This Sporting Life, Sunak & the General Election, continued
Summer Elections are relatively rare in the UK and media speculation about why Sunak went for a July 4th date is considerable. One key theme is that things can only get worse for the Tories. Some reports suggest that Sunak was influenced by Deputy PM Oliver Dowden who is a professional idiot, so pure randomness when it comes to the date cant entirely be dismissed.
A strong feature however is how the Election falls in a summer of sport.
Sunak is a cricket fan and the summer’s Test Series (England v West Indies at Lords) doesn’t get underway until the following week. Free of Prime Ministerial duties Sunak will be free to watch, as John Major did at the Oval after he lost in 1997.
The Election also falls in the middle of the Euro 2024 football championship, just before the quarter finals. My Guardian Fletter on that is here:
Rishi Sunak is clearly aware of Harold Wilson’s 1966 view that England only win football competitions under Labour. His vacating No 10 before the end of Euro 2024 can only help the team.
Keith Flett
Tottenham, London
Sunak made a football gaffe on the first day of the Election campaign when he asked some Welsh brewers if they’d be watching their team in the Euros next month (Wales failed to qualify)
On Bank Holiday Monday he was pictured attempting to play football in Chesham (a LibDem seat). He appeared to be useless at that too.
The Election is also in the middle of the first week of Wimbledon. That’s a lot of interest not focused on the Election. Perhaps there is an agenda there. No one is interested, whoever wins things will go on much the same.
That’s not my view btw
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