Decoding Rishi Sunak's loss in the UK elections

Updated : Jul 05, 2024 06:18
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Editorji News Desk

David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak -- all Conservatives. UK voters have broken the 14-year streak of dominance of the Tories. The Labour Party has now got control of the lower house, putting Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street.

While every Conservative Party PM has had their own challenges, outgoing PM Sunak was the final nail in the coffin. Economic stress from Brexit, cutting down government funding and services and widening gap between the elite and the rest have been reported as the biggest contributors to his loss.

The party has been plagued by several controversies too. For example, several members of Sunak's inner circle are currently being investigated for allegedly using inside information to place bets on the date of the election before it was announced.

But the loss was expected. Sunak was showing signs of hopelessness, admitting that voters were frustrated with him. To make matters worse, he urged people not give their opponents a "supermajority."

Through the six week campaign, Sunak consistently faced the angst of the voters and trailed 61-year-old Starmer led Labour Party.

Both leaders wrapped up their poll pitches with contrasting messages — Sunak urging voters to not hand “tax-raising” Labour a “supermajority” and Starmer playing down the prospect of a landslide win for fear of a low turnout impacting the final outcome.

(With PTI inputs)

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Rishi Sunak

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