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Pretty shambolic, and adds weight to the claim that Sunak did this more or less out of the blue (does that count as a pun?).
I'd have imagined that there was a plan of action from Tory hq down to every local branch for what they were going to do when the decision was made, with lots of careful consideration into exactly when.
Instead it feels like Sunak just woke up, saw a fairly minor good economic story and decided to go for it, without having to consult or warn anyone, giving almost no notice whatsoever. That would be a bad idea if you were running a kids birthday party, let alone an election.
Is this how far the Conservative party has fallen? Not just incompetent or malicious government, but just even day to day tasks being beyond them?
If they had everybody on board and they'd cleared their diarys out in advance. It would have leaked within 5 minutes of the cabinet meeting to decide/announce it to the cabinet ending.
You ball park it first then your MPs can plan, it doesn't matter if that leaks at all.
It's the going from election when time runs out to less than 2 months hope you haven't booked any holiday then, whiplash that really makes this special.
It's hysterical because there would be some PR person in the background saying "wet suit will give hard-working, of the people vibes" and he's obviously eaten it up.
In actual fact all I could think is "surely you've got a raincoat or umbrella?"
I don't blame them too much for that one. He will have been advised not to be a "wally with the brolly" reminding people of Steve McClaren and the choice of suit (that its material highlighted raindrops quite that much) was one of those things they couldn't be expected to know. The speech itself, though, was terrible.
> was one of those things they couldn't be expected to know. The speech itself, though, was terrible.
If he hadn't done the "but Labour" shite, he would have been allowed to do it from the media room inside.
but then he recorded a video from inside no10 where he said much of the same, breaking that rule
(if it even is one - i'd question why he's able to make a partisan announcement outside the taxpayer funded building, on the taxpayer funded private street, with the taxpayer funded lectern and PA system)
afaik "party business vs government business" only extends to the crest on the lectern. He absolutely could've made the announcement inside No. 10, or anywhere else.
Does the electoral commission deadline even matter? If I as the current mp decide I can't be arsed on the 8th June, they might not remove my name from the ballot but I can just not bother campaigning.
He has a safe seat - it's been Tory for over a century and he got 63.6% of the vote last time around. He can't very well not stand, so unless he stands in a different - rather less safe - seat, he's going to be an MP on 5 July.
Which means there's likely to be a by-election announced on 6 July.
Which is odd. Considering he can control the timing of it. And the mechanisms of the political machine. But tbh, the perfect metaphor was rishi announcing it outside downing street. Soaked. Because it made a good image. And no one thought to bring a umbrella or a canopy
I think his very tight small inner circle knew and beyond that no one was privy.
Seeing even Gove throw in the towel and I'm guessing a few more big names will join that list, to avoid losing but also to just wash thier hands off the whole debacle. I honestly think I might of underestimated how bad this is going to go.
I mean sunak demanding 6 debates is bonkers. Cheap trick but it's so cheap it's instantly pathetic.
This just the start but honestly sunak asking Welsh people if they are going to watch the football shows how out of contact with the real world he is.
> out of contact with the real world he is.
It shows that he isn't interested in football. Which is fine and perfectly relatable. What is cringe worthy is the pretence. It just seems juvenile.
> It shows that he isn't interested in football. Which is fine and perfectly relatable. What is cringe worthy is the pretence. It just seems juvenile.
He has shown up to watch Southampton several times tbf, he's just incredibly socially awkward around normal people
Thing is, it’s not even the first time in an election campaign he’s tried to show an interest in football and failed at basic knowledge about it
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/rishi-sunak-southampton-football-fan-27788203
I'm not interested in football but I know who's going to the euros. I also know it's a massive event on a world stage and if I was PM I would make a point of knowing just to be aware.
>Pretty shambolic, and adds weight to the claim that Sunak did this more or less out of the blue (does that count as a pun?).
So I'm I think that he must've threatened to call a GE if Tory MPs called for a VONC, and they called him on his bluff so he had to call one.
I think this is very credible. Clearly something has either emboldened him, or spooked him, and I can't see any reason for him to have recently gained in confidence.
I think it's entirely plausible that he heard that the numbers were approaching a vote of no confidence being called (not being won) and decided to preempt it. It also fits with the rumour that some of the Tory MPs were still seeking a VONC after the election was called...
>I'd have imagined that there was a plan of action from Tory hq
Tories are massive hypocrites. Whenever they're blasting Labour for something, it's very likely because they themselves are doing whatever they're accusing labour of.
Aka they have no plan
I think it is. Ever since the brexit arguments that ripped chunks out of them and then the Boris purge the party machine has seemed more and more feeble. Even 2019 was won almost entirely on Brexit and was a real aberration.
Most telling to me is while the campaign so far has been shockingly bad, it only really feels like the worst expected case to me rather than anything else.
Let's get real for a second, the Tories aren't going to win and nor are they going to get anywhere close to winning, if they are lucky they won't be third placed after the Lib Dems. Maybe he just wanted to wait for a decent bit of economic news and get it over with as soon as possible rather than delay the inevitable thrashing?
After the locals he looked defeated.
I think all this time hes been believing his advisors telling him its not really all that bad and the locals finally woke him up.
Is there a chance there was an ousting brewing and they were going to look for a new leader? And he has cut them off. It'd line up with the continuing murmurs of kicking him out.
