Rishi Sunak set July 4th as UK election date
London:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signaled in a speech on Wednesday the issues he wants to fight for in the next general election, which he has called for July 4.
‘Economic stability’
Despite the cost of living crisis and recent recession, Sunak appears determined to make “economic stability” a key element of the campaign, calling it a “foundation of any future success”.
Recent opinion polls show that voters trust Labor more than Sunak’s Conservatives on the economy, but Sunak hailed two recent “major milestones” that he is likely to highlight.
They are the return of inflation to below three percent, setting the stage for cuts in mortgage rates, and IMF data showing that the UK economy is growing faster than those of France, Germany and the United States. United.
Coveted chancellor
Sunak began his speech by saying that “over the last five years our country has struggled through the most difficult times since the Second World War” – and mentioned his own role in those crises.
Sunak was Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s finance minister during the Covid pandemic and on Wednesday credited his furlough scheme with preventing “millions of job losses”.
However, the scheme also led to a record amount of peacetime borrowing.
Security
Sunak’s latest reset as leader has been to position the Tories as the party of defense and security – and he re-emphasised this point on Wednesday.
“These elections will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War,” he said.
“I will forever do everything in my power to provide you with the strongest protection possible,” he added.
Of the top 10 key issues, defense is the only one where the public trusts the Conservatives more than Labour, according to a YouGov poll.
Immigration
Sunak also highlighted his party’s record on immigration, as new annual arrivals figures were set to be published on Thursday.
But the strategy is not without risk, with public outrage still high over the number of people arriving via the Channel crossing.
He promised that his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would “stop the boats,” but due to significant legal delays in the proposal, few if any people will actually be sent to the African nation by election day.
Health
The National Health Service (NHS) is the second most important issue for voters. Sunak mentioned this only briefly, saying the Conservatives had provided “record funding”.
But record waiting lists have caused public faith in the government’s ability to run the NHS to collapse, and this is likely to be an area Labor will capitalize on during the campaign.
Net zero
Sunak’s decision to delay the UK’s plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is one of the clearest dividing lines between the Tories and opposition parties.
Sunak has defended the delay, which has been widely denounced by environmental groups, in the hope that it will appeal to his party’s base, which tends to be more concerned about the economic costs of the net-zero target.
“We prioritize energy security and your family’s finances over environmental dogma,” he said.
Keir Starmer
Sunak also hinted at the attacks his campaign will launch against Labor leader Keir Starmer, the overwhelming favorite to become the next prime minister.
Sunak said Starmer had no leadership plans and would “do anything to get power”.
“If he was happy to abandon every promise he made to become Labor leader once he got the job, how can you know he won’t do exactly the same thing if he wants to become prime minister?” he said.
Although the majority of voters view Starmer negatively according to polls, he is still much more popular than the Prime Minister, who has a “net favourability” rating of -51, according to a recent YouGov poll.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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