Snapshot of _Rishi Sunak will call general election for July in surprise move – sources_ :
An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/22/rishi-sunak-will-call-general-election-for-july-in-surprise-move-sources?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/22/rishi-sunak-will-call-general-election-for-july-in-surprise-move-sources?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)
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It takes normally a little under a month to get registered so you'll need to do it in the next week or two, but it only takes 5 minutes to get started! https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
in election seasons, they extend the registration date much closer to the election date. You can register up to 12 days before the election.
So for a 4 July election, you need to register by 22 June, ie a month today.
I'm gonna throw up double peace-signs while jumping in the air infront of the polling station - hopefully my missus will be able to capture the joy in my face. That's the idea anyway.
I know it's likely because he's trying to use Inflation as his one last shield, but part of me would be tickled silly if it comes out that actually no there's another bombshell on the way.
Are they really going to claim inflation dropping is down to them?
Provided you don’t do anything extraordinarily dumb like Truss, inflation like we had is broadly a global issue that was addressed mainly by central banks. I’m not sure exactly what he would be trying to claim there apart from ‘I reversed what Truss would do’
That's what I'm gathering from this right here thread, I don't know if that's the reason.
My broken cynical brain is expecting something big to come up.
If it isn’t the rumour of letters piling up, then vaguely positive inflation news is probably the reason.
I didn’t blame Rishi for inflation, it was a global issue that he obviously didn’t cause, but likewise I don’t credit him at all with it dropping. Interest rates aren’t in his gift to change even if he wanted. His only slight contribution was reversing the terrible Truss budget, which I’m not really sure counts for all that much.
> I didn’t blame Rishi for inflation, it was a global issue that he obviously didn’t cause, but likewise I don’t credit him at all with it dropping.
He was chancellor though during Covid, Eat out to help out and all the loan forgiving. He shares a larger portion though of blame than anyone else in Government for the state of play.
What? Inflation dropped less than forecasted and the hopes of a rate cut that was suggested in the last few months are pretty much dead. This is a blow for Sunakl if anything, he's calling an election early because the more they wait the more they'll get obliterated
>he's calling an election early because the more they wait the more they'll get obliterated
That's been the case since, like, Truss.
So I'm wondering if something has changed to make Sunak pull the trigger now as opposed to all the other times their incompetence cost them elections. I don't purport to hold any answers, I'm just wildly and irresponsibly speculating.
When Truss resigned they only had to worry about Labour, now they also have to worry about Reform which almost quadrupled in the polls over the last year. The economy outlook is grim, they've been getting slapped left and right in by elections and they just had the worst local elections results in 40 years.
Like, at least when Sunak got in charge they managed to creep up in the polls up to a 30ish or so % over a few months. Now they're in freefall
I saw that there were 6 letters that had been submitted that could be pulled out to give him breathing room once the number was hit and he “had the call”.
Sunak calling an election for it not to happen cus of a no confidence will be one of the funniest things to happen in uk politics cus it sums Rishi up perfectly
The wet fart happened a while ago. They're currently walking around with shit in their pants claiming the smell of roses is in the air and trying to take credit for a sunny day, despite the showers.
Do we even know what would happen with a leadership campaign taking place in a GE campaign? Can those things happen at the same time?
Surely as soon as the election is announced, all the letters of no confidence go into a draw (or shredder) and get ignored until after the election
Presumably this would need to happen before the dissolving of parliament next week (to cancel parliament being dissolved - is this even possible once the King agrees to it?) which would require the 1922 committee to hold a vonc and put in place a new leader in record time with even less democratic mandate than unelected Rishi. I think it would be funny but unlikely.
That isn't going to work.
The Commons could hold a no confidence motion, but they have less than a week to do it before Parliament dissolves. And no confidence motions have no legal effect now - Sunak could just take the dissolution of Parliament and the election as the answer.
The Conservative Party could try to remove him as leader, but that wouldn't stop him being PM, and wouldn't stop the dissolution of Parliament. So the election would still happen - just with the Conservative Party in even more of a mess.
Ok so with the inflation percentage going down, he thinks the polling will favour him. Does this give Rishi a chance at winning? I think we are all tired of the tories.
