It has been over two weeks since Rishi Sunak surprised the nation by announcing that a general election would be held on the 4th of July. Campaigning has been a disaster for the Tories, and this week was no different.
Attack Lines Forming
Typically, in an election run-up, the major parties will campaign on a few different fronts, on issues that really matter to them. The Tories don’t seem to have one, though.
Policy Decisions Thrown Together
Messaging has been inconsistent, to the point where we’re in our third week of campaigning, and we are still determining what the thrust of the Tory campaign is.
Anti-Youth, Pro-Retiree
Headline policies seem to be making 18-year-olds perform national service and adding a quadruple lock onto the state pension.
Business as Usual on the Rest
Outside of that, it’s more of the same. There’s no grand plan for energy, education, immigration. It’s basically ‘we’ve got a plan’, but it’s the same set of plans that have led us to economic disaster and decimated public services.
Attack Lines Being Formed
The Tory attack lines have been formed. They appear to be ‘trot out the same accusations at every available opportunity’. Both Sunak and Penny Mordant have appeared in debates, accusing Labour of having ‘no plan despite 14 years in opposition’. Frankly, this is not true, and it looks desperate.
£2000 Tax Lie Keeps Being Repeated
In the ITV Leaders Debate, Rishi Sunak repeatedly repeated that “under Labour taxes would rise by £2000.” The civil service has distanced itself from this figure, with James Bowler, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, saying the £2,000 figure “should not be presented as having been produced by the civil service.”
Proven Wrong, Still Being Used
Even though the Civil Service themselves have said the figure is fictional and not their work (despite Tory’s claims to the contrary), it is still being trotted out.
Mark Harper Doubles Down on Lies in Question Time
Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, appeared on Question Time in the week and drew several groans from the audience when he doubled and tripled down on the claim, despite Fiona Bruce reading the letter from the Civil Service telling the government they can’t use the figure.
Penny Mordaunt Did the Same
Penny Mordaunt repeatedly used the £2,000 tax increase claim in a BBC debate with seven party representatives. There’s a worry that even when they’ve been told it’s not a factual figure, they still insist on using it.
Penny Mordaunt Is Acting Petulantly
The Tory Party campaign team needs to study the reaction to Penny Mordaunt’s performance in the leaders’ debate. In the two debates now, the overwhelming opinion about the Tories is how unlikeable they’ve been—rude, talking over the opposition, and ignoring the host.
Politics Is a Popularity Contest, and They’re Losing Popularity
The coaching of the Tory representatives needs to get a grip on this fast. If you want to win votes, you can’t present yourself as brash and rude to the public. We’re not American, and we’re not impressed with that.
Not Listening to Audiences
In public shows such as Newsnight, Question Time, Debates, etc., there are audible audience groans when the Tories trot out the same unproven lines. They need to look at how this fares in the polls and the studios and change tack.
Rude Sunak at Debate
The clues were there early. After the initial leaders debate on ITV, the YouGov polling of viewers showed that Sunak came off worst in factors such as ‘likeability, ” trustworthiness,’ and ‘being in touch with the public.’ Petulant displays do little to help repair the reputation.
Sunak Leaving D-Day Early
Sunak’s biggest gaffe so far has been leaving the D-Day commemorations early, which has caused even his allies to round on him.
Prior Plan – Not an Accident
What’s worse, this wasn’t a last-minute decision. It was planned all along, and if French sources are correct, the original plan was that Rishi Sunak wasn’t even planning to attend.
Out of Touch
It all builds a case that the Prime Minister is completely out of touch with what matters to the public. It’s hard to comprehend when he doesn’t appreciate the depth of feeling around something as big as D-Day.
Ignorance of 14 Years
In the debates, the Conservatives have used the same attack lines on Labour—a frequent one being, “You’ve had 14 years and there’s no plan.” The point surely is that they’ve had 14 years in power, and the country is in a terrible state. That’s a bigger worry.
Flip-Flopping on Policy
The Tory campaign is disjointed, lacking charisma and confidence. Policy looks last-minute, and the debates are all about attack, not progress. The whole thing smacks of desperation.
Less Than a Month to Go
Less than a month before the country heads to the ballot box, the Tories must look at the polls and dramatically rethink their approach. They’re staring down the barrel of a whitewash.
The post With Election Looming, Tory Campaign Continues to Flounder first appeared on Swift Feed.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Tennessee Witney.
For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.