The British Conservative Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced this Wednesday (22) the call of legislative elections in the United Kingdom for July 4. Polls indicate a clear advantage for the Labor opposition, which could return to power after 14 years.
“I have spoken to His Majesty the King and requested a dissolution of Parliament. His Majesty has agreed, and a general election will be held on July 4,” Sunak said outside his official residence in Downing Street.
The announcement ended months of speculation, which previously suggested the election would be held at the end of the year. Originally, the election was scheduled before the end of January 2025, and until then, Sunak had only mentioned the possibility of an election “in the second half” of the year.
Polls indicate that Labour (centre-left), led by Keir Starmer, has made a significant gain with around 45% of the vote, almost double the Conservatives who have been in power since 2010 (20% to 25%).
“In the days ahead, I will fight for every vote to earn your trust. I will demonstrate that only a Conservative government led by me, capable of preserving our hard-earned economic stability, can restore pride and confidence in our country,” Sunak said.
Starmer, for his part, described the general election as “an opportunity for positive change”.
He said, “We can leave the chaos behind, turn the page and begin to rebuild the United Kingdom, which will transform our country.”
The Conservatives need to recover from 14 years of breakdown in government, the turmoil of the Brexit referendum and then five prime ministers in eight years.
If not, the next resident of Downing Street will be Starmer, 61, a retired lawyer. He brought the Labor Party closer to the center after succeeding Jeremy Corbyn, a big name on the left, as party leader four years ago, but suffered a serious setback in the 2019 legislative elections.
Earlier this month the Conservatives suffered their worst defeat in 40 years in local elections, culminating in Labor defeats in London (with the re-election of Mayor Sadiq Khan) and other major cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield. Resulted in victory. Sunak’s position has been further weakened by Tory infighting.
*with AFP
Editing: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
