Rishi Sunak hosts Tory MP away day to plot election strategy

BLOOMBERG

Britain’s governing Conservative Party is trailing badly in opinion polls, apparently on course for a heavy defeat in the next UK general election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hopes a team-building “away day” can stop the rot.
Fresh from unveiling a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, Sunak will host a gathering of Conservative MPs this week outside central London in a bid to focus on campaign strategy.
In a personal invite seen by Bloomberg, Sunak told MPs that the purpose of the gathering — which will in fact take place across two days on Thursday and Friday — is “to sharpen our focus on delivering for the British people and securing that historic fifth General Election victory.”
Sunak, a Stanford MBA graduate and former banker, described the day in terms likely to be familiar to veterans of corporate gatherings. Party managers will present “important research that will underpin our political and campaigning strategy,” Sunak said. There will be “a chance for us all to get together, enjoy dinner and share ideas,” he wrote.
The day includes breakout sessions on how to beat the Liberal Democrats — expected to be challengers in dozens of seats in England — as well as how Tory MPs can use data and social media more effectively.
Thursday’s agenda concludes with a pub quiz hosted by Tory Chairman Greg Hands. Sunak will be in attendance for the whole of Thursday, a person familiar with the event planning said.
Sunak’s Tories continue to trail the main opposition party, Labour, by more than 20 points in most polls. With a national election due by January 2025 at the latest, Labour under leader Keir Starmer is increasingly seen as a government-in-waiting after 13 years in opposition.
The MP away day — the first Sunak has hosted as prime minister — also comes at a pivotal time for his own premiership.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is preparing to unveil a budget next month that risks disappointing many Tories who want substantial tax cuts. The party is also gearing up for local elections in May, which Hands previously acknowledged would be “difficult.”
Still, Sunak got a boost from his negotiated deal with the European Union on Monday, with most of his MPs hailing the achievement. Even so, some of the most ardent Brexiteers in the Tory Party still need winning round. Thursday’s gathering could yet prove crucial in winning over some skeptics.