Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has attempted to pivot the electoral narrative towards Conservative security as he challenges Labour’s credibility, igniting fresh debate on the nation’s future. Here’s the full story.
Reframing the Debate
Following the Conservative Party’s meltdown in the local elections in England and Wales, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has attempted to reframe the debate surrounding his struggling government’s record in office.
Guardians of National Security
With the election date still uncertain, although many believe it will be called in the autumn, Rishi Sunak’s recent speech at the Policy Exchange think tank, described by the Daily Mail as “the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right,” Sunak attempted to strategically position the Conservative Party as the guardians of national security.
“Who Do You Trust?”
Sunak’s speech had one key message for voters, as he stated, “The choice at the next election is: who do you trust to keep you safe?”
Threat to National Security
Sunak aimed at the Labour Party, which is over 20 points ahead in the polls, particularly its leader, Keir Starmer, as Sunak branded the Labour leader as a threat to national security.
“We Will Keep This Country Safe”
Sunak stated, “I believe that we will keep this country safe and Keir Starmer’s actions demonstrate that he won’t be able to do that. The Labour Party and Keir Starmer not matching our investment on defence spending emboldens our adversaries.”
“Meet That Aggression With Strength”
He continued, “What do you think Putin thinks when he sees that? That he thinks the West isn’t prepared to make the tough choices to invest in their security? Because Russia’s economy has mobilised for war, he is continuing to be aggressive, we need to meet that aggression with strength.”
2.5% of GDP
Sunak has laid out his plan to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 but has not been clear on where the money for this increase would come from. This has led many analysts to suspect that, instead of raising taxes, which the Conservatives are loath to do, the money would come from cuts to the nation’s already struggling public services.
Defence Review
Labour stated that it would match the rise in defence spending but gave no date for when this would be achieved, preferring to launch a defence review should they win the election.
Protest Crackdown
Sunak also made reference to the culture wars, the favoured Conservative topic, indicating that issues of national security at home, like cracking down on legal protesters, were imperative to take on.
“Intimidate, Threaten and Assault”
Sunak stated, “Extremists are also exploiting these global conflicts to divide us. People are abusing our liberal democratic values – the freedom of speech and right of protest – to intimidate, threaten and assault others, to sing antisemitic chants on our streets.”
“Cancel Culture”
He continued, “From gender activists hijacking children’s sex education to cancel culture, vocal and aggressive fringe groups are trying to impose their views on the rest of us.”
Starmer Unbothered
For his part, Keir Starmer seemed unbothered by Sunak’s blistering attack and swiftly rebuked the Prime Minister’s claims.
“Chaos and Division”
In his ferocious rebuttal, Starmer stated that Sunak’s government offered only “chaos and division” and that the country couldn’t “afford another five years” of the Conservatives in charge.
“My First Priority”
Sunak stated, “The first duty of any government, particularly an incoming Labour government, is national security, the security of the country, and that would be my first priority.”
“Seventh Reset in 18 Months”
Pointing out that this attempt by Sunak to pivot to security ahead of the election was “his seventh reset in 18 months,” Starmer added, “That really shows you that the choice as we go into this election is now pretty clear: It’s a choice between a changed Labour Party that puts the country first and party second, or continuing with this government, the chaos and division that’s been going on for so long, caused so much hardship.”
“Out of Touch”
Following solid results for the Liberal Democrats in the local elections, even leader Ed Davey seemed emboldened to attack the Tories, stating, “This Conservative Government is out of touch and out of time and Rishi Sunak must do the right thing and give the people a general election.”
Critical Juncture
Sunak’s speech comes at a critical juncture for the Conservative Party, following the high-profile defection of MP Natalie Elphicke to Labour, the second Conservative to cross the floor of the House to join the opposition.
Regain Lost Ground
As the Prime Minister faces pressure from within his party to regain lost ground and forward momentum, furious whispers continue to leak out of the Conservative Party about the possibility of replacing Sunak before the general election.
Labour Ascendant
With Labour seemingly ascendant, this most recent verbal broadside from Sunak will surely be the first of many election battles as the general election date draws ever nearer. Whether it will have any effect on the polls, however, remains to be seen.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sean Aidan Calderbank.