Britain's PM Seeks to Rally His Party Ahead of an Election They Are Tipped to Lose<br />Party conference season is an important date fixture in the annual British political calendar.<br />Taking place in the early fall, these jamborees are the principal forums for each party to outline its priorities for the next 12 months.<br />For the governing party, conference is typically a time when members rally around the leadership and unite against the opposition, insulated from whatever is happening in the wider world of politics.<br />However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a tough challenge as he gathers with members of his Conservative Party for their annual meeting.<br />The party is trailing the opposition Labour Party in the polls by a significant distance, and Sunak is currently projected to lose the next general election.<br />Sunak's job of uniting his party is made even harder by the fact that he has inherited a broken party that has been in power for so long it seems out of ideas.<br />Factions on both the left and right of the party are already publicly criticizing Sunak on a range of issues.<br />Former cabinet minister Priti Patel has criticized the tax burden and unfavorably compared Sunak to tax-cutting former PM Margaret Thatcher.<br />The Conservative-supporting Daily Mail newspaper has also questioned the party's stance on tax cuts.<br />Additionally, Sunak is facing criticism from the environmental wing of his party after a U-turn on climate policy.<br />Some Conservatives who support action on the climate crisis, including former PM Boris Johnson, have criticized Sunak's decision to delay certain climate initiatives.<br />In an attempt to counter these attacks, Sunak has been throwing red meat at Conservative MPs and voters.<br />He has made a crackdown on immigration and a tough stance on trans rights key planks of his agenda.<br />However, experts believe that Sunak's strategy of appealing to the Conservative base might be his only real path to retaining power at the next election.<br />They also acknowledge that a loss is the most likely result of the next election, and discussions about who will replace Sunak after his defeat have already begun within the party.<br />The next few months will be critical for Sunak to start turning the polls around and make a comeback.<br />The success or failure of the upcoming party conference could be a determining factor in the future of Sunak's leadership.<br />#latestnews #news #cnn
