What the future holds for Rishi Sunak, the inheritor of loss

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jul 4, 2024 14:27 IST

When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, "Once you make that decision on Thursday, there's no going back. Don't do something you might regret," with just a couple of days remaining for ballots to be cast in the 2024 general election, he surely meant it.

As most pre-election opinion polls show a strong mandate for the opposing Keir Starmer-led Labour Party, the incumbent Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives are visibly on the back foot.

It was after a number of setbacks for the Conservatives, also known as the Tories, that Sunak took over as the first British Prime Minister of colour. He also became Britain's first Hindu Prime Minister and the youngest Prime Minister at the age of 42 in over more than 200 years.

Now, the incidental Prime Minister who campaigned relentlessly has his fingers crossed as the UK votes. Keir Starmer is poised to become the next Prime Minister as millions of cast their votes on Thursday (July 4) across 650 constituencies in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Sunak, who called for the election earlier than anticipated, has shifted his campaign strategy in recent weeks. He has abandoned the pursuit of a fifth consecutive victory, focusing instead on warning against an unchallenged Labour supermajority.

It has been foretold that the Conservative Party will have its worst showing since it was founded in 1834. How much of that Rishi Sunak can prevent, and what happens to him after the election is what is worth watching.

SHADOW OF PAST ON PROSPECTS OF SUNAK, TORIES

Sunak, the face of the Conservative Party in the first general election since Brexit on 31 January 2020, which was a major issue in the previous election, is now facing widespread disillusionment amongst the electorate. Years of austerity measures, Brexit, a sluggish economy and scandals have eroded public trust on the Conservative Party, leaving Sunak to fight an uphill battle against advancing Labour leader Starmer.

It is also expected that a betting scandal could likely embarrass the Conservatives and its leader Sunak in the snap poll of July 4.

The backdrop of the election has thus made it increasingly difficult for Sunak to dispel the political chaos.

The Conservative Party was hit hard when Sunak's predecessor, Boris Johnson, and his team held lockdown-breaking parties during the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting widespread anger.

Last month, Sunak left the international commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings (D-Day) attended by American President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, to take part in a television interview that, experts say, was not taken positively in the run-up to the all-crucial polls.

Johnson's successor, Liz Truss, further destabilised the Covid-weakened economy with a drastic tax cut package, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and lasting only 49 days in office. Experts say there is also widespread discontent over other important issues, including a dysfunctional public healthcare system and rupturing infrastructure.

Sunak in 2003 had said that he had not "got this job [of the British Prime Minister] in not the easiest of circumstances" and hoped he would be the right choice as the leader going into a general election of 2024.

Now, as the election looms, the Conservative Party is grappling with the burden of past misdeeds. Rishi Sunak, the son of Indian immigrants, stands at the forefront, leading the charge in the challenging battle.

RISHI SUNAK FIGHTS TILL THE END TO WOO VOTERS

In making a final push to win over voters ahead of the July 4 national election, Sunak, however, sounded optimistic about a favourable outcome, insisting that "the outcome of this election is not a foregone conclusion" and that "things are in a better place now than they were" during his 20 months in office.

In the final hours, Sunak was seen scrambling between food distribution warehouses, supermarkets, and farms, to connect with voters and emphasise the party's efforts to improve the economy and infrastructure. He has also highlighted the party's commitment to making Britain a "clean energy superpower".

Despite these challenges, Sunak is banking on his party's traditional support, the business community's endorsement, banking on the recent "improved data", and a pledge to reduce Britain's immigration levels, to secure a victory.

SUNAK'S PRE-10 DOWNING STREET JOURNEY

Before making his way to 10 Downing Street, Rishi Sunak had been the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He became the head of government of the United Kingdom in October 2022 following the resignations of two successive prime ministers.

Before venturing into politics in 2015, Oxford and Stanford-educated Sunak worked at Goldman Sachs and later co-founded a hedge fund called Theleme Partners.

The July 4 election, expected to be a high-stakes contest as Sunak's legacy, could be a milestone, if he is able to stem the tide of discontent and restore the faith of Conservatives among the British people.

There have been reports that Sunak might even lose his seat of Richmond and Northallerton and return to his financial sector job in California, US. However, Sunak has refuted reports that he would shift to the US, where he has a home, after the polls.

Will Sunak remain a backbench MP, if he wins his seat, and still lead the Conservatives after the party's worst performance in centuries? Will he be the Leader of the Opposition in the British Parliament and work to rebuild a party?

All these are questions for time, sooner than later, to answer.

What we know is that Rishi Sunak, who the experts have written off for an electoral defeat on Thursday, certainly would not be assessed on his own merits, and that would be his misfortune.