UK: Sunak Calls July 4 General Election

Facts

• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday that a general election will take place July 4, as the King granted his request to dissolve parliament.¹
• Parliament is set to be prorogued Friday and formally dissolved next Thursday ahead of the official five-week election campaign.²
• All 650 seats of the House of Commons will be contested, and the majority party or coalition will form the next government with its leader as prime minister — likely Sunak or his main rival, Labour leader Keir Starmer.³
• This announcement comes after rumors that a summer snap general election could be called grew rapidly in Westminster, particularly after Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron rushed back from Albania to attend a Cabinet meeting.⁴
• Sunak could be trying to capitalize on favorable economic figures. But the latest opinion polls suggest that the Labour Party has a 20-point lead over the ruling Conservatives.⁵
• Earlier this month, the Tories — which have been in power for the past 14 years — recorded their worst result in local elections in four decades, losing almost 500 council seats across England.⁶

Sources: ¹Sky News, ²BBC News, ³Associated Press, ⁴GB News, ⁵Financial Times and ⁶The Mirror.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Guardian. Sunak has called this surprise early election because he realizes that no further progress will be made in his chaotic administration. Hopefully, the UK will find stability once Labour returns to office because, under Sunak's leadership, the country remains far from its much-promised economic recovery and his controversial Rwanda immigration plan is a disaster.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. This was the best time for Sunak to call an early election because the economy is enjoying growth and falling inflation, and the first Rwanda flights are expected soon — giving him a chance to prove this plan is the right one. Sunak might win over Britons and remain in office.

Predictions