Now that public attention in the United Kingdom is turning towards a snap summer general election on July 4th, the focus is on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is in charge.
In an unusual twist in this unusual trial, the 44-year-old leader of Indian origin has chosen to take a break from the campaign and spend his first Saturday in seclusion with his team and loved ones.
As sources state, this move is an ‘unusual step of a prime minister’ at a time when Sunak’s tormented Conservative Party is experiencing the desertion of many of its familiar faces.
Some MPs, including Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom, have declared they are not going to seek re-election, while virtually 80 Tory MPs have withdrawn their candidature.
There is a rising controversy and speculation about the hold of Sunak’s private withdrawal. One source called putting a “reset button” “laughable”; another had more serious wording and said that “prime ministers don’t normally spend the first weekend of the campaign at home talking to their advisers.
The opposition Labour MP, Stella Creacy, swiftly followed up on the statement with a mocking tweet saying that Sunak already needs a duvet day and Britain already needs a different government.
However, the Conservative camp quickly dismissed these sides as lies, saying Sunak spent the day canvassing in his Yorkshire constituency. Bim Afolami, the Conservative minister with the Defense portfolio, rushed to defend the Sunak campaign against the opposition’s verbal attacks, describing the jibes as mere “fluff.”
People will be waiting to see if this day of rest and meaningful pause for consideration will reward PM with great gains in the following weeks as the war for Number 10 intensifies.
While Boris Johnson is gradually increasing his campaigning, the recently appointed leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, also does not miss his chances to promote himself, so the battle for the post of British prime minister will be intense.
