UK elections: Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer hit the campaign trail

LONDON: British Prime Minister (PM) Rishi Sunak and his Labour Party rival Keir Starmer kicked off their election campaigns on Thursday, each arguing that only they can snap the country out of its economic and political malaise.

Sunak, whose Conservatives have trailed Labour by around 20 percentage points in opinion polls since he became the PM in October 2022, shocked and angered many in his party when he gambled by calling a July 4 election. He argued on Thursday that the economy was turning a corner and he had a plan to tackle illegal immigration.

But with prices in the shops up 21% in the last three years and the national health service buckling under record waiting times, it may be hard to persuade voters that Britain is on the right track. "Even though there's more work to do and I know it will take time for you to see the benefits, the plan is working," Sunak told voters at an event with workers in central England.


Sunak also admitted that the first flights sending illegal migrants to Rwanda would not start before the vote.