British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer stand outside Downing Street 10, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Several world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday congratulated Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer after his Labour Party stormed to power after 14 years.

The Labour Party led by Mr. Starmer won the U.K. general election in a landslide. He became the new Prime Minister after meeting King Charles III who asked him to form the next government. The Conservative Party led by Rishi Sunak lost 250 seats, its worst-ever defeat.

Mr. Modi offered “heartiest congratulations and best wishes” to Mr. Starmer on his remarkable victory.

“I look forward to our positive and constructive collaboration to further strengthen the India-U.K. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in all areas, fostering mutual growth and prosperity,” Mr. Modi said.

Mr. Modi also thanked outgoing PM Sunak for his “admirable leadership of the U.K.”.

“Thank you @RishiSunak for your admirable leadership of the U.K., and your active contribution to deepen the ties between India and the U.K. during your term in office. Best wishes to you and your family for the future,” Mr. Modi said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also congratulated Mr. Starmer on his “resounding” election victory. Albanese added that he was looking forward to working constructively with the incoming Labour government.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni congratulated Mr. Starmer on his election victory. “The state of relations between Italy and the United Kingdom is excellent and I am sure that we will continue to cultivate a strong and reliable collaborative relationship between our great Nations, in the interests of our citizens and in line with common strategic objectives,” she posted on X.

Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre offered his congratulations to Mr. Starmer and the Labour Party on the “historic election win”. “I’m looking forward to continuing our close cooperation between the UK and Norway, including on the energy transition, our common security and trade,” he said further.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a photo of himself and Mr. Starmer on X as he congratulated him on a “historic” election victory. “Lots of work ahead to build a more progressive, fair future for people on both sides of the Atlantic. Let’s get to it, my friend,” Mr. Trudeau wrote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Mr. Starmer and the Labour Party in a post on X.

“Ukraine and the United Kingdom have been and will continue to be reliable allies through thick and thin. We will continue to defend and advance our common values of life, freedom, and a rules-based international order,” he said.

“I wish the incoming government every success both in domestic affairs and in solidifying the U.K.’s leadership on the world stage. I look forward to working closely together on strengthening the Ukraine-U.K. partnership and restoring international peace and security,” Mr. Zelenskyy added.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, in a congratulatory message to Mr. Stramer, said that he looked forward to working with the new government of the U.K. to strengthen long-standing Nepal-U.K. relations.

The EU on Friday congratulated Keir Starmer on Labour’s election win in Britain, with Brussels foreseeing warmer ties with London — though little scope to change existing post-Brexit arrangements.

European Council President Charles Michel called Starmer’s victory “historic”, and stressed the EU and Britain “are crucial partners”.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen added she looked forward to working with Mr. Starmer “in a constructive partnership to address common challenges and strengthen European security.”

Also Read | U.K. General Election 2024 highlights

Britain’s new Prime Minister has vowed to reduce trade frictions with the European Union, forge closer security arrangements — and relax travel restrictions for touring musicians.

But Mr. Starmer is also adamant his government will never reverse Brexit nor seek to be part of the European single market. His slogan is “Make Brexit Work”.

While that necessarily reduces the scope for better dealings, a more cooperative London will be greatly welcomed in Brussels, according to one EU official and one EU diplomat, both speaking on condition of anonymity.

A “return to internationalist policies” from London would be “refreshing”, the EU official said.

“If there is a different approach, one of cooperation and not with a hostile attitude, then things become easier — but not simpler,” the diplomat said.

They both warned all “easy” points of cooperation had already been hammered out and enshrined in a painstakingly negotiated 2020 EU-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement and a 2023 Windsor Framework.

But even if the overall deal would not be changed, some aspects could have hard edges filed down, they and analysts said.

Defence cooperation

Those could include: easing some rules around plant and animal imports; Britain continually aligning with EU rules on chemicals and standards; opening up youth exchange programmes; and mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

One key area where both sides see a priority is close cooperation is defence.

Increased geopolitical instability, notably with Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the prospect of a new Donald Trump U.S. presidency — with fears America could retreat from its global security role — are fuelling that.

“It is in the interest of the EU and also the U.K.,” the EU diplomat said. “It would be interesting if the British come back on that issue with proposals.”

