London, Jun 18 (PTI) British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, arguably facing an uphill task in his ongoing campaign for the July 4 general election, on Tuesday welcomed the support of former prime minister Boris Johnson with letters and videos backing some candidates from the governing Conservative Party.
Sunak was asked about this unexpected intervention from his former boss at Downing Street by reporters on the campaign trail, to which the British Indian said the move had been “coordinated by the campaign” at the Tory headquarters.
“It’s great that Boris is supporting the Conservative Party, I very much welcome that,” said Sunak.
“He is endorsing many candidates in videos and letters which have been coordinated by the campaign. I know that will make a difference and, of course, every week he is making the case in his column and making sure that everyone understands what the Labour government would do to this country and why it’s important that everyone votes Conservative and I’m glad he’s doing that,” he said.
Johnson, still a popular Tory veteran despite his decision to resign in the wake of the “partygate” scandal of law-breaking parties in Downing Street and across Whitehall government offices during the COVID pandemic lockdown, is not contesting as a member of Parliament in the election.
Sunak, one of his former allies, had resigned from Cabinet as Chancellor of the Exchequer back in July 2022 triggering a flurry of other Cabinet resignations that ended in Johnson’s unceremonious exit as prime minister.
It not only soured matters between the former allies but also led to months of turmoil as Liz Truss emerged victorious in the Tory leadership contest. However, her premiership proved short-lived amid a financial crisis of her mini-budget, resulting in Britain getting its first Prime Minister of Indian heritage in Rishi Sunak.
While Sunak has admitted to things being strained between him and his former boss in the past, there has been much speculation over whether Johnson will be drafted in to campaign for the Conservatives at a time when the party is languishing far behind the Opposition Labour Party in most pre-election surveys and analyses.
Now, Johnson has emerged on social media channels of some Tory allies urging voters to back the party’s candidates.
“Vote for Roberto! We need one of the good guys in Scarborough and Whitby, Roberto is Boris’ choice,” he can be heard saying in a video in support of Roberto Weeden-Sanz, contesting in North Yorkshire – not far from Sunak’s own constituency.
Besides recording campaign videos for several MP candidates, it is believed Johnson has signed thousands of letters due to be delivered to voters this week. It came as he was photographed holidaying with his family on the beaches of Sardinia, Italy.
Sunak, meanwhile, took questions from farmers on a campaign visit to north Devon where he ran through the key points of the Conservative Party manifesto in support of the farming community.
All parties have been revving up their campaigns with just over two weeks to go to the election and midnight local time on Tuesday being the deadline for first-time voters to register to vote in the July 4 general election. The UK’s Electoral Commission has said that young people and those who have recently moved house are less likely to be correctly registered to vote.
“A general election is an important opportunity for people to express their views, and registering is the first step to the ballot box,” said Jackie Killeen from the Electoral Commission in an appeal to eligible voters to register in time.
Indians resident in the UK at the time of an election are also eligible to vote as Commonwealth citizens, with some diaspora groups encouraging Indian students to register to vote.
“For Indian students resident in the UK at the time of the July 4 general election, exercising their right to vote is crucial in shaping their future,” said Amit Tiwari, president of the Indian National Students Association (INSA) UK. PTI AK ZH AKJ ZH ZH
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