British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has set July 4 as the date for a national election that will determine who governs the United Kingdom, choosing a day of good economic news to urge voters to give his governing Conservatives another chance. “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Sunak said. Sunak’s centre-right party has seen its support dwindle steadily after 14 years in power.
It has struggled to overcome a series of crises including an economic slump, ethics scandals and a revolving door of leaders in the past two years. The centre-left Labour Party is strongly favoured to defeat Sunak’s party. Speculation about an imminent election mounted after Sunak called a Cabinet meeting for Wednesday afternoon – rather than the usual Tuesday – and Foreign Secretary David Cameron flew back early from a trip to Albania to attend.
The election will be held against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis and deep divisions over how to deal with migrants and asylum seekers making risky English Channel crossings from Europe. The announcement came the same day official figures showed inflation in the UK had fallen sharply to 2.3 per cent, its lowest level in nearly three years on the back of big declines in domestic bills.
The drop in April marks the greatest progress to date on five pledges Sunak made in January 2023, including halving inflation, which had climbed to above 11 per cent at the end of 2022. Sunak hailed the new figure as a sign his plan was workin.
