“Bring it on!,” that’s how Kitty McMurray, a Londoner, reacted to the announcement of elections. Elections will take place on July 4 in the United Kingdom after what came as a surprise announcement for many.
The pouring rain was witness to Rishi Sunak’s decision made outside 10, Downing Street, to call for early elections even as his government trails by 20 percentage points behind the Labour party.
Rishi Sunak’s party – the Conservatives have been in power for 14 years and Sunak chose to focus on his government’s achievements even as he acknowledged that opinion polls didn’t favour his party. Addressing his party workers, the British PM said, “Now Labour wants you to think that this election is over before it has even begun. But we are going to fight. We are going to fight every day for our values and our vision. And the British people are going to show Labour that they don’t take too kindly to being taken for granted.”
The Leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer said this would be an opportunity to end the ‘chaos’ of the Tories. “…But no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about,” said Starmer, focusing on ‘change’. “Over the course of the last four years, we’ve changed the Labour Party, returned it once more to the service of working people. All we ask now, humbly, is to do exactly the same for our country and return Britain to the service of working people.”
Many expect Rishi Sunak’s party to lose this election. It also comes at a time he is being isolated by some in his own party.
Sunak had time till January next year to announce polls. While some Londoners are surprised with the poll announcement, others are gung-ho.
Annemieke Van Rhijn said she was surprised by the announcement especially since the Tories haven’t done well in the recent local elections. “(We) just had the local elections, we all saw what happened there,” she said. “I wonder if he’s (Sunak’s) thinking ‘if I do this now, I can control it. If I leave it longer, I might get to a point where I can no longer…like my party is really going to start crumbling’.” The decision wasn’t such a surprise for Ben Jones. “It doesn’t really surprise me. I don’t think it’s going to be a very fiercely fought battle, if I can say that. I think people have anticipated the outcome for a little while now.”
Rishi Sunak has been in office for less than two years and took over from Liz Truss who stayed in office for a forgettable 49 days. Now as he heads into elections, he will be hoping the first flights to Rwanda, under his controversial Rwanda Act take off before electors go to the polling booths on the 4th of July.
