By Kate Ferguson, Sun on Sunday political editor
So why has the Prime Minister suddenly decided to roll the dice and call a summer election?
The first thing to point out is that number 10 was not united in the decision.
One side, led by the Conservative Party’s chief strategist Isaac Levido, urged the prime minister to “play it safe” and wait until October or November to hold an election.
This would give them more time to show that the economy is improving and would allow the Bank of England to cut interest rates, they argued.
This, in turn, would allow banks to reduce mortgage rates, which are currently hurting household budgets.
Only then would people start to feel better financially.
But another team, led by the Prime Minister’s political secretary, James Forsyth, has been pushing for elections to be held in the summer.
Now, it’s important to note that James is Rishi’s best friend.
They have known each other since school, are godparents to each other’s children and Rishi was best man at James’ wedding.
They are more than just fellow politicians. They are best friends.
Either way, James’ camp reckons Rishi can now finally show he is achieving all five priorities he set out when he became PM.
These are: halving inflation, growing the economy, bringing debt down, reducing NHS waiting lists and passing new laws to stop the boats.
As for the economy, the Prime Minister will highlight that growth is rising, wages are rising and inflation has fallen to 2.3 percent – almost reaching the target.
NHS waiting lists have also fallen for the fourth month in a row, according to official data released last month.
And by stopping the boats, the prime minister was able to pass laws enacting his main deportation plan for Rwanda.
The thinking is: strike while the iron is hot and you can put five big marks on your promises.
But there is also grim news for No 10 that has led them to call a summer election.
His flagship bill on Rwanda passed parliament and is now law. But hopes of a flight taking off this year are quickly fading.
The High Court of Northern Ireland ruled that the plan breached human rights laws and should therefore not apply in Northern Ireland.
This paved the way for English law to reject it as well.
Meanwhile, small boat crossings are increasing again.
A whole summer of damaging headlines showing boats off the shores of Dover will only feed the feeling that No 10 has no control.
Rishi is famous for being straight.
He doesn’t drink, has never used drugs and is not a gambler.
But he bet everything on the July 4 elections.
Will he have trump cards? Or will he lose everything?
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
