British PM announces unexpected early election as Conservative Party in turmoil: ‘Suicide mission’

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Rishi Sunak announces snap general election

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stunned his own party and voters alike when he announced Wednesday that he would call an early general election, which will take place on July 4th. (via: Reuters)

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a snap election that will take place on July 4 in what could prove a pivotal election for the United Kingdom.

“Earlier today, I spoke with His Majesty the King today to request the dissolution of parliament,” Sunak announced outside No. 10 Downing Street on Wednesday. “The king has granted this request, and we will have a general election on the fourth of July.” 

“These uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action,” Sunak said. “To chart a course to a secure future, you must choose in this election, who has that plan? Who is prepared to take the bold action necessary to secure a better future for our country and our children?”

Sunak stood in the pouring rain and took the gamble of his political career, discussing the various pitfalls and challenges of his administration, claiming that he was proud of how he and the greater United Kingdom handled them, citing the pandemic crisis and economic turmoil. 

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Sunak touted economic successes such as the newly announced low inflation rate and improving economy as reasons to call for an election, saying that “this period of economic stability was only ever meant to be the beginning” and that “now is the chance for Britain to choose its future.” 

Rumblings started to grow early Wednesday as cabinet ministers delayed or outright canceled appointments for the rest of the day to attend a 4 p.m. BST meeting with the prime minister, leading to heavy speculation that he would call an early election.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech calling for a general election, outside No. 10 Downing Street, in London, May 22, 2024. (Reuters/Maja Smiejkowska)

Nicholas Watt, the political editor of BBC Newsnight, tweeted out a thread on social media platform X that the decision has taken the Conservative Party by surprise and caused a wave of anger among its members: A “Tory rebel source” told the editor that the party would submit letters calling for a no confidence vote against Sunak should he announce the election, and that calling an election now was “madness.”

“Rishi Sunak has officially launched the U.K. Conservative Party’s suicide mission,” Thomas Corbett-Dillon, a political commentator and former adviser to Boris Johnson, told Fox News Digital.

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“After 2 years of failed leadership, uncontrolled immigration, and consistently ignoring the will of the people, Rishi has decided now is a good time to call an election,” Corbett-Dillon said. “The British Conservatives are on track for a historic loss, and it is not because the country has become more left-wing, it’s because the British Conservative Party no longer represents the right-wing people in the U.K.”

“The far-left Labour Party are expected to win, and they make AOC look like Ronald Reagan,” he added, saying the Conservative Party now more resembled “American Democrats” than any kind of conservative position. “Labour’s victory will be the final sunset for the Mighty British Empire.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak enters No. 10 Downing Street, after delivering a speech calling for a general election, in London, May 22, 2024.  (Reuters/Toby Melville)

The Conservative Party has suffered heavy defeats in recent local elections, losing even historically strong Conservative districts to the opposition Labour Party. Recent polling shows the Conservatives 20 points behind their rivals, according to The Independent, causing even greater confusion among the party membership as to why Sunak would choose now to announce the election. 

The United Kingdom announced its lowest inflation rate in three years on Wednesday, hitting just 2.3% in April, The New York Times reported. Sunak referenced the low inflation and argued that Britons would feel the effects of economic success soon, urging them to be patient and trust in his plan, which he insisted was “working.”  

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But some experts had warned as well that the government lacked the flexibility to institute new tax cuts in the coming year, with limited room for such additions in the March budget and likely as much if not less room in the autumn budget, according to Bloomberg. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt warned, “As things stand at the moment – things can change – it doesn’t look like I’ll have the kind of room that I had for those very big tax cuts in the autumn.”

U.K. House of Commons during a vote on immigration policy. (UK Parliament via AP)

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the election, saying that it was time to “change the country” and “secure a better future” with his party after 15 years of Conservative Party rule, ITV reported. 

Sunak took office on Oct. 25, 2022, succeeding the historically brief tenure of Liz Truss, who departed Downing Street after just 44 days in power, and the tumultuous and chaotic tenure of Boris Johnson. 

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Johnson won an impressive majority in the last general election, held on Dec. 12, 2019, and due to the election guidelines, despite different prime ministers holding office over the past five years, the U.K. would have to hold a new general election no later than Oct. 31 this year.

This is a developing story. 

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.