Why did Sunak call an election now?

[Dollenganger333]

I’ve just seen one commentator say that he was expecting his own party to oust him and he therefore called an election to save face.

Or to call short notice so more MPs couldn't stand down. Many people are saying it's because he wants time to move to US and get his kids on a school there for September

I doubt it. Nobody else wants to be Tory leader as they would almost certainly lose the election.

I think he called it because a) the economy is starting to improve and b) he is fed up of being leader and wants to move on.

Probably because he knows he’s not going to win and wants the summer off

Once the Tories really knew they couldn't win (something that seemed to occur to them remarkably late in the day because of the very high grandiose twat count at present), their aim became to do everything they could to make the next administration as short as possible by storing up lots of problems for them to deal with, so they have to come in making cuts and being unable to spend what and how they might otherwise have wished.

And just before the summer was a good choice, as everyone sods off for several weeks, so much harder for incomers to get momentum. And the first 100 days reports will look weak, even with a caveat about the timing of the recess.

I don't think it's part of some big plan to hinder Labour after they win because it seems to have taken even senior Tories by surprise.
And CCHQ were saying they needed more time - the conservatives don't even have candidates selected in dozens of seats.

I think he just got a bit fed up, wanted the summer off, didn't want to campaign in a drizzly cold autumn, then add in rumours of an attempt to oust him and I wouldn't be surprised if he just thought "well fuck this".

They have to do it this year and they have to give six week's notice. Parliament shuts down for the summer so if they didn't do it soon, they'd not be able to do it until September and then it couldn't happen before October/November and time is running out. Best get it over and done with now.

I think he has been told the rwanda flight will not take off in july as he promised and knows this will be another humiliation so he is getting the election in before this can happen.

I don't get why it was a surprise. They have to be every 5 years, and are usually in the summer. It was BoJo who changed the tradition by having it at Christmas.

Something spooked him. Rwanda, VONC or something else.

There hasn't been a general election in the summer since 1945. They're usually spring or autumn.

Everyone was expecting autumn, as no-one would call an election over Christmas or in January.

Personally I think he just got fed up - he's never wanted to be PM or enjoyed it, other than the contacts and business opportunities it affords him.

I think it could have well have been that there was a Vonc about to happen.

Also the more time goes by, the more Reform are gaining traction (even more so, now the Rwanda nonsense has ground to a halt) and the more that happens the larger the devastation for the TP.

Plus he’s probably looking forward to sunning himself in California.

Yep, my initial thought was that he has some big holiday lined up.

So the PM is able to call an election without needing approval from cabinet? (Or anyone else?)

Now they are, yes. Under the fixed term parliament act it had to be at a set time unless parliament voted 2/3 for one, or there was a vote of no confidence in the government.
That was repealed and now the PM can do it whenever they want.

Interesting, thank you.

Because he hasn't been able to get voters to listen to his good news and he's aware that he won't have anything very positive in the autumn. Doing this at least looks assertive and he's getting tired.

Well I'd describe May as early summer. Except for BoJos election, they've been in May as far as i can remember..

I can see why. He must know there's no chance of winning whenever it gets held, and there's no chance he'll hang around afterwards. He's been in long enough now for the length of tenure not to be an embarrassment his actions are another thing entirely. So, why not?

Sort of.

Only the Prime Minister has the power to request a dissolution of parliament from the monarch.

In theory the King could refuse but that has never happened and nobody knows what would happen if he said no.

The King can only dissolve parliament on advice from his ministers (effectively the Prime Minister) so cannot do it off his own bat.

I think he's just had enough.

My personal pet theory is that a major Cabinet minister (or more than one MP) said they would defect if no election. Sunak knew the gig was up.

Based on this:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/05/18/labour-wes-streeting-welcome-aboard-millions-more-tories/#:~:text=But%20Mr%20Streeting%2C%20who%20has,welcome%20and%20feel%20part%20of%E2%80%9D.

His father in law wants him in Silicon Valley, and his wife is fe up with having to pay tax on her income.

Summer begins on either 21st or 22nd June.

I think the key parameters he was looking to change , did do as much as they could. And he's using Game Theory with Rwanada scheme. So if you want to the Rwanada scheme to take off, vote Tory back in. Its the immigration battle once again. First it was Brexit now it may be Rwanda.

I was surprised so soon after the not- so- good recent local elections, but I presume the improved inflation results had something to do with it.