General Election to be held in July

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that a General Election will be held on July 4, 2024. The decision comes amid growing pressure from the Labour Party and other political parties to give the British public a say in shaping the country’s future.

The mounting socio-economic challenges have heightened pressure on the Prime Minister, with opposition parties and the public questioning Rishi Sunak’s grasp and handling of key issues, including some of the UK’s most pressing problems.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said:

“Over the next few weeks, I will fight for every vote. I will earn your trust.

“And I will prove to you that only a Conservative government led by me will not put our hard-earned economic stability at risk, can restore pride and confidence in our country.

“And with a clear plan and bold action will deliver a secure future for you, your family and our United Kingdom.”

Kier Starmer’s Labour opposition have welcomed the news as a chance to change the country for the better. In a statement, Kier Starmer said:

“Tonight the prime minister has finally announced the next general election.

“A moment the country needs – and has been waiting for. And where, by the force of our democracy, power returns to you.

“A chance to change for the better your future, your community, your country.”

A look back at recent events

The announcement of a General Election has been eagerly anticipated, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, several events could have triggered an election. Here is a brief look back at the pandemic and the events that unfolded during and after that had the potential to trigger an election.

Covid-19

The UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 was marred by indecision and confusion from the Conservative government, led by Boris Johnson, who took three months to lockdown the country and was reportedly slow to understand the virus’s significance. The lack of direction led to frequent changes in restrictions and regulations, overwhelming the NHS, and leaving healthcare workers vulnerable to infection.

The government’s handling of the pandemic was widely criticised, with some predicting a general election would be triggered in the aftermath of the crisis. Ultimately, Johnson’s leadership was challenged by the Partygate scandal, where he was accused of breaching lockdown rules, leading to a significant revolt from ministers and his eventual resignation in 2022.

Leadership Elections

The UK Conservative party’s leadership crisis continued in 2022, with Liz Truss serving as leader for just 45 days before resigning amid political turmoil and her decision-making that ultimately led to short-term solutions to long-term problems that caused further damage and instability to the economy and the Conservative party.

Her term in office lasted 45 days and was marked with turmoil. Her resignation triggered the second leadership election despite calls from the public to hold a general election, adding further instability to the already weakened Conservative party.

In October 2022, Rishi Sunak was voted in as the new leader of the Conservative party and has promised to bring stability and pride back to the UK. He faces significant challenges both in the running of the country and in his own party. Two of his own MPs have defected to Labour, and he has received major backlash over his flagship Rwanda bill which would see migrants deported to the African nation of Rwanda. Labour have heavily criticised this bill and in 2023, the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful. In addition to this, Sunak is now having to face the Infected Blood scandal which saw more than 30,000 NHS patients treated with HIV contaminated blood products between 1970 and the early 1990s.

About time?

Since 2019 the country has had three consecutive prime ministers, two of which have been party-elected. The instability within the Conservative party has grown as a result of this and their decision-making has been intensely scrutinised by the opposition as a result. If the Conservatives win the election in July, it would herald boost of confidence for the Conservatives and would embolden their approach to tackling the cost-of-living crisis and promoting economic growth.

If the Labour party takes the helm in July, they have promised a total turn-around on the path that the country has found itself on, with heavy criticisms of the Conservative approach and promises of new and bold strategies to improve the quality of life in the UK.

A defeated Labour

However, Labour has failed to swing the vote in their favour since 2010 when they lost the election to David Cameron and his Conservative party. In the 2017 election, the Labour party was marred with accusations of anti-semitism which Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to fully address, as well as the ‘ambiguous’ stance Labour held over the Brexit negotiations and how it would handle them should they take office.

Subsequently, based on poor leadership and a lack of strong direction from Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May won the election and took up office as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2019. Between 2017 and 2019 Theresa May struggled to bring a solid Brexit Deal to the table and was marred by two votes of no confidence in 2018 and early 2019. She survived both but following the triple failure to pass her withdrawal agreement through Parliament, she stepped down in May 2019, triggering the last general election.

Despite major blows to the Conservatives, Labour was unsuccessful a second time under Jeremy Corbyn in delivering a win in the 2019 election against Boris Johnson, which signified that Labour did not represent the British public and would not achieve the victory it longed for unless fundamental change took place within the party. Hampered again by claims of anti-semitism and deep-rooted toxicity in the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn stepped down as leader and Kier Starmer was elected to replace him.

Implicating Wales in Labour Controversy

Starmer has pledged to change Labour into a party that can be trusted. Despite this, Labour has already begun to go back on promises to deliver significant plans that they set out as part of their package should they win the next election. The Labour led Welsh Government have not improved Labour’s reputation as a party of change, having introduced controversial legislation that has caused significant outrage.

20mph Default Speed Limit Controversy

The 20mph default speed limit, costing £34m, angered a significant portion of the Welsh population, with a Senedd petition to reverse the law gaining nearly 470,000 signatures. The law has now been partially reversed with some roads reverting to 30mph, but the damage has already been dealt to Welsh Labour’s reputation.

Sustainable Farming Scheme Threatens Jobs

Another move by the Senedd left farmers outraged and concerned for their livelihoods when the Welsh Government announced the Sustainable Farming Scheme. The Sustainable Farming Scheme aims to introduce methods and actions that farmers would need to carry out in order to meet carbon emission goals, reduce their carbon footprints by downscaling their cattle numbers and to promote biodiversity on their farmland by re-wilding and creating hedgerows. The Scheme will allegedly threaten over 5,000 jobs in the farming industry.

Dodgy Donations

In addition to the controversial moves by the Welsh Government, Kier Starmer has reportedly accepted the residual money from the campaign donation made to Vaughan Gething by a controversial waste treatment company that carried out environmental crimes at its site near Haverfordwest. Vaughan Gething faced calls to return the donation promptly to the donors, but flatly refused and sent what remained of the donation to Kier Starmer’s Labour party.

Under Kier Starmer, Labour has already cut its green investment plans by half, the most controversial U-turn of Keir Starmer’s leadership. Despite the controversial moves by Welsh Labour and UK Labour’s own u-turns on promises to deliver key investment plans, Labour seem to be leading in the polls and they are confident that Kier Starmer is the Prime Minister in waiting. With a lot of campaigning left before July, only time and election day will tell who the British public want as Prime Minister.

What are your opinions? Who would you like to see as your Prime Minister? We’d like to hear from you.

Contact our reporter Elkanah by emailing: newsdesk@carmarthenshirenewsonline.com

Or telephone on: 07377211646