UK General Election To Take Place On July 4, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Announces
The poll will be the first time Sunak faces the public as Prime Minister, after being appointed leader of the largest party in parliament by Conservative MPs in October 2022
The United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday announced that the general election will be held on July 4.
“Earlier today I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of parliament. The king has granted this request and we will have a general election on July 4,” Sunak, 44, said in an address.
After months of speculations about when he would call a new election, the UK Prime Minister stood outside his Downing Street office and announced he was calling the election earlier than many had thought, a bold move since his party is trailing in the polls.
‘Moment for Britain to choose its future’
“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” he said, highlighting his achievements, including the so-called scheme that supported businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The poll will be the first time Sunak faces the public as Prime Minister, after being appointed leader of the largest party in parliament by Conservative MPs in October 2022.
The vote, the third since the Brexit referendum in 2016, comes as Sunak seeks to capitalise on better economic data to woo voters affected by rising living costs.
One of the key promises from the ex-financier was to cut inflation by half within a year from its record high of over 11 percent at the end of 2022. Inflation dropped to nearly a three-year low of 2.3 percent in March, leading Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt to say: “This is proof that the plan is working.”
Political commentators have been saying that Sunak, who is falling behind the main opposition Labour Party in the polls, might try to get a boost from the better economic situation.
However, critics argue that the improved economic conditions are more due to changes in the global economy than government policy.
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