New Delhi: The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a snap general election to be held on July 4. In a statement from Downing Street, Sunak said he spoke to King Charles to request the dissolution of Parliament for a general election.
Since he became the PM – less than two years back – he has managed to steady the economy but has not been able to boost the Conservatives’ popularity with the masses. Will Sunak’s efforts and initiatives help him win? Or will it be Labour Party candidate Keir Starmer’s government? Is the Labour Party all set to take over?
Starmer all the way?
“Yes, 100%. It’s going to be a Labour government,” said Dr Neeraj Patil, Former Mayor of The London Borough of Lambeth and Chairman of Hindus for Labour, while talking to News9 Plus Editor Sandeep Unnithan on The News9 Plus Show.
“But as a British Indian, I also celebrate the fact that we had the first ethnic minority Prime Minister of Britain. And I think he did a decent job,” he said.
It’s the first time the UK has called for such early elections since 1945. But Sunak seems to have gone out on a limb and a prayer, hoping that the narrow margin of the inflation figures will get him through.
According to Patil, though, “The challenge for Sunak is whether he will lose by a few runs or by an innings defeat.”
The India angle
What can India expect from a Labour government? Considering the Labour Party has taken an anti-India stance in the past, Dr Patil said that it’s a two-way process.
“Hindus for Labour was started by the Labour Party in 2019 during the tenure of Jeremy Corbyn. That’s when the party’s policy shifted to anti-India sentiments. Now, however, the current administration wants Hindus and Muslims together in the party, and good bilateral relations between India and Pakistan,” Patil elaborated.
From an anti-India stance, the party’s focus has now shifted to good bilateral Indo-Pak ties World World News – Latest World News, International News Headlines, Breaking News and Live Updates Today
