There are 37 days until the General Election, over 120 MPs standing down, 160 seats that don’t have a Conservative candidate yet, and two choices for Labour voters in Islington North as Corbyn stands as an independent candidate. But the only numbers that count will be those in the ballot box on the 4th of July.
Yesterday marked the start of the first full week of campaigning after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised ministers, MPs, and the public alike with the calling of the General Election. The last time the country went to the polls in July was in 1945. Labour was victorious over Churchill’s Conservatives, going on to build the welfare state and start rebuilding of the UK after six years of war and hardship. Any metaphors drawn from such comparisons are your own to make.
While on the outside it appears the national campaign has begun in earnest - with Sunak visiting Wales and Northern Ireland, and Keir in Scotland and Sussex - internally the Prime Minister’s decision to announce the snap election has not only left many of his Conservative colleagues shocked and angry, it also seems to have left the wider Party machinery unprepared. The Conservatives still need to select 160 candidates for seats across the country, meaning many local campaigns are still waiting to get underway. Though, this is not as much of a stumble out of the starting blocks as it seems, many of the Conservatives’ outstanding vacancies are in ‘unwinnable’ Labour strongholds in inner cities like London and Bristol.
As the campaign continues, so too does the roll out of election policy, with British children becoming the focal point towards the end of last week. Rishi Sunak made a big, and quite controversial, policy pledge, committing to reintroduce national service for 18-year-olds if he wins the next election. Where the inspiration for such a policy came from is unclear, though the merits and challenges of a modern national service were discussed by Atticus’ Carver Oakley in an article earlier this month. Looking to stay ahead of the curve during this election campaign? Make sure to keep up to date with Atticus’ Insights page.
The specifics of Sunak’s national service policy have come under fire from all sides. Starmer and Nigel Farage both pointed out the inconsistent costings and questioned the motivation for 18-year-olds to give to a country that increasingly seems to be unable to give back, be it due to a crumbling NHS, extortionate housing market, stagnant wages, cancelled trains, or sewage ridden waterways.
Labour showed rare enthusiasm to draw a dividing line between them and the Conservatives with their child focused policy. In a visit to a school, Starmer pledged to give 16- and 17-year-olds the vote should he become PM in July. Labour campaign coordinators will doubtless be happy with the contrast of their commitment to expand civil privileges to youngsters whilst the Conservatives look to ‘compel’ the young into compulsory service.
Labour’s proposed policy to lower the voting age was in the final draft document emerging from its national policy forum (NPF), suggesting there may still be select policies that will make it from this to the final manifesto. However, it is more accurate to think of the NPF as more of a wish list compiled by Labour members than an iron clad commitment.
Whatever the policies, they will be increasingly debated online, with this election being the most digital yet. Both Labour and Conservatives have launched their official TikTok accounts in the wake of the election announcement. Sunak waded into the ‘Gen Z’ melting pot with a swish video talking about his national service pledge. In response Labour have released numerous ‘memes’ to discredit both the PM and the policy. Their mostpopular video already stands at 2.1 million views.
The Week in Politics
The 24th of May was the last day of Parliament sitting. Parliament will formally dissolve on Thursday 30th of May 2024, there will be no business brought before the house during this week. This means that any Bills which were passed last week have been dropped and any outstanding questions will not be answered.
Tuesday 28 May
Key Events:
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak campaigns in Staffordshire where he is expected to participate in a Q&A with local businesses and participate and broadcast interviews.
- Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey campaigns in North West England where he will announce plans for a Burglary Response Guarantee in the Lib Dem manifesto.
- Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers a speech in the East Midlands vowing to “bring growth back to Britain” (10:00am).
- Reform UK Honorary President Nigel Farage campaigns in Dover for the party (10:00am).
- Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar campaigns in East Renfrewshire to and makes a pledge for Labour to use theScotland Office to promote ‘Brand Scotland’ internationally (10:30am).
- Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer campaigns in Hertfordshire and speaks at a Workforce Q&A (3:30pm).
- Mayor of Tees Valley Ben Houchen speaks at a Popular Conservatism event on ‘PopConversations 5’ (7:00pm).
Wednesday 29 May
Key Events:
- Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey and Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds launch the party’s election campaign.
- Former Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Concordia Europe Summit ‘Navigating the Road to Net Zero 2050’ (11:30am).
Reports:
- The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee publishes a report on asylum accommodation and the UK-Rwanda partnership.
- The House of Commons Liaison Committee publishes a report on strategic thinking in Whitehall.
Thursday 30 May
Key Events:
- The UK Parliament is formally dissolved ahead of the General Election on 4 July.
- Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iowerth and Westminster Party Leader Liz Saville Roberts launch the Plaid Cymru campaign.
- Under Secretary of State for Scotland John Lamont speaks at a Prosper event Forum 2024 (12:30pm); also speaking: Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar (2:00pm), Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes (4:00pm).
Statistics:
- The Office for National Statistics publishes statistics on Measuring NHS experience and satisfaction across the UK.
Friday 31 May
Key Events:
- No key events have yet been scheduled.