Sunak, Starmer hit U.K. campaign trail after shock election call

LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Labour Party rival Keir Starmer kicked off their election campaigns on Thursday, each arguing that only they can snap the country out of its economic and political malaise.

Sunak, whose Conservatives have trailed Labour by more than 15 points in polls since he became prime minister in October 2022, shocked and angered many in his party when he gambled by calling a July 4 election, months earlier than expected.

He argued on Thursday that the economy was turning a corner and he had a plan to tackle illegal immigration. But with prices in the shops up 21 per cent in the last three years and the national health service buckling under record waiting times, it may be hard to persuade voters that Britain is on the right track.

“Even though there’s more work to do and I know it will take time for you to see the benefits, the plan is working,” Sunak told voters at an event with workers in central England.

The former investment banker announced his decision in the pouring rain in Downing Street on Wednesday, having to shout over protesters blaring the song “Things Can Only Get Better”

— an anthem associated with Labour’s crushing 1997 election victory under Tony Blair that ended the last long period of Conservative rule.

Sunak also admitted on Thursday that two of his flagship policies were now in doubt due to the timing of the election — sending illegal migrants to Rwanda to deter them from arriving in Britain, and banning smoking for younger generations. Reuters