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#长文创作激励计划#近期, the leaders of France and Britain invariably chose to dissolve parliament early and hold general elections. French President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party is facing domestic public opinion pressure due to its defeat in the European Parliament election, so it decided to take a "big gamble" and hold an early election.
Similarly, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced the dissolution of parliament, hoping to win more voter recognition and support through this election and keep the ruling party in power.
It's a pity that this "big gamble" between Macron and Sunak has failed one after another.
The British Labour Party became the ruling party
Under the current rules of the British Parliament, the UK general election can be held no later than 15 months after the end of the four-year term, so Sunak can hold a general election in January 2025 at the latest.
Many politicians had also predicted that Sunak was likely to set the date of the British general election in the autumn to allow enough time to take measures for the country's economic recovery.
However, on 22 May, Sunak announced the early dissolution of parliament and a new round of general elections on 4 July.
Just two days ago, Sunak publicly apologized to the public for the "blood contamination scandal" that has plagued the British government for decades.
In the '70s and early '90s, Britain turned to the United States because it struggled to donate blood on its own, but some of the blood imported from the United States came from high-risk donors such as prisoners and drug addicts.
This large-scale public health event has caused at least 30,000 people in the UK to be infected with AIDS or hepatitis C, and 3,000 people have died from the virus, undoubtedly bringing a major threat to life and public health security in the UK.
As soon as the report came out, Sunak immediately came out to apologize to the people, "On behalf of this government and every government since the 70s of the 20th century, I apologize deeply." ”
Many people speculate that Sunak's announcement of the dissolution of parliament at this time is likely to cover up the "blood contamination scandal".
In the wind of the "blood contamination scandal" in Britain for many years, the Labour Party has also repeatedly raised doubts.
So it's hard not to suspect that Sunak is trying to evade responsibility and protect his political reputation.
But it's a pity that from the start of voting at 7 o'clock on the 4th to the end of voting at 22 o'clock, judging from the results announced on the 5th, Sunak's "big bet" failed.
Out of the country's 650 constituencies, Labour won 410 seats, while the ruling party won only 131 seats.
This defeat was predictable for Sunak, who has been average since becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in October 2022.
Problems such as inflation, high deficit pressure, and lack of funding in the NHS cannot be solved; Externally, the British government continues to implement the policy of aiding Ukraine.
So, after the ruling party lost the election, Sunak gave a speech at 10 Downing Street, announcing his resignation as prime minister and resignation as leader of the Conservative Party.
How did Labour, who had not been in power for 14 years, win support?
In this election, the Conservative Party suffered a heavy defeat, and the Labour Party won a landslide victory, and the leader of the Labour Party, Starmer, will become the new prime minister.
It's hard to imagine that five years ago, Corbyn's Labour Party suffered a crushing defeat in the 2019 general election, and in just five years, Starmer pulled the Labour Party out of the shadow of the 2019 general election and emerged victorious.
What is the reason for this?
The last time the Labour Party was in power was from 1997 to 2010.
But in 2007, Tony Blair, then prime minister, was embroiled in scandals and his advocacy of following the United States in the Iraq war, which made the Labour Party lose popular support in the 2010 general election, and the Labour Party has remained in opposition ever since.
In 2019, Labour suffered its worst defeat since 1935 in a general election, when then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn resigned as leader and handed over power to Starmer.
Starmer's background was not illustrious, his father was a craftsman and his mother was a nurse, although both families supported the Labour Party.
Starmer showed a passion for politics from an early age, and although he attended free schools, he consistently excelled and became the first in his family to attend college.
After graduating from Oxford University in 1986 with a postgraduate degree, Starmer qualified as a solicitor a year later to specialise in human rights law.
With his exceptional expertise and talented debating skills, he has gradually made his mark in the legal profession and has gained a great reputation.
Starmer was knighted in 2008 as Attorney-General of the Crown Prosecution Service, and in 2015 he became a member of the House of Commons of the British Parliament, officially entering politics until he was elected leader of the Labour Party in 2020.
During his tenure as leader of the Labour Party, Starmer overhauled the hard-line left, including former leader Jeremy Corbyn, abandoning the ideas of the Corbyn era and gradually moving closer to the center.
Starmer was well aware that the economy was the most important thing for the people, so he redefined the Labour Party as a party focused on "wealth creation" and "economic stability".
Under Starmer's leadership, the Labour Party gradually began to improve from an existential crisis.
On the contrary, the ruling Conservative Party has been in power during the relatively slow development of the British economy.
During the election campaign, Starmer's proposals appeared to address issues of popular concern, such as reforming planning laws and investing in new industrial strategies to develop the country's economy, but it remains to be seen whether Starmer's Labour Party can address a range of challenges at home and abroad.
After announcing that the Labour Party had won the general election on the 5th, Sunak resigned as prime minister, and Starmer was appointed by the king at Buckingham Palace to become the new prime minister and be responsible for forming the cabinet.
China policy is a cause for concern
As a result, there is considerable concern about how the Labour Party will handle foreign affairs, especially its China policy.
During the 14 years of the Conservative Party's rule, Britain's attitude towards China has always been "wavering", and at times it has shown hostility towards China.
In June, for example, the British military offered to re-procure badges, citing "concerns that badges made in China will be implanted with tracking devices."
This is precisely what the British government is creating and inciting hostility towards China, which is a common trick used by almost every British Conservative government.
On July 4, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Lamy, made a specific reference to China policy, saying that Britain should actively deepen cooperation with China, and British officials, not just diplomats, should visit China.
However, do not think that the relationship between China and the UK will be a big change compared to the Conservative Party, the Labour Party is only more pragmatic than the Conservative Party's paradox of seeing China as an opportunity and a challenge, and will focus more on the interests of the United Kingdom.
Judging from Starmer's intention in the election campaign, the Labour Party's foreign policy is almost the same as that of the Conservative Party, so Sino-British relations will improve to a certain extent, but the general direction will not change.
Bibliography:
Chengdu Daily: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publicly apologized for the "blood contamination scandal".
Luzhong Morning News: The 6th Prime Minister in 8 years, Starmer was appointed! With Labour coming to power again after 14 years, how will he lead LinkedIn forward?