Rishi Sunak has announced a general election will take place this summer. In a statement outside Downing Street this afternoon the prime minister confirmed the nation will head to the polls on Thursday, July 4.
This morning, the Tory leader declared inflation was “back to normal” in a “major milestone” for the country, following official figures showing inflation slowed to 2.3 per cent in April, down from 3.2 per cent. READ MORE: Rishi Sunak general election announcement leaves people distracted by 'hilarious' addition However, the latest opinion polls show Sir Keir Starmer's Labour party with a 20-point lead over the Tories, suggesting Mr Sunak's government are on track to lose the vote.
The announcement came after Cabinet ministers were summoned for an unusually timed Cabinet meeting, with defence secretary Grant Shapps and foreign secretary Lord Cameron cutting short foreign trips to attend.
Speculation had been mounting in Westminster that the prime minister was eyeing up a summer election, despite previous hints that a vote was most likely to take place in the autumn.
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