Rishi refuses to rule out July general election as he reels from defection
RISHI Sunak failed to rule out a summer election yesterday as it emerged Tory rebels have drawn up plans for a 100-day ‘policy blitz’ to turn the party’s fortunes around.
At the start of one of the toughest weeks of his premiership – with local elections looming on Thursday – Right-wing rebels shared a road map for how to win a general election after ousting the Prime Minister.
Mr Sunak was dealt another blow at the weekend when Dr Dan Poulter, a former Conservative minister and working medic, defected to Labour, blasting the Tories for ‘failing’ the NHS.
However, Mr Sunak refused to rule out a general election in July amid speculation that poor results in the local elections for the Tories could force his hand.
Quizzed about the date on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, he said: ‘I’m not going to say anything more than I’ve already said, I’ve been very clear about that.’
Government sources have said they are working towards an autumn election but acknowledge Mr Sunak could go earlier if forced into it. In the interview recorded before Dr Poulter’s defection, the PM also signalled he could wait for economic improvements to come through – in an apparent hint at a poll later in the year.
‘I’m determined to make sure that people feel when the election comes that the future is better, that we have turned the corner,’ he said.
His comments were aired after Dr Poulter was slammed for his switch, with his local Conservative association chairman calling the MP ‘the invisible man in North Ipswich’.
His defection came as Tory rebels revealed their policy blueprint. They say it will ‘show the Government is taking action and cares about what matters to the British people’.
They also claimed ‘coronation’ talks have taken place between MPs on the right of the party and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, with a view to her taking over.
The plan to deliver a ‘quick win’ before the election includes a policy to offer striking junior doctors a 10
‘Clear and bold in our plan’
to 12 per cent pay rise, rather than the 8.8 per cent given.
They also want tougher measures to stop Channel crossings and to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2027.
The measures would be paid for by slashing the benefits bill to ensure that work pays. Those who claim benefits because of depression and anxiety will be particularly targeted, the rebels said.
A source said: ‘The country has had enough of broken pledges and distant plans for change or bans that they never asked for.
‘It’s a plan for 100 days to show the Government is taking action and cares about what matters to the British people – the NHS, immigration, getting our economy going by getting people back into work quickly and making our country safer and more secure. No more tinkering, dithering or managerialism – these are policies that can be introduced in a few months and then go to the country for people to make a decision.
‘We have to be clear and bold in our plan and with the right messenger to have any chance of winning.’
BY any reasonable measure, these have been a good few days for Rishi Sunak.
The Pm launched a well-received campaign to curb ‘sick-note Britain’, then unveiled a popular commitment to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
The week ahead, however, could be one of the toughest of mr Sunak’s premiership.
He was dealt a blow on Saturday when an unremarkable Tory ex-minister called Dan Poulter defected to Labour.
The Tories could suffer a bloodbath at the local elections in England on Thursday as well as lose the Blackpool South by-election. That would inevitably strengthen calls for a vote of no confidence in mr Sunak.
Some rebels have already drawn up plans for a 100-day policy blitz to woo voters if they oust him. But would a palace coup change things for the better?
With signs mr Sunak is taking the fight to Labour, the best thing any plotters could do is get behind him. The nation is weary of the Tories’ seemingly endless psychodrama.
There are few immutable rules in politics. But one of the firmest and truest is that divided parties do not win elections.