The magic number required to oust Rishi Sunak is not the 52 letters to trigger a vote of confidence in him but the 173 Tory MPs required to vote against Sunakm the chance of the latter happening is as infetismal a Boris Johnson being a declared husband of the century. The general election is taking place on the fourth of July, the sooner these Tory MPs accept that the better, if their plan does work do they really want cancer…
Longtime readers of PB know much Mike Smithson and I value leader satisfaction ratings. Whilst Starmer’s ratings aren’t historically impressive that really doesn’t matter when Sunak’s and the government’s rating are so dire. Sunak’s decision to call a July election today may turn out to be a date which will live in infamy. TSE
Looking at that polling table it is quite a courageous decision by Rishi Sunak to hold an election with the Tories so far behind in the polls but I am not complaining as I tipped a July election at 20s a few weeks ago. TSE
I tipped July 2024 as the month of the election at 20s a few weeks ago is now down to 2.04. I feel content. TSE
Ladbrokes have a market on who wil the CNN debate scheduled for the end of June and I can see no value in this market. I suspect the response will be a plague on both your houses as the debate will be a bit of a disorganised poo-show and that could lead to either side winning. TSE
I know I was not alone in thinking that the polls would tighten somewhat this year but Labour’s lead has widened so far this year and this finding from Opinium might explain why Labour’s lead hasn’t shrunk and the Tories are facing an extinction level event election result. I am not sure the Tories have time to turn this around. TSE
The end of the SNP hegemony seems to be accelerating under John Swinney’s leadership which seems natural for a party in government for over seventeen years. The only sliver of comfort is that John Swinney is the most favourable politician in Scotland although that could be down to a honeymoon bounce, if that evaporates by the time of the UK wide general election then headline voting figures are likely to prove accurate. What should really worry the SNP are the…
This week the government will – after the usual pro forma apology – finally announce payment of compensation to the victims and their families of the blood contamination scandal. The scandal started in the 1970’s. Three-quarters of the victims are dead. No-one has been held accountable. Other countries facing the same issue have managed to pay compensation and hold some of those responsible accountable. Inordinate delays after scandals seem to be an example of British exceptionalism at its worst. Given…