Great Britain: Rishi Sunak does not have the Tories under control

Rishi Sunak should be quite happy that around 9500 kilometers separate him from the chaos. In Japan, the British Prime Minister is discussing the major crises in world politics in the G7 circle. But at home, Sunak’s government is in trouble at every turn.

The right wing of his Conservative Party is dancing on his nose, he will hardly be able to keep his most important promises, and after a heavy defeat in the election, fewer and fewer of his fellow campaigners believe that he will be successful in the 2024 general election.

May is threatening to become “mutiny month” for the head of government, commented the conservative magazine “Spectator” with a view to angry backbenchers. In almost all legislative projects there is unrest in their own ranks. The most recent example: Contrary to its announcement, the government now wants to let significantly fewer laws from the British EU period expire at the end of the year without replacement. Experts praise a return to realpolitik. But influential Brexit hardliners promptly shouted clamor and murder.

Leading Tories openly gossip about each other

The impression is growing that the Prime Minister does not have his own shop under control. Leading Tories openly gossip about each other. Also deeply embarrassing for the government was the appearance of several cabinet members at a conference on “national conservatism,” which featured speakers using far-right, transphobic, and racist slogans. “Spectator” co-editor Douglas Murray played down the Nazi reign of terror: “I see no reason why every other country in the world should be prevented from being proud of itself just because it screwed up the Germans twice in a century have,” he said.

Secretary of the Interior Suella Braverman caused the biggest stir at the event. Her ride across the right-wing conservative theme garden was universally interpreted as an application speech for Downing Street. “Sunak’s enemies and rivals, especially Suella Braverman, are already actively campaigning to succeed him as soon as the next general election is lost,” says political scientist Mark Garnett from the University of Lancaster in an interview with the German Press Agency.

Sunak’s reaction?

There wasn’t – although Braverman criticized, among other things, the government’s migration policy, for which she is responsible. The premier – trademark: tailored suits and narrow ties – appears relaxed and youthful, the 43-year-old likes to show off a beaming smile. But when it comes to content, little remains of the charm. Like a mantra, the prime minister keeps repeating his five promises: halve inflation, boost the economy, reduce debt, reduce waiting lists for health services and stop irregular migration across the English Channel. So far, however, Sunak has not got beyond good approaches. As of now, he is unlikely to keep a promise, statistics show.

Another major setback was the violent applause in the local elections in England: the Conservatives lost more than 1,000 seats. “Blinded Tories are blind to the magnitude of the impending catastrophe,” columnist Allister Heath commented in the Conservative Telegraph newspaper. “You are heading for a big defeat.” What happens then and who should lead the Tories in the event of an opposition – and all the polls assume that’s the case – is now openly debated. The fact that MP Penny Mordaunt is often mentioned as a candidate caused ridicule. She became internationally known for holding a heavy sword bolt upright for a long time during the coronation of King Charles.

“Brexit brew of nationalism”

In terms of content, the party is moving ever further to the right. “The only promising platform for the Conservatives is a Brexit concoction of nationalism and ‘culture war’ directed against progressive opinion,” says expert Garnett. It is true that Sunak is too clever to follow such hard-core opinions. “But the next leader of the party will probably take it over completely and bring the Tories even closer to the brink of election oblivion.”

However, the increasingly right-wing slogans do not reach the broad masses. Municipal results show the Tories have become as toxic to many voters as they were under ex-PM John Major, Garnett says. In the parliamentary elections of 1997, the Tories lost with a bang, and the days of “New Labour” under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown began. The Social Democrats were in power for a good 13 years. This Sunday (May 21) the Tories will overtake that mark. It’s no cause for celebration.