LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a snap general election for July 4, defying expectations for a vote later this year and sparking a bitter battle with Labor’s Keir Starmer for Number 10 Downing Street.
The Conservative leader announced a summer vote in a statement on the steps of No 10 on Wednesday evening after briefing his cabinet.
It followed a day of feverish speculation in Westminster and came on a day when inflation figures boosted the Conservatives’ hopes of being able to campaign on an economic recovery.
The POLITICO poll puts Labor 21 points ahead of the Conservatives heading into the vote. Labor has been pressing its own election promises to voters in recent days and hopes to deliver a major blow to the government’s wider record after 14 years of Tory rule.
This developing story is being updated.
Politices
