London May 22 2024: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a national election for July 4, saying Britons would be able to choose their future in a vote his Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party after 14 years in power.
Sunak said he spoke to the King earlier on Wednesday to request the dissolution of parliament.
The last July UK general election was in 1945, Reuters Andy Bruce reports. Held on July 5 of that year, it resulted in a landslide for Clement Attlee’s Labour.
Rishi Sunak became Britain’s first prime minister of colour and the first of Indian origin when he won the race to lead the Conservative Party in 2022. Sunak took office during one of the most turbulent periods in British political history, replacing Liz Truss, who only lasted 44 days before she said she would resign.
Keir Starmer was named after the founder of the Labour Party, Keir Hardie. He was brought up in a staunchly left-wing household. A human rights lawyer who often defended underdogs and worked to get people off death row around the world, Starmer went on to be Britain’s top prosecutor. He received a knighthood for his services to law and criminal justice in 2014. Starmer turned to politics in his 50s, becoming a Labour lawmaker in 2015. Five years on, he inherited the Labour Party after its worst election showing since 1935.
