UK elections: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set to announce surprise vote in July as his party seeks to defy disastrous polls

CNN
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to call a snap general election on July 4, sources say, with his Conservative party facing an uphill battle to extend its 14 years in power.

Sunak was due to hold a vote by January 2025 and had long resisted calls to clarify his plans. But a fall in inflation rates, announced on Wednesday, provided the backdrop to the announcement, which is due to be made outside Downing Street shortly.

The move will kick off a six-week campaign that is almost universally expected to result in the fall of Sunak’s Conservative government.

The move will be welcomed by the dynamic opposition Labor Party, led by Keir Starmer, which is soaring in opinion polls and has sought to present itself as a reformed, moderate group poised to rise to power.

Sunak hopes a shrewd campaign could bring a dramatic shake-up for Labor and extend a period of Tory rule that began in 2010 and has overseen economic austerity, Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and a cost crisis of life.

He is the fifth Conservative leader to hold the post during this period, succeeding the ill-fated Liz Truss, whose disastrous tenure imploded just six weeks after it began and exacerbated the financial woes that were crippling the UK.

Sunak’s party will likely put its efforts against illegal immigration at the center of its campaign; A recent decision to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda finally became law last month, and the first flights could potentially depart during the campaign.

But Labor will seek to highlight the government’s difficulties in curbing soaring prices, the state of Britain’s overburdened health system and the sordid scandals which have tarnished the Conservatives’ reputation with a large part of the public. British electorate.

Small parties could disrupt the intentions of the two dominant groups, even if it is practically impossible for them to renew a government. The new anti-immigration Reform Party and centrist Liberal Democrats will seek to challenge Sunak in some of his party’s historic strongholds, complicating his efforts to retain power.

North of the border, the pro-independence Scottish National Party hopes to withstand a Labor challenge and regain its dominance in Scottish politics despite a difficult period and the recent rise of its third leader in 15 months.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives won a large majority in the last UK-wide vote, in December 2019, pledging to push for Britain to leave the EU – a question that has fascinated the country’s politics for more than three years.

But Johnson’s premiership collapsed after a series of scandals, paving the way for Sunak, then finance minister, to emerge as the favorite to lead the country.

Reinforcing the sense that the Conservatives are nearing the end of their term in office, dozens of Tory MPs – including former ministers and ex-Prime Minister Theresa May – have announced they will not stand in the election.

Opinion polls currently point to results ranging from a comfortable victory for Labor to a devastating electoral wipeout for the Conservatives.

But recent election and referendum campaigns have proven volatile, and Conservatives, who are still publicly hoping for success, have highlighted mixed levels of enthusiasm for Labour’s offer.

Voting will take place on Thursday July 4 in all of the UK’s 650 parliamentary constituencies, with counting taking place overnight, with the two main parties seeking to cross the 326 mark needed to secure a majority.

A government will be formed as soon as this step is reached, and will immediately take charge, pending the symbolic approval of King Charles III.

This is a developing story and will be updated.