Britain’s Premier Sets July 4 For Elections Sidelining Party Concerns

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

LONDON (Worthy News)—British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set July 4 as the date for a national election despite fears that his scandal-plagued Conservative party could lose after 14 years in power.

Wednesday’s announcement in a rainy London came as new figures showed Britain began to emerge from a “cost of living crisis” that had seen prices of essential goods rocket since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.

Sunak’s message to the country is that the economy is on the right track, and only his party can deliver stability if re-elected in six weeks.

“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Sunak told media while drenched by heavy rain outside his residence.

It didn’t help that his announcement was nearly drowned out by protesters blasting “Things Can Only Get Better,” the main rival Labour Party’s campaign song from the era of Tony Blair, Labour’s prime minister from 1997 to 2007.

Yet he spoke as official figures showed inflation in the U.K. had fallen sharply to 2.3 percent, its lowest level in nearly three years, due to significant declines in domestic bills.

The drop in April marks the greatest progress to date on five pledges Sunak made in January 2023, including halving inflation, which had climbed to above 11 percent at the end of 2022, commentators said.

BREXIT MESSAGE

It was also a message to Brussels and other critics of Brexit, Britain’s move to leave the European Union an hour before midnight local time on January 31, 2020.

Sunak, whose personal wealth and that of his wife is estimated at $828 million, said the new figure is evidence that his plan was working for the people of Britain.

Yet critics view him as out-of-touch with the millions still facing a cost-of-living crisis. There are also deep divisions over how to deal with migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war, persecution, and poverty, making risky English Channel crossings from continental Europe in which several were killed.

Sunak stressed his credentials as the leader who “saved millions of jobs” with support payments during the “COVID-19 pandemic” and got the economy under control. He said the election would be about “how and who you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future.”

However, the center-left Labour Party is strongly favored in the election. Labour leader Keir Starmer said his party would bring stability.

“Together, we can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain and change our country,” Starmer said.

Observers had expected the poll to be held in the autumn—perhaps in October or November—but analysts said Sunak appeared to believe his party’s prospects are unlikely to improve between now and then.

LESS TIME

By announcing elections now, Sunak gives his rivals less time to prepare and campaign for an election in which his party faces its biggest political challenges in over a decade.

Although inflation has fallen, Sunak’s other promises — to grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists to see a doctor at the state-run National Health Service, and stop the influx of migrants crossing the English Channel — have seen less success.

A plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, where their applications are processed, has had limited success, friends and foes of the scheme say.

He has struggled after entering office following the disastrous tenure of Liz Truss, who lasted only 49 days after her economic policies rocked financial markets.

Party members chose Truss after Boris Johnson was ousted over ethics scandals such as hosting parties while his fellow citizens were asked to stay in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Conservative legislators have since defected to the Labour Party.

In Britain, elections must be held no more than five years apart, but the prime minister can choose the timing within that period.

BIG LEGISLATURE

Sunak, 44, had until December to call an election, as the last was in December 2019.

British voters will choose all 650 members of the House of Commons for a term of up to five years. The party that commands a majority in the Commons, either alone or in coalition, will form the next government, and its leader will be the prime minister.

Starmer, the 61-year-old former chief prosecutor for England and Wales, is the current favorite to carry the day for his Labour Party. “Together, we can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain and change our country,” Starmer said.

However, with inflation at its lowest rate in years, Sunak will try to remind him of past leftist policies that he says don’t make Britain stronger.

Britain’s left-leaning The Guardian newspaper already pondered whether the rich Sunak would stay on as parliamentarian if he lost the elections.

“The prime minister said he loved his home in the Yorkshire constituency of Richmond – where he has been building an indoor swimming pool – and would stay on to represent his constituents.

But many at Westminster,” where parliament meets, “expect that, like David Cameron, who promised to stay on after the Brexit referendum and swiftly resigned when he lost, Sunak would leave parliament if he lost” on July 4, the paper commented.

Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, have a property in the U.S. state of California, where they met, “and he has previously spoken warmly about the entrepreneurial culture of the United States,” the paper noticed.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.