the crash is coming and want to leave their rivals holding the bag

This is the most likely motivation for sticking with the Lich , as well as the massive DNC fundraising boost a tRump II would cause.

This has been my nagging suspicion about the sudden calling of the UK election too.

Rishi's always been off for ridiculously paid board job, likely in finance around silicon valley, but the way it was called - the seemingly deliberately terrible optics, barely campaigning, completely fucking over much of the Tory party feels like more than just a fuck you to colleagues who didn't respect him and the racists in the party.

For the actual deep establishment of the UK (military, intelligence, billionaire class) this has always been a planned handover of power, but I think the urgency came not just from Rishi's spite but this class' concern that the Tories were going to complicate it with a vote of no confidence and end up having an election right when overlapping crisis hit - economic spiralling, food and produce shortages, and likely the UK stepping up involvement in at least Ukraine and maybe Israel etc.

It's been well known that Rishi never wanted to be a wartime PM despite his tough on Russia posturing. He's been criticised for it by Tory insiders since becoming PM basically. Then you've had the recent increase in official visits, defence conference panels, and meetings with Azov, the Ukrainian military, and associated defense industry people not just in the commons, often to a Labour-heavy audience, but even directly with Starmer's Labour party even instead of the current government. So I do wonder if the establishment basically called time on Rishi because they needed the safe, controlled pair of hands of Starmer high on a Labour victory in place before the escalation happens.

Interestingly, a Tory MP said something very similar on a podcast recently; about the UK planning a much more 'visible' role directly in the Ukraine war for the end of the summer/autumn that wouldn't be able to be half-hidden from the public. But he's also kind of a crank when it comes to a lot of right-wing conspiracy stuff like 'Covid totalitarianism' so who knows what that's worth.

That’s kind of what I think. Plus it’s the whole point of democrats.

Republicans do all the real governing and whenever their stunning, absolute confidence from the public even withers by the slightest amount, the democrats are brought in to soak up the blame and then heroically defeated by the GOP. Rinse and repeat.