Book Your Holiday... After the Election (Posted May 22, 2024)



For months now, members of the government have insisted that the specter of a general election loomed only in the distant future. Rumors circulated, and it seemed widely accepted that, the election would not be held until October, or even later. Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even publicly declared, "Book your holiday."

And then today, standing in the rain, Sunak announced that the general election would be held Thursday July 4, which, by rare coincidence, can by custom be called in the US and the UK "the fourth of July."

Although the Tories won a resounding majority and brought in a dynamic intake of new members at the December 2019 general election, they did suffer some self-imposed losses as senior members who stood in 2015 and 2017, including then-Father of the House Kenneth Clarke, chose to stand down instead of standing in a third election within a span of five years and committing to another full term.

Now, after three Conservative Prime Ministers over the last four and a half years, and with newly-redrawn constituency boundaries and polls predicting a Tory wipeout (or Labour wave, if you prefer), the brain drain of 2019 pales in comparison to what is to come in the weeks ahead. Notable grandees including Theresa May, John Baron, Bill Cash, Sajid Javid, and Order Paper favorite Charles Walker announced their intention to stand down at the next election months or even years ago. Even still, the party has a more pressing long-term problem; some of its younger MPs are choosing to leave Parliament, with the departure of rising star Dehenna Davison being the most prominent red flag indication a difficult road ahead for the Tories in opposition.