UK PM Rishi Sunak Urges Votes for Conservative Party to Prevent Labour Supermajority
London [UK], July 4: As polling began in the United Kingdom on Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on people to vote for the Conservative Party to stop the Labour Party from gaining a supermajority, which he warned would lead to higher taxes for a generation. Sunak shared a picture of himself with his wife Akshata Murty outside a polling station.
Sunak posted on X, “The polls are open. Vote Conservative to stop the Labour supermajority which would mean higher taxes for a generation.”
Polling stations across the UK opened at 7 am (local time) for historic snap general elections. Voters in 650 constituencies across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will cast their votes. A party needs to win at least 326 out of 650 parliamentary seats for its leader to become the Prime Minister.
The main topics of debate during the campaigns have been the status of Britain’s public services, the cost of living, taxes, immigration, and the economy. The UK’s relationship with the European Union, which it left in 2020, has been largely ignored in the discussions.
In late May, Sunak called for a snap vote, surprising many in his party. The opposition Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, has recovered from its worst defeat since 1935 in the last general election. Since Boris Johnson’s victory in 2019, Britain has had three Conservative Prime Ministers. Liz Truss succeeded Johnson but became the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history. Sunak was then chosen by Conservative MPs to succeed her.
Nigel Farage, a well-known Brexit champion, announced his return to politics to lead the hard-right Reform UK party. Predictions suggest a Labour majority after more than a decade of Conservative rule under five leaders, including current PM Rishi Sunak and David Cameron, now the UK’s Foreign Secretary. The hard-right Reform party, led by Nigel Farage, is also expected to improve its performance from the 2019 elections.
The past 15 years have seen the worst income growth in the UK for generations, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Britons have also been facing a cost-of-living crisis with rising prices and stagnant salaries. The Conservative and Labour parties have proposed different solutions to fix the economy.
