Young people don’t want Rishi Sunak as prime minister, we want a general election

Nobody voted for this

2 years ago

Rishi Sunak is now set to be the UK’s second unelected prime minister in just two months after Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the leadership race this afternoon. This follows the embarrassingly short premiership of Liz Truss, who gained the top position on the authority of Conservative MPs and Tory party members. Witnessing the current state of the Tory government, the U-turns, disorganisation and infighting, is frustrating, particularly when the majority of the population have had no say in it at all. As a young person, Rishi Sunak isn’t the answer – it’s time for a general election.

A lot has changed since the 2019 election, in which the Conservatives, under Boris Johnson, gained a decisive majority largely on policies surrounding Brexit. Nearly three years on, with Covid-19, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the current cost of living crisis, the context is completely different. Having another two prime ministers enter Number 10 on completely different policies to that which the public last voted for seems illogical, and has left a large proportion of the British public asking who even voted for this?

Rishi really became PM through clearing. Wow.

— ella (@EllaDecember) October 24, 2022

Rishi Sunak hasn’t taken part in any debates since the previous leadership election against Liz Truss, nor has he said a crumb of anything about what his policies may be coming into power at this time. He hasn’t even spoken about any of his plans to fit the mess left by Truss. Does it not seem counterintuitive in a democracy to see in a government when the public are in the dark about what that government intends to do in power??

The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak without him saying a word about what he would do as PM. He has no mandate, no answers and no ideas. Nobody voted for this.

The public deserve their say on Britain’s future through a General Election. It’s time for a fresh start with Labour.

— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) October 24, 2022

For young people who weren’t able to vote in the last general election, the parliamentary back and forth we’ve seen recently is so frustrating, especially due to the impact Tory chaos is having on students. Research by the National Union of Students has suggested the impact of the cost of living crisis on students is severe, with the percentage of students having to turn to food backs up to 11 per cent by July, from just 5 per cent in January. It’s also become clear since the start of the academic term that a national accommodation crisis is currently underway, with plenty of examples of students being left stranded by both Universities and private companies. No one is out here helping us and there certainly isn’t anyone in parliament who represents us.

With the impact current issues are having on young people, a prime minister hastily chosen by Tory MPs doesn’t feel like the solution. If anything, it’s adding to the problem.