Matt Goodwin’s Substack goes to more than 23,600 subscribers in 147 countries each week. Become a paid supporter to access everything —the full archive, unique posts, leave comments, join the debate, get discounts, advance notice about events, and the knowledge you’re supporting independent, contrarian writers who are making a difference.
If you want to know Rishi Sunak’s strategy for Britain’s forthcoming election then you really need to know what he plans to tell the country’s very large number of undecided voters —because there are a lot of them.
That’s why I headed to Country Durham last night, deep into the Red Wall, to watch prime minister Rishi Sunak make his case to one hundred undecided voters.
Organised by GB News, the People’s Forum offered a first glimpse into the main arguments Sunak will deploy later this year —arguments he hopes will not only help him win back the 2019 Conservative Party voters who have abandoned his party but also outflank the Labour Party and squeeze the insurgent Reform party.
And there’s no doubt his back is against the wall.
As I pointed out before the debate, Sunak is in deep trouble. His party is still languishing well behind Labour in the national polls.
In fact, the Conservative Party is in a weaker state than when he took over as leader in late 2022, symbolised by a divided and restless parliamentary party.
Sunak’s own leadership ratings have slumped to a record low. Consistently, he trails Labour’s Keir Starmer on almost every measure of leadership.
He’s not trusted on any of the big issues facing the country, from the economy to immigration, from fixing the NHS to stopping the small boats.
And he’s struggling to communicate to the British people —to give them a clear, credible, and compelling message.
So, what’s going to be his pitch to the British people? What exactly is the strategy for the forthcoming election campaign? And what did I think about it?
Here’s what Rishi Sunak is going to tell the British people this year. Here’s his strategy for trying to pull off one of the biggest upsets in political history.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Matt Goodwin to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.