Britain’s Sunak scotches resignation talk after D-Day snafu
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was forced to apologise after cutting short his trip to France for the D-Day commemoration.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on June 10 dismissed rumours that he would quit before the July 4 General Election, as criticism about his early departure from D-Day commemoration events rumbled on.
The Conservative leader issued an apology
His decision to instead record a television interview, which also prompted criticism from his own colleagues, was the latest misstep on the campaign trail for the vote.
But Mr Sunak, who opinion polls predict will lead the Tories to a shuddering defeat
“People are gonna say what they’re gonna say,” he said.
He warned against thinking the election result was a foregone conclusion, and said he had battled back from adversity before, notably after an internal Tory leadership defeat to Ms 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 added on a campaign stop.
Mr Sunak had until January 2025 at the latest to call a general election but decided to do so early
The announcement – made during a downpour in Downing Street – took his own party by surprise, sending it scrabbling for candidates to stand for the 650 parliamentary seats up for grabs.
Other unforced errors before the D-Day decision included a campaign stop near where the Titanic was built, prompting comparisons of his leadership to that of the captain of a sinking ship.
‘Out of touch’
Mr Sunak, a 44-year-old former financier who has been prime minister since Ms Truss’ short tenure ended in October 2022, has also faced questions about the veracity of his repeated claims about Labour’s personal tax plans.
He will likely face further scrutiny as the Tories, in power since 2010, publish their formal policy proposals on June 11.
Labour launches its manifesto on June 13. Party leader Keir Starmer on June 10 said there would be “no tax surprises” in it for working people.
The smaller opposition Liberal Democrats launched its 116-page manifesto on June 10, with repeated attacks on the Tories’ record in government.
“This election is our chance to win the change our country desperately needs... These Conservatives have got to go,” party leader Ed Davey wrote in the foreword, calling them “out of touch” with ordinary people.
The Lib Dems, which was the junior partner to the Tories in a 2010 to 2015 coalition government, is predicted to become the third-biggest party after the election.
Among its proposals are greater investment in renewable energy to drive economic recovery and a ban on water companies dumping raw sewage into rivers, lakes and coastal areas.
The pro-European party also promised to rebuild ties with Brussels after Brexit, and to rejoin the European single market, although it did not set out a timeline.
The Lib Dems – a longstanding proponent of electoral reform to end Britain’s first-past-the-post system and give smaller parties a greater say – wants to restore international development spending to 0.7 per cent of gross national income.
That spending was cut to 0.5 per cent in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic when Mr Sunak was finance minister. AFP
