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United Nations — The U.N. General Assembly approved five new members Thursday for two-year terms on the organization’s powerful 15-nation Security Council in a lackluster “election.”  Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia will start their terms on Jan. 1, 2025.  The annual election is often little more than a rubber stamp of candidates previously agreed within regional blocs. This year, all five candidates ran unchallenged in what is known as a “clean slate” but still needed to win a two-thirds majority of votes to succeed, which they easily did.  While it is the permanent five members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — who have veto wielding power, the 10 elected members help balance the council, and in recent years have banded together more to use their collective weight.  “At the moment, there’s a lot of pressure on the elected members to keep the body working in a period when the permanent members are fiercely divided and often at each other’s throats,” Richard Gowan, U.N. director for the International Crisis Group and a long-time U.N. watcher, told VOA ahead of the vote.  Geopolitical divisions between Russia and China on one hand, and the United States, Britain and France on the other, have grown deeper since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow, Beijing and Washington have repeatedly vetoed the other’s draft resolutions in the council or brought competing ones on the same topic, eroding the council’s ability to take action to mitigate conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Gaza.  “It’s very tough to be an elected member, because you are trapped between the U.S., Russia and China,” Gowan noted. “The big powers are willing to put a lot of pressure on the smaller countries when they want to.”  Of the incoming group of five, Gowan says expectations are especially high for Denmark.  “The Nordic countries have a long history of effective and skillful U.N. diplomacy,” he said, noting that Norway played an important role during its council tenure in 2022 in advancing humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan while the P5 were clashing over Ukraine.  “I think there’s an expectation that Denmark is going to take on a lot of responsibilities, a lot of difficult files, and there’s an assumption that just as a Scandinavian nation, it knows how to make the Security Council work,” he said.   Greece’s foreign minister said they hope to be a facilitator between nations.  “We aspire to provide bridges between South and North, East and West,” Giorgos Gerapetritis told reporters.  It is rare to have a country that has a U.N. political assistance mission and an African Union mission with troops and police in its country on the council. Somalia has been fighting al-Shabab militants, which the United Nations says still pose a serious threat to the country, and working to rebuild its government institutions after a decades-long civil war. Somalia is a regular item on the council’s agenda.  Somalia’s foreign minister sought to characterize their recent history as an asset to the council.  “We are fully prepared to bring our distinct perspectives, experiences and solutions to the global arena, making a meaningful contribution to the work of the U.N. Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security,” Ahmed Moallin Fiqi told reporters after the election.  Panama’s foreign minister said she appreciated the international community’s faith in her country, especially at a fraught time in the world.  “It’s a great challenge, especially in the face of the critical geopolitical moments we are living, in which this challenge is not only the survival of the constituted world order, but also the survival of the inhabitants of the planet,” said Janaina Tewaney.  Panama, which has seen its namesake canal dry up in recent years, has said the impact of climate change on peace and security will be one of its council priorities.  In exercising their responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, the 15 nations on the Security Council have the power to authorize the use of force, deploy peacekeeping missions and impose sanctions.  On January 1, the five new members will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland, whose terms will end on December 31. They will join nonpermanent members Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea, who will remain on the council through 2025, along with the permanent members.   Later Thursday, the General Assembly will reconvene to approve Cameroon’s former prime minister, Philemon Yang, as president of the 79th session of the General Assembly, which will begin Sept. 10, 2024, and run for one year.

Washington — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, must report to prison by July 1 to serve his four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol insurrection, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington granted prosecutors' request to make Bannon begin serving his prison term after a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court last month upheld his contempt of Congress conviction. But Nichols also made clear in his ruling that Bannon could seek a stay of his order, which could delay his surrender date. Outside the courthouse, Bannon told reporters: "I've got great lawyers, and we're going to go all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to." Nichols, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, a Republican, had initially allowed Bannon to remain free while he fought his conviction. But the panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said all of Bannon's challenges lack merit. Bannon was convicted in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and the other for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Bannon's lawyer at trial argued that the charges were politically motivated and that the former adviser didn't ignore the subpoena but was still engaged in good-faith negotiations with the congressional committee when he was charged. The defense has said Bannon had been acting on the advice of his attorney at the time, who told him that the subpoena was invalid because the committee would not allow a Trump lawyer in the room and that Bannon could not determine what documents or testimony he could provide because Trump has asserted executive privilege. Defense lawyer David Schoen told the judge the defense had planned to ask the full U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, if necessary, to review the matter. Schoen said it would be unfair to send Bannon to prison now because he would have already completed his sentence before those rulings could be handed down. "That might serve a political agenda; but it would be a grave injustice," Schoen wrote in court papers. A second Trump aide, trade advisor Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress and reported to prison in March to serve his four-month sentence. Navarro had maintained that he couldn't cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege. But courts have rejected that argument, finding Navarro couldn't prove Trump had actually invoked it. The House Jan. 6 committee's final report asserted that Trump criminally engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection two years ago.

