Ryanair humorously targeted outgoing UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a viral social media post featuring him seated on a flight. Sunak conceded defeat in the recent UK parliamentary elections, and just before this, Ryanair shared the post, which quickly gained traction online.
Keir Starmer is set to become Britain’s next prime minister, with the Labour Party expected to secure a substantial majority in the election. Labour has already secured more than 326 of the 650 seats in parliament, while the Conservative Party, led by Sunak, has won only 70 seats so far.
Rishi Sunak faced the challenge of overcoming 14 years of anti-incumbency and addressing the cost-of-living crisis during the election campaign. The Conservative Party’s years of instability and internal conflicts, resulting in five different prime ministers since the Brexit vote in 2016, further compounded his difficulties, as reported by Reuters.
Winning & losing are part of election #RishiSunak is truly very graceful in conceding defeat !
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) July 5, 2024
On the other hand, we have a party with 98 seats out of 543 and claims that they have won the election and insulted the public mandate. pic.twitter.com/odyyCKLwrj
Despite his loss in parliament, Ryanair humorously offered Sunak a seat on their flight. The airline, known for its playful social media presence, posted a viral message on X, suggesting a seat for Sunak if he lost his Richmond and Northallerton seat. The post received over 2.6 million views and thousands of amused reactions.
Comments on the post included one user stating, “First genuinely funny ad I’ve seen in ages,” and another joking, “He’s not even got a window seat.” Sunak’s decision to call the election earlier than required, with the Conservatives trailing Labour by about 20 points in opinion polls, surprised many in Westminster and his own party.
It’s not over until it’s over. pic.twitter.com/FpZe6VMhDa
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) June 30, 2024
Hoping to narrow the gap, as has been the tradition in British elections, Sunak instead experienced a challenging campaign. This difficult campaign culminated in his appearance on ITV’s “This Morning” chat show on the last day, which was widely criticized as strange. Sunak was photographed waiting behind Britain’s most tattooed woman for his turn on the show.