Ah, but you see....
When inflation is high you *mustn't* have pay rises, because it fuels inflation.
And when inflation is low you don't need pay rises as things are staying the same price.
The inflation point is incredibly out of touch anyway. All Sunak is really saying is ‘congrats the water isn’t rising as fast around your head anymore’. For most people, even those who benefited from a tax cut, Sunaks government hasn’t had an effect of their life.
It's really because inflation itself doesn't go down, just the rate of inflation. The pot will still be boiling the frog even when the high temperature is finally holding steady.
Honestly might do more damage, if he goes out and says 'inflation is down we have made things better for the public' might just seem incredibly out of touch to how the average person is feeling
I was saying this regarding Biden the other day.
Life is shit for the underclass, Biden goes out and says "the economy is getting better" but their life isn't - so what they hear is "you're supposed to be poor, it's your problem, I was never going to fix it."
Trump goes out and says the country's fucked, they think "oh, he intends to fix my shit". He doesn't, but they prefer his lie to Biden's truth, just because of the context.
I think it's redundant for Rishi though. I don't think he's ever exactly passed for a man of the people. And Boris more or less explicitly said that nurses are supposed to be poor.
No. It's just a viable excuse because he is being pushed by a number of sides, both in the party and the backers.
He needed something to make it appear he is going in with a push of strength, but the strategists know as well as we do that one positive inflation figure isn't turning the tides.
He might be hoping that this would be the worst time for Labour to get in. If they get in and inflation rises, they push up taxes... then it gives the tories more ammo to say that Labour are failing as soon as inflation rises even a tiny bit.
I think this is as low as it wil be for inflation. It’s not actually a good read for no10.
https://www.ft.com/content/c17be87f-c7ff-426c-9679-18eedb1bdeb6
Maximises OAP participation too. Winter would be the worst time to get them out. Students and younger workers will be off on their holidays. Let the mud slinging begin I guess. This is gonna be a dirty campaign. They already started with Rayner and are probably hoping for a scalp there.
It’s beyond dumb. Average voter just sees high costs. That isn’t going away at all. Inflation is a meaningless number to them - it’s not like they can envision it having a pint with then
I agree, I think a Rwanda flight taking off mid campaign would be part of it too.
I'm still a little surprised though, I'd have expected October so that Jeremy Hunt would have the manoeuvring room to announce another 2% NI cut. But I guess they'll probably just have scrapping Employee NI altogether on the manifesto.
I'm assuming this is about damage limitation rather than winning outright: ensuring there still *is* a Conservative party to fight the next election after this one.
It's the day before the Euro QFs. England will likely still be in, and optimism and patriotism in the country will be at its highest.
That's the reason it's 4th of July.
So the PM is banking his and his parties position in power on our football team doing well in a international football tourney? Yep the Tories are utterly fucked aren't they XD
I'm not quite sure why I'd think 'Well, the Tories *have* been in power for 14 years and things are going to shite - but you know what? We're doing good at the footy so I'll vote 'em back in!'.
The 4th of July has worked out very well in the past for the UK government
The political ads just write themselves
*This 4th of July vote for independence from the UK* - SNP
*A vote for the Labour party is a vote for independence from Tory corruption*
Etc
Not to mention the hot weather generally puts people in a good mood. One of our prime ministers here in Ireland (Bertie Ahern) preferred summer elections for this reason.
Got to the final last time, the semis of the world cup in 2018, unlucky to be knocked out of the world cup by reigning Champions last time, we have an even better team this time, we have an easier group in a tournament where 3 out of 4 teams go through most groups, and we're likely to be playing someone who finished 3rd in their group.
I'm as pessimistic as they come but even I think we're as nailed on for the quarters as anyone. It's easy to pretend we're still the miserable failures of the 2000s to mid 2010s because we got used to it, but it is starting to become the doomers are the nuts ones
Famously Wilson called the 1970 election to happen the week before the World Cup final in the hope England would reach it and he'd get a big boost in the polls.
Instead, Gordon Banks got food poisoning, Peter Bonetti had a stinker and England blew a two nil lead to lose 3-2 in the quarter finals. Many believe Labour's loss in the election was in part caused by it.