The shooting attack against Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister last month has highlighted divisions in Central Europe, a region that’s become especially polarized in the wake of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Jon Spier narrates this story from Europe reporter Ricardo Marquina. (Camera: Ricardo Marquina)

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New Orleans, Louisiana — “It’s the economy, stupid,” is the oft-repeated reminder from the 1992 U.S. presidential election, attributed to political consultant James Carville explaining voter motivations. Economic concerns remain central to voters in this November’s anticipated rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but wars in Gaza and Ukraine may influence enough voters in swing states to make foreign policy matter on Election Day. “This is projected to be a very close election decided by an extremely small margin,” said Robert Collins, professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. “In close elections, the people on those margins can determine who becomes president.” Massachusetts music teacher Lauri Sklar told VOA that this election feels different from others, in part because the war in Gaza is such “a watershed moment” for young Democrats. “Whether they choose to support a third-party candidate or they refuse to vote entirely, I think there are a lot of young liberal voters who are not going to vote for Biden come November, and I’m worried that might mean Trump wins,” Sklar says. Young Americans focused on Gaza A survey earlier this year by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government found that 18-to-29-year-old Americans overwhelmingly support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. Brooklyn Birdie, a graduate student from Shreveport, Louisiana says she supported Biden in 2020 but will not in 2024. “There is no way ‘Genocide Joe’ will receive a vote from me this fall,” Birdie told VOA. “He is complicit with an ongoing ethnic cleansing.” That does not mean she will vote for Trump instead. “I think, as a businessman, Trump’s presidency was good for the economy,” she explained, “but I can’t support someone with such unwavering support and allegiance toward Israel. I’m considering voting for a third party, but I’m not sure yet.” American priorities America’s role abroad matters to New York teacher Paige Benson, but it will not decide her vote. “I value foreign policy, and I think our relationship with other countries is really important,” she told VOA. “But that being said, we have so much work to do with our own country.” “When it comes down to who I will vote for, it’s going to be who I trust with the economy,” she added. “It seems like everyone’s struggling right now. I know people making six-figure salaries who are struggling. Imagine how the rest of us are doing.” Florida retiree Harvey Wasserman says he will be voting on immigration. “Foreign policy is important, but I wish we would stop being the world’s judge and jury,” he said. “To me, let’s focus on home. I want to see secured borders and clear citizenship requirements. I think Trump is more likely to give us that.” Decided on the margins Connecticut voter Rebecca Urrutia says because “the way we handle tensions with other countries will have a big impact for me,” she is voting for Trump. “I don’t like Trump’s style of communicating at all, but he’s much stronger on foreign policy,” she added. “He’s direct and follows through on what he promises. The Biden administration, on the other hand, are so wishy-washy with their positions. There’s too much at stake to be indecisive.” Foreign policy is also a top priority for Louisiana voter Debbie Pesses, but she is voting for Biden. “If Putin gets hold of Ukraine, none of Europe is safe,” she said. “And as much as I feel for the people of Gaza, we can’t allow Hamas to threaten the only true democracy in the Middle East.” “We need someone calm in the White House,” Pesses continued, “and even though I worry about Biden’s age, his temperament is much better for the job than Trump.” 2024 election impact In an election that could be decided by a handful of swing states, Dillard University professor Collins says a motivating foreign policy concern such as the war in Gaza could make the difference. In Georgia, for example, Biden carried the state four years ago by fewer than 12,000 votes. “There are more than 11,000 Muslim-Americans in Atlanta, alone,” Collins said. “That could determine the next president, and it doesn’t even account for the non-Muslim college students who are extremely dissatisfied with how Biden has handled the conflict in Israel.” “In the end, I think Muslim-Americans will conclude that Biden is the lesser of two evils compared to Trump’s Middle East policy,” he continued, “but I think a sizable number of younger Democratic voters might be so disenchanted they’ll choose not to vote. The question is will enough of them sit out to swing an election?”

