(22 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Eastbourne – 22 May 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London:
"Well, I think it has taken everybody by surprise. And in some ways, that is an advantage for Rishi Sunak. He’s taken the initiative, which makes him look, strong, bold rather than weakened. Indecisive, as many, voters have suggested he is. I think there’s an extent to which he is able to argue relatively convincingly because of the inflation news that the economy is turning a corner. And I’m guessing as well, that many Conservatives just don’t think that things are going to get any better between now and, the autumn when many people thought the election would be held. So for a number of reasons, I guess, now it’s as good as any time to go for it."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London:
"Well, the optics aren’t great, to be honest. It doesn’t look good, for any prime minister to look completely sodden and, damp in the way that Rishi Sunak did. Having said that, I guess that won’t actually make much difference to most voters. What they’ll be thinking about is the fundamentals. And, although, you know, the gamble that he’s taking, you know, might pay off for some voters because they think it’s, you know, audacious and brave. I think for most voters, it’s the fundamentals that matter. And those fundamentals don’t look particularly good for the prime Minister. The economy, whatever he says, is still fairly weak. Growth is fairly anaemic. Inflation has come down, but it’s still there. It’s also true, of course, that public services are in trouble, particularly the NHS. And that’s the one that really drives people, the, polls. And, he is not seen as a particularly, competent or strong prime minister. Nor is the Conservative Party trusted anymore on immigration. And, the party is seen as, quite badly divided and often quite chaotic."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London:
"Well, I think Labour have been prepared, for this eventuality. It’s notable that they’ve got their social media, straight out after Sunak’s announcement. So I think relatively speaking, they are prepared. I suspect they wanted the autumn and, thought that it would be the autumn, but, I think when Labour say, you know, we need a general election as soon as possible, they really mean it. They are, after all, 20 points ahead in the opinion polls. (Opposition leader) Keir Starmer, while he’s not, you know, particularly inspiring (former prime minister Tony) Blair like figure, nevertheless beats Rishi Sunak on almost every single indicator of what people want from a prime minister. He’s, you know, not great, but he’s good enough."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London:
"I think it will be a fairly personal, campaign. But that’s just the nature of the more kind of presidential-ised politics that we, we live in nowadays."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set July 4 as the date for a national election, in a move an analyst said took "everybody by surprise".
Many people had expected a fall election.
Sunak chose a good day of economic news, hoping to remind wavering voters of one relative success of his time in office.
The announcement came the same day official figures showed inflation in the U.K. had fallen sharply to 2.3%, its lowest level in nearly three years.
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