Mr. Michel said he would see Starmer on July 18 when Britain hosts a European Political Community summit “where we will discuss common challenges, including stability, security, energy and migration”.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas — tapped to become the EU’s next foreign policy chief — noted “the U.K.’s commitment to our common security” in her own congratulatory message to Mr. Starmer.

Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, told AFP the surge in international volatility and the “big danger” of what a President Trump might do made shared defence “more relevant”.

Britain and 23 of the EU’s 27 member countries are in NATO, the usual forum for defence cooperation. But Mr. Trump during his 2017-2021 presidency called into question America’s commitment to the alliance.

No more ‘psychodrama’

While Britain under the Conservatives ended up taking a very arm’s-length stance with Brussels on ideological grounds of post-Brexit “sovereignty”, Starmer’s government is expected to shift to a “rational policy discussion” about U.K. interests, Leonard said.

The Tories, he said, grappled with a decades-long “psychodrama around Europe… which has destroyed the party”.

But Labour still has to bow to Britons’ general animosity to immigration, he cautioned.

“I think the only really, really strong red line is about returning to freedom of movement, because that’s the only clear signal which came out of the Brexit referendum,” he said.

Barry Colfer, director of research at the Institute of International and European Affairs, also said the result of the U.K. elections was not so prominent in Brussels’ thinking right now.

“What’s happening in France or even what’s happening in the U.S. I think plays a much more central role in the EU,” he said.

That said, European elites were “optimistic” about what Mr. Starmer’s stance would be, he added, anticipating a “generally more pragmatic, evidence-driven, constructive approach” with more diplomatic outreach than under his Tory predecessors.

“I can just see more enhanced cooperation in really obvious areas where it’s a win-win situation between the U.K. and the EU to cooperate: around climate change, and security, around scientific research, around digitalisation,” Mr. Colfer said.

New Delhi:

Out with the old, and in with the new (sort of), UK voters said Friday, handing Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives a thumping defeat in the general election, stripping it off nearly 250 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. And Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour has been handed the keys to the castle.

Mr Starmer and his ‘new’ Labour will now form the next government. Addressing a cheering crowd of party faithfuls at a dawn victory rally in central London, he declared the UK “gets its future back”.

The scale of the Tories defeat is singular; in power for 14 years, the party was routed in Wales and Scotland, and saw some of its biggest leaders, including ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss, beaten.

Labour’s Landslide

But perhaps the most chastening blow – the BBC is reporting the Conservatives have lost seats, in the shire counties of England, that they have held since the early 20th century. For example, Labour’s Joe Morris beat the Tory’s Guy Opperman to end the Tory’s 100-year hold on the Hexham seat.

READ | “I Am Sorry”: Rishi Sunak Concedes Defeat In UK Polls

The Conservatives are set for one of their worst ever returns in a general election, and Labour, with over 400 seats, its best. Exit polls had predicted just such a scenario, giving Mr Starmer 405 seats.

Conservatives’ Collapse

Rishi Sunak, the outgoing PM, called for an early election in May.

The warning signs were present then; indeed, they had been present for several weeks, if not months, prior, as UK voters battled a cost-of-living crisis, a growing immigration problem, and poor infrastructure and healthcare, among other issues, and the Tories a serious image problem.

READ | Labour Sweeps UK Polls, Rishi Sunak’s Part’s First Loss Since 2010

At that point the Conservatives – asking the British public for permission to install a sixth Prime Minister since 2010 – were already 20 points behind a rejuvenated Labour, but Mr Sunak seemed to believe he could close and overhaul the gap. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

Why Labour Beat Conservative?

Take your pick. But the crumbling NHS, or National Health Service, and the state of the economy, and attendant concerns like price rise, are high on the list of reasons for the defeat.

A poll by IPSOS Issues Index in June said concerns over slashing of funding for the NHS – a free public healthcare scheme that any other country would love to have – was top of the list, followed by the economy, immigration, price rise, housing and schools, defence and anti-terrorism, and crime.

Mr Sunak scored poorly on all these points, including overseeing the country’s lowest growth rate since the early 19th century and a steep cost-of-living increase, the highest in 41 years.

