The looming UK general elections in the next 12 months signal a potential shift after over 13 years of conservative rule. Labour consistently outpaces Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in polls, pointing towards a likely change in government in 2024. The far right’s opposition to Sunak reflects concerns about his ability to retain power for the British Conservatives. This article, delving into the characteristics of conservatives, explores the practice of hiding political problems and addresses the internal differences within the party.
UK’s complicated political situation
The UK Parliament has never experienced such a situation, and the problem may become even more complicated in the coming months. Surveys show that there may be a change of government in this country in 2024. The Conservatives have been in power in England for the past 14 years. Several recent scandals have reduced the political credibility of the Conservatives.
Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, announced in his annual message that the year of hope has begun. The British people have the opportunity at the polls to ensure things in this country finally get better. “We have a plan to take back our streets, switch on Great British Energy, get the NHS back on its feet, tear down the barriers to opportunity, and get Britain building again.,” Starmer said.
Sunak hopes to preserve the political power of conservatives
It still needs to be made clear when exactly the 650 seats in the British House of Commons will be up for re-election. According to the constitution, the British Prime Minister has the right to dissolve the Parliament. Sunak predicted that new elections will be held in the second half of the year. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said there is still a lot to do. “We will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed,” Sunak said. Many of Sunak’s election promises have yet to be fulfilled to date.
Keir Starmer’s plans to improve the UK economy
Potential personal motives could lead Rishi Sunak to postpone the election. With only a year and a half as prime minister and just 20% of Britons supporting the Conservatives, according to polls, Keir Starmer sees a genuine opportunity to enter Downing Street. Expressing confidence in his party’s abilities, Starmer declares, “We have transformed the Labour Party to improve our country. Committed to delivering change, we have a plan in place.” However, the details are yet to be revealed.
Conservative’s internal tensions
The situation is very difficult for conservatives and Rishi Sunak, but hiding political problems is one of the characteristics of this party. The party’s far-right wing is particularly unhappy with Sunak, and on the right of the party spectrum, another party called Reform UK is now increasingly competing with the Tories. Last year, the Reform UK Party doubled its votes in the polls and reached ten per cent. The voting system in the UK is based on the majority system. Due to the majority system, it is expected that the Reform UK Party will eventually win one or two seats in the next general election. But it may steal many votes from the Conservatives and tip the balance in favour of Labour in some constituencies.
Reform UK aims to reduce the Conservatives’ votes
The Reform UK have set themselves the goal of destroying the conservatives. Party leader Richard Tice confirmed this just a few weeks ago. He wants to ensure the Tories never win a majority again. Reform UK appeals to voters with slogans like Let’s Make Britain Great or Save Britain. Reform UK is a classic right-wing populist party. This party is to the right of the conservatives. The party is, of course, a familiar player in Britain. The Reform UK announced its founding in 2018. Brexit activist Nigel Farage joined the Reform UK shortly after it was founded. This party aimed to stop Prime Minister Theresa May’s soft Brexit process.
The right-wing conservatives’ concerns about popularity decline
Hiding political problems by conservatives is because of their fear of decreasing votes and the party’s popularity. The Tory right wing insists that only stricter immigration measures will help the Tories close the poll gap over Labour. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) criticised the UK government’s plans for violating the UK’s international obligations on asylum law. Downing Street denied the allegations. Critics of this project, including the United Nations Refugee Agency, are furious. They accuse the UK government of breaching obligations to protect asylum seekers in plans to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Sunak denies all these allegations. Immigration to the UK has recently increased dramatically. This is also due to the UK’s immigration policy since Brexit, so the UK has had no readmission agreement with the EU since then.
Sunak’s disagreement with the right-wing conservatives
The right-wing conservatives want no further appeals to international courts, such as the European Court of Human Rights, which blocked a last-second deportation flight to Rwanda in June 2022. However, Sunak and moderate forces reject this issue for fear of violating international agreements. They say it is the strictest law in British history. The public pressure on Sunak is very high; A recent poll commissioned by the Telegraph predicted heavy losses for the Conservatives, citing immigration as a critical issue. Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, the party’s executive vice-presidents, resigned to join the rebels. Analysts spoke of a civil war in the Conservative Party.
Right-wing Conservatives revolt against Rishi Sunak
Hiding political problems is a characteristic of parties. In the dispute over asylum laws, the threat of a right-wing rebellion threatens Sunak. In the controversy over the tightening of asylum rules in the Conservative Party, the risk of a right-wing party rebellion and a severe government crisis threaten Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a challenging election year.