British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced yesterday (22 May) that his party will go to the polls on 4 July, despite having been in power for 14 years.
In a special press statement outside the Prime Minister’s Office, Sunak insisted that he came to office to restore economic stability, that he was proud of what he had achieved and that he would fight for every vote.
Putting an end to months of speculation that he would call a general election, Sunak almost shouted against the backdrop of the Labour-identified song “Things Can Only Get Better”, which was played by protesters in the immediate vicinity of the press conference, as he listed his achievements in government, not only as prime minister but also as a former chancellor of the exchequer.
“Now is the time to choose Britain’s future,” he said, describing it as a choice between himself and stability, or Labour leader Keir Starmer and the unknown.
Sunak’s career as ‘Prime Minister Designate’
“Over the next few weeks I will fight for every vote, earn your trust and prove to you that only a Conservative government led by me will not jeopardise our hard-won economic stability,” the Prime Minister said.
“As a result, the future with them can only be uncertain,” Sunak said, arguing that Starmer had always taken the “easy way out” and had no plan.
Sunak is likely to enter the election trailing far behind Labour in the polls. He is also isolated within his own party and increasingly dependent on a small team of advisers to guide him through the process.
But with some successes to his credit, such as a partial fall in inflation and the economy growing at its fastest rate in almost three years, he appears to have decided that now is the time to take risks.
The former investment banker and chief secretary to the Treasury replaced Liz Truss less than two years ago and was criticised as an “unelected prime minister”.
Economy to dominate election campaign
Both the Conservatives and Labour have already launched an election campaign in which the lines of attack and defence have already been drawn.
Sunak and his government accuse Labour of wanting to raise taxes if it gets into government, and say that without a plan the party cannot be a “safe pair of hands” for Britain in an increasingly dangerous world.
The opposition denies the charges. Labour accuses the government of 14 years of mismanaging the economy, leaving people worse off, and a chaotic set of policies that have failed to provide the stability businesses crave to stimulate economic growth.
Labour wants to focus on Truss’s tenure as a sign that the Conservatives have lost credibility in managing the economy, causing market turmoil and a spike in mortgage prices.
Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Rachel Reeves often boasts that she is a former Bank of England economist, while the party is reluctant to make big spending promises.
Parties united on Ukraine, divided on Gaza
While both parties agree on supporting Ukraine, the Conservatives have pledged to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by the end of the 2020s. Labour has not set a date, saying it will do so ‘as soon as resources allow’.
Labour also pledged to support a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and said Britain had a “legal obligation” to support the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which Rishi Sunak described as “utterly pointless”.
Sunak’s five priorities, announced earlier this year, include stopping small boat crossings in the English Channel and using Rwanda as a third country for deportation and deterrence.
Meanwhile, one of Labour’s first pledges was to scrap the Rwanda plan and replace it with a Border Force. The Conservatives will want to emphasise this difference and take a tough line on immigration.
Labour Party: Ready for election
The Labour Party said before Sunak’s announcement that it was more than ready for an election. A spokesman for Labour leader Keir Starmer told reporters: “We are fully prepared to call an election if the prime minister calls one. We have a fully organised and operational campaign and we believe the country is crying out for a general election,” the spokesman said.
The Labour leader was previously Britain’s most senior prosecutor and ‘shadow Brexit minister’, responsible for the party’s tendency to support a second EU referendum.
The option of a new referendum is now definitely off the table as Starmer steers the party towards governing in a post-Brexit world.