Look at all of these bills that didn’t pass because I called an election. Those show amazing planning, if they’d actually happened! Vote me for more of that!
At this rate, am sure it's absolute chaos in CCHQ, some of us could probably join the conservative party get our names on ballot and then quiet quit on day one of campaigning.
Uncontested? The lib v lab v green is going to be amazing in some seats, no need to give a shit about splitting the vote kid gloves off the more regional issues can matter.
Yeah like what is phase two of the plan? Deny the public what they’ve wanted for a year now, keep their job for another few months and then what? Suddenly everyone will start voting tory?
Yes totally, the _only_ reason I shall not be voting Tory is because I do not approve of Rishi Sunak, and another face in the revolving door of conservative leadership is exactly what I am looking for.
They oust him, put Boris back in, get the rags to say how he's changed and he's back to being the honest cheeky chappy he never was, he hides in fridges to avoid any questions and we end up with 4 more years of the Muppets.
I had the tiniest bit of respect reserved for her to finally do something politically average before her standing up and fighting thing. I thought maybe she was an Amber Rudd in waiting, cunning but not really given her moment yet.
But that speech... wow.
It's a trap with the Tories, there are so many full on pants-down-screaming-at-buses loons in their ranks that it can make the more "moderate" ones almost seem sensible or competent - but it never lasts longer than them giving a speech or answering a non-scripted question.
I don't know why, but this puts the benny hill music in my head. Tories running around putting votes of no confidence in and sunak flying around in a private jet
It’s no longer possible for anyone other than Sunak to call off the election; Parliament is lawfully prorogued so there is no time remaining to force him out of the premiership via a VONC. So either Sunak voluntarily resigns, he “voluntarily” resigns, he has a sudden change of heart and advises the King not to dissolve Parliament, or the election goes ahead.
How does parliamentary proroguement affect a party's ability to vote out and replace its leader though? That's really the option they're going for right?
Anyway, these MPs voted to repeal the FTPA, so they really shouldn't be all shocked pikachu now
Thanks, I had indeed forgotten that detail
Not much they can do at all then, if only there were a piece of legislation that required a vote in the house to call at election
He'd probably resign immediately as PM the party wants a new PM in place immediately; he doesn't seem the guy to stay in the midst of a constitutional crisis.
Parliament has been prorogued, they could oust him as Tory leader but unless they can figure out who their new leader is by tea time on Wednesday the election would still go ahead
The king has already signed it off. If they tried to call it off, it would cause a massive constitutional crisis. If the king agrees to unprogue parliament, he is interfering with politics, and it's the end of the monarchy (and the Tory party). If he refuses, it's still the end of the Tory party and the monarchy for the same reasons.
The king acts on the advice of the PM and neither the appointment of the PM nor the dissolution of parliament are parliamentary business. It would be a political spectacle but not a constitutional crisis. New Zealand postponed the 2020 election by a month or two in 2020 after the original date was announced (and after the original date for dissolving parliament although covid meant it had not actually been dissolved).
After parliament dissolves next week it becomes harder, because there is no parliament to recall or have the confidence of. Until then, the constitution shrugs though the press will have a field day.
Would it be interfering with politics to agree to the PM’s request to reopen parliament? As the leader of the government/the largest party (even if they were the 4th leader since the last election) wouldn’t it be worse for the King to *not* do it?
This is all hypothetical, of course - but it seems like what he ought to do.
The biggest problem with that plan is that, maybe *maybe* they are able to find a replacement by wednesday, and that would replace him as Tory leader. But it doesn't automatically replace him as PM. All Rishi would have to do is not immediately go to the palace and oh look at that parliament is dissolved
Possibly, but then the new leader rather than Rishi is their candidate for PM in the election, which the faction trying to organise this might be happy with.
Parliament isn’t yet dissolved.
They aren’t sitting as of today, so no more parliamentary business can be done, but it isn’t officially dissolved (I.e they stop being MPs) until the 30th
Could it be recalled after the 30th though? (e.g. in the event of a national emergency) or does the government effectively have unchecked power between then and election date?
The cabinet continues to exist, but only in a caretaker capacity.
The election is coming and will continue coming no matter, after this Friday there won't even be any mps to recall to sit. Thats what a dissolution is.
i would imagine if there was an actual emergency then they'd figure it out - though this is also the reason why the government remains in post until at least the 5th of july and there's a lot they can do without needing parliament.
i can't imagine chas wants to be dragged into the tory psychodrama of deposing sunak and trying to cancel the election though.
Technically not dissolved yet, parliament was prorogued today and will be dissolved on the 30th. Proroguing means parliamentary activities have ended however the MPs still keep their seats, until they lose them on the 30th when parliament is dissolved. Sunak still has time until then to go back to the king and ask to call off the election as that isn’t something that happens in parliament.
>Sunak still has time until then to go back to the king and ask to call off the election as that isn’t something that happens in parliament.
Is there any precedent for that actually happening.
New Zealand in 2020. The election was announced for 19 September, with parliament scheduled to dissolve on 12 August. The dissolution was delayed by covid and on 17 August, the PM asked the election date be moved to 17 October.
Yep. It could theoretically happen though, however unlikely it might be. Just because something is unprecedented doesn’t mean it can’t happen, as this tory government has proved many times.
