London (AFP) – Rishi Sunak said Thursday he had pencilled in later this year for a general election, as he and his main political rival to be Britain's next leader effectively kicked off campaigning.
The prime minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer both made their first public appearances of 2024, travelling to Mansfield, in the English Midlands, and Bristol, in the West Country.
Sunak's ruling Conservative party has been in power for 14 years but is widely expected to lose the vote, which must be held before the end of January next year.
He has already ruled out leaving it until the last minute to go to the country, not just to secure a fifth consecutive term of office for the Tories but his own mandate with the electorate.
The former finance minister was elected in an internal party ballot in October 2022, taking over from the short-lived Liz Truss after Boris Johnson quit following a series of scandals.
Speculation has been mounting about when Sunak will decide to hold the vote, as he tries to drive down inflation that peaked at nearly 11 percent and reboot economic growth.
"My working assumption is we'll have a general election in the second half of this year," he told reporters.
Sunak refused to rule out holding the poll on May 2 to coincide with local elections but indicated he wanted more time to get the economy back on an even keel.
"I want to keep going, managing the economy well and cutting people's taxes. But I also want to keep tackling illegal migration," he said, referring to another key pledge.
"So, I've got lots to get on with and I'm determined to keep delivering for the British people."
The Tories, who have had five leaders and prime ministers since they were elected in 2010, are widely expected to lose the election, handing power to Starmer's Labour.
The Conservatives' years in power have been bookended by economic troubles, first the fallout from the 2008 global financial crash, and latterly a cost-of-living crisis that has sparked widespread industrial unrest.
A May date would come soon after the March 6 government budget, when the Tories are tipped to announce tax cuts to woo voters.
Starmer, a 61-year-old former chief state prosecutor, said Thursday he was "ready" for the election and called on Sunak to "bring it on".
The Labour leader said the election would offer the UK the chance to "get our future back" as he laid out what he called "Project Hope" in a lengthy speech broadcast live on TV news channels.
Change?
He told voters the poll would be a choice between "14 years of decline" and "a decade of national renewal".
"This is your year. The opportunity to shape our country's future rests in your hands," Starmer said.
"The chance, finally, to turn the page, lift the weight off our shoulders, unite as a country and get our future back," Starmer added.
Starmer's speech was thin on policy detail but he repeated existing pledges to spur higher growth, put more police on Britain's streets and create a publicly owned clean national energy company.
Labour has enjoyed double-digit poll leads for over a year now, putting it on track to become the largest party in parliament, with Starmer as prime minister.
He said voters were right to be "anti-Westminster", referring to the UK parliament in London, and "angry about what politics has become" following three Conservative prime ministers in little over a year.
But he warned against apathy.
"The biggest challenge we face, bar none, (is) the shrug of the shoulder," said Starmer, urging Britons to "reject the pointless populist gestures" and "low-road cynicism that the Tories believe is all you deserve".
Johnson won a landslide victory for the Tories at the last election in December 2019, on a pledge to "get Brexit done".