Rishi Sunak to address nation as expectation mounts he will call a summer election
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was due to address the nation on Wednesday amid mounting expectations that he will call a summer general election.
Sunak's office confirmed that he would issue a statement statement after positive economic figures set Britain's political rumor mill alight with speculation that an election might be imminent. Multiple British media outlets said he would name a July 4 date for the election.
Sunak's office declined to quash the rumors and refused «to rule anything in or out» after reports that the prime minister planned to announce the U.K.'s long awaited election for the summer.
Britain must hold a national election by January 2025, and Sunak has repeatedly said it will be in the back end of 2024.
He stuck to that line Wednesday, answering a lawmaker's question about whether there would be a summer vote: «Spoiler alert: There is going to be a general election in the second half of this year.»
That could mean any time from July 1. Since British elections are usually held on Thursday, speculation has centered on July 4 as a potential date.
Speculation mounted when Sunak called a Cabinet meeting for Wednesday afternoon — rather than the usual Tuesday — and Foreign Secretary David Cameron flew back early from a trip to Albania to attend.
British elections must be held at least every five years, but the timing is the prime minister's choice. If Sunak were to announce one, he'd make a courtesy call on King Charles III, then
