![UK PM Sunak calls general election for July 4](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/36/ce/01/UK-PM-Sunak-calls-general-election--192819.jpg)
-
First Olympic medals up for grabs as rain disrupts Games
-
Epic pool rivalry lights up first day of Olympic medal action
-
IOC apologises for South Korea gaffe in Olympics opening ceremony
-
Bangladesh says student leaders held for their own safety
-
Japan's Sado mines added to World Heritage list
-
'Windmill love' sees Dutch artist become mill operator
-
US defends law forcing sale of TikTok app
-
Messi out for defending champ Miami as Leagues Cup begins
-
Australia bans uranium mining at Indigenous site
-
Divers attempt to reach sunken Philippine oil tanker
-
Trump accuses Harris of anti-Semitism in overblown speech
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese foreign minister in Laos
-
Coughlin clings to lead at LPGA Canadian Women's Open
-
Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
Concern grows as Venezuela blocks election observers
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Blinken, in Laos, set for talks with Chinese foreign minister
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
G20 pledges to work together to tax ultra-rich
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
Stocks rise as US inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
Norris hoping for more after topping Belgian practice times
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
![UK PM Sunak calls general election for July 4](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/36/ce/01/UK-PM-Sunak-calls-general-election--192819.jpg)
UK PM Sunak calls general election for July 4
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set a general election date for July 4, ending months of speculation but not doom-laden forecasts about the size of the government's expected defeat.
The poll will be the first time Sunak, 44, faces the public while in charge, after he was appointed leader of the largest party in parliament by Conservative MPs in October 2022.
The vote -- the third since the Brexit referendum in 2016 -- comes as Sunak seeks to capitalise on better economic data to woo voters hit by cost-of-living rises.
Halving inflation within a year from historic highs of above 11 percent at the end of 2022 was one of the former financier's five key pledges.
That happened last year and on Wednesday rates slowed to a near three-year low at 2.3 percent in March, prompting finance minister Jeremy Hunt to declare: "This is proof that the plan is working."
Sunak, in a Downing Street statement made in driving rain after he gathered his top ministers, said he had spoken to head of state King Charles III and requested the dissolution of parliament.
"The king has granted this request and we will have a general election on July 4," he said, adding: "Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future."
Political commentators have increasingly suggested that Sunak, trailing badly in the polls to the main opposition Labour party, could try to seek a bounce from the healthier outlook.
But critics point out that is more to do with changes in the global economy than government policy.
Sunak had previously batted back all efforts to name a date, saying only that he would go to the country in the second half of this year.
Speculation mounted again after Sunak and his top officials on Wednesday refused to deny fresh talk that he was about to call an election on the back of the more positive data.
Rumours went into overdrive when Foreign Secretary David Cameron was recalled from a trip to Albania and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps delayed a trip to eastern Europe to attend a cabinet meeting.
Hunt also cancelled a scheduled television interview for Wednesday evening, ITV's political editor said, as journalists, photographers and camera crews flocked to Downing Street.
- Uphill task -
The economy -- hit by external factors such as Covid and more self-inflicted wounds such as Brexit and former premier Liz Truss -- will be a key battleground.
But Sunak faces an uphill task to convince the public that the country's finances are still safe in Tory hands after 14 years in power.
Sunak has tried to steady the ship since succeeding Truss, whose 49-day tenure ended after her unfunded tax cuts sent household bills soaring, spooked the markets and crashed the pound.
Immigration -- another key issue since the government's vote-winning pledge to "take back control" of Britain's borders after Brexit -- remains politically troublesome.
Sunak -- the Tories' fourth leader since 2016 -- has talked tough to "stop the boats" of irregular migrants crossing the Channel from northern France.
But his controversial scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda has yet to get off the ground, as costs and legal challenges mount.
Resurgent Labour, under former human rights lawyer Keir Starmer, has meanwhile been consistently ahead of the Tories by 20 points for almost two years.
That has sparked talk of a landslide similar to the first of Tony Blair's three election victories -- and even a near wipe-out for the Tories.
Starmer, 61, and his top team have in recent weeks been putting flesh on the bones of their election pitch, nearly five years after the party was thrashed by Boris Johnson and his vow to "Get Brexit Done".
Last week, Starmer set out six key pledges notably more electorally friendly than the hard-left policies of his divisive predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer, a pro-European centrist, promised economic stability, shorter health service waiting times and a new border security command to tackle irregular immigration.
He also vowed to establish a publicly owned clean energy company, crack down on anti-social behaviour with more neighbourhood police and recruit 6,500 new teachers.
O.Krause--BTB