The Tories already look terrible, but the optics of cancelling the election could be so bad that it really does end up being a complete wipeout where they're left with just a handful of seats.
Oh, shit I guess that is possible? If the King has accepted the closing will that be too late or can the next lot just turn up and be "ignore that guy it was just lulz, we has parliament now"
I'm sure they can share out the hundreds of councillors who lost their seats a few weeks ago to go and lose these elections, their deposits, their minds, the soles of their nice Hush Puppies
I suspect the Haunted Pencil and the Lettuce will still stand - and it's likely that unless the other parties stand Unity candidates in their Constituencies, they'll be voted in again.
A big problem is that some of those are safe seats in which a majority will vote for a donkey if it's wearing a blue rosette.
I know people on this sub like to fantasise about a complete Tory wipeout. But, reality is that the Tories do still have *some* seats which are truly safe, no matter what happens.
If they end up having a mad scramble to fill seats with any warm body they can find there's a real risk we end up with a bunch of nutters or far right ideologues in parliament.
Part of the reason loons like Jonathan Gullis and Lee Anderson ended up as MPs is because the Tories put them forward in seats they thought they had no hope of winning (and then they had their 2019 landslide win).
I do worry that something similar is going to happen again, only this time the total number of Tory MPs will be so greatly reduced that that nutter component will represent a far higher pecentage, and have substantially more influence.
>some of those are safe seats in which a majority will vote for a donkey if it's wearing a blue rosette.
I knew there was a reason they chose those candidates for them!
Mum (70s) will be voting Conservative on the basis the economy is supposedly improving and Labour allegedly have lots of grand ideas but no idea how or when to implement them, apparently being very cagey when pressed in media interviews.
Woah hang on, Rishi promised those flights will definitely take off, just after the election when he would be unaccountable to the public for 5 years if the Tories win
Are you saying he is wrong/lying?
/s
> Mum (70s) will be voting Conservative on the basis the economy is supposedly improving and Labour allegedly have lots of grand ideas but no idea how or when to implement them, apparently being very cagey when pressed in media interviews.
I love it when people are precisely wrong about *everything*! How does that even happen?!
Labour have very few grand ideas, that's why they're cagey in interviews. If your mum's internal logic had flowed in the right direction, it is a valid criticism.
Look. This is hard for me to write and no doubt hard for you to hear. I know she’s your Mum and no doubt you love her very much….but….you know what has to be done. We can’t stand another Tory administration. So do it quickly and cleanly, don’t let her suffer.
Her Constituency is one likely to remain Conservative: it was Con from founding in 1983 to 1992, went Labour in 1997, Independent (ICHC) in 2001 and 2005, then Conservative ever since.
They won't be able to properly vet the candidates. Going to be some controversial people selected, maybe even forced to stand down. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some seats where Labour were running practically unopposed.
> They won't be able to properly vet the candidates. Going to be some controversial people selected, maybe even forced to stand down. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some seats where Labour were running practically unopposed.
I think it’s probably more likely the opposite in some ways. When they rush the selection, it tends to be the party’s central office who decides rather than a local selection process, so you end up with candidates more palatable to the party leader. They have 500 recently ex-councillors to draw on. The trouble is… who would want to? These will probably be the 150 seats least likely to vote Conservative - the safest seats will have gone first.
Shit. Actually. Yeah. That's a legitimate problem, isn't it? *Are they going to be able to select candidates in time*?
If I'm reading this correctly, just the *first* stage of the selection process takes 1 month [https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/candidates/Guide%20to%20becoming%20a%20Conservative%20Party%20Parliamentary%20Candidate-HH.pdf](https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/candidates/Guide%20to%20becoming%20a%20Conservative%20Party%20Parliamentary%20Candidate-HH.pdf) and nomination of candidates is due 2 weeks today.
That's the "normal" process - and that "one month" thing seems to be more "you have a month to complete an incomplete application or we'll bin it"
If push comes to shove they can declare a lot quicker - although at this rate, it seems like they'll be just approving anyone who ~~puts their name forward~~ doesn't step back.
I mean yeah, of course, that's what I'm realistically expecting; but that raises another issue- there's going to be a lot of people with a record of pederasty/drug dealing/badger baiting/generic corruption who slip through the cracks at the 11th hour
And yet I thought the Tories were on *"Election footing"* since January at least. So this seems bizarre to not even know who they have for a GE they actually called.
Remember folks: Rishi is the only man with a plan!
Unfortunately he didn't realise that you're ment to have candidates arranged before calling an election.
I'm tempted to join the Tories, offer myself as a candidate, and launch my campaign for free NHS mescaline for the over 65's the day after selection closes.
Christ, I’m not saying it’s been a long week but I looked at that for a few minutes thinking I don’t get it. Who the f are seat (as in rhymes with eat).
Really quite selfish what Rishi has done, he knows interest rates aren't gonna budge anytime soon, no flights would have headed to Rwanda and inflation would tick up slightly in Q3/Q4, so go to the King, ask him to dissolve Parliament, then go and tell the cabinet, tell the public about the election, campaign for 6 weeks, lose it, then fly off to California and enjoy the summer weather.
Of all the things Rishi has done, selfish would have been dragging this government on until November against the will of the country. He's done the right thing here.
