National election in UK set for July 4. Here's what we know so far
File photo of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
On Wednesday (May 22), British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for the national election in the country on July 4. This announcement ended months of speculationas towhen Prime Minister Sunak would call for a new vote."Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future and decide whether it wants to build on the progress we have made or risk going back to square one and no certainty," Sunak said.
"Over the next few weeks, I will fight for every vote,I willearn your trustandI willprove to you that only a Conservative government led by me will not put our hard-earned economic stability at risk," he added.
Sunak called the election earlier than expected as he haduntil December to call an election that could have happened as late as January28, 2025.
1)Thedate of the national electionhas been set for July 4.The timing of the electionis determinedby the prime minister's calculation of the date most advantageous to the ruling Conservatives (colloquially known as Tories), areport by thenews agency Associated Press said.
2)People throughout the United Kingdom (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 governmentandits leader will become the PM.
3)The top contenders in this election are the Conservative Party andthe Labour Party. The Scottish National Party,the Liberal Democrats, and the Democratic Unionist Party are the other big parties in parliamentafter the Conservatives and Labour.
4)Sunak, who became prime minister in October 2022, is expected to lead the Conservatives into the election. He will be facing competition from Labour Party's Keir Starmer.The Conservatives have been in power for the last 14 years but are trailing far behind Labour in opinion polls.
5)On Wednesday, Sunak accused Steimerof always taking the "easy way out" andofhaving no plan. "As a result, the future can only be uncertain with them," he said.
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6)Responding to the prime minister, Steimer said, "On July4you (voters) have the choiceandtogetherwe can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain and change our country."
7)The core issues in this electionare the state of the country's economy, the immigration problem, healthcare, theenvironment, and climate change.
8)A report by the news agency Reuters said Sunak is heading to the election not only trailing far behind Labour but also seemingly facing isolation from his party.
9)Conservative lawmakers, who chose to remain anonymous, told Reuters that economic conditions might worsen.The Labour, meanwhile,accusedthe government of 14 years ofeconomicmismanagement, leaving people worse off, with a series of chaotic administrations that have failed to give the stability businesseshave cravedto spur economic growth.
10)If the Labour Party wins the election, Britain will have hadsix prime ministers in eight years for the first time since the 1830s.
(With inputs from agencies)