Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a surprise general election after months of stalling. What finally made him crack?
Prime Minister Calls Early General Election
Rishi Sunak has announced a general election for July 4, which is surprising given the Conservative Party’s current polling position.
UK’s Challenging Decade
Sunak’s statement opened by mentioning the challenges that the country has faced, including the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
Comparisons to Second World War
“In the last five years, our country has fought through the most challenging times since the Second World War,” he said.
Country Ready for Change
Reflecting on these issues, the Conservatives’ response to the challenges over the years has left the country less than impressed and ready for change.
Public Coming Together Through Tory Division
While the public seems relatively together on wanting a change in government, the government itself is divided due to Sunak’s handling of a number of situations.
Tory Rift Between MPs
The Tory Party has been divided for months as some MPs disagree with Sunak’s decision to delay the election as long as he has.
Mass Tory Exodus
Many Tory MPs expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with over 60 resigning before the election and several defecting to another Party.
Reasons for Mass Walkout
Tory MPs cited a number of different reasons for leaving before the local elections, including Sunak’s immigration policy and lack of defence spending.
Polls Give Tory MPs No Hope
Polls would suggest that these MPs who walked out did not stand much of a chance of retaining their seats.
A Blair-Style Landslide
Current polls put the Tories a huge 30 points behind the Labour Party, suggesting that a Blair-style landslide is on the cards.
A Tumultuous Tory Local Election
This was reflected in the local election results, where the Conservative Party staggeringly lost almost all 500 of its seats.
Managing Decline
After the local elections, which left Tory MPs feeling deflated, one senior figure called Sunak’s tenure “managed decline”.
Lining Up a Replacement
Some reports released before the local elections suggested that Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons, was being lined up to replace the Prime Minister.
Sunak Could “Wipe Out” Tories
Although these rumours never came to fruition, many MPs were worried that Sunak would lead the Tories to be completely “wiped out” if he delayed the election.
Sunak an “Out of Touch Millionaire”
One anonymous Conservative MP spoke with the Sunday Times, arguing that Sunak “is seen as an out-of-touch multimillionaire” whom the public doesn’t connect with.
The Ship Is Sinking
The MP also warned that “The reality is that we are facing an extinction-level event,” accusing his colleagues of wanting to go “down with the ship.”
Holding Firm for November
Sunak has held firm throughout all of these setbacks, maintaining that the election will be held in November, although that changed on the 22nd of May.
Not Giving Anything Away
Just hours before the election announcement in a session of PMQs, Sunak reiterated to SNP MP Stephen Flynn that the election would be held “in the second half of the year.”
Sunak’s Speech Slams Sir Keir
Worried that the Tories could be wiped out as the anonymous MP suggested, Sunak used his speech to slam Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who has been “ready” for the election for some time.
Sunak to Lead Tories Through Election
Sunak’s announcement means that he has survived the ousting rumours and will be the man to lead the Conservatives through a general election campaign right up until July 4th.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / JessicaGirvan.