Why Did Rishi Sunak Call an Early Election?
On this special edition of Voternomics, we discuss the possible reasoning behind the Conservative’s decision to gamble on an earlier-than-expected vote.
Rishi Sunak announces a general election during a news conference in London on May 22.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/BloombergListen and subscribe to the Voternomics series on the In the City and Stephanomics podcast feeds on Apple, Spotify and the Bloomberg Terminal.
On this special edition of Voternomics, hosts Stephanie Flanders, Adrian Wooldridge and Allegra Stratton unpack UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a general election for July 4. Sunak had been widely expected to wait until fall (the deadline is January), so we explore why he might feel sooner is better for the embattled Tories?
Sunak, 44, delivered the announcement Wednesday in the pouring rain. He also was drowned out at times by protesters playing Things Can Only Get Better. It’s the D Ream tune that became something of a Labour anthem after Tony Blair used it in the run-up to his 1997 election landslide. Flanders says today’s soggy tableau perfectly illustrates the political mood, with voters having “given up on the current lot.”