British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggests that the country's general elections will be held in the second half of 2024.
The official said that he is working under that assumption and noted that in the meantime, he has a lot of work to do and things that he wants to get on with. Sunak had refused to rule out holding an election in May, which would coincide with local elections. He argued that the economy is already back on track.
British General Elections
The prime minister said that he wants to keep going to manage the economy well and cut people's taxes. However, he added that he also wants to tackle illegal migration, noting that he is determined to keep delivering for the British people.
The Tories, who have had five leaders and prime ministers since being elected in 2010, are widely expected to have a difficult time in the general election. This comes as they are trailing behind the Labour Party in the polls, as per Aljazeera.
On Thursday, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer also made his first appearance of the New Year in Bristol. He is seeking to return his left-of-centre party, which has been out of office since 2010, back to power in an election that is required to be held by January 2025.
During an interview, Starmer said that they are ready for an election, adding that he thinks the nation is already prepared for one. He noted that people were crying out for change and questioned Sunak about what he was hiding.
Starmer said that the issue has serious implications for the country because the prime minister is saying that he is going to be "squatting for months and months in Downing Street, dithering and delaying."
The Conservatives are currently 18 points behind in the polls and holding an election later in the year would give Sunak more time to turn the economy around. He would increase growth and further reduce inflation to shore up support for his administration, according to The Guardian.
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Rishi Sunak's Suggestion
Sunak can also use the extra time to try and kickstart his plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which Labour officials have argued would put them on the back foot over one of the most prominent issues of the campaign to come.
However, while the Labour Party is hoping for a general election earlier in the year, it could also benefit from being given more time. It would allow the party's policy chiefs to continue honing their pre-election pledges. This comes as internal party battles continue to rage over crucial policies, including spending $35.5 billion on green investment schemes.
The Labour Party's national campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden said that the only thing they learned after Sunak's statements was that he has yet against bottled holding the election. The British prime minister's speech was made a year after he declared his five pledges to the British people.
These were halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing national debt, cutting National Health Service (NHS) waiting lists, and stopping small boats. However, only one of these has been met, which is the inflation rate falling from 10.7% to 3.9% in November, said the Financial Times.
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