It appears that UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has suggested that his strategy for the upcoming general election will be based on economic issues. Confirming a sudden decision for a general election on July 4th, Sunak attributed his decision to Britain’s burgeoning economy, outrunning those of France and Germany. He further celebrated the stabilisation of inflation, back to a “normal” stage, showcasing an April rate of 2.3 percent.
“It shows that our strategies and focuses are effective. This is just the beginning of the economic stability we’ve achieved,” Sunak stated, emphasising the reasons behind the early announcement for the election. This unexpected act concluded a day filled with intense anticipation in Westminster, where a campaign was presumed not to occur until the latter part of the year.
The day began with bustling rumours of an impending election announcements following the revelation of a cabinet meeting scheduled past 4pm under a three-line whip system, hence mandating the direct presence of ministers. This instructed David Cameron, the foreign secretary, to forgo his planned journey to Albania, whilst Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, was compelled to cancel his European trip.
The Scottish National Party’s (SNP) leader in Westminster, Stephen Flynn was the inaugural public figure to bring the buzzing speculations to light during a session of prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons post mid-day.
“The conjectures are wild. The public deserves transparent responses to a basic inquiry. Is the prime minister planning a summer election? Or is he scared?,” Flynn asked, employing Scottish vernacular for ‘scared’. Sunak refrained from providing a clear-cut response but soon enough announced that he had no fear, contradicting earlier predictions of a November election and affirming to the public: “The time has arrived for Britain to decide its future.”
Moments before, speculations had heightened early in the afternoon as Sunak’s Downing Street team did little to calm the anticipatory air during a post question briefing for Westminster lobby journalists. In her statement, Sunak’s press secretary retained the mystery around the prospect of an election, not dismissing it out of hand.
In a surprising move, Mark Paul reports from London that Sunak has announced a sudden election, causing waves in Westminster. The initial groundwork is set to commence in the midlands by the Tory on Thursday, acting as a litmus test for the Scottish National Party (SNP) that has seen a dip in popularity over the last twelve months, ending up behind a revived Labour Party.
John Swinney, the SNP leader and recently appointed first minister of Scotland, made it clear that this campaign provides the electorate a chance to “oust the Tory administration”. However, he seemingly neglected to mention that the most effective approach to achieve said goal would be to cast a vote in favour of Labour.
Labour has set its sights on securing a minimum of 25 seats from the SNP in Scotland that would smooth its path to a majority in Westminster, even if the outcomes in England don’t meet the expectations.
As the election campaign takes its first steps, the mood within certain factions of the Tory environment in London appears to be gloomy. The Spectator, a magazine with right-leaning inclinations viewed by many Tory supporters as a sort of political guidebook, had drawn up a leader column for its Thursday issue, speculating about a potential summer election even before the reality of this situation surfaced. The publication suggested that a summertime election could signal a ‘valley of death’ for the party and a concession.
Meanwhile, on the Labour front, an immediate call for an end to the ‘Tory disorder’ has been sent out to the voters, hoping it will bring the Starmer-led Labour back to power after a 14-year absence. According to most polling data, Labour is leading by 20 points and as of last night, showed odds of 1/14 to secure an outright majority, according to Paddy Power.