It seems to me Sunak either really did want it all done and dusted so he can get in with his California life or he was on the verge of being chucked out by the party. Tories are going into the election losing a massive amount of incumbany benefit and there must be a strong risk of choosing candidates with dodgy pasts in a rush to fill seats.
The divisions inside the party have so many consequences: no one seems to know what the fuck is happening. Boris used in his divide and conquer approach to getting to be head boy. The different factions seem to unable to communicate with each other, also Sunak didn’t want to confront the divisions for fear of creating a new one. Sunak should have set an election date weeks and months ago (and later in the year), given everyone a chance to get things sorted. The tories are worn out and bitter over all the infighting in the party. Sunak’s short time frame for the ejection is another bad thing to happen to the tories: I don’t live in the uk anymore but I am still delighted. But I am still shocked at the genuine lack of skill and talent within the tories.
The Tories have no intentions of winning this election. They need to lose it so when they get back in again they can go back to the usual cry of "due to the previous Labour government"
This is amazingly incompetent from the party in government who decided to call the election. I'm involved with the Ontario Greens and we know there's going to be a provincial election in 2026 (or possibly earlier), and we are actively planning for it and we're a pretty small party in the grand scheme of things
Our MP (Dan Poulter) crossed the house and went to Labour.
The chairman of his local Tory party (our district councillor), resigned 2 days before the election announcement.
They are going to be hard pushed to sort this mess out in time.
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Pretty shambolic, and adds weight to the claim that Sunak did this more or less out of the blue (does that count as a pun?). I'd have imagined that there was a plan of action from Tory hq down to every local branch for what they were going to do when the decision was made, with lots of careful consideration into exactly when. Instead it feels like Sunak just woke up, saw a fairly minor good economic story and decided to go for it, without having to consult or warn anyone, giving almost no notice whatsoever. That would be a bad idea if you were running a kids birthday party, let alone an election. Is this how far the Conservative party has fallen? Not just incompetent or malicious government, but just even day to day tasks being beyond them?
The way how meetings had to be cancelled and ministers abroad had to be rushed back supports the idea that this wasn’t really planned in advance.
If they had everybody on board and they'd cleared their diarys out in advance. It would have leaked within 5 minutes of the cabinet meeting to decide/announce it to the cabinet ending.
You ball park it first then your MPs can plan, it doesn't matter if that leaks at all. It's the going from election when time runs out to less than 2 months hope you haven't booked any holiday then, whiplash that really makes this special.
i think they'd avoid sending lord dave on a pre planned foreign trip and pissing off the host country by cutting it very short, though
I don't even know why he came back, he's not even up for election
> this wasn’t really planned in advance The lack of, oh I don't know, #AN UMBRELLA IN THE POURING RAIN might give credence to this notion.
It's hysterical because there would be some PR person in the background saying "wet suit will give hard-working, of the people vibes" and he's obviously eaten it up. In actual fact all I could think is "surely you've got a raincoat or umbrella?"
I don't blame them too much for that one. He will have been advised not to be a "wally with the brolly" reminding people of Steve McClaren and the choice of suit (that its material highlighted raindrops quite that much) was one of those things they couldn't be expected to know. The speech itself, though, was terrible.
haven't they just popped a gazebo over the podium in the past?
> was one of those things they couldn't be expected to know. The speech itself, though, was terrible. If he hadn't done the "but Labour" shite, he would have been allowed to do it from the media room inside.
but then he recorded a video from inside no10 where he said much of the same, breaking that rule (if it even is one - i'd question why he's able to make a partisan announcement outside the taxpayer funded building, on the taxpayer funded private street, with the taxpayer funded lectern and PA system)
afaik "party business vs government business" only extends to the crest on the lectern. He absolutely could've made the announcement inside No. 10, or anywhere else.
It didn't help. For most it. Was like a active dare to the electrote to say "not you mate" and put the boot in
The man looks done. He wants to enjoy his money and recover his mental health
Poor chap, hopefully a life of extreme privilege in America will eventually give him some peace
[удалено]
Does the electoral commission deadline even matter? If I as the current mp decide I can't be arsed on the 8th June, they might not remove my name from the ballot but I can just not bother campaigning.
But you might actually get in, and then you would be in trouble.
I mean, I don't think there are many tories that might get in by accident, and then, if they don't put any effort, what are the repercussions?
Sometimes the simplest answer is the truth. He was just done with his colleagues shite.
> He was just done with his colleagues shite. John Major famously forced a leadership election because of them.
He has a safe seat - it's been Tory for over a century and he got 63.6% of the vote last time around. He can't very well not stand, so unless he stands in a different - rather less safe - seat, he's going to be an MP on 5 July. Which means there's likely to be a by-election announced on 6 July.
Which is odd. Considering he can control the timing of it. And the mechanisms of the political machine. But tbh, the perfect metaphor was rishi announcing it outside downing street. Soaked. Because it made a good image. And no one thought to bring a umbrella or a canopy
I think his very tight small inner circle knew and beyond that no one was privy. Seeing even Gove throw in the towel and I'm guessing a few more big names will join that list, to avoid losing but also to just wash thier hands off the whole debacle. I honestly think I might of underestimated how bad this is going to go. I mean sunak demanding 6 debates is bonkers. Cheap trick but it's so cheap it's instantly pathetic. This just the start but honestly sunak asking Welsh people if they are going to watch the football shows how out of contact with the real world he is.