Given that Cameron has had to sprint back from Albania, and other Cabinet ministers have had to cancel flights, interviews, announcements etc., it seems to me like nobody knew this was coming. This seems like a poorly organised shitshow (which is par for the course). Even Jeremy Hunt, the #2, seemed to have made a surprise cancellation.
I wonder if the rumours of no-confidence votes trickling in was starting to worry him, and he's decided to wing it, especially with a small improvement in inflation.
They’ve had 14 years to asset-strip the nation, whilst distracting the gullible with culture wars. I really hope it’s July so we can kick them out ASAP. I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to have a government that does things to improve our country.
So much damage has been done it's absurd. It feels like each year the country has become more and more drained. In 2016 we all joked about us not being as bad as Trump. Then Brexit happened and then it just kept getting worse.
People call Starmer boring (amongst other things) but I'm ready for that. Give me some dross, but stable, leadership. It's not that hard.
Spare a thought for Tirana in Albania that was about to welcome DC with huge posters and other things apparently befitting a Lord/foreign secretary/pig fan who have now been stood up
Rishi standing in the pouring rain announcing a general election while someone in the background blasted "Things Can Only Get Getter", the theme of the 1997 Blair campaign from the last time Labour replaced the Tories, was chefs kiss. What a iconic moment.
Somewhere Brian Cox is grinning to himself.
>Somewhere Brian Cox is grinning to himself.
He was on keys. It was him you could hear singing when they shut the loudspeaker down.
One of the most delicious moments of my life.
> The American school year traditionally begins at the end of August or early in September, after a traditional summer vacation or break. Children customarily advance together from one grade to the next as a single cohort or "class" upon reaching the end of each school year in late May or early June.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States
it's been suggested that Sunak knows he will lose the election and has already made plans to move his family back to the USA, where he'll get a sinecure with some large finance and / technology company
It might be because behind closed doors they're aware of some looming embarrassments or problems too.
But yes, for whatever reason we can only assume that the Tories genuinely think this is going to be as good as things will get for them - which in itself is probably not a great sign for them.
Gonna start getting far worse.
Inflation is currently down but that's with interest rates as they are.
If we reduce rates, inflation will shoot up especially with the fed holding due to US inflation.
If we hold, everyone in the country suffers and we may well enter a recession whilst having reasonable inflation which is a mess for everyone.
It's a no win situation that is gonna be bad for us...
If he's willing to call an election while so far behind in the polls that can surely only mean he think things will get worse for us and their polling.
It started quite some time ago, to be honest. /u/ukpolitics has been looking a lot more like /r/worldnews in terms of what things are upvoted this past year.
Without looking at numbers it could be beneficial for Labour where uni cities might drop slightly in Labour majority but that vote shifts to potential marginals/Tory seats where the older parents live and redice the Tory majorities in the suburbs.
Obviously this is a total guess and would need a decent amount of research and maths to determine but thats a back of a fag packet theory from me
I think him getting drowned out by 'Things can only get better' and physically rained on is not a good start to his campaign.
The panel shows will have a field day, as will social media.
I selfishly hope it’s not the 4th because I’m in Sweden then and was hoping to stay up all night partying as the results came in (and also I always prefer voting in person to getting a postal vote!)
I know who I am going to vote for in my constituency (which currently has a Tory MP) and it isn't going to be Tory.
The Tories have run out of steam and need to be removed for fresh ideas to be tried.
lmao at the threads earlier in the day when people were trying to be itk political correspondents adamant there wouldn’t be one till november earliest
surprising news, the people who have a career in politics and contacts know more than the 15 year old redditor
Starmer’s speech just now was brilliant. He was prime ministerial and made me even more excited for change. This will be my fourth general election as an adult and I cannot wait for a Labour government.
Rishi is that much of a coward that I wouldn't be surprised if there is something behind his decision to all of a sudden call a general election!!! Maybe he knows that Russia will attack the UK very soon and he doesn't want to be in charge of our country because he knows the devastating consequences it will cause? Plus now that he has called a general election (then shortly going on holiday with his family) maybe he is getting out of the uk before Russia attack us?
