Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the next United Kingdom General Election will take place on 4 July 2024.
Standing outside Number 10 Downing Street on a rainy afternoon, Sunak said he would “fight for every vote”.
Citing the War in Ukraine, Islamist terror, economic competition with China, and illegal immigration to the U.K, Sunak said “this election will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it’s been since the end of the Cold War.”
While there was previous speculation the General Election would take place in autumn, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt concluded that there was little chance the economy would look better.
The Conservatives have been in government since 2010 but following the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss, the Conservatives have polled significantly lower than Labour.
The most recent poll from YouGov suggests the Conservatives will only get 20% of the vote while Labour looks to receive 47%.
The Conservatives have also lost major by-elections by significant margins in constituencies that they have held for decades.
“I cannot and will not claim that we have got everything right. No government should. But I am proud of what we have achieved together” said Sunak.
While the Conservatives have not fared well in recent by-elections and polling, Sunak criticized the Labour Party and their leader Keir Starmer for what he claimed was a lack of direction.
“I don’t know what they offer, and in truth, I don’t think you know either,” Sunak said to voters.
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer said that the Labour Party was “fully ready to go” into the election.
“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives at No10 Downing Street” by UK Prime Minister is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.