A UK general election is set to be held on July 4, said on Wednesday.
“Now is the time for Britain to choose its future,” Rishi said, adding that he had spoken to the UK monarch to ask for the dissolution of parliament.
“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,” he said.
Rumors had swirled earlier on Wednesday about the July 4 election, with Sunak’s office refusing “to rule anything in or out.”
Speculation had grown after ministers canceled events and cut short or delayed foreign trips to attend a government meeting.
The election comes with Sunak’s Conservatives trailing the opposition Labour Party by about 20 points in polling.
Sunak’s Conservative Party has been in office since 2010 and is the third Conservative prime minister since the last election in 2019.
He took office in October 2022 after his only rival withdrew from the party leadership race.
His arrival followed the turbulent terms of Boris Johnson, who was dethroned after a string of ethics scandals; and Liz Truss, who was replaced with weeks of taking after her program of unfunded tax cuts wreaked economic havoc.
Since then, Sunak managed to steady the economy but has so far failed to boost the Conservatives’ popularity with the public.
The Labour Party party said ahead of the announcement that it was more than ready for an election.
“We are fully ready to go whenever the prime minister calls an election. We have a fully organized and operational campaign ready to go and we think the country is crying out for a general election,” Labour leader Keir Starmer’s spokesperson told reporters.
rc/wmr (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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