Sunak urges for holding elections earlier.
The upcoming general election in the UK is set for July 4. This news was revealed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Downing Street in London. Several popular British media outlets had previously concurred on this date after Sunak had called his cabinet together for a meeting in the English capital. The upcoming vote presents a daunting challenge for Sunak's Conservatives, as they are expected to face a crushing defeat at the hands of Keir Starmer's Labour Party according to recent polls.
Should these poll numbers hold true on election day, the Conservatives, who have held power since 2010, may experience a historic loss. Sunak ascended to his position in October 2022 and is now the third head of government in the UK since the previous election in 2019, following Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Unlike in Germany, the UK's Prime Minister has the power to choose the election date within a substantial window – they must issue at least 25 working days' notice. The opposition has been urging Sunak for months to set a date for the election, accusing him of delaying the process due to his party's poor poll ratings.
Despite some recent improvements in economic figures and announcements, Sunak's Conservatives have been unable to close the gap on Labor. Local elections in England saw his party lose numerous seats as well as a significant mayoral post, and a constituency in northwest England fell victim to a parliamentary by-election. The right-wing populist Reform UK party, formerly known as the Brexit party, is also putting additional pressure on the Tories.
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Source: www.ntv.de
