Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives Rocked By Wave of MP Resignations Ahead Of General Election

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a mass exodus of senior Conservatives as he kickstarts his election campaign for the July 4 general election. Over the weekend, cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom announced their decisions not to contest the upcoming polls, joining a growing list of 78 Tory MPs stepping down.

Amidst this turmoil, reports emerged that Sunak, 44, took an “unusual step” of spending his first Saturday of the campaign away from public events. Instead, the Indian-origin leader reportedly held strategy discussions with his closest advisers and family.

Gove’s announcement via a social media letter on Friday evening was anticipated, given the strong challenges faced by incumbent Conservatives in various constituencies. Leadsom followed suit, informing Sunak of her decision to not stand as a candidate.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May and ex-Defence Minister Ben Wallace are among the high-profile Tory MPs bidding farewell to frontline politics.

While one source dismissed claims of Sunak attempting to “reset” his campaign as “ridiculous,” another operative noted that “prime ministers don’t normally spend the first weekend of the campaign at home talking to their advisers.”

Opposition Labour MP Stella Creasy quipped that “Sunak is already in need of a duvet day,” suggesting Britain needs a different government.

However, these claims were soon refuted, with Sunak reportedly campaigning in his Yorkshire constituency over the weekend.

The controversy unfolded as Sunak visited Belfast’s Titanic Quarter on Friday, prompting a reporter to ask if he was “captaining a sinking ship” heading into the election.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer is in full campaign mode, planning public events to highlight his party’s arguments against the Conservatives’ handling of the economy and rising living costs.

The latest YouGov poll, conducted after Sunak called the snap election, shows Labour’s lead narrowing by three points, with the party at 44% and the Conservatives at 22%.