General Election Scheduled for July 4th in the UK

British media sources have revealed that a UK general election is scheduled for July 4. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak convened with his key ministers before the announcement.

According to political editors at BBC, ITV, Sky News, and The Guardian, Sunak will officially declare the election date following a cabinet session at Downing Street.

This election marks Sunak’s first encounter with the public as the leader of the largest parliamentary party. He assumed this role after an internal Conservative vote in October 2022.

The upcoming vote, the third since the Brexit referendum in 2016, occurs as Sunak aims to leverage improved economic indicators to appeal to voters grappling with rising living costs.

One of Sunak’s key pledges was to halve inflation within a year from its peak above 11.0 percent at the end of 2022. This goal was achieved last year, with inflation rates slowing to a near three-year low of 2.3 percent in March.

Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt hailed this as evidence of the success of the government’s plan. However, some critics attribute the economic improvements more to global factors than to government policies.

Despite trailing behind the main opposition Labour party in polls, Sunak’s camp has hinted at seeking an electoral boost from the optimistic economic forecast.

While Sunak had previously refrained from specifying a date, recent developments have fueled speculation. Reports circulated after Sunak and his senior officials neither confirmed nor denied rumors of an impending election announcement amid positive economic data.

Speculation intensified further when Foreign Secretary David Cameron abruptly ended his trip to Albania, and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps postponed a visit to Eastern Europe to attend a Cabinet meeting.

Hunt also canceled a planned television interview for Wednesday evening, adding to the anticipation as journalists gathered outside Downing Street.