United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday dismissed rumours that he would quit before the July 4 general election, amid ongoing criticism about his early departure from D-Day commemoration events.
Sunak, the leader of the Conservative Party, faced backlash from veterans’ groups for opting out of an event in northern France marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Instead, he chose to record a television interview, a decision that also drew ire from his own party colleagues.
Despite opinion polls suggesting a significant defeat for the Conservatives to the main opposition Labour Party, Sunak remained resolute. “People are gonna say what they’re gonna say,” he stated.
He emphasized that the election result was not predetermined and highlighted his previous comebacks, such as after losing the Tory leadership contest to Liz Truss in 2022. “The reality is I’m not going to stop going, I’m not going to stop fighting for people’s votes, I’m not going to stop fighting for the future of our country,” he said during a campaign stop.
Sunak had the option to delay the general election until January next year but chose to call it early as inflation showed signs of easing, suggesting a potential economic recovery. This unexpected announcement, made during a rainy Downing Street address, left his party scrambling to find candidates for the 650 parliamentary seats.
Prior to the D-Day incident, Sunak had made other missteps, including a campaign stop near the Titanic’s construction site, which led to unflattering comparisons of his leadership to the captain of a sinking ship.
A former financier, Sunak has been prime minister since October 2022 following Liz Truss’s brief tenure. His tenure has been marked by questions regarding his assertions about Labour’s tax plans, and he is expected to face more scrutiny as the Tories release their policy proposals on Tuesday.
Labour, led by Keir Starmer, is set to unveil its manifesto on Thursday, with Starmer promising “no tax surprises” for working people. Meanwhile, the smaller opposition party, the Liberal Democrats, launched their 116-page manifesto on Monday, heavily criticizing the Conservative record in government.
“This election is our chance to win the change our country desperately needs… These Conservatives have got to go,” Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey wrote in the manifesto’s foreword, calling the Tories “out of touch” with ordinary people.
The Liberal Democrats, who were the junior partner in the 2010-2015 coalition government with the Tories, are predicted to become the third-largest party. Their proposals include increased investment in renewable energy, a ban on water companies dumping raw sewage, and rebuilding ties with Brussels post-Brexit, aiming to rejoin the European single market without setting a timeline.
Additionally, the Liberal Democrats advocate for electoral reform to end the UK’s first-past-the-post system and restoring international development spending to 0.7 percent of gross national income, a reduction that was implemented in 2020 when Sunak was finance minister.