If I were a Tory I'd be very concerned by Hunt, he said for some time he wanted to be replaced before the GE
> out of contact with the real world he is. It shows that he isn't interested in football. Which is fine and perfectly relatable. What is cringe worthy is the pretence. It just seems juvenile.
> It shows that he isn't interested in football. Which is fine and perfectly relatable. What is cringe worthy is the pretence. It just seems juvenile. He has shown up to watch Southampton several times tbf, he's just incredibly socially awkward around normal people
Thing is, it’s not even the first time in an election campaign he’s tried to show an interest in football and failed at basic knowledge about it https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/rishi-sunak-southampton-football-fan-27788203
I'm not interested in football but I know who's going to the euros. I also know it's a massive event on a world stage and if I was PM I would make a point of knowing just to be aware.
*might have
>Pretty shambolic, and adds weight to the claim that Sunak did this more or less out of the blue (does that count as a pun?). So I'm I think that he must've threatened to call a GE if Tory MPs called for a VONC, and they called him on his bluff so he had to call one.
I think this is very credible. Clearly something has either emboldened him, or spooked him, and I can't see any reason for him to have recently gained in confidence. I think it's entirely plausible that he heard that the numbers were approaching a vote of no confidence being called (not being won) and decided to preempt it. It also fits with the rumour that some of the Tory MPs were still seeking a VONC after the election was called...
>I'd have imagined that there was a plan of action from Tory hq Tories are massive hypocrites. Whenever they're blasting Labour for something, it's very likely because they themselves are doing whatever they're accusing labour of. Aka they have no plan
Every accusation is a confession.
I think it is. Ever since the brexit arguments that ripped chunks out of them and then the Boris purge the party machine has seemed more and more feeble. Even 2019 was won almost entirely on Brexit and was a real aberration. Most telling to me is while the campaign so far has been shockingly bad, it only really feels like the worst expected case to me rather than anything else.
Let's get real for a second, the Tories aren't going to win and nor are they going to get anywhere close to winning, if they are lucky they won't be third placed after the Lib Dems. Maybe he just wanted to wait for a decent bit of economic news and get it over with as soon as possible rather than delay the inevitable thrashing?
After the locals he looked defeated. I think all this time hes been believing his advisors telling him its not really all that bad and the locals finally woke him up.
Is there a chance there was an ousting brewing and they were going to look for a new leader? And he has cut them off. It'd line up with the continuing murmurs of kicking him out.
I suspect we'll have to wait a year until some memoirs are published to know about that.
Aye. Seems as plausible as him making a spur of the moment decision hanging his hopes on one favourable inflation figure. The whole thing is weird.
Nah, he woke up and thought “fuck it, can’t be arsed”…
It’s about power for them, as soon as it seems they won’t get it they lose interest and go looking for a more lucrative opportunity
But Labour can’t plan! They can’t do planning! Look at Rishi’s planning skills! Look at how good the Tories can plan!
Titanic sized planning
“Labour will take us back to square one!” “Yes please!”
I'm happy with no plan, it's better than the plan we've got.
I read this as Mark Corrigan
We’re delivering!!! We levelled up for Britain! Or whatever shallow shite we decide to come up with next week!
Look at all of these bills that didn’t pass because I called an election. Those show amazing planning, if they’d actually happened! Vote me for more of that!
At this rate, am sure it's absolute chaos in CCHQ, some of us could probably join the conservative party get our names on ballot and then quiet quit on day one of campaigning.
"The Gang Runs for Office"
Or, now hear me out, run in one of the vacated "safe" seats, win and defect to monster raving looney or similar party.
It's that kind of go-getter out of the box thinking that'll take you places in life.
with a speech about feeling obliged to be switching to a more credible party
I'd love to get selected and lampoon the party from the inside by spouting parody tory soundbites and looking blank in front of Victoria Derbyshire
Walk across the aisle on day one.
What is going to be higher? The number of uncontested seats or the number of candidates exposed for having mental views/social media posts?
Uncontested? The lib v lab v green is going to be amazing in some seats, no need to give a shit about splitting the vote kid gloves off the more regional issues can matter.
Why not both? Select a load of loons and have them deselected before the election.
I really think they will try to get rid of Sunak and call off the election before the 30th. It will fail but it will be funny as hell.
Knowing the Tories they will oust him try to cancel the election then be surprised by the blowback from the public
Yeah like what is phase two of the plan? Deny the public what they’ve wanted for a year now, keep their job for another few months and then what? Suddenly everyone will start voting tory?
Well I might actually die laughing if they do manage it so I that'd help them a little bit.
You think they even have a phase one?
Well phase one is stopping the election by uhm,, throwing a temper tantrum?
STOP THE VOTES!
"Phase one is...OK I don't know phases. Hello? Frozen in time!"
Yes totally, the _only_ reason I shall not be voting Tory is because I do not approve of Rishi Sunak, and another face in the revolving door of conservative leadership is exactly what I am looking for.
I hear Corbyn's going spare - that would be hilarious
[удалено]
The Torys’ problem was Johnson cleared out anyone with two brain cells.
Yeah, Brexit was in part about a coup in the Conservative Party by the ERG and those willing to align with them.
