Nicola Sturgeon demands Rishi Sunak calls early general election and says it would be ‘unthinkable’ for new PM to wait two years before going to polls – as SNP leader warns against ‘another round of Tory austerity’
- Nicola Sturgeon demands incoming PM Rishi Sunak calls an early election
- First Minister says it would be ‘unthinkable’ for him to wait two years before poll
- SNP leader also warns against ‘another round of Tory austerity’ ahead of budget
Nicola Sturgeon tonight demanded Rishi Sunak call an early general election and claimed it would be ‘unthinkable’ for the new Prime Minister to wait two years before going to the polls.
As she responded to Mr Sunak’s election as the new Tory leader, the Scottish First Minister also warned against ‘another round of Tory austerity’ amid fears next week’s Halloween budget will see severe spending cuts.
Mr Sunak is due to travel to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles tomorrow morning in order to be formally appointed as Liz Truss’s replacement as PM.
But, even before the 42-year-old formally takes office, he is already facing noisy demands from opposition parties to order voters to polling stations.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are calling for an immediate general election – at a time when the Tories are languishing in opinion polls in the wake of Ms Truss’s disastrous premiership – and Ms Sturgeon also reiterated the SNP’s demand for a snap poll.
‘Firstly, he should call an early general election,’ she told broadcasters.
‘He’s the second person in a row to be appointed as Prime Minister by Tories – not elected by the population.
‘The idea that he can go two years before seeking or winning a democratic mandate I think is just unthinkable.
‘And, secondly, he absolutely should not unleash another wave of austerity.
‘Our public services, the Scottish Government’s budget – we’re still dealing with the legacy of the first wave of Tory austerity.
‘Right now dealing with the problem with soaring inflation, our public services cannot withstand another round of Tory austerity.’
Nicola Sturgeon warned against ‘another round of Tory austerity’ amid fears next week’s Halloween budget will see severe spending cuts
Rishi Sunak is due to travel to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles tomorrow morning in order to be formally appointed as Liz Truss’s replacement as PM
Ms Sturgeon welcomed Mr Sunak’s election as Tory leader as ‘a genuinely significant moment’ as he will become the first British Asian to become PM
The next general election is not due until January 2025. And allies of Mr Sunak today revealed the incoming PM had told his party he would not give in to demands for an early poll.
One of the Mr Sunak’s biggest tasks on entering No10 will be to sort out the parlous state of the nation’s finances.
Ms Truss’s downfall as PM stemmed from her mini-Budget disaster when her announcement of £45billion in unfunded tax cuts prompted meltdown on the financial markets.
The price of government borrowing has soared in recent weeks and the Treasury is scrambling to deal with a huge black hole in the nation’s finances.
Mr Sunak is likely to have to oversee severe public spending cuts and, perhaps, even tax rises in order to balance the books.
Earlier today, Ms Sturgeon welcomed Mr Sunak’s election as Tory leader – which coincided with the Diwali festival – as ‘a genuinely significant moment’ as he will become the first British Asian to become PM.
She posted on Twitter: ‘I wish him well and, notwithstanding our political differences, will do my best to build a constructive working relationship with him in the interests of those we serve.’
But the First Minister also took the opportunity to continue her bid to break up the UK.
‘For Scotland, of course, he becomes another PM we did not and, without doubt would not vote for even if given the chance,’ she added.
‘To escape the damage of Westminster governments with no mandate here, and take our future into our own hands, Scotland needs independence.’
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