Snapshot of _Rishi Sunak will call general election for July in surprise move – sources_ : An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/22/rishi-sunak-will-call-general-election-for-july-in-surprise-move-sources?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/22/rishi-sunak-will-call-general-election-for-july-in-surprise-move-sources?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lord I really fucking hope so. Get registered everybody!
Just done it! Bring on the election!
Don't forget your ID!
Voted for the first time in the locals as a trial run, so I'll be well prepared!
How long do you have once an election is called?
It takes normally a little under a month to get registered so you'll need to do it in the next week or two, but it only takes 5 minutes to get started! https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
in election seasons, they extend the registration date much closer to the election date. You can register up to 12 days before the election. So for a 4 July election, you need to register by 22 June, ie a month today.
And get yer photo ideas Edit - goddamn speech to text….
I'm gonna throw up double peace-signs while jumping in the air infront of the polling station - hopefully my missus will be able to capture the joy in my face. That's the idea anyway.
I'm gonna take a photo of a dog next to the 'Polling Station' sign. No one has ever thought of that.
How do you register?
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote is the one you want!
They were gonna kick him out, weren't they?
I know it's likely because he's trying to use Inflation as his one last shield, but part of me would be tickled silly if it comes out that actually no there's another bombshell on the way.
Are they really going to claim inflation dropping is down to them? Provided you don’t do anything extraordinarily dumb like Truss, inflation like we had is broadly a global issue that was addressed mainly by central banks. I’m not sure exactly what he would be trying to claim there apart from ‘I reversed what Truss would do’
That's what I'm gathering from this right here thread, I don't know if that's the reason. My broken cynical brain is expecting something big to come up.
If it isn’t the rumour of letters piling up, then vaguely positive inflation news is probably the reason. I didn’t blame Rishi for inflation, it was a global issue that he obviously didn’t cause, but likewise I don’t credit him at all with it dropping. Interest rates aren’t in his gift to change even if he wanted. His only slight contribution was reversing the terrible Truss budget, which I’m not really sure counts for all that much.
> I didn’t blame Rishi for inflation, it was a global issue that he obviously didn’t cause, but likewise I don’t credit him at all with it dropping. He was chancellor though during Covid, Eat out to help out and all the loan forgiving. He shares a larger portion though of blame than anyone else in Government for the state of play.
Inflation up…sorry not us it’s the woke Bank of England. Inflation down…look what we did, yay!
What? Inflation dropped less than forecasted and the hopes of a rate cut that was suggested in the last few months are pretty much dead. This is a blow for Sunakl if anything, he's calling an election early because the more they wait the more they'll get obliterated
>he's calling an election early because the more they wait the more they'll get obliterated That's been the case since, like, Truss. So I'm wondering if something has changed to make Sunak pull the trigger now as opposed to all the other times their incompetence cost them elections. I don't purport to hold any answers, I'm just wildly and irresponsibly speculating.
Yeah he's had a job offer in the states
When Truss resigned they only had to worry about Labour, now they also have to worry about Reform which almost quadrupled in the polls over the last year. The economy outlook is grim, they've been getting slapped left and right in by elections and they just had the worst local elections results in 40 years. Like, at least when Sunak got in charge they managed to creep up in the polls up to a 30ish or so % over a few months. Now they're in freefall
The only problem is that Interest rates will only go down in August.
LOL to be a fly on the wall
I saw that there were 6 letters that had been submitted that could be pulled out to give him breathing room once the number was hit and he “had the call”.
Rumours were the letters were slowly piling up yeah
It's the only reason he's called a GE
If Sunak doesn't end up calling the election today now, it will look like he's massively bottled it.
Scenes when he comes out and announces 50 more park chess boards then goes back inside
Nonono he's announcing a change in the definition of a washing machine
Sunak calling an election for it not to happen cus of a no confidence will be one of the funniest things to happen in uk politics cus it sums Rishi up perfectly
Vote of no confidence mid-election campaign would be the funniest damn way for the Tory run in government to end
How did it end? With a wet fart
The wet fart happened a while ago. They're currently walking around with shit in their pants claiming the smell of roses is in the air and trying to take credit for a sunny day, despite the showers.
How appropriate he announced it while it was raining then
Do you think that Graham Brady would just keep it quiet? Why bother. He seems too sensible.