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WILMINGTON, Delaware — Jurors at Hunter Biden's criminal trial heard more Thursday from the former gun store clerk who sold him the .38-caliber Colt revolver at the center of the case.  The clerk testified Wednesday that he watched as President Joe Biden's son checked off "no" to the question of whether he was "an unlawful user of or addicted to" marijuana, stimulants, narcotics or any other controlled substance.  Federal prosecutors have argued Hunter Biden was in the throes of a heavy crack addiction when he bought the gun, and they've accused him of lying on the form. He's been charged with three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days.  The Democratic president's son arrived at court Thursday with a copy of his memoir, "Beautiful Things," tucked under his arm. The book, written after he got sober in 2021, figures heavily into prosecutors' case: They've played audio excerpts for jurors in which he details his descent into drugs and alcohol following the death of his brother, Beau, in 2015.  Hunter Biden, who has pleaded not guilty, has said the Justice Department is bending to political pressure from Republicans and that he's being wrongly targeted.  Jurors have been shown as evidence Form 4473, the firearms transaction record in question, and on Wednesday, they saw the gun that was purchased.  Gordon Cleveland, the former clerk at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply, told jurors he walked Hunter Biden through a few options before he settled on the $900 gun, and he watched Biden sign the form, which includes a warning about the consequences of submitting false information.  "Everything he bought, he ultimately decided on," he told jurors.  In his cross-examination Thursday, defense attorney Abbe Lowell pointed out that some of the questions on the form are in the present tense, such as "are you an unlawful user of or addicted to" drugs. He has suggested Hunter Biden did not believe he had an active drug problem.  Other questions are in the past tense, such as asking the potential gun buyer whether he or she has ever been discharged from the military or been adjudicated as a mental defective.  Much of the prosecution's case so far has been dedicated to highlighting the seriousness of his crack addiction and showcasing to jurors bare-chested moments with ex-girlfriends, infidelity, crack pipes — judgment lapses they believe prove he was actively using when he checked off no. Prosecutors argue it's necessary evidence to show his state of mind when he bought the gun.  The proceedings are unfolding after the collapse of a plea deal that would have resolved the gun charge and a separate tax case, and spared the Biden family the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election. First lady Jill Biden spent several days in court before joining President Joe Biden in France for the D-Day anniversary. Allies worry about the toll the proceedings will take on the president, who is deeply concerned about the health and sustained sobriety of his only living son.  Meanwhile, Hunter Biden's friends and family are being called to testify.  Kathleen Buhle, who was married to Hunter Biden for 20 years, told jurors Wednesday that she discovered her husband was using drugs when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on their porch on July 3, 2015, a day after their anniversary. When she confronted him, "he acknowledged smoking crack," she said.  Buhle testified that even before she found the drugs, she suspected he was using. He had been kicked out of the Navy after testing positive for cocaine.  "I was definitely worried, scared," she said. They have three children and divorced in 2016 after his infidelity and drug abuse became too much, according to her memoir, "If We Break," about the dissolution of their marriage.  Buhle, who was subpoenaed, was on the stand for a brief 20 minutes. She remained composed but seemed upset as she recounted how she searched his car about a dozen times for drugs, whenever the children were driving it.  "Did you ever see Hunter using drugs?" Lowell asked Buhle.  "No," she replied.  Then prosecutor Leo Wise asked Buhle how she knew Hunter Biden was using drugs.  "He told me," she said.  Prosecutors also called Zoe Kestan, who testified under immunity about meeting Hunter Biden in December 2017 at a strip club in New York where she worked. During a private session, he pulled out a pipe and began smoking what she assumed was crack.  "He was incredibly charming and charismatic and friendly, and I felt really safe around him," she said. "I remember after he had smoked it, nothing had changed. He was the same charming person."  Kestan detailed for jurors when she saw him use drugs, buy drugs, talk about drugs or possess drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors asked her where he stored his drugs and pipes, and she testified he kept them in pouches and other places, such as sunglasses cases.  On cross-examination, Kestan acknowledged that she had no contact with him in October 2018, the period when he bought the gun.  Prosecutors have also used his own words as evidence through his memoir and text messages he sent to friends and family. The memoir covers the period he bought the gun, though it doesn't mention the weapon specifically.  Lowell has said Hunter Biden's state of mind was different when he wrote the book than when he purchased the gun, when he didn't believe he had an addiction. And he's suggested Hunter Biden might have felt he had a drinking problem at the time, but not a drug problem. Alcohol abuse doesn't preclude a gun purchase.  If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it's unclear whether the judge would give him time behind bars.  He's also facing a separate trial in September on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.  In Congress, Republicans have for months pursued an impeachment inquiry seeking to tie President Biden to his son's business dealings. So far, GOP lawmakers have failed to uncover evidence directly implicating President Biden in any wrongdoing. But on Wednesday, House Republicans accused Hunter Biden and the president's brother James Biden of making false statements to Congress as part of the inquiry.  The trial is unfolding shortly after Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted of 34 felonies in New York City. The two criminal cases are unrelated, but their proximity underscores how the courts have taken center stage during the 2024 campaign.