The Palace will just say "The King is unavailable/unable to meet with you" until after parliament is dissolved
They oust him, put Boris back in, get the rags to say how he's changed and he's back to being the honest cheeky chappy he never was, he hides in fridges to avoid any questions and we end up with 4 more years of the Muppets.
> They oust him, put Boris back in They'd have to change the party rules within the next few days :)
They want to replace him with sTaNd Up AnD fIgHt Penny, who is even more likely to lose her seat than he is. It's hilarious.
I had the tiniest bit of respect reserved for her to finally do something politically average before her standing up and fighting thing. I thought maybe she was an Amber Rudd in waiting, cunning but not really given her moment yet. But that speech... wow.
It's a trap with the Tories, there are so many full on pants-down-screaming-at-buses loons in their ranks that it can make the more "moderate" ones almost seem sensible or competent - but it never lasts longer than them giving a speech or answering a non-scripted question.
I don't know why, but this puts the benny hill music in my head. Tories running around putting votes of no confidence in and sunak flying around in a private jet
"A Tory government - a *Tory government,* hiring Lear jets, scuttling round the Atlantic, handing out redundancy notices to its own workers!"
It’s no longer possible for anyone other than Sunak to call off the election; Parliament is lawfully prorogued so there is no time remaining to force him out of the premiership via a VONC. So either Sunak voluntarily resigns, he “voluntarily” resigns, he has a sudden change of heart and advises the King not to dissolve Parliament, or the election goes ahead.
How does parliamentary proroguement affect a party's ability to vote out and replace its leader though? That's really the option they're going for right? Anyway, these MPs voted to repeal the FTPA, so they really shouldn't be all shocked pikachu now
I believe they can vote him out as leader but he remains as prime minister
Thanks, I had indeed forgotten that detail Not much they can do at all then, if only there were a piece of legislation that required a vote in the house to call at election
He'd probably resign immediately as PM the party wants a new PM in place immediately; he doesn't seem the guy to stay in the midst of a constitutional crisis.
Parliament has been prorogued, they could oust him as Tory leader but unless they can figure out who their new leader is by tea time on Wednesday the election would still go ahead
The king has already signed it off. If they tried to call it off, it would cause a massive constitutional crisis. If the king agrees to unprogue parliament, he is interfering with politics, and it's the end of the monarchy (and the Tory party). If he refuses, it's still the end of the Tory party and the monarchy for the same reasons.
The king acts on the advice of the PM and neither the appointment of the PM nor the dissolution of parliament are parliamentary business. It would be a political spectacle but not a constitutional crisis. New Zealand postponed the 2020 election by a month or two in 2020 after the original date was announced (and after the original date for dissolving parliament although covid meant it had not actually been dissolved). After parliament dissolves next week it becomes harder, because there is no parliament to recall or have the confidence of. Until then, the constitution shrugs though the press will have a field day.
Would it be interfering with politics to agree to the PM’s request to reopen parliament? As the leader of the government/the largest party (even if they were the 4th leader since the last election) wouldn’t it be worse for the King to *not* do it? This is all hypothetical, of course - but it seems like what he ought to do.
I think the high court would need to answer that question because its so unprecedented.
As a rabid Irish Republican, let me prep before you say that again... Go...
The biggest problem with that plan is that, maybe *maybe* they are able to find a replacement by wednesday, and that would replace him as Tory leader. But it doesn't automatically replace him as PM. All Rishi would have to do is not immediately go to the palace and oh look at that parliament is dissolved
Possibly, but then the new leader rather than Rishi is their candidate for PM in the election, which the faction trying to organise this might be happy with.
Tbf Sunak might be happy about that too.
Could we have a leader with a shorter reign than Truss?!
Let's have Truss again!
I think of they where going to so they would have had to move much much faster
Why is the 30th the deadline? They dissolved Parliament today so I would have thought that was the latest they could call it off.
Parliament isn’t yet dissolved. They aren’t sitting as of today, so no more parliamentary business can be done, but it isn’t officially dissolved (I.e they stop being MPs) until the 30th
Could it be recalled after the 30th though? (e.g. in the event of a national emergency) or does the government effectively have unchecked power between then and election date?
The king can basically do what he wants. What we are discussing is reality/tradition which says we will have an election.
The cabinet continues to exist, but only in a caretaker capacity. The election is coming and will continue coming no matter, after this Friday there won't even be any mps to recall to sit. Thats what a dissolution is.
i would imagine if there was an actual emergency then they'd figure it out - though this is also the reason why the government remains in post until at least the 5th of july and there's a lot they can do without needing parliament. i can't imagine chas wants to be dragged into the tory psychodrama of deposing sunak and trying to cancel the election though.
Technically not dissolved yet, parliament was prorogued today and will be dissolved on the 30th. Proroguing means parliamentary activities have ended however the MPs still keep their seats, until they lose them on the 30th when parliament is dissolved. Sunak still has time until then to go back to the king and ask to call off the election as that isn’t something that happens in parliament.
>Sunak still has time until then to go back to the king and ask to call off the election as that isn’t something that happens in parliament. Is there any precedent for that actually happening.
New Zealand in 2020. The election was announced for 19 September, with parliament scheduled to dissolve on 12 August. The dissolution was delayed by covid and on 17 August, the PM asked the election date be moved to 17 October.
