The Big Ben: Famous London clock ticks as PM Sunak may become history
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The Conservative Party, in power for nearly 15 years, is facing a crushing defeat in the United Kingdom in the coming parliamentary elections, a recent public survey has claimed.
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party is likely to be upstaged by its nearest rival, the Labour Party, in the upcoming elections next year, the media reported on Thursday.
The survey reflected the people’s growing dissatisfaction with the UK’s worsening conditions, such as repeated policy failures, unfulfilled promises, and rising cost of living. As the country battles recession, Indian-origin PM Sunak risks losing his seat.
A recent public survey conducted by YouGov, interviewing 18,761 British adults between March 7 and 27, indicates a landslide victory for the Labour Party. To win a majority in the British Parliament, a party must secure 326 out of 650 seats.
The Labour Party is projected to secure 403 seats nationwide. In contrast, Conservatives are predicted to win only 155 seats, 169 seats lower than the previous YouGov MRP released in January 2024.
YouGov claimed that “The coming tidal wave projected by this model would sweep away several major Conservative figures.”
Poll of Polls in Politico highlights similar trends, with 44 percent of people intending to vote for Labour while Conservatives tail behind at 23 percent, as of March 31.
PM Sunak’s campaign outlines the Conservative Party’s goals – to halve inflation, reduce national debt, improve the National Health Service (NHS), stop illegal migrants, and better the economy. Various measures like hikes in immigration costs and stricter refugee deportation laws have been tried, but have proven unsuccessful. He also announced tax cuts in March.
Despite all these promises, Conservatives are expecting defeat in the local council and mayoral polls to be held on May 2. Rising disapproval of his leadership among party MPs may lead PM Sunak to face a confidence vote soon, with 53 MP signatures needed to oust him on grounds of no-confidence.
He is still an unelected Prime Minister, assuming the role after ex-PM Liz Truss’ 6-week tenure ended in her resignation in 2022. This adds to the sharp decline in his popularity and lack of trust in his capabilities as Prime Minister, the reports said.
Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer has pledged that the opposition plans to lower national strain by increasing spending on sectors like housing, transport, and infrastructure, to reduce inflation and stabilize the economy. This is seen as an implicit critique of the Conservatives who have failed to tackle these issues.
The Labour Party has also called on PM Sunak to set a date for the UK General Elections, which remains undecided. On March 15, Labour activists staged a demonstration at Westminster, dressed as chickens and holding signs reading “Rishi, name the date now!”, to mock the Prime Minister for his failure to do so yet.
The Fixed-term Parliaments Act in 2022 restored the British PMs’ ability to set election dates. General Elections have to be held every 5 years, so PM Sunak has to set a date by January 2025.
