Rishi Sunak gambles with lurch to right as UK moderates flee to Labour

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

London flirt with the Labour Party, Rishi Sunak is rolling the dice that a shift to the right could keep his Conservatives in power. Read More: Tories Urge New Sunak Strategy, Cabinet After Election Losses When the British prime minister took office after the turmoil of Liz Truss’s seven-week tenure in 10 Downing Street, he assured voters and investors he was the responsible choice to manage the country. His pitch based on political and economic sobriety had a calming impact on financial markets. It has not translated into electoral support. The Tories barely clung on to Boris Johnson’s former parliamentary seat in northwest London in a special election this month and watched huge majorities vanish in two other constituencies. That bolstered forecasts that the party is heading for a landslide defeat in a general election expected next year. So Sunak is going on the offensive. According to ministers and Tory strategists interviewed by Bloomberg, the premier’s plan is to lean into controversial cultural issues that play on some voters’ emotions and create dividing lines with Labour and the surging party’s leader, Keir Starmer.

Before election, UK's Rishi Sunak commits to 1 million new homes promise

Downing Street’s political shift accelerated this week, starting with the signals the government was willing to row back on some environmental commitments. That’s because the election result in Uxbridge and South Ruislip — Johnson’s old stronghold — showed local opposition to a plan to tackle air pollution by charging drivers of older vehicles. Turning away from green issues is a long-held demand on the climate-skeptic right of Sunak’s party. “It looks like the lesson the Conservatives have taken from Uxbridge