Update: 24/05/2024

41 days to go - Here’s what you need to know.

Dear John,

There’s going to be a lot to keep track of in the coming six weeks, so we’re kicking off a regular election newsletter to keep you up to date with what’s happening on the ground.

After Sunak announced a snap General Election in the pouring rain on Thursday, political parties have begun campaigning and Parliament is set for prorogation this evening. Here’s what we know so far:

• The Rwanda scheme is dead. No flights will be taking off until “after the election,” according to Sunak – and Labour are highly unlikely to run with the controversial and expensive plans. So that’s Sunak’s flagship policy finished. All we have to remember it by is the half-a-billion pounds price tag.

• The Legislation “wash-up” is done. That’s the process by which the Usual Channels decide which bits of outstanding legislation get onto the statute book before Parliament dissolves and which don’t. Sunak has been forced to shelve a number of his own key policy plans, including:

  
  

  • The Smoking Ban. Plans to phase-out cigarettes will not go ahead. Another major agenda item for the Conservatives gone.

  
  

  • The Football Governance Bill. Plans to create a new independent football regulator have not made it over the line either.

  
  

  • Leasehold and Freehold Reform. Michael Gove’s plans to abolish leaseholds on new houses will not make it to royal assent.

  
  

  • The Renter’s Reform Bill. Originally promised five years ago, plans to ban no-fault eviction (controversial amongst Conservative MPs) also haven’t made it through wash-up.

    
    

• So, what DID he manage to get through today?

  
  

  • The Media Bill. With Labour agreement, the bill was passed today with a notable repeal of Section 40 – what some in the Lords described as a hand-out to the UK’s major newspapers.

  
  

  • The Digital Markets Bill. The bill banning hidden fees in online purchases will go ahead.

  
  

  • Victims and Prisoners. The bill including compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal.

  
  

  • Post Office Offences. A bill to clear the names of post office employees caught up in the Horizon Scandal.

  
  

  • Finance Bill. The taxation plans laid out in Jeremy Hunt’s last budget.

    
    

• Thus Sunak’s premiership looks like ending on the same flat note on which it started and which it maintained throughout. At least he has been consistent.

  
  

• In other news, we’re getting some early insights on the campaign trail:

  
  

  • Astro-turfing: Byline Times reporter Adam Bienkov identified two disguised Conservative councillors asking Rishi Sunak staged questions at a campaign event at a warehouse in Derbyshire.

  
  

  • Messaging: Sunak claimed that with inflation back to normal and the economy back on track, we could all relax – on the same day that the government’s energy preparedness plan suggested households “stock up on essentials” in case the lights go out unexpectedly.

  
  

  • Messaging: Starmer is running with a confident “change” message, but that didn’t stop him getting called out in a round of TV interviews this morning for his back-tracking and U-turns on key policy issues. A reminder that the keys to Number 10 are not yet within his grasp.

  
  

  • Debates: Sunak has requested six American-style debates over the course of the election period, but Starmer has agreed only to the more traditional two. Quite why Sunak, one of the weakest media performers ever in Number 10, would want six TV debates is anyone’s guess.

  
  

  • Internal Feuds: Jeremy Corbyn, now expelled from the Labour party, confirmed that he will run as an independent in Islington North. Labour have opted to field a candidate against him – meaning we could be in for a divisive factional battle. Watch this space.

  
  

  • Different Internal Feuds: 73 Tory MPs including many radicals like John Redwood and Bill Cash are stepping down ahead of the election, signalling a major change for the party and potentially a boost to smaller right-wing parties like Reform. We’d like to wish them well for the future, but, well…you know.

It’s certainly shaping up to be an interesting six weeks. We’ll keep our ears to the ground throughout the chaos, and keep you up-to-date with everything you need to know.

Before we go, if you haven’t already done so, please remember to sign our PR petition telling Keir Starmer to prioritise Proportional Represenation if/when he becomes Prime Minister (it’ll only take you two minutes). It’s already approaching 40,000 signatures but we want to get it to 50,000 before election day.

All the best,

The Open Britain Team