British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the next general election will take place in just over six weeks’ time on July 4.
Mr Sunak began by saying that in the last five years, their country “has fought through the most challenging times since the Second World War”.
He confirmed that he spoke to the King earlier today to request the dissolution of parliament, before telling the public, “now is the moment for Britain to choose its future”.
The election, he says, will “take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War”.
He referenced Russia-Ukraine as a major “risk”, as well as “forces of Islamist extremism” in the Middle East that threaten global security.
Mr Sunak said migration is being “weaponised by hostile states,” and that China poses another challenge.
The news comes following weeks of discussion in the UK government about the best time to hold the election, but Mr Sunak has decided that sooner is better than later.
The election is expected to be an uphill battle for the conservatives with some polls placing them 20 points behind Labour.
The announcement comes following a series of wins for Mr Sunak and his government, with his controversial Rwanda legislation recently making it through parliament, inflation falling to 2.3% this morning and the economy growing 0.6% in the three months to March.
However, some commentators have said that the current moment is “as good as it gets,” with high debt levels likely to make tax cuts in the autumn difficult and the possibility that continuing high immigration levels could continue over the summer, showing Rwanda isn’t working as a deterrent.
Sky News Deputy Political Editor Sam Coates described the decision as an “audacious” gamble, saying that there are members of the cabinet that do not think Mr Sunak will be prime minister after this election.