UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for elections on 4 July and the Brits will have just over a month to decide who they will support. It is expected to be a difficult election for the ruling Conservative Party, as it has lost long held strongholds in recent bypolls. The re-election of the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, of the Labour Party, with an even bigger margin, indicates the general mood.
While in earlier years, the state of the economy had a large role to play in deciding who rules, the scene has become much more complex following Brexit, the migrant crisis, the emergence of conflicts involving Ukraine and Israel, the difficulties in playing a ‘global’ role. The economy, of course, will remain central to the debate. While Sunak has brought some balance to the economic situation, he has not had enough time to extend it to upgrading social services, particularly the NHS. The traditional conservative approach has had to be watered down considerably and the late Margaret Thatcher would have difficulty in recognising her party today. Because of this, the new generation of conservative followers see little difficultiy in switching sides. It is true, though, that the immigrants from India, traditional Labour supporters, have been switching over to Sunak’s side as they make it up the economic ladder.
Similarly, the Labour Party too has been shifting more to the right by adopting a more responsible approach as compared to the times of Jeremy Corbyn. Its leader, Keir Starmer, who many believe will become Prime Minister, is considered more level-headed and pragmatic regarding economic matters. Unfortunately, the difficulties facing Britain are increasingly linked to external factors, not so easily controlled.
There are other parties that will not win the elections but can have influence before and after the elections, particularly if Labour does not do as well as expected. According to analysts, these include the Reform UK party, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, which represent the complexities of the British psyche in the present day. The debate over whether multi-culturalism has failed, which is linked to immigration policies; the Scottish inclination to be more Euro-friendly, if not independent, as also pressure from the hardcore of each party is something to be resolved in the coming days. What will be a matter of relief, however, for the citizens of the UK will be the fact that voting will be done and dusted in a day – not extended over seven exhausting phases.