Achi news desk-
- PM says he is calling an election earlier than expected.
- Sunak lists the achievements of his government in presser.
- “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” said PM.
LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a national election for July 4 on Wednesday, saying Britons would be able to choose their future in a vote their Conservatives are widely expected to lose to opposition Labor after 14 years. in force.
Ending months of speculation about when he would call a new vote, the 44-year-old stood outside his Downing Street office in heavy rain.
He announced that he was calling the election earlier than expected, a risky strategy with his party far behind Labor in the opinion polls.
Almost shouting over a Labor anthem played by protesters just outside the gates to Downing Street, Sunak listed what he said were his achievements in government, not not only as prime minister but also as former finance minister.
“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” he said, describing that choice as one between stability with him and the unknown with Labor leader Keir Starmer.
“Over the coming weeks, I will fight for every vote, I will earn your trust and I will prove to you that only a Conservative government led by me will not compromise our well-deserved economic stability.”
In an attack on Labour, he said Starmer, by contrast, always took the “easy way out” and had no plan. “As a result, the future can only be uncertain with them,” he said.
Sunak goes into the election not only well behind Labor in the polls but also somewhat isolated from some in his party, increasingly dependent on a small team of advisers to steer him through what will be an ugly campaign.
But he seems to have decided with some economic gains, such as inflation falling and the economy growing at its fastest pace for almost three years, now was the time to take the plunge and present his agenda for a new term formal for voters.
The former investment banker and finance minister took office less than two years ago, and since then has struggled to define what he stands for, becoming increasingly frustrated that what he he sees it as his successes have been appreciated.
Economic mismanagement
Both parties have almost started campaigning for an election, with the lines of attack on the economy and defense already firmly drawn.
Sunak and his government accuse Labor of being on the verge of increasing taxes if it were in government and that the party would not be a safe pair of hands for Britain in an increasingly dangerous world as it has no plan, the opposition parties deny.
Labor accuses the government of 14 years of economic mismanagement, leaving people worse off, with a series of chaotic administrations that have failed to provide the stability businesses have longed for to spur economic growth.
If Labor wins the election, Britain, once known for its political stability, will have had six prime ministers in eight years for the first time since the 1830s.
Labor said before the announcement that it was more than ready for an election.
“We are fully ready to go whenever the prime minister calls an election. We have a fully organized and active campaign ready to go and we think the country is crying out for a general election,” he said. a spokesman for Labor leader Starmer told reporters.
Starmer kicked off his party’s election campaign last week by pledging to “rebuild Britain”, marking the first steps he said Labor would take if it formed the next government.
Labor is about 20 percentage points ahead of Sunak’s Conservatives in the opinion polls but some party officials are concerned that their advantage is not as solid as it seems, fearing that many voters remain undecided.
It is possible that Sunak is aiming to take advantage of that uncertainty and also of the wrongdoing of Labour, which has yet to complete the selection of all its parliamentary candidates, said a veteran of the party.
Sunak will also be hoping that some economic gains and the first trips in his central immigration plan to send illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda could also boost his party’s fortunes. The earliest possible date for those flights is June 24, 10 days before the election.
Although some Conservatives welcomed the move to call an election, not all were happy.
“Death wish 2024,” said a Conservative lawmaker on condition of anonymity.
