Sunak announces election date as divided Tories face probable defeat after 14 years at the helm

Party’s support dwindling amid cost-of-living and migrant crises

British prime minister Rishi Sunak set July 4 as the date for a national election as his divided and demoralised Conservative Party looks likely to lose power after 14 years.

“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Mr Sunak said yesterday in an announcement that took many people who expected an autumn election by surprise. He chose a good day of economic news, hoping to remind wavering voters of one relative success of his time in office.

But Mr Sunak was drenched by heavy rain outside the prime minister’s residence, and his announcement was nearly drowned out by protesters blasting Things Can Only Get Better ,a rival Labour campaign song from the Tony Blair era.

Mr Sunak’s party has seen its support dwindle steadily. It has struggled to overcome a series of crises including an economic slump, ethics scandals and a revolving door of leaders in the past two years.

The Labour Party is strongly favoured to defeat Mr Sunak’s party. Labour leader Keir Starmer said his party would bring stability.

“Together we can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain and change our country,” Mr Starmer said.

Bookies and pollsters rank Mr Sunak as a long shot to stay in power. But he said he would “fight for every vote”.

Mr Sunak stressed his credentials as the leader who saved millions of jobs with support payments during the Covid-19 pandemic and got the economy under control.

He said the election would be about “how and who you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future”.

The election will be held against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis and deep divisions over how to deal with migrants and asylum-seekers.

The announcement came the same day official figures showed inflation in the UK had fallen sharply to 2.3pc, its lowest level in nearly three years on the back of big declines in domestic bills.

The drop last month marks the greatest progress to date on five pledges Mr Sunak made in January last year, including halving inflation, which had climbed to above 11pc at the end of 2022. Mr Sunak hailed the new figure as evidence his plan was working.

“Today marks a major moment for the economy, with inflation back to normal,” Mr Sunak said yesterday ahead of the election announcement. “Brighter days are ahead, but only if we stick to the plan to improve economic security and opportunity for everyone.”

Voters across the UK will choose all 650 members of the House of Commons for a term of up to five years. The party that commands a majority in the Commons, either alone or in coalition, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.

Mr Starmer, a former chief prosecutor for England and Wales, is the current favourite. The party’s momentum has built since it dealt the Conservatives heavy losses in local elections earlier this month.

The Conservatives have also lost a series of special elections for seats in the parliament this year, and two of its lawmakers recently defected to Labour.

Following on his party’s successes in the local elections, Mr Starmer (61) last week announced a platform focused on economic stability after years of soaring inflation as he tries to win over disillusioned voters.

He also pledged to improve border security, recruit more teachers and police and reduce lengthy waiting lists at hospitals and doctors’ clinics across the country.

Elections in the UK have to be held no more than five years apart, but the prime minister can choose the timing within that period. Mr Sunak (44) had until December to call an election. The last one was in December 2019.

Many political analysts had anticipated that an autumn election would give Conservatives a better chance of maintaining power. That’s because economic conditions may improve further, voters could feel the effect of recent tax cuts, interest rates may come down and a controversial plan to deport some asylum-seekers to Rwanda could take flight.

Mr Sunak had been non-committal about the election date, repeatedly saying – as late as lunchtime yesterday – that he expected it would be in the second half of the year.

Although inflation has fallen, Mr Sunak’s other promises — to grow the economy, reduce debt, cut healthcare waiting lists and stop the influx of migrants – have seen less success.