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COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, FRANCE — U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday marked the solemnity of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing of Allied troops on the shores of Normandy by vowing that the United States and NATO would not abandon support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s two-year invasion. Speaking in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, Biden said “we will not walk away” from Ukraine's defense and “surrender to bullies.” The U.S. leader said Ukraine was invaded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a "tyrant intent on domination," and that democracy is now more at risk than at any point since World War II. "Make no mistake, we will not bow down, we cannot surrender to the bullies, it is simply unthinkable. If we do, freedom will be subjugated, all Europe will be threatened," he said in offering wide support for the global world order that emerged in the aftermath of World War II. "To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, is simply unthinkable," he said during a ceremony at the American cemetery in Normandy. "If we were to do that, it means we'd be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches." D-Day was the largest amphibious assault in history, and Biden called it a "powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger." He said that was "a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget." Biden greeted World War II veterans who participated in the D-Day landings, including many in wheelchairs and some who are more than 100 years old. “You saved the world,” Biden told one veteran. He greeted each veteran one by one, offering a salute or a handshake, and handing them a special coin he had designed for the occasion. Biden’s appearance came in the midst of his 2024 reelection campaign for the presidency against Republican Donald Trump, who spoke at the 75th anniversary of D-Day five years ago. Trump, who has often questioned the necessity of the U.S. commitment to NATO, the West’s main military alliance, hailed the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy in his 2019 speech but did not praise the global alliances that emerged after the war. Trump has often attacked European members of NATO who do not spend the equivalent of 2% of their national economic output on defense, a NATO-suggested level for defense of their own countries. Biden has cited his administration’s record of building global alliances as a key accomplishment. He recently told Time magazine that Trump “wanted to just abandon” U.S. allies and suggested the former president would ultimately pull the country out of NATO if he is elected. VOA's Anita Powell contributed to this report from Colleville-Sur-Mer

Boca Chica, Texas — SpaceX's mega Starship rocket completed its first full test flight Thursday, returning to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas.  The previous three test flights ended in explosions of the rocket and the spacecraft. This time, both managed to splash down in a controlled fashion.  The world's largest and most powerful rocket — almost 121 meters tall — was empty as it soared above the Gulf of Mexico and headed east on a flight to the Indian Ocean.  Minutes after Thursday morning's liftoff, the first-stage booster separated from the spacecraft and splashed into the gulf precisely as planned, after firing its engines.  An hour later, live views showed parts of the spacecraft breaking away during the intense heat of reentry, but it remained intact enough to transmit data all the way to its targeted splashdown site in the Indian Ocean.  "And we have splashdown!" SpaceX launch commentator Kate Tice announced from Mission Control at company headquarters in California.  It was a critical milestone in the company's plan to eventually return Starship's Super Heavy booster to its launch site for reuse.  SpaceX came close to avoiding explosion in March, but lost contact with the spacecraft as it careened out of space and blew up short of its goal. The booster also ruptured in flight, a quarter-mile above the gulf.  Last year's two test flights ended in explosions shortly after blasting off from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border. The first one cratered the pad at Boca Chica Beach and hurled debris for thousands of feet (meters).  SpaceX upgraded the software and made some rocket-flyback changes to improve the odds. The Federal Aviation Administration signed off Tuesday on this fourth demo, saying all safety requirements had been met.  Starship is designed to be fully reusable. That's why SpaceX wants to control the booster's entry into the gulf and the spacecraft's descent into the Indian Ocean — it's intended as practice for planned future landings. Nothing is being recovered from Thursday's flight.  NASA has ordered a pair of Starships for two moon-landing missions by astronauts, on tap for later this decade. Each moon crew will rely on NASA's own rocket and capsule to leave Earth, but meet up with Starship in lunar orbit for the ride down to the surface.  SpaceX already is selling tourist trips around the moon. The first private lunar customer, a Japanese tycoon, pulled out of the trip with his entourage last week, citing the oft-delayed schedule.  SpaceX's founder and CEO has grander plans: Musk envisions fleets of Starships launching people and the infrastructure necessary to build a city on Mars. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, high school students who identify as Pacific Islanders have one of the highest dropout rates in the United States. But an immigrant teacher in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is aiming to change all that. VOA’s Jessica Stone has her story. Camera: Riya Nathrani

The war in Ukraine has left much of the population traumatized in some way. Children can have a rough time. That’s why US pediatrician and activist Irwin Redlener founded Ukraine Children’s Action Project – designed to get Ukrainian children access to health care. Iryna Solomko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. (Camera: Pavlo Terekhov )