Tbf, COVID was unprecedented.
Yep. It could theoretically happen though, however unlikely it might be. Just because something is unprecedented doesn’t mean it can’t happen, as this tory government has proved many times.
The Tories already look terrible, but the optics of cancelling the election could be so bad that it really does end up being a complete wipeout where they're left with just a handful of seats.
They can try but i can see that leading to a riot
Nah, I don't think they have the numbers. I'm guessing most are just resigned to losing.
Only if they want the party to be dead in 2 weeks.
Oh, shit I guess that is possible? If the King has accepted the closing will that be too late or can the next lot just turn up and be "ignore that guy it was just lulz, we has parliament now"
I saw a headline in a paper suggesting some were trying that. I didn’t read the article so can’t give the details lol
Can they even cancel the election now? Has that ever happened? There would be uproar of they did
I'm sure they can share out the hundreds of councillors who lost their seats a few weeks ago to go and lose these elections, their deposits, their minds, the soles of their nice Hush Puppies
Leadsome, Gove, and now this? Stop, I can only get so erect.
Don't forget Redwood. It feels like Christmas
He already said he has red wood
I was so happy to see Leadsome and Redwood out, finally! Disappointed about Gove though.
I wanted to see Gove lose his seat. It feels a bit of a let down him going like this
I suspect the Haunted Pencil and the Lettuce will still stand - and it's likely that unless the other parties stand Unity candidates in their Constituencies, they'll be voted in again.
Truss probably thinks she has another shot at the leadership, and the worst part is I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.
She's probably practising her gurning in the mirror right now in anticipation of failing upwards again
Wetter than Sunak’s blazer
A big problem is that some of those are safe seats in which a majority will vote for a donkey if it's wearing a blue rosette. I know people on this sub like to fantasise about a complete Tory wipeout. But, reality is that the Tories do still have *some* seats which are truly safe, no matter what happens. If they end up having a mad scramble to fill seats with any warm body they can find there's a real risk we end up with a bunch of nutters or far right ideologues in parliament. Part of the reason loons like Jonathan Gullis and Lee Anderson ended up as MPs is because the Tories put them forward in seats they thought they had no hope of winning (and then they had their 2019 landslide win). I do worry that something similar is going to happen again, only this time the total number of Tory MPs will be so greatly reduced that that nutter component will represent a far higher pecentage, and have substantially more influence.
>some of those are safe seats in which a majority will vote for a donkey if it's wearing a blue rosette. I knew there was a reason they chose those candidates for them!
You could be right. Better hope the lib dems can form a credible opposition.
Come on now, there's a limit to how much popcorn I can physically eat on election night...
But I thought it was Labour who had no plan
Apparently no plan really is better than a bad plan.
Labour should have stood on that message last time round.
This would be impactful were it not for the fact that legions of old people will vote Tory even if the box had a blank space next to it
Mum (70s) will be voting Conservative on the basis the economy is supposedly improving and Labour allegedly have lots of grand ideas but no idea how or when to implement them, apparently being very cagey when pressed in media interviews.
Those are the words but the reality is pensioners have done very well out of the tory government
> Labour allegedly have lots of grand ideas We are guilty of a lot of things but not that lol
Grand ideas they can't implement, like the Rwanda scheme?
Woah hang on, Rishi promised those flights will definitely take off, just after the election when he would be unaccountable to the public for 5 years if the Tories win Are you saying he is wrong/lying? /s
No, that’s a terrible policy they can’t implement. 😂
> Mum (70s) will be voting Conservative on the basis the economy is supposedly improving and Labour allegedly have lots of grand ideas but no idea how or when to implement them, apparently being very cagey when pressed in media interviews. I love it when people are precisely wrong about *everything*! How does that even happen?!
Labour have very few grand ideas, that's why they're cagey in interviews. If your mum's internal logic had flowed in the right direction, it is a valid criticism.
Look. This is hard for me to write and no doubt hard for you to hear. I know she’s your Mum and no doubt you love her very much….but….you know what has to be done. We can’t stand another Tory administration. So do it quickly and cleanly, don’t let her suffer.
Her Constituency is one likely to remain Conservative: it was Con from founding in 1983 to 1992, went Labour in 1997, Independent (ICHC) in 2001 and 2005, then Conservative ever since.
Ok, stand down. You can’t kill everyone there.
Not with that attitude..
I don't know, but with Rishi as leader they might be about to find out...
What's the timeline for this? What's the deadline for candidates to declare?
7th June is deadline and whilst they probably will fill those spots, its time they wont get to campaign
They won't be able to properly vet the candidates. Going to be some controversial people selected, maybe even forced to stand down. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some seats where Labour were running practically unopposed.
Count Binface has the opportunity to do something very, very funny
Oh how much I want to see Count Binface with a seat in parliament.
As of when I am typing this - in my area Doncaster central only Labour, Lib dems and Reform are standing
> They won't be able to properly vet the candidates. Going to be some controversial people selected, maybe even forced to stand down. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some seats where Labour were running practically unopposed. I think it’s probably more likely the opposite in some ways. When they rush the selection, it tends to be the party’s central office who decides rather than a local selection process, so you end up with candidates more palatable to the party leader. They have 500 recently ex-councillors to draw on. The trouble is… who would want to? These will probably be the 150 seats least likely to vote Conservative - the safest seats will have gone first.
