General election called for 4 July

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that a general election will take place on Thursday 4 July. 

The prime minister informed the cabinet of his plans in a meeting held this afternoon (22 May). As a result the parliament will be dissolved next week. 

Sunak had previously confirmed that an election would take place in the second half of the year.

Labour is currently 20 points ahead of the Conservative party in the polls, with Keir Starmer expected to become the next prime minister. 

Many have speculated that positive inflation numbers have contributed to Sunak’s decision for a summer election. Earlier today it was announced that inflation fell to 2.3% in April, down from 3.2% in March.

On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 0.3% in April 2024, compared with a rise of 1.2% in April 2023.

Falling gas and electricity prices resulted in the largest downward contributions to the monthly change, while the largest, partially offsetting, upward contribution came from motor fuels, with prices rising this year but falling a year ago.

Announcing the decision Sunak said that the last five years has seen the country “fight through the most challenging times since the Second World War”.

He also added that while he “cannot and will not claim to have got everything right”, he “is proud of what we have achieved together, the bold actions we have taken, and I am confident about what we can do in the future.”

“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” he concluded.