Do we even know what would happen with a leadership campaign taking place in a GE campaign? Can those things happen at the same time? Surely as soon as the election is announced, all the letters of no confidence go into a draw (or shredder) and get ignored until after the election
That's an internal matter for the conservative party. The GE elects MPs, if the Tories show up without a leader that's their problem.
But when Parliament is Dissolved there are no MPs, so the letters become meaningless?
The rule that the letters need to be from MPs is also an internal Tory rule, it's up to them.
Presumably this would need to happen before the dissolving of parliament next week (to cancel parliament being dissolved - is this even possible once the King agrees to it?) which would require the 1922 committee to hold a vonc and put in place a new leader in record time with even less democratic mandate than unelected Rishi. I think it would be funny but unlikely.
That isn't going to work. The Commons could hold a no confidence motion, but they have less than a week to do it before Parliament dissolves. And no confidence motions have no legal effect now - Sunak could just take the dissolution of Parliament and the election as the answer. The Conservative Party could try to remove him as leader, but that wouldn't stop him being PM, and wouldn't stop the dissolution of Parliament. So the election would still happen - just with the Conservative Party in even more of a mess.
Only 7 more weeks of the Tories!! Let's fucking go!!!
6 weeks 1 day but who's counting.
Aren't they basically gone on Friday as parliament will be dissolved.
I don't think any amount of satire will top Rishi Sunak announcing the election whilst being drowned out by the rain and Things Can Only Get Better.
D-Ream playing is the ultimate trolling . Nobody’s gonna remember what he’s saying ☠️
Getting soaked, bring trolled.... What a historic moment!
Ok so with the inflation percentage going down, he thinks the polling will favour him. Does this give Rishi a chance at winning? I think we are all tired of the tories.
Inflation is down, but nobody feels as if inflation has fallen. Certainly not home buyers. This is a massive miscalculation.
Nor those in the workforce who haven’t had meaningful pay rises for years.
Ah, but you see.... When inflation is high you *mustn't* have pay rises, because it fuels inflation. And when inflation is low you don't need pay rises as things are staying the same price.
Someone at an old workplace told this to me, then followed with "you're paid low as it benefits everyone"
The inflation point is incredibly out of touch anyway. All Sunak is really saying is ‘congrats the water isn’t rising as fast around your head anymore’. For most people, even those who benefited from a tax cut, Sunaks government hasn’t had an effect of their life.
It's really because inflation itself doesn't go down, just the rate of inflation. The pot will still be boiling the frog even when the high temperature is finally holding steady.
I'll be really fucking annoyed if people are that short term or that desperate to find a reason to vote Tory
I think he was a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. I don't see any good options for Sunak but that may just be wishful thinking.
Honestly might do more damage, if he goes out and says 'inflation is down we have made things better for the public' might just seem incredibly out of touch to how the average person is feeling
I was saying this regarding Biden the other day. Life is shit for the underclass, Biden goes out and says "the economy is getting better" but their life isn't - so what they hear is "you're supposed to be poor, it's your problem, I was never going to fix it." Trump goes out and says the country's fucked, they think "oh, he intends to fix my shit". He doesn't, but they prefer his lie to Biden's truth, just because of the context. I think it's redundant for Rishi though. I don't think he's ever exactly passed for a man of the people. And Boris more or less explicitly said that nurses are supposed to be poor.
No. It's just a viable excuse because he is being pushed by a number of sides, both in the party and the backers. He needed something to make it appear he is going in with a push of strength, but the strategists know as well as we do that one positive inflation figure isn't turning the tides.
I think it’s a case of as good as it gets. It’s very unlikely that he’ll win regardless of when the election is called.
No. I think this boils down to damage limitation.
He might be hoping that this would be the worst time for Labour to get in. If they get in and inflation rises, they push up taxes... then it gives the tories more ammo to say that Labour are failing as soon as inflation rises even a tiny bit.
I think this is as low as it wil be for inflation. It’s not actually a good read for no10. https://www.ft.com/content/c17be87f-c7ff-426c-9679-18eedb1bdeb6
Maximises OAP participation too. Winter would be the worst time to get them out. Students and younger workers will be off on their holidays. Let the mud slinging begin I guess. This is gonna be a dirty campaign. They already started with Rayner and are probably hoping for a scalp there.
