Britain's PM Seeks to Rally His Party Ahead of an Election They Are Tipped to Lose
Party conference season is an important date fixture in the annual British political calendar.
Taking place in the early fall, these jamborees are the principal forums for each party to outline its priorities for the next 12 months.
For the governing party, conference is typically a time when members rally around the leadership and unite against the opposition, insulated from whatever is happening in the wider world of politics.
However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a tough challenge as he gathers with members of his Conservative Party for their annual meeting.
The party is trailing the opposition Labour Party in the polls by a significant distance, and Sunak is currently projected to lose the next general election.
Sunak's job of uniting his party is made even harder by the fact that he has inherited a broken party that has been in power for so long it seems out of ideas.
Factions on both the left and right of the party are already publicly criticizing Sunak on a range of issues.
Former cabinet minister Priti Patel has criticized the tax burden and unfavorably compared Sunak to tax-cutting former PM Margaret Thatcher.
The Conservative-supporting Daily Mail newspaper has also questioned the party's stance on tax cuts.
Additionally, Sunak is facing criticism from the environmental wing of his party after a U-turn on climate policy.
Some Conservatives who support action on the climate crisis, including former PM Boris Johnson, have criticized Sunak's decision to delay certain climate initiatives.
In an attempt to counter these attacks, Sunak has been throwing red meat at Conservative MPs and voters.
He has made a crackdown on immigration and a tough stance on trans rights key planks of his agenda.
However, experts believe that Sunak's strategy of appealing to the Conservative base might be his only real path to retaining power at the next election.
They also acknowledge that a loss is the most likely result of the next election, and discussions about who will replace Sunak after his defeat have already begun within the party.
The next few months will be critical for Sunak to start turning the polls around and make a comeback.
The success or failure of the upcoming party conference could be a determining factor in the future of Sunak's leadership.
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