The British economy has slowed significantly over the past decade, even accounting for the global crisis triggered by the Covid pandemic. GDP per capita grew just 4.3 per cent from 2007 to 2023.

In the previous 16 years that figure was a massive 46 per cent.

This meant incomes stagnated.

A report by the nonpartisan Centres for Cities research institute indicated Britons, on average, had £10,200 less to save or spend between 2010 and 2022, compared to 1998-2010 growth rates.

And the UK’s national debt – £2.7 trillion – is higher than at any point since the 1960s.

There did seem to be some relief soon; in May the International Monetary Fund spoke of a “soft landing” for the economy, and upgraded the growth forecast by 0.2 percentage points to 0.7.

And it was, perhaps, on the back of that expectation Mr Sunak called for the early election.

The NHS is seen by many to be the crown in the British government’s public services.

The Conservatives had repeatedly stressed the importance of the NHS, but that concern seemed not to translate into on-ground support for doctors, nurses, and medical professionals.

Budgetary allocations under the Tories paint a clear picture. Since they came to power in 2010 healthcare spending has grown by an average of 2.8 per cent per year, compared to 3.6 per cent in the past 50. This includes the period of the pandemic.

In April there were an estimated 7.6 million people waiting for treatment under the NHS scheme, of which over 50,000 had been on the list for more than a year. The median wait time was 14 weeks.

The number of people waiting for medical aid, including those with serious conditions, has tripled under Conservative rule, according to data from the NHS published by Al Jazeera.

Brexit had its say too, with movement restrictions meaning medical professionals from mainland Europe could either not be hired or chose not to sign up. As horrible as this sounds, this was good news for India, with the NHS turning to its former colony to fill over 2,000 doctors’ posts.

Immigration was also an issue. Mr Sunak’s government had promised to crack down on illegal entrants into the UK, but its Rwanda policy – supposed to act as a major deterrent – failed to deliver.

In fact, two years after its announcement not one plane has taken off for the African nation.

According to Sky News, the Conservatives have spent over £300 million on this scheme, which they said would deter illegal immigrants entering the UK on small boats across the English Channel.

Under this policy, those caught would be sent to Rwanda while they apply for asylum.

As of March-end a total of 1.18 lakh people are waiting for an initial decision on their application.

The rising cost of living and skyrocketing house prices, as well as steep increases in rental prices, have also been a problem the Conservatives seemed not to be able to control.

Truss, Johnson’s Contributions

It wasn’t just Mr Sunak’s failures that led to the Conservatives’ downfall.

Boris Johnson was elected as the Tories’ leader and the PM in July 2019, shortly before the pandemic struck. His dishevelled appearance and chaotic leadership precipitated a revolt by his ministers and, of course, the ‘Partygate’ scandal that referred to parties at 10, Downing Street during a lockdown.

Mr Johnson resigned in June last year following an investigation that he called a “witch hunt”.

He was followed by Ms Truss – the UK’s fourth female PM and its shortest-serving leader.

READ | UK In Crisis: Why Country Has Seen 3 PMs In 3 Years

Ms Truss – who lost her South West Norfolk seat – faced criticism for the way it handled the economy, including a controversial mini-budget that led to market turmoil. Her leadership was further undermined by U-turns on policy and a loss of confidence among MPs.

What Now For Labour?

Mr Starmer’s leadership has been pivotal in Labour’s revival.

Since taking up the role in early 2020, he has repositioned the party to the centre, and fixed problems within the party that include in-fighting and anti-Semitism. 

Looking forward, he will want to avoid repeats of the Tories’ mistakes, including October 2022, when Ms Truss’ government proposed unfunded tax cuts that spooked markets and tanked the pound.

That ill-advised move cost her her job.

“We did it. Thank you truly… you have changed our country,” Mr Starmer told triumphant supporters at a victory rally in central London. “(But) a mandate like this comes with a great responsibility… Today we start the next chapter… begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal, and start to rebuild.”

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Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer in London, Britain, July 5 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Britain’s main opposition Labour party looks set for a landslide election win, exit polls indicated, with Keir Starmer replacing Rishi Sunak as prime minister, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.