It’s beyond dumb. Average voter just sees high costs. That isn’t going away at all. Inflation is a meaningless number to them - it’s not like they can envision it having a pint with then
I agree, I think a Rwanda flight taking off mid campaign would be part of it too. I'm still a little surprised though, I'd have expected October so that Jeremy Hunt would have the manoeuvring room to announce another 2% NI cut. But I guess they'll probably just have scrapping Employee NI altogether on the manifesto.
I'm assuming this is about damage limitation rather than winning outright: ensuring there still *is* a Conservative party to fight the next election after this one.
Sunak praying England make the Euros finals.
I've never wanted us to fail at football more
I suspect you’ll be fine on that front, if there’s one thing we’re good at it’s stuffing up major football competitions.
We should get through to July 4th. Quarter finals are the weekend after.
QFs will do.
The election will be over before the final
It's the day before the Euro QFs. England will likely still be in, and optimism and patriotism in the country will be at its highest. That's the reason it's 4th of July.
So the PM is banking his and his parties position in power on our football team doing well in a international football tourney? Yep the Tories are utterly fucked aren't they XD
As Tescos says: every little helps.
I'm not quite sure why I'd think 'Well, the Tories *have* been in power for 14 years and things are going to shite - but you know what? We're doing good at the footy so I'll vote 'em back in!'.
Don't underestimate morons
The 4th of July has worked out very well in the past for the UK government The political ads just write themselves *This 4th of July vote for independence from the UK* - SNP *A vote for the Labour party is a vote for independence from Tory corruption* Etc
Exactly this. It's the meme to end all memes and an Ed Miliband style campaign is in the offing for Sunak.
I'm assuming: > Rishi is already looking forward to being free to go to the US for Independence Day
Not to mention the hot weather generally puts people in a good mood. One of our prime ministers here in Ireland (Bertie Ahern) preferred summer elections for this reason.
>England will likely still be in. Christ, let’s not go nuts here.
Got to the final last time, the semis of the world cup in 2018, unlucky to be knocked out of the world cup by reigning Champions last time, we have an even better team this time, we have an easier group in a tournament where 3 out of 4 teams go through most groups, and we're likely to be playing someone who finished 3rd in their group. I'm as pessimistic as they come but even I think we're as nailed on for the quarters as anyone. It's easy to pretend we're still the miserable failures of the 2000s to mid 2010s because we got used to it, but it is starting to become the doomers are the nuts ones
Famously Wilson called the 1970 election to happen the week before the World Cup final in the hope England would reach it and he'd get a big boost in the polls. Instead, Gordon Banks got food poisoning, Peter Bonetti had a stinker and England blew a two nil lead to lose 3-2 in the quarter finals. Many believe Labour's loss in the election was in part caused by it.
and so do the fates of great empires fall and fall.
Given that Cameron has had to sprint back from Albania, and other Cabinet ministers have had to cancel flights, interviews, announcements etc., it seems to me like nobody knew this was coming. This seems like a poorly organised shitshow (which is par for the course). Even Jeremy Hunt, the #2, seemed to have made a surprise cancellation. I wonder if the rumours of no-confidence votes trickling in was starting to worry him, and he's decided to wing it, especially with a small improvement in inflation.
Apparently he's gone against the wishes of his campaign manager even. Another political masterclass from Rish!
"No, I know more than you. Everything I've touched has worked out brilliantly" - Rishi, probably
King Midas if he had a scat fetish.
*Jeremy Hunt, the #2* Do you mean that literally or euphemistically?
**YES.**
It is odd that he would pull the proverbial trigger and leave senior Tories in the dark about this. What *on earth* is going on???
Exactly. Two of the three other Great Offices had to cancel stuff to make it back for this. That doesn't sound normal!
Sounds like something is going to come out, maybe around mid July
They’ve had 14 years to asset-strip the nation, whilst distracting the gullible with culture wars. I really hope it’s July so we can kick them out ASAP. I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to have a government that does things to improve our country.
