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The chair of the Conservative Party has disclosed that there is a high likelihood of Rishi Sunak calling for a general election earlier than anticipated in the spring.
According to Richard Holden, there is a 33.33% possibility that the prime minister will call for an election in May, even though it is believed that No 10 would prefer to wait until the autumn.
A recent survey showed that Sir Keir Starmer is the top pick for prime minister in 390 constituencies across England, Wales, and Scotland. In contrast, Mr. Sunak is only the first choice for voters in four constituencies.
Mr. Sunak has been criticized as “desperate” by Dominic Cummings, former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, who revealed secret discussions with the current prime minister regarding the potential for Cummings to return as a No 10 strategist before the election.
Although the Tories are facing challenges, Mr Holden believes that the party may be ready to start an election campaign within a few months. This would likely occur after Jeremy Hunt’s spring Budget on March 6th.
According to Mr Holden, there is a 33% likelihood of a May election. It is more probable that it will occur at the end of the year. Mr Holden’s responsibility is to be prepared for whenever the election takes place.
The minister in charge of the cabinet implied that new reductions in personal taxes will be announced in the March Budget, while dismissing rumors that the prime minister and chancellor may eliminate inheritance tax.
When asked about the potential elimination of the tax, he responded: “The goal is to have tax cuts that impact a large number of individuals.”
If Sunak chooses to wait until autumn, he may face accusations of avoiding the election.
According to Mr Holden, the Conservative party has the potential to secure an unexpected win in 2024, as their supporters are not fully convinced by the Labour leader. He believes that traditional Tory voters may come back to support the party due to the perceived threat of Starmer, whose stance is unclear.
According to The Sunday Times, Tory election strategist Isaac Levido has tentatively set a date for the election to take place on November 14, even though it could potentially occur during the first half of the year.
As excitement for the election grows, a significant seat-by-seat examination conducted by Focaldata for the Best for Britain organization revealed that Mr. Starmer is surpassing Mr. Sunak in numerous constituencies when it comes to who would make the best prime minister.
In terms of the entire country, the leader of the Labour party is currently in the lead compared to his Conservative opponent, with 32% and 22% respectively. The only areas where Mr. Sunak is ahead of Mr. Starmer are Braintree, Castle Point, Clacton, and North Bedfordshire, with those who have not yet made a decision.
According to the survey, 61% of voters desire a prompt general election by May, while only 17% prefer the prime minister to delay until autumn to announce the election.
The Conservative party has alleged that the Labour party plans to burden working families with an extra £2,200 per year in order to fund their proposal to allocate £28 billion towards creating green jobs. However, a spokesperson for Labour has dismissed these accusations as baseless and a desperate attempt by the Tory party to deflect from their own actions of raising taxes on working individuals.
Starmer believes that the outcome of the 2024 election will determine the future of Britain.
According to reports, Mr. Sunak sought guidance from Mr. Johnson’s previous top advisor in an effort to secure a covert agreement with Mr. Cummings that would benefit the Conservative party in the upcoming elections. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr. Cummings revealed that he had advised Mr. Sunak to change his careful financial strategy, hold an urgent budget, resolve the NHS strikes, and increase the income tax threshold from £50,271 to £100,000.
According to reports, he supported the idea of withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights as a way to revitalize the deportation program for Rwanda.
Number 10 has not refuted Mr. Cummings’s version of events regarding a clandestine meeting, but clarified that no employment opportunity was presented. According to a source from Downing Street, the meeting was a general conversation about politics and campaigning, without any job offers being extended.
Elsewhere, Arron Banks, the financier of the Brexit campaign, has expressed his intention to gather £10m from Conservative donors who are defecting, in order to support Reform UK should Nigel Farage decide to return as the party’s leader.
According to the co-founder of Leave.EU, Nigel has a unique ability to reach the voters in the red-wall seats, unlike Richard Tice. The co-founder believes that with Nigel’s involvement, they could gather £10m to significantly boost Reform’s presence.
Source: independent.co.uk
