The U.K. will hold a general election on July 4, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday, despite polling in recent years indicating the government’s ruling party will likely be ousted after more than a decade in power.
Polls suggest voters will vote against the British government’s ruling party for the first time in ... [+]
Sunak informed his cabinet about the decision to hold a July election, despite speculation an election would be delayed for later in the year so the Conservative Party could remain in power, party officials told the Financial Times.
The British government, which holds general elections every five years, was required to hold the next election by January 2025.
The Conservative Party has held control of the British government since 2010, though opinion polls have favored the Labour Party—headed by Keir Starmer—since Liz Truss resigned as prime minister in 2022, with the Labour Party holding a 21% lead as of Wednesday, according to a polling average compiled by the BBC.
A general election includes all 650 members of the House of Commons.
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“I cannot and will not claim that we got everything right—no government should,” Sunak said. “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future.”
The Labour Party last won a general election in 2005, when Tony Blair was elected prime minister.
An election was last held in the U.K. in 2019, when Boris Johnson was elected prime minister. Sunak is the Conservative Party’s sixth leader since David Cameron was elected in 2010, with a focus on immigration and “anti-woke” policies. Opinion of the Conservative Party has deteriorated in recent years over negative reception to Brexit and concerns about financial stability. The International Monetary Fund said earlier this week the British treasury needed to find $38 billion in savings in order to stabilize its debt burden, following calls by Sunak earlier this year to reduce taxes.