UK PM Sunak faces 3-week sprint to turn election chances around

LONDON – UK Prime Minister Rishi Suakh faces a nasty three-week political ordeal that could have lasting consequences for his premiership and even win the next UK general election may even give the possibility of overturning the polls.

Parliament will enter its summer recess on July 20, the same day Sunak’s ruling Conservative Party faces elections for three seats in parliament. The resignation of a Conservative MP.

A good result would give the prime minister a big boost over the holidays and ahead of a crucial fall political season in changing expectations that the Conservatives would lose in the expected national polls in 2024. deaf.

But the Conservative Party’s strong performance runs counter to recent trends, and there are other potential landmines for Sunak in the coming weeks.

State Visit of US President Joe Biden, A strike of doctors thwarts his key promise to reduce hospital wait times, a projected increase in asylum seekers arriving from France in small boats, and financial concerns over Britain’s largest water supplier. The resulting political influence will go a long way in shaping the mood of Britain. Conservative MPs returning to their constituencies.

Being trailed by Kia Sturmer’s opposition Labor party by 22 points (the gap has widened from 16 points in three weeks, according to YouGov) means Mr Sunak is under pressure. means.

He said his long-awaited plan to increase the staffing of the National Health Service was “one of the most important things” he would do as prime minister, and he would have hoped it would help turn the tide.

But his announcement was overshadowed on Friday as the minister resigned in a very public attack on the prime minister’s performance.

This undermines Mr. Sunak’s attempt to build a united front that appeals to voters, from disgraced former leader Boris Johnson’s violent resignation as an MP to dissent in the campaign. It was the latest in a series of public squabbles for the Conservative Party that have made it possible.

Against this backdrop, Biden’s visit during his July 9-13 trip to Europe to strengthen NATO allies will be a welcome respite from political parties in turmoil. there is a possibility.

Relations with the White House have improved under Mr. Sunak, but boasting about Britain’s track record in helping Ukraine against Russian aggression is a catnip for restless Conservatives.

Still, Mr. Sunak has risks. During Biden’s visits to Belfast and Dublin in April, he made clear his concerns about the Northern Ireland peace process and keeping the process unimpaired by Brexit.

The Democratic Unionist Party still refuses to return to a decentralized government in the region, and Sunak’s government still has major problems to solve.

Later that week, the prime minister seems virtually guaranteed to face a series of unsavory headlines as Britain’s junior doctors begin their five-day strike on July 13, but this is the first in NHS history. It is the longest solo strike.

Opinion polls show the public still supports the health workers’ strike despite months of industrial action across the public sector that has severely damaged services.

Mr. Sunak made it clear that he was concerned Dealing with soaring inflation He puts economic priorities first, and sees negotiations over public salaries in that context.