Sunak’s Campaign Slogan Risks Stoking Nostalgia for Labour Years

  • Conservatives warn Labour will take UK ‘back to square one’
  • But line could remind voters about post-2010 political turmoil
Rishi Sunak is building an election strategy around warning that voting for Labour would put the UK back at “square one” after 14 years of Conservative-led governments.Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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In his latest bid to win back support ahead a general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken to repeatedly warning that Labour leader Keir Starmer would take Britain “back to square one.” Problem is, many Britons are nostalgic for the last time the opposition party was in power.

Sunak has come to increasingly rely on the “square one” slogan in recent weeks, urging voters in almost every public appearance and campaign video to “stick to the plan.” Conservative Party insiders said the idea was to find a simple narrative to attract voters, similar to the “get Brexit done” campaign in 2019 that propelled Sunak’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, to a landslide victory.