Rishi Sunak has rejected calls from the Labour Party for an immediate general election. Sunak stated that his “working assumption” is still that the election will take place in the second half of the year.
The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, accused the Prime Minister of being “scared” to face voters on issues such as immigration and mortgage rates.
Sunak responded by suggesting that Starmer should be “grateful” for the delay as it would give him time to come up with a plan for Britain.
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Sir Keir Starmer expressed his party’s readiness for an election and urged the Prime Minister to call it. However, this clash at Prime Minister’s Questions was the last time the two would face each other before the Easter break for Members of Parliament.
Sunak continues to face speculation that some rebel Conservative MPs are plotting to replace him as Prime Minister before the general election, which must be held by January of next year at the latest.
The Conservative Party has fallen further behind Labour in the opinion polls since Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s tax-cutting budget aimed at reversing their fortunes.
However, Rishi Sunak arrived at Prime Minister’s Questions with confidence after better-than-expected inflation figures, which he claimed showed that his plan was working.
Sir Keir did not question Sunak on inflation but instead claimed that half of the Prime Minister’s cabinet wanted to replace him.
Sunak responded by accusing Labour of not caring about fixing the immigration system because they had opposed his plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Sir Keir attacked the Rwanda scheme as an expensive “gimmick” and refuted Sunak’s claims about him defending foreign criminals in his former career as a lawyer.
He then renewed his call for a general election to address issues such as “mortgage mayhem, waiting lists, criminals walking free,” and what he described as “Tory chaos.”
Sunak ruled out a general election on May 2nd when England and Wales hold local elections, and Jeremy Hunt hinted that it could happen in October.
Sunak reiterated his earlier statement that his “working assumption” is that the election will take place in the second half of the year. He also expressed curiosity about how Labour plans to pay for increased borrowing, emphasizing that the government’s plan is working.
The Prime Minister will address a meeting of the 1922 committee of backbenchers, urging them to “pull together” and focus on the improving economic picture.
Reports have emerged of plotting rebels within the Conservative Party who have discussed the possibility of replacing Sunak with Penny Mordaunt or Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, both former leadership contenders.
Mordaunt, when asked about the reports, stated that she is “getting on with my job.” Downing Street refused to comment on whether Sunak had held talks with Mordaunt since the reports first emerged.
The Prime Minister’s spokeswoman emphasized that the focus should be on delivering for the country.
The post Rishi Sunak Rejects Labour Request For Immediate General Election appeared first on SurgeZirc UK.
