Rishi Sunak is facing a rebellion, with less than a month to his anniversary in office

The Labour Party, the biggest in opposition, has increased its lead over the Tories to 20 points, up from 17 in July. Whereas, the ruling party with Sunak as PM has seen voter satisfaction drop 44 percent, which is less than what Boris Johnson had before he left office, according to an Ipsos survey released by the Evening Standard.

On the other hand, Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss is leading a rebellion, with the support of 60 members of the British Parliament, demanding tax cuts that the current PM has refused to commit to, so far. The government’s latest decision to scrap a high-speed train line between Birmingham and Manchester has angered even more people within the party.

Earlier this year, Sunak pledged to reduce inflation and government debt, reduce the waiting lists for the National Health Service (NHS), stem the flow of immigrants, and, of course, grow the economy faster.

The pressure from rising prices eased just a little in August, but growth and government debt have moved in directions Sunak wouldn’t like.

Doctors, part of the state-run NHS, are in the middle of a 72-hour strike demanding better pay and working conditions. This is at a time when the Prime Minister is ready to address his colleagues on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference on October 4.

"Politics doesn't work the way it should. We've had 30 years  of a political system which incentivises the easy decision, not the right one. Thirty years of vested interests standing in the way of change," he’s expected to say, according to reported excerpts of Sunak's speech.

The growing number of immigrants has been a thorny issue in the UK, particularly in the last decade. It was a key factor in the vote in favour of Brexit (Britain’s exit from the European Union) in 2016, and the win for the Conservative Party in the 2019 elections.

However, net migration into the UK crossed 606,000, a new record, in 2022. Net migration into the UK, before the pandemic, was anywhere between 300,000 and 400,000, according to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford.

Sunak promised a tougher immigration policy with his ‘stop the boats’ bill but the latest surveys show that more than two-thirds of the population is unhappy with his approach.

Immigration is a thorny issue even in the negotiations with India, for a free trade agreement. These talks have already gone on for a couple of years. India has been pushing for a more liberal visa regime for its students, for instance, in a tough bargain between the two countries.

A new Prime Minister or a new party in power with a fresh mandate is the last thing New Delhi may want at this stage.