I don’t buy it. They know they will lose the next election, the only question is how much damage they can do before they’re kicked out. He just wants to introduce his upper middle-class tax cuts/subsidies as soon as possible so that they can steal as much as possible from the rest of us.
They’ll hang on for another ~year yet, sad to say.
It depends on whether they think they can _somehow_squeak a win, and when that might be.
If their number crunchers have said their best chance is in May, and that with the right tailwind they might be able to form a coalition government, then we can expect them to go full “sweets for everyone”, and offer every incentive in the box.
The other side of this, is that they need Brexit Party (sorry, Reform UK) either out of the way, or need enough policies that will appease those voters. So I’m expecting some lunacy on the level of “stop the boats”. Or maybe they’ll just invade France.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Emily Thornberry told Sky News that the date of the spring budget “seems to confirm” what many MPs suspect - that the prime minister could go to the polls early.
The next general election is expected in 2024, but until recently it was widely believed it would be held in the autumn to give the prime minister as much time as possible to convince voters the economy is improving and better days are ahead.
However, after Jeremy Hunt announced the government would hold an earlier than anticipated budget, with a date set for 6 March, it fuelled growing speculation that the election could be in the spring instead.
The budget date was confirmed after reports the Conservatives could slash inheritance tax (IHT) and offer more help for first-time buyers as a pre-election giveaway to boost their chances of victory and create policy dividing lines with Labour.
Ms Thornberry would not be drawn on whether her party would back the measures the Tories are said to be mulling over, saying those briefings are designed to “set a trap for Labour”.
Some pollsters believe Mr Sunak will want as much time as possible to turn around his party’s 20-point deficit in the polls and deliver on his five key pledges, including growing the economy and stopping the boats.
The original article contains 623 words, the summary contains 216 words. Saved 65%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Is it me or does she look like the Slitheen lady from Doctor who?
