- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to have 6 TV debates against Labour leader Keir Starmer
- Sunak’s party is way behind in the polls, so he hopes the debates will help him catch up
- Starmer doesn’t want too many debates because he’s ahead and doesn’t want to risk making mistakes
- TV debates can sometimes change people’s opinions during election campaigns
Do you think Sunak will be able to make up ground against Starmer in these TV debates? Read on to find out more!
Starmer Leads Polls As Cost Of Living Crisis Hurts Tories
Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has a big lead in the opinion polls right now. Many experts think this is because a lot of regular people are struggling with high prices and expensive mortgages due to the cost of living crisis. Labour has been talking a lot about understanding the problems facing working class families.
For example, Labour wants to remove tax breaks for private schools. This kind of policy makes it hard for the Conservatives to criticize Labour during tough economic times.
Sunak Wants To Force Policy Positions On Starmer
Rishi Sunak hopes the debates will make Keir Starmer take positions on policies he’d rather avoid. The Conservatives keep introducing new ideas to try and disrupt Labour’s simple strategy of just saying, “It’s time for a change.”
So far, Starmer has been able to brush off things like Sunak’s proposal for national service by calling it a “desperate” idea. But more debates give Sunak more chances to put Starmer on the spot.
Starmer Doesn’t Want Too Many “Game Changing” Moments
Despite trailing badly, Keir Starmer would prefer to just have 2 or 3 debates during the whole campaign. When you’re way ahead, you usually want to minimize moments that could drastically change the direction of the race.
Major TV debates can sometimes reshape an election in an unexpected way, like with the “Cleggmania” phenomenon in 2010 after Nick Clegg had a strong debate performance.
But most of the time, the debates don’t end up mattering too much. Starmer likely wants to just play it safe and avoid taking any big risks with his lead.
What Will Labour’s Actual Policies Be?
One criticism of Labour is that they haven’t laid out very many specific policy promises besides just saying they’ll do better than the Tories. Some Labour MPs want Starmer to offer more concrete plans for improving things like public services.
However, Starmer probably doesn’t want to open himself up to attacks about raising taxes or spending too much money. With money so tight after COVID, neither party really wants to make firm, expensive promises right now.
At some point, Labour will have to release a full manifesto with policies. But it likely won’t contain anything too radical in this tough financial environment.
The Job Prospects For Retiring MPs
With the election coming up, a record 78 Conservative MPs have announced they won’t run again. Some senior figures like Michael Gove or Theresa May may already have lucrative jobs lined up, such as joining company boards.
But for more junior or obscure MPs, finding a new career after politics can be really difficult – especially if Labour does end up governing for many years. Not every ex-MP can make ยฃ400,000 a year giving speeches like Theresa May!
Some are even trying to line up lobbying or advisory jobs before they officially leave Parliament. But demand is now shifting towards people with Labour connections.
After this election, a lot of Conservative MPs could find themselves out of work and struggling in the job market. Not the easiest transition for them.
Do you think the Conservative MPs leaving now have made the right choice? Or should they have stuck it out for another term? Let me know your thoughts!
