Rishi Sunak’s last-ditch plan to save his job: Don’t look back
Rishi Sunak branded Keir Starmer “Captain Hindsight.” But the meme-ready moniker gives away more than a little about the UK prime minister’s plan to save his job: Don’t look back. Barrel ahead.
Hope for the best.
Painting the Labour leader as backward-looking and opportunistic was among the tactics discussed this month during high-level strategy meetings at Conservative Party headquarters, according to people briefed on the deliberations. The idea is to draw a contrast between Sunak, 43, and his 61-year-old rival, while attempting to wave away efforts to blame the premier for the Tories’ record on public services and the economy.
Dredging up Sunak’s decisions to put off school repairs? Twenty-20 hindsight.
Seizing on a terrorism suspect’s escape to raise questions about prison funding? An attempt to score cheap points. “This is exactly the kind of political opportunism that we’ve come to expect from Captain Hindsight over here,” Sunak shot at Starmer in the House of Commons this month.
Sunak’s strategists believe that getting voters to focus on who’s best-placed to lead Britain over the next five to 10 years is their best hope for avoiding a defeat in an election expected to be held in November 2024.
The aim is to portray Sunak as more positive, dynamic and ambitious, better equipped to address new challenges such as the switch to electric vehicles and the rise of AI, the people said.
To that end, Sunak and his top political aides have been focused on crafting bolder policy proposals to roll out in the coming weeks, designed to present a forward-looking vision for voters. The hope is that the strategy will reinforce a common criticism of Starmer, that he’s cautious and uninspiring, and chip away at Labour’s roughly
