Dear John,

I can’t believe it. It’s finally here. After years of waiting, of immeasurable suffering, of intolerable nativism, of perverse populism, of failure and falsehoods, of scandal, sleaze and squander, we’re at last getting a chance to get rid of this Government. 

But keep the champagne on ice. Nobody’s won anything yet and at Best for Britain, so begins a vitally important 6 weeks of campaigning, spreading the good news about tactical voting and how it can make all the difference at this election. 

It’ll be stressful, exhausting, nerve wracking and ulcer inducing, and we’re going to love every second! So let’s reflect on this momentous week!

Drowned Plutocrat

No prizes for guessing our lead story. Rumours that a general election might be in the offing trickled in late Wednesday morning when Downing Street sources, who would normally pour cold water on any speculation, remained notably silent.

As the hours ticked by, the trickle turned into a torrent with even the BBC throwing caution to the wind, reporting there would be an election on 4 July before a podium was even in place outside Downing Street.

And so it came to pass, in heavy rain the man who didn't plan for the weather, told us to trust his plan for the country and that the country would be going to the polls in a matter of weeks. As his speech was drowned out by the 1997 New Labour anthem, ‘Things can only get better’, the Prime Minister’s humiliation was complete.

Cue a downpour of front page puns on Thursday!

Keir blue water

The man most (including Sky News) expect to be the next Prime Minister, could barely contain his excitement. Keir Starmer, who had the sense to remain indoors for his rebuttal, said that now was the time to end the chaos and… I mean… looking at the comms handling alone, we have to agree.

Meanwheel, in Cheltenham

The sun was shining on Ed Davey as he gave the Liberal Democrats’ pitch to the country. Backed by a throng of supporters armed with their distinctive diamond placards, Davey recounted the many failings of the Government Locating this launch in the Cheltenham was read by many as a statement of intent that the Lib Dems plan to go after the Tories in their more rural heartlands.

Bottled it

Much to the relief of Rishi Sunak, uber-patriot Nigel Farage declared that he loves Britain so much, he is going to duck the UK election so he can help Donald Trump secure a second term in the White House six months from now. 

Exactly what Farage can do to sway the all important voters of Columbia County, Wisconsin remains to be seen but what is clear is that his decision definitely has nothing to do with his fear of becoming an 8 time loser at securing a Westminster seat.

BUT WHY?!

Questions of ‘will he?’ quickly turned to ‘why the hell did he?’ as pundits were left scratching their heads about the wisdom of calling an election when you trail by 20 points.

Explanations include but are not limited to:

Hope:

• that UK inflation is at last under control dropping to 2.6% close to the Bank of England target
• that people will feel more positive during the Euros

Fear:

• that inflation is soon expected to rise again driven by fuel prices
• of the s***list of all the things expected to go belly up in the next six months
• that Nigel Farage would reenter the political arena
• there will be more channel crossings and his flagship Rwanda plan will be exposed as a horrendously expensive failure

Fatigue:

• Sunak is just sick of it and will have time to enrol his kids in a California school by August before term starts in September

Why do you think the PM called the election?

And what next?

Over the next six weeks you will be bombarded with all manner of spin, dodgy bar charts, party broadcasts and enough leaflets to wallpaper a house, so here to cut through the noise is GetVoting.org.

GetVoting.org is the most accurate tactical voting platform in the UK and uses a combination of the most up to date MRP polling and expert analysis timed and targeted to have the greatest impact.

Tactical voting can ensure that this Government returns the fewest number of MPs possible (reducing the chance they are reelected in 5 years time) and remove some of the worst elements of the Tory party from positions of influence so they don’t get even more deranged in opposition. 

But we need your help reaching the people in marginal constituencies. Find out how you can help.

But wait, there’s more!

There was a lot of other news but this is already a long one, so here’s your bite-sized roundup.

Justice delayed: On Monday the Prime Minister issued an unqualified apology to the victims of the infected blood scandal but by calling the election, the legislation that will see them compensated has had to be rushed through leaving some questioning if it will be fit for purpose.

Misleading by example: On Tuesday the Prime Minister was in Austria to promote his wildly expensive, morally repugnant and probably ineffective Rwanda plan. He thinks that his bad example is one that other European nations should follow.  Let’s hope they’re smarter than that.

Immigration nation: On Thursday, the ONS reported a 10% fall in net migration coming a day after the Home Secretary celebrated a fall in healthcare workers coming to the UK. But as the NHS continues to struggle with shortages, Best for Britain’s CEO Naomi Smith described the comments as “perverse”.

Retail fail: On Friday, the ONS also reported that retail sales dropped sharply by 2.3% suggesting that people are feeling a little less flush. The Prime Minister may claim he has a plan but ‘Britain isn’t buying it’, says B4B Chairman Peter Norris

Lucky escape: Perhaps the only person happier than Keir Starmer to see Rishi Sunak call an election was Paula Vennells. The disgraced former head of the Post Office, who oversaw the cover-up of the postmaster scandal, was giving her tearful evidence to the public inquiry around the same time that rainwater was pooling around the Prime Minister’s socks. The calling of the Election meant that her admission of giving false information to MPs was bumped way down the news agenda. 

🫣 Cringe Column 😬

There is light at the end of the tunnel and we’ll be here with you every step of the way. 

You can stay up to date with the latest election news and B4B commentary by following us on X/Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.

Until next time,

Niall McGourty
Director of Communications

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