“World … dangerous … COVID… Putin … migration … future … inflation … debt … pensions … NHS … boats.”
‘The Spectator’s’ take on Sunak’s announcement.Credit: The Spectator
Somehow, we were supposed to make sense of it all.
Sunak has seemingly gambled on an election six months before he had to because Britain is out of recession, and the latest inflation figures, released on Wednesday, were statistically within “normal” levels – down to 2.3 per cent in April – the lowest in nearly three years.
He has not been renowned for taking risks as prime minister but is better known for calming nerves and restoring stability after Liz Truss’s disastrous 49-day tenure.
All of which makes his decision, even to some of his colleagues, to call a general election in about six weeks seem rather inexplicable.
Parliament will be dissolved on May 30, and the election will take place 25 working days later. Rarely has one man been so impatient to meet his demise.
Rishi Sunak speaks to delegates and party members, as he launches the Conservative Party general election campaign in London on Wednesday.Credit: Getty
The latest YouGov polling for The Times conducted last week showed the Tories languishing 27 points behind Labour in the polls, with no evidence that their position is improving.
Earlier this month they lost hundreds of council seats, and one of their only two metro mayors – despite his personal popularity – in local elections.
Sunak is attempting to pull off a turnaround that would be unique in modern political history. He and his brains trust had clearly made the calculation that July 4 is, if not the best election date, then the least worst.
The campaign is likely to come down to whether voters are tired of the Conservatives after 14 years in power and want change.
A former Goldman Sachs banker, Sunak has struggled to win over his colleagues with his more technocratic style, and several have defected recently to other parties.
Riddled with venom and bitterness, a Conservative Party at civil war had been threatening to overthrow him if things went on. Some of his colleagues are already briefing to the press that they might do it before parliament is dissolved.
While Tory MPs anonymously badmouthed their boss instead of updating their LinkedIn profiles, you can be assured that many everyday Britons will be breathing a sigh of relief.
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For too long, the UK has felt like a country adrift. Politics has been stalled by the fact that its government and revolving round of leaders seem to be living on borrowed time.
In British politics, it never rains, but it pours.
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