THIS is the moment Rishi Sunak called a general election and confirmed the date for July 4th.
The Prime Minister spoke without an umbrella from a Downing Street lectern as Westminster was hit by heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon.
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Speculation that the Prime Minister might call an early general election ran through Westminster all day.
He will face Sir Keir Starmer’s Labor Party in what is expected to be a historic fight for the keys to Number 10, centered on the economy.
Speaking this evening before hordes of cameras, Sunak said: “The last five years have been the most challenging times since the Second World War.
“Now is the time to decide whether we want to continue the progress we’ve made or risk going back to square one, with no plan and no certainty.”
Muffled by protest music, the Prime Minister added: “Earlier today, I spoke to His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament.
“The king has granted this request and we will have general elections on July 4. These elections will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War.”
When he went back inside, his suit was soaked from the heavy rain.
As things stand, Sir Keir is on course for victory.
Labor is currently on 44 percent in the polls, while the Conservatives are behind on 23 percent.
Reform UK is third most popular on 11%, while the Liberal Democrats are one point behind on 10%.
The announcement of an election came after a day of high drama at Westminster.
The rumor started swirling in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
No10 sources initially played down talk of a key statement from the PM. But by mid-morning they went underground.
At PMQs, Sunak refused to rule out naming a date, and in the early afternoon a Downing Street spokesman was unrelenting in ruling out any measure.
After taking the unusual step of hosting a Cabinet on Wednesday afternoon, the stage was set for a big speech.
The timing of the announcement came as the Office for National Statistics confirmed that inflation reached 2.3% today.
Sunak hailed the figure as an “important moment for the economy” and promised that “better days are ahead”.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation stood at 2.3% in April, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This represents a drop from 3.2% in March and marks the lowest level since July 2021.
Data shows that inflation is now closer to the Bank of England’s 2% target.
Why is Rishi Sunak calling a general election now?
By Kate Ferguson, Sun on Sunday political editor
So why has the Prime Minister suddenly decided to roll the dice and call a summer election?
The first thing to point out is that number 10 was not united in the decision.
One side, led by the Conservative Party’s chief strategist Isaac Levido, urged the prime minister to “play it safe” and wait until October or November to hold an election.
This would give them more time to show that the economy is improving and would allow the Bank of England to cut interest rates, they argued.
This, in turn, would allow banks to reduce mortgage rates, which are currently hurting household budgets.
Only then would people start to feel better financially.
But another team, led by the Prime Minister’s political secretary, James Forsyth, has been pushing for elections to be held in the summer.
Now, it’s important to note that James is Rishi’s best friend.
They have known each other since school, are godparents to each other’s children and Rishi was best man at James’ wedding.
They are more than just fellow politicians. They are best friends.
Either way, James’ camp reckons Rishi can now finally show he is achieving all five priorities he set out when he became PM.
These are: halving inflation, growing the economy, bringing debt down, reducing NHS waiting lists and passing new laws to stop the boats.
As for the economy, the Prime Minister will highlight that growth is rising, wages are rising and inflation has fallen to 2.3 percent – almost reaching the target.
NHS waiting lists have also fallen for the fourth month in a row, according to official data released last month.
And by stopping the boats, the prime minister was able to pass laws enacting his main deportation plan for Rwanda.
The thinking is: strike while the iron is hot and you can put five big marks on your promises.
But there is also grim news for No 10 that has led them to call a summer election.
His flagship bill on Rwanda passed parliament and is now law. But hopes of a flight taking off this year are quickly fading.
The High Court of Northern Ireland ruled that the plan breached human rights laws and should therefore not apply in Northern Ireland.
This paved the way for English law to reject it as well.
Meanwhile, small boat crossings are increasing again.
A whole summer of damaging headlines showing boats off the shores of Dover will only feed the feeling that No 10 has no control.
Rishi is famous for being straight.
He doesn’t drink, has never used drugs and is not a gambler.
But he bet everything on the July 4 elections.
Will he have trump cards? Or will he lose everything?
It comes just a day after the IMF (International Monetary Fund) updated the UK’s growth for this year and predicted that the economy will grow faster than any other major European country over the next six years.
Meanwhile, food price inflation registered further falls throughout the year, although these were partially offset by a small increase in gasoline prices.
CPI food inflation fell to 2.9% in April from 4% in March – far below its peak of almost 20% in spring 2023.
Trumpeting the fall in inflation today, the Prime Minister said: “Today marks an important moment for the economy, with inflation back to normal.
“This is proof that the plan is working and that the difficult decisions we made are paying off.
“Better days are ahead, but only if we follow the plan to improve economic security and opportunity for all.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
