London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has surprised many by calling for an early election. The general election was originally planned for the autumn, ahead of the January 2025 deadline. His decision to have it on July 4 was based on the recent upswing in the economic situation, with a fall in inflation and positive growth in wages.
While he may be hoping the fall in inflation to work in his Conservative Party’s favour, experts believe he is likely to lose.
Indrani Bagchi, CEO, Ananta Aspen Centre, considers this move a gamble. “The chips are almost all stacked against Sunak and the Tories. I think he gambled on the fact that inflation figures came down to 2.3%. But the party is demoralised. The party has been losing local elections. Labour is enthused and things haven’t been going well for the Tories for some time. So one doesn’t know whether this is a gamble that will pay off or whether the inevitable will happen,” she said on The News9 Plus Show.
A political upheaval in the UK would also affect India. There is a UK-India free trade agreement in the works, which was pushed by the Conservatives for the last few years. After Brexit, many were convinced that India would be the preferred trade partner for the UK.
However, if Labour comes to power, Bagchi doesn’t think the deal will go through.
“There has been a lot of efforts between India and the UK to complete this agreement before the Conservatives give up power because the writing has been on the wall. It has been held up for a few reasons, but it’s not done until it’s done. So I think we just have to give up on this because with a Labour government, the emphasis will be different, the priorities will be different. So in many ways, we will have to start from scratch, unless between now and July 4, somehow both countries can head to the finish line,” she stated.
The Conservatives have been pushing for the deal for years but priorities will be different if Keir Starmer’s party wins. World World News – Latest World News, International News Headlines, Breaking News and Live Updates Today
