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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has set a general election date for July 4, ending months of speculation. The election will be the first time Sunak, 44, faces the public while in charge, after he was appointed leader of the largest party in parliament by Conservative MPs in October 2022.
The vote -- the third since the Brexit referendum in 2016 -- comes as Sunak seeks to capitalise on better economic data to woo voters hit by cost-of-living rises. Halving inflation within a year from historic highs of above 11 percent at the end of 2022 was one of the former financier's five key pledges.
That happened last year and on Wednesday rates slowed to a near three-year low at 2.3 percent in March, prompting Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt to declare: "This is proof that the plan is working."
Sunak, in a Downing Street statement made in driving rain after he gathered his top ministers, said he had spoken to head of state King Charles III and requested the dissolution of parliament.
The economy -- hit by external factors such as Covid and more self-inflicted wounds such as Brexit and former premier Liz Truss -- will be a key battleground. But Sunak faces an uphill task to convince the public that the country's finances are still safe in Tory hands after 14 years in power.
Immigration -- another key issue since the government's vote-winning pledge to "take back control" of Britain's borders after Brexit -- remains politically troublesome. Sunak has talked tough to "stop the boats" of irregular migrants crossing the Channel from northern France.
Resurgent Labour, under former human rights lawyer Keir Starmer, has meanwhile been consistently ahead of the Tories by 20 points for almost two years. That has sparked talk of a landslide similar to the first of Tony Blair's three election victories -- and even a near wipe-out for the Tories.
Last week, Starmer set out six key pledges notably more electorally friendly than the hard-left policies of his divisive predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer, a pro-European centrist, promised economic stability, shorter health service waiting times and a new border security command to tackle irregular immigration.
Source: Rishi Sunak Ends Months Of Speculation, Sets July 4 As Election Date