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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Simon Jenkins

Loyalty was once the glue that held the Tories together. But now they’ve come unstuck

Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak
Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak at the 2022 Conservative leadership debate. Photograph: Tom Nicholson/Rex/Shutterstock

There are many good reasons for Rishi Sunak to postpone a general election. All are about reducing his party’s potential loss of seats. There is also an overwhelming reason for calling one now. It is in the national interest.

British government needs an act of cleansing. It needs renewal and a fresh start under a new regime. Every month that start is delayed has a cost in decisions postponed. The presumed next government of Labour’s Keir Starmer is waiting and ready to go. Its learning curve will be steep and its climb hard. There is not the remotest national advantage in another six months of bickering and squabbling.

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