While Rishi Sunak is poised to become Britain’s next prime minister soon, Boris Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries said, it will be “impossible” to avoid a general election in the weeks ahead, indicating, Sunak may also fail to tackle Britain’s increasing crises. But political pundits said, when the country already in under a severe economic challenge and majority of the people are suffering from inflation, exorbitant rise in the prices of essentials, gas shortage etcetera, spending millions of pounds towards a new general election may only cause in further deepening of the crises and it may even lead to an extremely unpredictable situation in the country. They further said, economic challenges may result in rise of crimes, while British business establishments and homes may come under attacks and looting attempts mostly by illegal and legalized immigrants. Taking undue advantage of such scenarios, radical Islamic forces, which already are gaining strength in the country may incite Muslims in waging jihad against Christians, Jews, Hindus and “non-Muslims”.
Speaking before Rishi Sunak was announced as new Tory leader, Nadine Dorris, the former culture secretary warned that “all hell would break” lose if the ex-chancellor is installed at No 10.
Echoing arguments made by Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP, Dorries tweeted: “It will now be impossible to avoid a GE”.
The ex-cabinet minister also told LBC: “He lost the leadership election to Liz Truss, he hasn’t won this one, he won’t have gone to the members for the vote, and I think it will be very, very difficult for him to sustain the pressure not to go for a general election”.
Attacking Rishi Sunak further, Nadine Dorries said: “If Rishi becomes automatically prime minister by Tuesday [October 25], I think all hell will break loose … He’s got no mandate whatsoever to be prime minister of this country”.
Fellow Johnson loyalist Sir Christopher Chope also called for a general election – saying the Tory party was becoming “ungovernable”, while Tory peer Zac Goldsmith described an election as “morally unavoidable”.
Rishi Sunak won the support of a majority Conservative MPs to succeed Liz Truss as Tory leader. Mordaunt, the Commons Leader, bowed out of the race as she apparently failed to get the 100 nominations from Tory MPs.
Boris Johnson withdrew – despite insisting that there was a “very good chance” he could have been back in No 10 by the end of the week. He added: “You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament”.
Labour Party’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said the Tories lost their “last desperate reason” for avoiding a general election when Boris Johnson declared he would not run again for leader.
She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I thought that that was their last desperate reason for not having a general election … We should have had a general election anyway”.
Sir Christopher Chope said a general election could be on the way – saying the party could very quickly become “ungovernable”.
“If the people who are now seeking the crown want to have the respect that comes from a mandate, the best way to get that respect is winning a mandate from the people, and that’s why I think a general election is essentially the only answer”, he told the Today program.
Sir Christopher added: “We now have the prospect of having a Conservative party leader who doesn’t have a mandate from the country and won’t even have a mandate from the membership either”.
Tory peer Zac Goldsmith made the same case, tweeting: “I don’t see how we can have a 3rd new prime minister – and a policy program that is miles away from the original manifesto – without going to the country”.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who had said it was “Boris or bust”, congratulated Rishi Sunak on becoming leader. “Now is the time for party unity and I congratulate Rishi Sunak on his victory and will support his leadership”.
Key Sunak backer Grant Shapps, the home secretary, insisted there was no need for a general election. “We elect a party and we elect individuals”, he told Sky News.
