@guardian: The sound of “Things Can Only Get Better” by D:Ream being played very loudly in Whitehall nearly drowned out the UK prime minister as he called a surprise early general election while getting drenched in the rain. Rishi Sunak announced the vote for 4 July – a Thursday as is traditional – just inside the second half of the year, as he promised, in a high-risk move for the Tory party as it trails 20 points behind Labour in the polls. The contest will see Keir Starmer try to take power for Labour after 14 years of Conservative-led government. After the announcement, Starmer released a video with his own message summing up what he is offering with one word: “Change.” Sunak was previously thought likely to wait until the autumn and a further tax-cutting budget before holding a contest when so far behind, but government insiders suggested he had been convinced that with the economic backdrop unlikely to improve significantly before then, and questions over the delivery of his Rwanda deportation scheme, he would be better off going now. However, the timing is not ideal for voters in some parts of the country, including Scotland and Northern Ireland, where school holidays will have already started and many people may be on holiday. So, what happens next? Find out more in our full explainer via the link in bio.

The Guardian

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Region: GB

Wednesday 22 May 2024 17:07:57 GMT