The next general election need not take place until January 2025 — but according to our latest poll, Britons do not feel like waiting so long.
An Ipsos MORI survey for the Standard shows that more than half of adults support an election this year, with only 20 per cent opposed. Even among 2019 Conservative voters, a plurality favour an early poll. Brenda from Bristol, who quipped “not another one!” when news broke of the snap 2017 election, appears to be in the minority.
Of course, in our parliamentary system, an early election is not a pre-requisite for a new prime minister. Some opt to go for one, only to bitterly regret it (Theresa May) while others demur (Gordon Brown) with similarly disastrous consequences.
But the yearning for a say — given that the vast majority have been excluded from selecting the next leader — makes for a dangerous moment for the new PM. Not least because Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak will come into office facing a scale and variety of challenges rarely seen in recent times. A cost-of-living crisis, an energy squeeze, a healthcare system falling apart at the seams and a war.
An early election would only add to the economic uncertainty and political drift. Instead, the next Prime Minister must use the first months of their premiership to help the millions struggling to get through winter and beyond.
Lessons of Carnival
More than a million people descended on west London this weekend as Carnival returned in all its glory.
Revellers from around the world came to celebrate London’s diversity as Europe’s largest street party returned for the first time in three years.
From spectacular performances to eye-catching outfits, this year’s event went a long way towards making up for the Covid-hit years. But the weekend’s activities had a more sombre side, starting with a run and 72-second silence to remember the 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, which took place five years ago this June.
Tragedy also struck on Monday, as a 21-year-old man died after being stabbed under the Westway flyover. The Met said “a number of violent incidents and serious stabbings” prompted a Section 60 order to be put in place until 1am today within the event’s borders.
While the victim’s family and friends grieve, lessons must be learnt for the future so that London can look forward again to another edition of its unique carnival.
Pubs need our help
It’s not just the price of a pint that signifies our cost-of- living crisis — pubs themselves are at risk of going under.
Industry bosses warn that bars and brewers could shut within months amid energy price hikes of upwards of 300 per cent, and consumers cutting back on spending to pay for their own gas and electricity bills.
It comes as The Tipperary in Fleet Street, London’s oldest Irish pub which dates to 1667, has closed down. It would be an act of folly to allow our hospitality businesses, which did so much to get through the pandemic, to fall because of energy costs.
The Government must also provide relief, while Londoners who can afford to do so should support their local pubs.
