July 4 general election confirmed by Rishi Sunak in Downing Street announcement
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the next general election will be held on July 4. The Prime Minister's announcement followed a day of speculation in Westminster on Wednesday (May 22).
The general election will be the first since Boris Johnson's election victory in 2019. Since then, the country has seen two changes of Prime Minister, a change of monarch and the coronavirus pandemic.
Many polls are predicting a Labour victory at the next general election, with the Conservatives having been in power in some form since 2010. Their first period in office was in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, followed by a brief period when they ruled with a strong majority.
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This was then undone by the 2017 election, which saw the Conservatives reliant on an agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland to remain in power. This lasted until 2019, when Boris Johnson won a huge Conservative majority.
Speaking outside No 10 Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: "This election will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War." The Prime Minister's announcement was made as the rain soaked his jacket and as protesters drowned out his words by playing 'Things Can Only Get Better', the song used by Tony Blair during his hugely successful 1997 general election campaign which secured a Labour government for over a decade.