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1 min read
With the UK facing its second unelected leader in quick succession, political voices from across the ideological spectrum are arguing that we need a general election.
Very soon, the UK will have a new Prime Minister, who will be the country’s third leader in just three months.
Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are currently in contention for the top job, after Boris Johnson confirmed that he would not be standing for leadership of the Conservative party again late on Sunday (23 October) evening.
If Mordaunt can gather the support of 100 MPs (a milestone which Sunak has already reached), then Tory party members will vote for a new leader this week, with the result then announced on Friday.
If she doesn’t, though, Sunak could be announced as the next Prime Minister later today.
Whatever the outcome, figures from across the political spectrum are calling for a general election, arguing that the new leader will not have a mandate to lead the country, as they will be the second consecutive PM that has not been chosen by the public.
The Tory MP Nadine Dorries, a staunch Johnson supporter, has said that it will “now be impossible to avoid” a general election, suggesting that if Johnson had stood for leadership again, he would have “already had a mandate from the people”, having won the 2019 election.
Another Conservative MP to back an election is Christopher Chope, also a Johnson loyalist, who suggested earlier today that the Tory party is now “ungovernable”, adding: “If the people who are now seeking the crown want to have the respect that comes from a mandate, the best way to get that respect is winning a mandate from the people, and that’s why I think a general election is essentially the only answer.”
On the opposite side of the Commons, Labour leader Keir Starmer stepped up calls for Britain to go to the polls after Liz Truss stepped down last week, stating that the Tories “do not have a mandate to put the country through yet another experiment” and that “the British public deserve a proper say on the country’s future.”
His demands were echoed by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said that a general election is now a “democratic imperative”.
Meanwhile, a petition on the UK Parliament website calling for an election had been signed by 867,782 people at the time of writing, while a protest organised by Politics4You is set to take place on 5 November in London.
“We hereby formally announce a formal protest on the 5th of November to demand a general election,” they wrote on Twitter, asking followers to “stand up for democracy.”
This political turbulence, of course, comes at a time when many households are struggling with skyrocketing energy bills, increases in the price of essentials (thank you, 10.1% inflation) and soaring rents and mortgage payments.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt last week warned of “difficult decisions” ahead after undoing many of the economic policies put in place in his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng’s ‘mini-budget’, which many have taken as a warning of cuts and austerity measures in the near future.
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Speaking to the BBC yesterday, former Bank of England governor Mervyn King warned that the UK could face a “more difficult” era of austerity than after the 2008 financial crisis, suggesting that “the average person” could face “significantly higher taxes”, not just the very wealthy, as “there isn’t enough money there among the rich to get it back.”
Imposing austerity measures without a mandate could prove seriously unpopular with the public. So, what are the potential political scenarios?
Calling an election would be an unusual move given the fact that the Tories’ approval ratings have slumped drastically over the past few weeks, giving Labour the advantage. However, if the new leader comes under major pressure, either from within their party or from the public, they might want to try and secure a mandate to give their leadership greater legitimacy. The new Prime Minister has the right to ask the King to dissolve Parliament early, prompting a general election.
Another option is that the Labour Party could call for a vote of no confidence in the new PM. If this vote was passed with a majority, a general election would be very likely indeed, but this would require large numbers of Conservative MPs to vote against their own government.
Otherwise, according to the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act, a parliament can only last for a maximum of five years. The current parliament first met in late December 2019, meaning that it is set to end in December 2024.
It tends to then take 25 working days for a general election to take place, meaning the UK would finally head to the polls in January 2025.
Images: Getty
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