British leader Rishi Sunak marks a year in office with little to celebrate

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is marking a year in office but he has little reason to celebrate. His Conservative Party is trailing between 15 and 20 points behind Labour in opinion polls, and an election must be called by the end of 2024. The war between Israel and Hamas, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, make a grim international backdrop to Sunak’s domestic challenges. Sunak is a long way from achieving the goals he has set out for his government, including halving inflation, growing the economy and easing pressure on the health system. He acknowledged on Wednesday that “this year has been tough” but said he was “proud of the steps we’ve made.”