Also Read: U.K. General Election 2024 updates

The survey for U.K. broadcasters suggested centre-left Labour would win 410 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, putting it back in power for the first time since 2010, with a 170-seat majority.

Mr. Sunak’s Tories would only get 131 – a record low – with the right-wing vote apparently spliced by Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, which could bag 13 seats.

In another boost for the centrists, the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats would get 61 seats, ousting the Scottish National Party on 10 as the third biggest party.

British voters are picking a new government today, voting in a parliamentary election that is widely expected to bring the Labour Party to power against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions and a fraying social fabric.

A jaded electorate is delivering its verdict on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010.

The center-left Labour Party led by Keir Starmer has had a steady and significant lead in opinion polls for months, but its leaders have warned against taking the election result for granted, worried their supporters will stay home.

“We cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labour,” Mr. Starmer said on Wednesday night.

The Conservatives have conceded that Labour appears headed for victory and urged voters not to hand the party a “supermajority.” – AP

As the last full day of campaigning dawned, the U.K.’s Conservative Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, faced with the prospect of a crushing defeat at the hands of the opposition Labour Party , said he was still “fighting hard for every vote”.

Earlier in the day, one of his Cabinet colleagues, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride, had told the BBC that the Conservatives should focus on the kind of opposition party they would become, with Labour on its way to getting the “largest majority that this country has ever seen”. On July 2, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman had said the election was “over”.

“What Mel was doing was warning of what a very large Labour majority, unchecked, would mean for people,” Mr. Sunak said on July 3, in an interview with ITV, as the six-week campaign began drawing to a close.

Although the U.K. has had the highest tax burden in 70 years under the Conservative government, the last stretch of the Conservative campaign has focused on warning Britons that Labour as a party of taxation, should not be given such a large majority.

“24 hours to top the tax-raising Labour supermajority,” Mr. Sunak said on X.

Mr. Sunak, the fifth Prime Minister in his party’s 14 year rule, and at risk of losing his own seat in Yorkshire, has been trying to reach out to workers by visiting  warehouses and supermarkets in the last few days of the campaign.

Britons have struggled with a cost of living crisis, high taxes and crumbling public services, including long waits to see doctors in the National Health Service. Immigration and borders are also a politically sensitive issue with the some parties blaming migrants for the drain on public services. Both the major parties have promised checks on migration, with the Conservatives also promising an annual cap on legal migration.

Labour has consistently enjoyed an approximately 20 point lead over the Tories in polling. With support for the Conservative Party is at a low, Mr. Sunak appeared to cut his losses when he  surprised many by calling an election six weeks ago, months ahead of when it was expected.

A July 2 Survation poll predicted just 64 seats for the Tories (down from 365 in 2019), with a record 484 for Labour. The poll is one of several recent surveys that  used a relatively new statistical technique called multi-level regression and post stratification or MRP, which allows for differences in local voting preferences. The Labour party , by some projections, is set to outdo its 1997 landslide victory when, under Tony Blair, it won 418 seats to defeat the John Major Tory government.

Labour Leader Keir Starmer, who is likely to become Britain’s Prime Minister on Friday (July 5), had a hectic day of campaigning planned, that began in Wales, and ended in England, with stops in Scotland en route.

Standing beside the First Minister of Wales, Vaughn Gething, Mr. Starmer talked about the “double benefit” of having two Labour leaders working together. “When we saw what might happen with Tata Steel in the latest development, our first act was to get in touch with each other, within minutes,” he said.

The Labour leader referred to Mr. Sunak allegedly being too busy to take a phone call from the former First Minister Mark Drakeford, following Tata Steel’s announcement in January 2024 that it would be installing an electric arc furnace, to replace its blast furnaces, and move that would reportedly make close to 3,000 jobs redundant.

During his speech, he emphasized Labour’s central campaign theme: ‘change’, as he warned against complacency.

“We have to say over and over again, ‘Change only happens if you vote for it,’” Mr. Starmer said in South Wales, home to Port Talbot steelworks, owned by Tata Steel.

Responding to Mr. Stride and others, Labour Party leader, Mr. Starmer said the Conservatives were attempting to “dissuade” people from voting.