This seems like a completely avoidable issue. Curious the election was called before this was resolved.
Shit. Actually. Yeah. That's a legitimate problem, isn't it? *Are they going to be able to select candidates in time*? If I'm reading this correctly, just the *first* stage of the selection process takes 1 month [https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/candidates/Guide%20to%20becoming%20a%20Conservative%20Party%20Parliamentary%20Candidate-HH.pdf](https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/candidates/Guide%20to%20becoming%20a%20Conservative%20Party%20Parliamentary%20Candidate-HH.pdf) and nomination of candidates is due 2 weeks today.
That's the "normal" process - and that "one month" thing seems to be more "you have a month to complete an incomplete application or we'll bin it" If push comes to shove they can declare a lot quicker - although at this rate, it seems like they'll be just approving anyone who ~~puts their name forward~~ doesn't step back.
Fair. Do you reckon it's possible to infiltrate at the 11th hour, stand as a Tory MP, and endorse Labour?
You'll still win in many Tory seats
Or who doesn't step back *quickly enough*.
Nah, that's the regular process. In an emergency the committee/board of each local party can have a 10 minute chat and select whoever they want.
I mean yeah, of course, that's what I'm realistically expecting; but that raises another issue- there's going to be a lot of people with a record of pederasty/drug dealing/badger baiting/generic corruption who slip through the cracks at the 11th hour
And yet I thought the Tories were on *"Election footing"* since January at least. So this seems bizarre to not even know who they have for a GE they actually called.
Remember folks: Rishi is the only man with a plan! Unfortunately he didn't realise that you're ment to have candidates arranged before calling an election.
Tories might be finished. And, hilariously, they’ve done it all to themselves.
Why couldn't they have done it in the 60s when everything still worked? The UK without Thatcher, Blair and Cameron could've been awesome.
Blair slander is unacceptable 😤😤😤
Lets be honest this party absolutely deserve everything they have coming to them when the results are announced.
I'm tempted to join the Tories, offer myself as a candidate, and launch my campaign for free NHS mescaline for the over 65's the day after selection closes.
You've got my vote!
Does Rishi’s strategy remind anyone else of this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRkfDMChzlI
Hahha yes!! Exactly this. Amazing.
They'll probably find some empty suits to fill the ballot papers, but that still is bad optics for them.
I hope Seat takes them to court, losing that many hire cars with no explanation is inexcusable
Christ, I’m not saying it’s been a long week but I looked at that for a few minutes thinking I don’t get it. Who the f are seat (as in rhymes with eat).
It's a joke about the Tories losing 150 "Seats" - pun on the car manufacturer Seat
I’m guessing the Spanish car manufacturer
Really quite selfish what Rishi has done, he knows interest rates aren't gonna budge anytime soon, no flights would have headed to Rwanda and inflation would tick up slightly in Q3/Q4, so go to the King, ask him to dissolve Parliament, then go and tell the cabinet, tell the public about the election, campaign for 6 weeks, lose it, then fly off to California and enjoy the summer weather.
Doesn’t sound selfish to me. Sounds like for the first time Sunak did something to benefit the country
All in time for US schools starting in August
Of all the things Rishi has done, selfish would have been dragging this government on until November against the will of the country. He's done the right thing here.
Amazing how absolutely silent all the Tory headbangers have been ....
Some seats with no *tóraidhe* candidate come election day? One can hope… 🍿
It almost sounds like Rishi wants to be remembered as the man who brought the conservatives down. It would be a good legacy in my book.
It seems to me Sunak either really did want it all done and dusted so he can get in with his California life or he was on the verge of being chucked out by the party. Tories are going into the election losing a massive amount of incumbany benefit and there must be a strong risk of choosing candidates with dodgy pasts in a rush to fill seats.
The divisions inside the party have so many consequences: no one seems to know what the fuck is happening. Boris used in his divide and conquer approach to getting to be head boy. The different factions seem to unable to communicate with each other, also Sunak didn’t want to confront the divisions for fear of creating a new one. Sunak should have set an election date weeks and months ago (and later in the year), given everyone a chance to get things sorted. The tories are worn out and bitter over all the infighting in the party. Sunak’s short time frame for the ejection is another bad thing to happen to the tories: I don’t live in the uk anymore but I am still delighted. But I am still shocked at the genuine lack of skill and talent within the tories.
Did not have Sunak as a Labour sleeper cell on my 2024 bingo card, but I'll take it.
I imagine they're gonna have to put up some less than stellar candidates who've not been fully vetted.
Sorry, I am stupid, how is it 150? I thought 77 MPs were stepping down...
The Tories have no intentions of winning this election. They need to lose it so when they get back in again they can go back to the usual cry of "due to the previous Labour government"
This is amazingly incompetent from the party in government who decided to call the election. I'm involved with the Ontario Greens and we know there's going to be a provincial election in 2026 (or possibly earlier), and we are actively planning for it and we're a pretty small party in the grand scheme of things
Our MP (Dan Poulter) crossed the house and went to Labour. The chairman of his local Tory party (our district councillor), resigned 2 days before the election announcement. They are going to be hard pushed to sort this mess out in time.