Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the UK will hold a general election. In a press conference held outside of 10 Downing Street the PM said he had spoke with the King and requested a dissolution of parliament.

“The King has granted this request and we will have a general election on 4 July,” Sunak said.

“I hope that my work since I became prime minister shows that we have a plan and are prepared to take bold action necessary for our country to flourish.”

Sunak became leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister in October 2022, succeeding Liz Truss after her 49 day tenure. The last general election was held in 2019, when former prime minister Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to a landslide election win. Since then the Conservatives have led the UK through the completion of the Brexit deal and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has welcomed the announcement saying it is time for change in the country.

“Stop the chaos, turn the page, start to rebuild. Vote Labour,” he said.

The Conservatives have trailed the opposition in opinion polling since 2022. The most recent opinion polling by Ipsos shows Labour are ahead in voting intentions with 41 percent compared to the Conservatives at 20 percent.

Immigration and the economy are expected to be the key issues of the campaign, as well as the current state of the health service and the cost of living crisis.

Photo: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by Number 10 is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.