“That is a terrible place for the Tory party to have got to,” said.

It’s not just about Labour and the Conservatives. The Lib Dems (Liberal Democrats) and Scottish National Party (SNP) and others are also in the fray.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, whose campaign has style has included stunts, from bungee jumping to going down water slides, said on July 3 that coming in at third place would be “nirvana” as it would give his party the chance to ask questions in Parliament each week during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Also in the fray is Reform UK, right of the Conservative Party and led by Nigel Farage, who was the de facto leader of the U.K.’s Brexit movement. Reform is projected to win a handful of seats (up to 7), eating into the Conservative’s vote share. The anti-immigration, nativist party found itself in the middle of a controversy over the weekend, when one of its campaigners was caught on a mic using a racial slur to describe Mr. Sunak, who is the country’s first Asian British and Indian-origin Prime Minister.

This election could also gain significance for another first: the largest share of ethnic minorities in Parliament by some accounts, including several of Indian descent or born in India. Some 20-30 more MPs are likely to be ethnic minorities according to an analysis by British Future, a think tank.

“Britain is closing the gap between the diversity of Parliament and the electorate much faster than anyone thought possible,” said Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future, while he cautioned that better representation does not guarantee inclusion or the right policies.

“But a stronger share of voice does make a difference,” he said.

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives at the BBC Question Time Leaders’ Special at York University, in York, England, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

An official from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party is being investigated by Britain’s gambling regulator over allegations he placed bets on the date of the general election before it was announced, the Sunday Times reported.

Britain’s Gambling Commission has already been reported to be investigating two Conservative election candidates and the party’s director of campaigning over bets on the date of the July 4 election.

The widening scandal has further damaged Sunak’s attempts to catch the opposition Labour Party, which is far ahead in opinion polls in the run-up to the election.

The official was named by the paper as Nick Mason, chief data officer at the Conservative Party. Mason did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The newspaper cited a spokesperson for Mason as saying he denied any wrongdoing.

The Sunday Times cited a statement from the Conservative Party as saying Mason had taken a leave of absence. The party did not confirm this when contacted by Reuters.

“As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons,” a Conservative Party spokesman said.

The Gambling Commission has not confirmed the names of those under investigation. In a response to a request for comment on the Sunday Times report, a commission spokesperson said it would not provide details of its probe, including the identity of any individuals it is investigating.

Sunak said on Thursday he was “incredibly angry” to hear about the allegations against his party colleagues, calling them a “really serious matter.”

One of the Conservative candidates named in the scandal, Craig Williams, has already apologised for an error of judgment, and the party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee has taken a leave of absence.

A police officer working in a special protection unit has also been arrested over alleged bets on the election date. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Rod Nickel)

On the face of it, the villain from “Shrek”, British singer-turned-TV presenter Cilla Black, and national service has nothing in common.

But they all have been featured in recent days in the U.K. general election’s newest battleground: TikTok.

The ruling Conservatives and opposition Labour Party both launched accounts on the video-sharing platform just days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election for July 4.

Data security concerns — which led to the Chinese ByteDance-owned app being banned on government phones in 2023 — have prevented political parties from hopping onto TikTok’s virality, until now.

However, the surprise election announcement last on May 29 made it “kind of necessary to be on there, given its popularity”, media consultant Tim Gatt told AFP.

In less than a week, Labour’s account has amassed more than 120,000 followers. The Tories trailed with around 36,000 as of May 29, when the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats joined the fray.

Clashing approaches

A smattering of videos on the Conservative page include Mr. Sunak talking to the camera about his pledge to bring back national service if they retain power.

The move — which would require 18-year-olds to join the military for 12 months or spend a weekend every month for a year volunteering in their community — has become a hot topic on TikTok and is opposed by many of its young users.

Labour’s campaign has taken a slightly different approach, which experts say highlights the contrasting strategies and stakes for Mr. Sunak and Keir Starmer, who is tipped to be the country’s next leader after the election.

One Labour TikTok post uses a clip from the movie “Shrek” showing the diminutive villain Lord Farquaad saying “Some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make”.