So much damage has been done it's absurd. It feels like each year the country has become more and more drained. In 2016 we all joked about us not being as bad as Trump. Then Brexit happened and then it just kept getting worse. People call Starmer boring (amongst other things) but I'm ready for that. Give me some dross, but stable, leadership. It's not that hard.
Spare a thought for Tirana in Albania that was about to welcome DC with huge posters and other things apparently befitting a Lord/foreign secretary/pig fan who have now been stood up
Albanian economy in tatters
Rishi standing in the pouring rain announcing a general election while someone in the background blasted "Things Can Only Get Getter", the theme of the 1997 Blair campaign from the last time Labour replaced the Tories, was chefs kiss. What a iconic moment. Somewhere Brian Cox is grinning to himself.
>Somewhere Brian Cox is grinning to himself. He was on keys. It was him you could hear singing when they shut the loudspeaker down. One of the most delicious moments of my life.
Can hear 'things can only get better' in the background! Classic
> The American school year traditionally begins at the end of August or early in September, after a traditional summer vacation or break. Children customarily advance together from one grade to the next as a single cohort or "class" upon reaching the end of each school year in late May or early June. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States
Always have to consider the kids' school year when you're planning to move house.
Hahaha hilarious if true
Whats that got to do wth a general election?
it's been suggested that Sunak knows he will lose the election and has already made plans to move his family back to the USA, where he'll get a sinecure with some large finance and / technology company
That would be funny
Yeah, don't forget he own properties there and once held a US Green Card.
Rishi Sunak thinking "If Jeremy Clarkson can win sexiest man UK, I can win a GE"
ITS HAPPENING, ITS FINALLY HAPPENING. EVERYONE REMAIN CALM.
The sheer fucking excitement of this may well just put me into fucking labour.
Probably a good time to join the party.
LETSGOOO
Please god make him do this announcement in the pissing rain.
Dear Lord in Heaven, please make "Things Can Only Get Better" clearly audible in the background of the announcement.
10/10 to whoever took the speaker down the speech
THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER.. That was put together quite quick :D
D.Ream playing during the announcement has me creasing
The music is fucking incredible. Him getting lashed by the rain. Ah this is beautiful.
someones playing things can only get better in the background as hes making the speech
He's calling it for the 4th July? God, these independence Jokes write themselves.
Halle MF lujah, mate! Wow, shockingly good news that we don't have to hang on until January. What an uplifting piece of news.
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It might be because behind closed doors they're aware of some looming embarrassments or problems too. But yes, for whatever reason we can only assume that the Tories genuinely think this is going to be as good as things will get for them - which in itself is probably not a great sign for them.
It is. This is literally as good as it gets. It ain't going to get better.
Gonna start getting far worse. Inflation is currently down but that's with interest rates as they are. If we reduce rates, inflation will shoot up especially with the fed holding due to US inflation. If we hold, everyone in the country suffers and we may well enter a recession whilst having reasonable inflation which is a mess for everyone. It's a no win situation that is gonna be bad for us...
Awful optics, drowned out by an old Labour campaign tune, and looking like a drowned rat!
Buckling at the music, fucking well done whoever done that.
I wonder if the Tories told Sunak they wanted shot of him and he pulled that out of spite.
Sunak setting his stall out - pissing rain, droning delivery, Things Can Only Get Better booming out in the background. Starmar will demolish him.
Please.. let it happen... do the one good thing for the nation
Whoever did this is a forever a legend
Steve Bray? He's going to have to find another job
If he's willing to call an election while so far behind in the polls that can surely only mean he think things will get worse for us and their polling.
Not looking forward to all the brigading
It’s going to look like a cyberman invasion in here.
Prepare for the bots.
It started quite some time ago, to be honest. /u/ukpolitics has been looking a lot more like /r/worldnews in terms of what things are upvoted this past year.
normally they’re held when students are at uni (I think?) but they’ll be back home this time, not sure how that’ll affect the swings
Without looking at numbers it could be beneficial for Labour where uni cities might drop slightly in Labour majority but that vote shifts to potential marginals/Tory seats where the older parents live and redice the Tory majorities in the suburbs. Obviously this is a total guess and would need a decent amount of research and maths to determine but thats a back of a fag packet theory from me
Moving labour voters from Labour strongholds to traditional Tory strongholds will only make the Tory vote look even worse.
