“A Himalayan mountain to be conquered” and a “suicide mission”: how the world press reacted to Sunak’s election call

New York Times front page' Website Credit: The New York Times -4223678de837.html?direct=true&id=bc72b371-0215-4d99-b27b-4223678de837&template=liveBlogRendererHTML' class='tmg-particle Sticky-nav wrp-bc72b371-0215-4d99-b27b-4223678de837 ' title=General Election Data- business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no' Frameborder='0'allow='web-share' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: relative; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>

Rishi Sunak has called a snap general election for July, causing surprise at home and around the world.

With the Tories trailing Labor by about by 20 points, most of the world's media expect the new party to take 10th place for the first time in 14 years.

Here's how the world's newspapers reacted to the news.

United States

American newspapers expressed skepticism about Mr Sunak's decision to call an election, with media outlets focusing on his low poll ratings and persistent problems with the UK economy.

The New York Times reported that the British public “seems hungry for change after 14 years of Conservative rule,” noting that the Tories “have led Britain since Barack Obama was America's president.”

It added that «[Mr Sunak's] electoral mountain must rise is Himalayan.»

Rishi Sunak's decision to call for early elections has been called a «suicide mission». Author: Fox News Photo: Fox News

The Wall Street Journal, a Conservative newspaper, said the prime minister had «attempted to pull off one of the biggest turnarounds in recent British political history» but that «many pollsters, and even members of the Conservative Party, have written off the Tories' chances of a fifth consecutive term.»

Sunak 'eyeing job in California'

He warned that the election 'could be a cataclysm for the Conservative Party' and called its 'major legacy' of Brexit 'unpopular'.

The Washington Post, considered left-of-center, said Mr. Sunak had a “high likelihood” of “ushering in a new era of Labor leadership,” pointing to “rumors that he is eyeing a job in California for life after his tenure.”

The newspaper said Sir Keir Starmer was «perhaps not as committed a centrist as former Prime Minister Tony Blair» but was «close to it.»

CNN, a left-wing broadcaster , reported that voters were asking Mr Sunak one question: «Why should you be given another chance?»

Fox News quoted an analyst as calling the election a «suicide mission» and Labor as a «far left» party that would mark the «final decline of the mighty British Empire.»

Australia

Australian news outlets were surprised that Mr. Sunak announced a “snap election” — a decision that caught the majority of Australians by surprise when they heard the news.

The Sydney Morning Herald mocked Mr Sunak, calling him almost a «comical figure» for standing in pouring rain, «soaking wet» to make the announcement while protesters blared «Things Can Only Get Better» «

The newspaper said the Tories were facing a «bashing» from the Labor Party, pointing out that after years of scandal, the fallout from the Brexit referendum and a «revolving door of leaders» many did not trust the government will get another sentence.

Sydney Morning Herald website on Thursday morning Photo: Sydney Morning Herald

Melbourne's Herald Sun called the Prime Minister's move «a gamble for his political life». 

The Australian shared similar sentiments, saying Mr Sunak's «surprise move» to hold the election before the summer holidays with a short campaign period was a «huge gamble». 

“Never has an election begun with such a whimper”

The newspaper reported that the Prime Minister was counting on the fact that current opinion polls, which «show an almost existential crisis for the Tories», could be reversed in record time.

Meanwhile, the Australian Financial Review ( AFR) An opinion piece said: “There is no Blair-mania regarding UK Labor Party leader Keir Starmer.”

Australian financial review Credit: Australian Financial Review

“The Conservative government, now on its fifth prime minister since 2010, has been a mindless farce for months now. What exactly a Labor government would mean is much less clear,” Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge said in an article. 

The article said the Tories had been «bleeding publicly for months» and Mr Sunak's calling of an election had finally put the government out of its misery. He added that the general election on July 4 would «almost certainly mark the end of 14 years of Tory rule.»

News site The Conversation said Mr Sunak fired the campaign pistol with a «wet whimper», adding to the raft of headlines and puns circulating in the media about the Prime Minister standing in the rain.

'Wet whimper' — The Conversation Credit: The Conversation

«He did this in the pouring rain and was soaking wet before he could get to the point,» the report said.

«The sound of the New Labor anthem 'Things Can Only Get Better' came in the background from the speaker of the nearest protester, only intensified the feeling of strangeness. Never has the starting gun of an election been fired with such a whimper.»

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said Labor was the «clear leader» but progress on the Rwandan deportation scheme in recent weeks meant that the Tories have something to highlight in your campaign.

New Zealand

The New Zealand Herald reported that a «desperate» Mr Sunak had played his «last card» by calling a «snap election».

An article by the UK's chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley said that the move was «a product of his political weakness». 

“This is the game of a man who has run out of ideas and options and sees no reason why his prospects could improve,” the article said. 

The New Zealand Herald website posted an article saying the surprise election was the election of the Prime Minister. «last card» Photo: New Zealand Herald

New Zealand's public broadcaster RNZ called the decision to call for an early election a «risky strategy» given that the Tories are «far behind Labor in the polls.»

“Sunak goes into the election not only well behind Labor in the polls, but also somewhat isolated from some members of his party and increasingly dependent on a small group of advisers to guide him through what promises to be a terrible campaign.” the message says.

Europe

El Mundo, one of Spain's largest newspapers, said the announcement «caused astonishment» within the Conservative Party, given recent opinion polls. Citing the latest Savanta poll, the newspaper said the Tories trail Labor by 17 points.

Under the subhead “Uncertain times ahead”, the newspaper reported Mr Sunak's warnings over migration. and ongoing conflicts that he said threaten “global security.” 

“However, the early announcement of elections leaves in doubt the plan to deport immigrants awaiting asylum to Rwanda,” the newspaper reports.

“Prime minister’s popularity is at rock bottom”

The decision to postpone the election has caused particular «discomfort» among the far-right faction of the Conservative Party, El Mundo reports, calling recent local elections in which the Tories lost half of their councilors a «debacle.»

«The prime minister's popularity is virtually hit rock bottom in April, with 70 percent of Britons calling his performance 'unsatisfactory', matching John Major's worst performance in 1994,” the report said. 

“Elections on July 4, US Independence Day, at least eliminate possible interference between the two electoral processes, since the US presidential election is scheduled for November 5.”

The front page of a Swedish newspaper, which reads: “Under pressure, Sunak calls UK elections”;