The caption on the video reads, “Rishi Sunak announcing national service”, with the video garnering more than 2.5 million views in just a few days.

Another reaction to the announcement features the late Cilla Black singing the theme tune to her long-running light-entertainment programme “Surprise, Surprise”.

Other posts use clips from Mr. Sunak’s shaky start to his national campaign, including his announcement of the election during a torrential downpour.

Labour’s meme-heavy approach is markedly different from its strategy on other social media platforms, says Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University.

“The cutting edge of the wacky videos- the ones where risk-taking is involved- is happening on TikTok right now. And I think that is something new,” he said.

In contrast, he finds the Tory TikTok campaign “fairly dull”.

However, Mr. Gatt says Mr. Sunak’s “traditional” approach is “very well-thought-through”.

“He’s trying to present himself, as I understand it, as a man with a plan at a very serious time for the world,” said Mr. Gatt, who has previously managed digital communication for various government departments.

“He’s going to try and show a way where he’s authentic. Authenticity and credibility are key to successful TikToks.”

New audience

While the last few general election campaigns have focused on social media, mainly Facebook and Twitter, this is the first election in which TikTok will be in the spotlight.

Only 1% of U.K. adults used TikTok for news in 2020, according to the country’s media regulator Ofcom.

The figure rose to 10% by last year, making TikTok the fastest-growing source of news in the U.K.

The audience on TikTok has expanded beyond young people as well. The “perception of a TikTok user being more of a liberal, left-leaning, younger person may not be true anymore,” says Mr. Gatt.

Currently ahead of both the Tories and Labour, the party with the highest TikTok following is actually Reform U.K., an anti-immigration right-wing populist party claiming to be the “new Conservatives”.

Adding a layer of novelty, on TikTok, unlike Facebook and Twitter, political advertising is banned. This also means that parties cannot buy ads to target specific audiences.

Instead, they are “dependent upon TikTok’s algorithm and ordinary users”, Mr. Chadwick says, which adds pressure to adapt to the new environment.

For Mr. Chadwick, “Labour has got a better understanding of this at this point in time” because they are producing the kind of content that “would not appear in an ad”.

The lack of paid political advertising on the platform also opens up room for unpredictability regarding how the TikTok campaigns could affect the election.

“They can’t control the environment in the way that they’ve learned to control online advertising during campaigns over recent election cycles,” said Mr. Chadwick.

London:

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signalled in a speech Wednesday the issues on which he wants to fight the next general election, which he called for July 4.

‘Economic stability’

Despite a cost-of-living crisis and a recent recession, Sunak looks set to make “economic stability” a key plank of the campaign, calling it the “bedrock of any future success”.

Recent opinion polls show that voters trust Labour more than Sunak’s Conservatives on the economy, but Sunak hailed two recent “major milestones” that he is likely to highlight.

They are the return of inflation to under three percent, setting the scene for mortgage rate cuts, and IMF data showing that the UK economy is growing faster than those of France, Germany and the United States.

Covid chancellor

Sunak began his speech by saying that “in the last five years our country has fought through the most challenging times since the Second World War” — and mentioned his own role in those crises.

Sunak was finance minister under prime minister Boris Johnson during the Covid pandemic, and on Wednesday he credited his furlough scheme for preventing “millions of job losses”.

However, the scheme also led to a record amount of peacetime borrowing.

Security

Sunak’s most recent reset as leader was positioning the Tories as the party of defence and security — and he emphasised the point again on Wednesday.

“This election will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War,” he said.

“I will forever do everything in my power to provide you with the strongest possible protection,” he added.

Of the top 10 key issues, defence is the only one on which the public trusts the Tories more than Labour, according to a YouGov poll.

Immigration

Sunak also noted his party’s record on immigration, just as new annual figures on arrivals were set to be published Thursday.

But the strategy is not without risk, with public anger still high over the number of people arriving by crossing the Channel.

He vowed that his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would “stop the boats”, but because of significant legal delays for the proposal, few if any people will actually be sent to the African nation by election day.

Health

The National Health Service (NHS) is the second most important issue to voters. Sunak mentioned it only briefly, saying the Tories had provided it with “record funding”.

