Britain’s Conservative Party Is Facing a Historic Defeat
Rishi Sunak’s Tory Party is on a path toward electoral calamity. The Tory meltdown is the culmination of a deep-rooted, long-term crisis that was temporarily staved off by the Brexit referendum but has now returned with a vengeance.
British prime minister Rishi Sunak, soaked in rain, announces July 4 as the date of the UK’s next general election, at 10 Downing Street in London, on May 22, 2024. (Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images)
When Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, stood in the pouring rain last week to announce a general election, there could hardly have been a less auspicious beginning to the Conservative Party’s campaign. In the space of a few days, it has gone downhill from there.
Eighty-five Tory MPs have shown their confidence in their party’s ability to win another term by declaring their retirement. These include the former PM Theresa May, long-serving minister Michael Gove, and erstwhile Tory leadership contender Andrea Leadsom. Twenty-two of these MPs have served in the Commons for fewer than ten years, and ten of them were only elected in 2019.
Finding the Floor
The first policy announcement of the Tory campaign did not go down well either. On May 24, Sunak said he would reintroduce compulsory national service for eighteen-year-olds if reelected. Young people would have to choose between a year-long military placement or “voluntary” work for community groups and charities.
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