets and data. On the morning of the election announcement, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that inflation had hit the all-important two percent target.
This could be taken to voters pointing to stable energy and food pricing showcasing Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s fiscal success. But, while unemployment is currently low, it is expected to rise by the year end.
Significantly, the PM said the first flight to Rwanda will only go in July, which clearly, will be after the elections. Sunak knows he faces legal impediments to his Rwanda scheme. Starmer, on the contrary, has promised to end the Rwanda scheme if he comes to power.
And now his wife’s fortune has increased from £120M to £650M, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, and he is richer than the King. He may just want to move to a luxurious life in Silicon Valley!
Whatever the reasons for a July election, 4 July is a pivotal moment for the country after multiple years of Conservative rule that began with Boris Johnson’s landslide victory in 2019 on the promise to “get Brexit done”.
A lot has changed since then and has taken the country into chaos, including the pandemic, Johnson’s rule-breaking, the Covid enquiry, other financial misdemeanours, and the disastrous six weeks of Truss.
Though Labour is 20 points ahead right now, the ride to Downing Street might not be as smooth.
In such a scenario, it will be interesting to observe the role of the Liberal Democrats.
Labour and Lib Dems have tactically voted on many seats during by-elections, but will the Lib Dem support Labour at the final hour?
There are still six weeks to find out. In the meantime, parties will publish their manifestos setting out their policies about three to four weeks before polling day.
In previous years, the Tories and Labour have sent deputies in their place when other parties are involved.
Finally, the elections have arrived for a wearied country that now is looking for change.
(Nabanita Sircar is a senior journalist based in London. She tweets at @sircarnabanita. This is an opinion article and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
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