While most Chinatowns in cities around the world either used to be or are still places where many people of Chinese descent live or shop, that is not the case for a Chinatown in Kabul, Afghanistan. VOA’s Afghan service has more on what can be found in Kabul’s Chinatown. The story is narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Contributors: Roshan Noorzai, Noshaba Ashna

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Islamabad — Taliban education officials in Afghanistan launched university entrance exams in almost half of the country’s 34 provinces Thursday, with no female students present for the third consecutive year. The National Examination Authority, which conducts the multistage exam process, has stated that it plans to admit at least 75,000 male candidates to public and private universities this year. Since reclaiming power three years ago, the hardline Taliban have barred girls 12 and older from attending school beyond sixth grade in Afghanistan. The ban was abruptly extended to female university students in December 2022, depriving them of completing their higher education. The Taliban’s men-only government has placed sweeping restrictions on women’s rights and freedom of movement, prohibiting many of them from public and private workplaces. The United Nations and human rights groups have persistently decried and demanded the Taliban remove curbs on Afghan women’s access to education and work. This Saturday, June 8, will mark 1,000 days since the de facto Afghan authorities prohibited female secondary education, impacting more than one million girls nationwide. "Afghanistan will never fully recover from these 1,000 days,” Heather Barr, women’s rights associate director at Human Rights Watch, told VOA via email. “The potential loss in this time – the artists, doctors, poets, and engineers who will never get to lend their country their skills – cannot be replaced. Every additional day, more dreams die,” Barr stated. The Taliban defend their governance as being in line with Afghan culture and their strict interpretation of Islamic law, dismissing calls for reforms as interference in the country’s internal matters.     No foreign country has formally granted diplomatic recognition to the Taliban government, mainly over human rights concerns and its harsh treatment of Afghan women.     Corporal punishment    The fundamentalist rulers have also ignored U.N. calls for halting the public flogging of Afghan men and women convicted of crimes such as “moral crimes” and running away from home, among others.     The latest such punishments were carried out Tuesday when a group of 63 people, including 14 women, were publicly subjected to mass flogging at a sports ground in the northern Afghan city of Sar-e Pul.     “We are deeply disturbed by the widespread, continued use of corporal punishment in Afghanistan,” Jeremy Laurence, the U.N. human rights spokesperson, said Wednesday.   He noted the accused reportedly were lashed between 15 and 39 times before being returned to prison to complete their sentences. Laurence reminded the Taliban that corporal punishment “is a clear violation” of international human rights law.    “We again urge the de facto authorities to immediately cease all forms of corporal punishment. Furthermore, we call on the de facto authorities to ensure full respect for due process and fair trial rights, in particular access to legal representation, for anyone facing criminal charges.”    The Taliban have publicly flogged hundreds of men and women in sports stadiums across the country since seizing power in 2021. At least five Afghans convicted of murder have also been executed publicly by gunfire. 

LONDON — Government officials would be acting unlawfully by implementing Britain's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in breach of an order from Europe's human rights court, a civil servants' trade union told London's High Court on Thursday. The FDA union is taking legal action against the government over guidance issued to civil servants on how to implement decisions to remove people to Rwanda. It says this would mean its members breaking international law. The guidance tells officials to obey ministers if they decide to ignore temporary injunctions — known as interim measures — issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which is based in Strasbourg. The FDA's lawyers say this unlawfully involves civil servants in "a clear violation of international law" in breach of their code of conduct. "The Strasbourg court has made clear beyond any doubt that interim measures are not optional," the union's lawyer Tom Hickman said. The first planned flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda was blocked in 2022 after the ECHR issued a temporary injunction - a situation Britain's new law to implement the Rwanda policy seeks to pre-empt by stating that it is for ministers to decide whether to abide by such an order. Government lawyers argue that the guidance simply follows the new law and that civil servants following ministers' decisions would be complying with domestic law. Election is key The legal challenge comes ahead of a July 4 national election in Britain, in which immigration will again be a major political issue as small boats bearing asylum seekers continue to make the perilous journey across the Channel from France. Sending asylum seekers who have arrived in Britain without permission to Rwanda is Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy, but legal and parliamentary obstacles have meant it has never got off the ground. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled the plan was unlawful because of the risk that Rwanda would return asylum seekers to their country of origin. Sunak in response signed a new treaty with the east African country and pushed new legislation through parliament to override the Supreme Court ruling. But implementation of the policy hinges on Sunak's Conservatives winning the election. The first flight is due to leave on July 24 if they do. But the opposition Labour Party, leading by about 20 points in opinion polls, has pledged to scrap the plan if elected.