British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken a day off from his election campaign and decided to spend the day at home. The decision reportedly came after several challenging days into his general election campaign.
The Guardian reported that three sources close to Sunak revealed that he is taking the unusual step of announcing a day off in the middle of the election campaign and staying away from all scheduled public events to spend a day at home. Meanwhile, Conservative aides said Sunak’s move was not part of any attempt to reset his already derailed campaign.
Sunak came into power in 2022 and announced a general election this week, scheduled to be held on the 4th of July. However, according to political experts, his party is far behind in the opinion polls following severe high inflation and slow economic growth in the UK.
Worsening the situation, the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) representing the Conservative Party who have decided not to stand in the next election reached 78 on Friday. This number is higher than the 72 in the run-up to the 1997 election.
While Sunak is taking the day off, Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, has decided to use the day at public events, especially focusing on his argument that the Conservative Party has damaged the UK economy and led to a rise in the cost of living. According to reports, the Labour leader has identified the importance of not taking any days off during the campaign trail for the next six weeks before polling day.
In recent times, the UK economy has faced numerous challenges exacerbated by the Ukraine-Russia war, which has led to a fuel price hike. Sunak has taken tough decisions regarding migrants, indicating that migrants have been one of the key reasons for the UK’s economic crisis. However, some ridiculed Sunak’s decision to take tough measures against migrants despite coming from a migrant family background.
