NEW DELHI: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday vowed to persevere “as diligently as ever” following a dismal election outcome that witnessed his Conservative party losing ground across various local authorities and even relinquishing a mayoral stronghold in England’s West Midlands region.
The British Indian leader expressed his disappointment as Andy Street, the Conservative Party’s well-liked mayor of West Midlands, narrowly succumbed to Labour opponent Richard Parker by a mere 1,508 votes, prompting a recount for the closely contested outcome.This outcome leaves Sunak with a solitary glimmer of optimism in Ben Houchen, who managed to retain the party’s mayoralty in Tees Valley on Friday amidst a near-complete dominance by Opposition parties, spearheaded by Labour.
“It’s been disappointing of course to lose dedicated Conservative councillors and Andy Street in the West Midlands, with his track record of providing great public services and attracting significant investment to the area, but that has redoubled my resolve to continue to make progress on our plan,” British PM said in a statement.
“So we will continue working as hard as ever to take the fight to Labour and deliver a brighter future for our country,” he said.
As Tory rebels gather momentum, their focus appears to be shifting from replacing Sunak as party leader to pressuring him to take a tougher stance on core party issues, such as implementing a cap on legal migration and significantly reducing taxes. Leading this push is former home secretary Suella Braverman, who delivered a scathing critique in ‘The Daily Telegraph,’ urging Sunak to transition away from “managerialism” and demonstrate resolute leadership.
“Let me cut to the chase so no one wastes time over-analysing this: we must not change our leader. Changing leader now won’t work: the time to do so came and went. The hole to dig us out is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling,” expressed the sacked Indian-origin ex-minister, who is at the forefront of the backbench rebellion.
“Either we start fighting to win now, or we’ll have no one else to blame when this week’s political earthquake is made to look like a mere tremor come the general election night,” she said.
Others have joined in to urge Sunak to “wake up and smell the coffee,” pointing to the local election results indicating that the Labour Party is poised for success in an upcoming general election, anticipated later this year.
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has celebrated his party’s “phenomenal result,” highlighted by Labour’s Sadiq Khan securing a historic third term as London Mayor on Friday.
However, Starmer also reached out to voters who expressed discontent over the party’s perceived inadequacy in addressing the Israel-Gaza conflict. Analysis revealed that Labour faced setbacks in areas with significant Islamic populations, where voters opted for independents and the anti-war Worker’s Party of Britain.
“I have heard you. I have listened. And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future,” said Starmer.
Overall, the Labour camp will be rejoicing this weekend as it virtually dominated the mayoral elections across England, securing victories in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester.
With the majority of results now tallied from Thursday’s local council elections, Labour appears poised to claim over 1,100 seats. The Liberal Democrats surpassed the Tories, securing over 500 seats, while the Conservatives suffered losses of around 400 previously held seats of local councillors. These councillors oversee day-to-day matters such as waste collection, roads, local infrastructure, and crime prevention.
(With inputs from agencies)
The British Indian leader expressed his disappointment as Andy Street, the Conservative Party’s well-liked mayor of West Midlands, narrowly succumbed to Labour opponent Richard Parker by a mere 1,508 votes, prompting a recount for the closely contested outcome.This outcome leaves Sunak with a solitary glimmer of optimism in Ben Houchen, who managed to retain the party’s mayoralty in Tees Valley on Friday amidst a near-complete dominance by Opposition parties, spearheaded by Labour.
“It’s been disappointing of course to lose dedicated Conservative councillors and Andy Street in the West Midlands, with his track record of providing great public services and attracting significant investment to the area, but that has redoubled my resolve to continue to make progress on our plan,” British PM said in a statement.
“So we will continue working as hard as ever to take the fight to Labour and deliver a brighter future for our country,” he said.
As Tory rebels gather momentum, their focus appears to be shifting from replacing Sunak as party leader to pressuring him to take a tougher stance on core party issues, such as implementing a cap on legal migration and significantly reducing taxes. Leading this push is former home secretary Suella Braverman, who delivered a scathing critique in ‘The Daily Telegraph,’ urging Sunak to transition away from “managerialism” and demonstrate resolute leadership.
“Let me cut to the chase so no one wastes time over-analysing this: we must not change our leader. Changing leader now won’t work: the time to do so came and went. The hole to dig us out is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling,” expressed the sacked Indian-origin ex-minister, who is at the forefront of the backbench rebellion.
“Either we start fighting to win now, or we’ll have no one else to blame when this week’s political earthquake is made to look like a mere tremor come the general election night,” she said.
Others have joined in to urge Sunak to “wake up and smell the coffee,” pointing to the local election results indicating that the Labour Party is poised for success in an upcoming general election, anticipated later this year.
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has celebrated his party’s “phenomenal result,” highlighted by Labour’s Sadiq Khan securing a historic third term as London Mayor on Friday.
However, Starmer also reached out to voters who expressed discontent over the party’s perceived inadequacy in addressing the Israel-Gaza conflict. Analysis revealed that Labour faced setbacks in areas with significant Islamic populations, where voters opted for independents and the anti-war Worker’s Party of Britain.
“I have heard you. I have listened. And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future,” said Starmer.
Overall, the Labour camp will be rejoicing this weekend as it virtually dominated the mayoral elections across England, securing victories in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester.
With the majority of results now tallied from Thursday’s local council elections, Labour appears poised to claim over 1,100 seats. The Liberal Democrats surpassed the Tories, securing over 500 seats, while the Conservatives suffered losses of around 400 previously held seats of local councillors. These councillors oversee day-to-day matters such as waste collection, roads, local infrastructure, and crime prevention.
(With inputs from agencies)
