PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak, who last month called a snap election for July 4 and is firefighting to see his ruling Conservative regain some lost ground in weeks before the polls, has conceded that he aware that people are not happy with either his party or himself but added that Tories are the only party in this election that have major ideas to make the UK a better place to live.
Launching the Conservatives' election manifesto in Silverstone in central England on Tuesday (11), Sunak, who is Britain's first Indian-origin premier, said, "I'm not blind to the fact that people are frustrated with our party and frustrated with me."
"Things have not always been easy, and we have not got everything right, but we are the only party in this election with the big ideas to make our country a better place to live," he added.
The 44-year-old, who became the prime minister in October 2022 amid political chaos, pledged to slash billions of pounds of taxes and back first-time homebuyers if he emerges winner in the general election, making one of his last-ditch efforts to turn a faltering election around.
Read: Sunak rejects resignation rumours amid D-Day row
The Conservatives are around 20 points behind the opposition Labour Party in the polls, brightening the latter's hopes to return to power after 14 years.
Sunak also committed during his launch speech that he is committed to "halve migration as we have halved migration and then reduce it every single year", SKY News reported.
Read: UK election will see biggest ever rise in minority representation
Other policies in the manifesto include, among others: raising the threshold for high-income child benefit charge payments for single-earner families to £120,000, an increase from the current £60,000; a guarantee against hiking income tax, national insurance or VAT; and a commitment to ensure that there will be no introduction of new taxes on pensions or any increase in existing ones for the entirety of the next parliament, as part of a workplace pension guarantee.
While Sunak has been campaigning extensively for the Tories ahead of the July 4 battle, things have only become more challenging for him, especially last week when he left an international D-Day event in France early, sparking such an outrage that he was forced to bury rumours that he was thinking of stepping down.
Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley speaks to supporters at a campaign rally on August 10, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Crowley is polling second behind front-runner Francesca Hong in the Democratic primary, which takes place tomorrow. Getty Images
Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks to supporters during an election-night party on August 11, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. Recent polling had Hong with a substantial lead over her nearest Democratic rival David Crowley, but returns have shown a tight race throughout the evening with the two candidates trading slight leads.Getty Images
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol on May 19, 2020 in Washington, DC. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) were both officially sworn-in as new House members on Tuesday morning.Getty Images