But record waiting lists have seen public faith in the government’s ability to run the NHS collapse, and it is likely to be an area Labour will capitalise on during the campaign.

Net zero

Sunak’s decision to push back the UK’s plans to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is one of the clearest dividing lines between the Tories and opposition parties.

Sunak defended the delay, which was widely denounced by environmental groups, in hopes will appeal to his party’s base, which tends to be more concerned about the economic costs of the net-zero goal.

“We prioritised energy security and your family finances over environmental dogma,” he said.

Keir Starmer

Sunak also gave indications of the attacks his campaign will launch against Labour leader Keir Starmer, the heavy favourite to become the next prime minister.

Sunak said Starmer had no plan for leadership and would “do anything to get power”.

“If he was happy to abandon all the promises he made to become Labour leader once he got the job, how can you know that he won’t do exactly the same thing if he wants to become prime minister?” he said.

While most voters view Starmer negatively according to polls, he is still far more popular than the prime minister, who has a “net favourability” rating of -51 according to a recent YouGov poll.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

The United Kingdom will head to the polls on July 4 in a long-anticipated general election called on Wednesday by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Here are the main players in the nationwide vote.

Rishi Sunak

Sunak, 44, is seeking his own mandate from the British public having been installed as Conservative leader, and therefore prime minister, by his own MPs in October 2022.

He succeeded Liz Truss, who was ousted following just 49 days in power after her tax-cutting economic agenda spooked markets and lost her the support of her party.

Sunak, who is of Indian descent, became the UK’s first British Asian and Hindu prime minister when he was elected unopposed by fellow Tory MPs.

The ex-financier has been credited with steadying government following the chaos of the Truss and Boris Johnson premierships and for halving inflation.

He has failed though to meet several promises, including cutting health waiting lists, stopping irregular immigration, and sending migrants to Rwanda.

Opinion polls regularly give him some of the lowest approval ratings of any Prime Minister ever.

Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, is a former human rights lawyer and chief public prosecutor tipped by pollsters to win the election and become prime minister.

Starmer, 61, has been credited with moving his party back to the centre ground and rooting out anti-Semitism since succeeding left-winger Jeremy Corbyn as leader in April 2020.

Supporters see him as a pragmatic, safe pair of hands, ideally suited to managing Britain back from economic decline.

Critics accuse him of being an uninspiring flip-flopper who has failed to spell out a clear vision for the country.

Starmer was born in London to a toolmaker father and a nurse mother. His unusual first name was his socialist parents’ tribute to Labour’s founding father — Keir Hardie.

The keen footballer and Arsenal fan was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to criminal justice but rarely uses the prefix “Sir” before his name.

Nigel Farage

He has never been an MP and is yet to confirm if he is even running to become one, but arch-Eurosceptic Nigel Farage is set to influence the election — either as parliamentary candidate or TV news host.

The 60-year-old beer-loving, cigarette-smoking ex-member of the European Parliament is one of the most divisive personalities in UK politics.

He gained the nickname “Mr Brexit” by former US president Donald Trump after helping to persuade a majority of Britons in 2016 to vote to leave the European Union.

For months he has been teasing a run for office, likely for the right-wing populist Reform UK party that he co-founded in 2018 and for which he currently serves as honorary president.

Reform has polled around 10 percent in recent months, which if replicated at the vote could deprive the Conservatives of several key seats needed to win re-election.

Farage is a perennial loser at Westminster, however, failing to be elected in seven attempts and may feel he has more sway sticking as a high-profile presenter for right-wing channel GB News.

Swinney, Davey and Denyer

Neither Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats nor John Swinney’s Scottish National Party (SNP) will win the election — but they could have a say in who does.

Davey, 58, hopes his party can stop a Conservative victory by winning several seats in southern England as it eyes overtaking the SNP to regain its position as the third-largest party in parliament.

Swinney, 60, does not sit in the UK parliament but is first minister in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, having taken over the leadership of the SNP in May following Humza Yousaf’s resignation.

His SNP is struggling to fend off a resurgent Labour party in Scotland, which could kill off its independence hopes for a generation.

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, 38, is hoping to win the new seat of Bristol Central as the fringe outfit targets increasing its representation from one to four MPs.

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