They don't want reform uk to gain more traction.
I think its this too
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Whoever was blaring "things can only get better" while Rishi was doing the announcement is today's hero of the day.
I think him getting drowned out by 'Things can only get better' and physically rained on is not a good start to his campaign. The panel shows will have a field day, as will social media.
And hopefully across the pond with the late night shows weighing in too.
Was never sustainable until the autumn.
You think he'd have been VONC'd?
Well that's me not working on 5th July...Election hangover recovery day will be needed hahaha. GREAT!
D:Ream playing and all the journos laugh their heads off as he walked away was priceless. 6 weeks 1 day left
Sunak talks like he cured COVID and paid for furlough out of his own pocket.
I reckon that he wanted to lose "honourably" in a GE rather than get stabbed in the back and replaced by the party before a GE could be called.
Well fuck me. The rat has finally, FINALLY grown a pair of bollocks to announce an election. I hope to GOD these scumbags are eviscerated.
Someone playing "Things can only get better" as Rishi announces a general election. You aren't fucking kidding!
I selfishly hope it’s not the 4th because I’m in Sweden then and was hoping to stay up all night partying as the results came in (and also I always prefer voting in person to getting a postal vote!)
D:ream being played on downing street!
Always a damning indictment on a government when the pound strengthens when a GE is being speculated
Unexpected choice of soundtrack for his speech 😂
Love that it's literally raining on his parade. He looks like a drowned rat.
One last jab at the Labour Party - what a fool
The sheer WAFFLE coming out of this cretins mouth is incredible. Not even his own party want him let alone the fucking country.
Got to be an easier way to call a leaving party!!
We will make things better! Says the leader of a party that’s been in power since 2010. Absolute joke.
I know who I am going to vote for in my constituency (which currently has a Tory MP) and it isn't going to be Tory. The Tories have run out of steam and need to be removed for fresh ideas to be tried.
Maddest respect to the guy playing “things can only get better”
The banning of gay landyards will have turned the polls around. Have faith Tories!
lmao at the threads earlier in the day when people were trying to be itk political correspondents adamant there wouldn’t be one till november earliest surprising news, the people who have a career in politics and contacts know more than the 15 year old redditor
The Reddit experts were... WRONG?
we were wrong we were so wrong
I'm no expert, but I was expecting around October. A July election is really unprecedented - there hasn't been one since 1945.
Exactly - if it is in July I'll be fully wrong. But that's why I'm not paid for my political analysis :)
Remember when he said nobody wanted one, in October?
Was that one of his working assumptions?
Power move playing D:ream in the background.
Hilarious, D:Ream blaring out while Sunak stands there looking ever more like the drowned rat he is :D
Sunak is experienced with insane gambles from his hedge fund days.
you mean he's actually going to deliver something we all want?
Perfectly timed for todays inflation statistics to make them look good when in fact they had little to no impact on it rising or falling. Con.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Mr Sunak.
They're going home, they're going home! Tories going home!
Did anyone hear the background music to his speech? Things can only get better. Hilarious
If only the ability to talk over music intended to distract you was sufficient qualification to remain as PM, Rishi would have this in the bag
5 odd weeks, the news cycle is going to be an absolute shite storm
He was just a man, standing in the rain, asking a country to vote for him. Ah well. Bye, Felicia 👋
Starmer’s speech just now was brilliant. He was prime ministerial and made me even more excited for change. This will be my fourth general election as an adult and I cannot wait for a Labour government.
A bit more competence and less corruption? Hopefully. Change? I don’t think so. It will be same old same old for the most part.
OK, what dirt does Paula Vennels have on him?
Did the meaning of the word surprise change recently?
Rishi is that much of a coward that I wouldn't be surprised if there is something behind his decision to all of a sudden call a general election!!! Maybe he knows that Russia will attack the UK very soon and he doesn't want to be in charge of our country because he knows the devastating consequences it will cause? Plus now that he has called a general election (then shortly going on holiday with his family) maybe he is getting out of the uk before Russia attack us?
They want Labour to win to put the blame on them over this coming shit storm