Key moments from the UK election campaign

Unlock Editor's Digest for free

FT editor-in-chief Roula Khalaf picks her favorite articles from this week's newsletter.

Rishi Sunak's decision to call a general election on July 4 foreshadowed a series of political and constitutional events that could not have been predicted 48 hours in advance.

With the election now just six weeks away, these are some of the key moments in Britain's new political calendar.

What does the election mean to the National Assembly?

The prime minister's decision to hold polls on July 4 led to a frenzied clean-up in the legislature before parliament was officially adjourned or suspended on Friday.

The sudden call of a summer election forced Sunak to rush to withdraw key legislation, including measures to crack down on smoking among young people and create a new football regulator in England.

Parliament is scheduled to be officially dissolved on May 30, at which point all seats will be vacant. Some lawmakers were outraged that they had little time to say goodbye to their colleagues.

After the election, Parliament is scheduled to convene on July 9, and the first items on the agenda will be the election of the Speaker of the House and the swearing-in of new members. The state-run opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on July 17.

When will the manifesto appear?

Labor said it had a manifesto or program ready for government but had not yet set a date for its publication. According to party insiders, it will be a fairly thin document. Sunak insists the main opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has no plans for the country.

Labor's manifesto was written by Rav Athwal, a former academic and Treasury official, but was subject to strict political control by the party's campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden and campaign director Morgan McSweeney.

Party insiders said McFadden and McSweeney had taken bomb-proofing measures to ensure their manifesto did not explode during the six-week campaign. We expect a focus on stability through worker rights reform, planning, and commitments to invest in the green transition.

Sunak's allies said the Conservative manifesto was in good shape and aimed to show that the party had not run out of ideas. It won't be monotonous, one person said. The party said it expected to publish the document early in the campaign.

Two policy advisors, Will Tanner and James Nation, put pen to paper. Expect enthusiastic promises of tax cuts, immigration, welfare reform and additional defense spending.

Will there be a TV debate?

Although it feels like a long-standing tradition in British politics, televised debates between party leaders only began in 2010. This was 50 years after Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy faced off in the 1960 US presidential election.

Typically, the underdog in an election has more to gain from such encounters, so Sunak's team asked Starmer to take part in a televised debate every week of the six-week campaign.

Don’t you think the British public deserves to know what you actually stand for? asked Tory leader Richard Holden on social media platform X. It is unlikely that Starmer will agree to such a tight schedule.

I have been saying bring it on for a very long time, Starmer said in January. I'm happy to discuss any time.

There was speculation the Labor leader might only take part in two debates on the BBC and ITV. Starmer's spokesman declined to comment but insisted:

How are candidates selected?

Each party will now rush desperately to choose a final candidate before the June 7 deadline for submitting nomination forms to the election watchdog, the Election Commission.

Both the Conservatives and Labor have a number of vacancies to fill, with further vacancies opening up on Thursday after new members announced they would stand down at the election.

Recent departures include Tory MP Dame Eleanor Laing, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and Ministers Jo Churchill and Huw Merriman. Labor MPs Holly Lynch and Kevan Jones also said they would now leave parliament.

The most rigorous scrutiny will apply to vacant Labor and Tory safe seats, where party leaders are likely to attempt to parachute their favourites. The center party machine enjoys much greater influence in these eleventh-hour choices.

Are international conferences also affected?

Sunak's decision to go on July 4 presents several important political and diplomatic challenges. Downing Street's working assumption is that he will continue to attend the G7 summit in Bari, Italy from June 13-15.

What's more interesting is that, regardless of who emerges as prime minister in the July 4 opinion polls, Starmer will immediately emerge on the world stage with two major international summits coming up.

The newly elected British leader is expected to attend a NATO conference starting in Washington on July 9, where the war in Ukraine will be high on the security alliance's agenda.

And, crucially, on July 18 the new Prime Minister will host a meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace. London's sluggishness in setting this date for the grouping of more than 40 European countries has already angered allies.

The situation becomes more complicated when the prime minister changes. Sunak intends the event to focus on irregular migration, while Starmer is likely to favor a broader agenda.

Video: Politics in a nutshell: Sunak's sinking feelings

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.ft.com/content/189d6750-1f78-43ef-9a24-e0fbcd39fe09 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos