Rishi Sunak pulled the trigger on a summer election in a Downing Street statement tonight. The premier is taking a massive gamble by announcing a July 4 date, despite Labour being miles ahead in the polls.
Jeremy Hunt has killed rumours. The. Eyes are turning to whether. Boris Johnson has urged voters to back the Tories amid speculation he might. TheFor a man taking the biggest gamble of his career, Rishi Sunak did not look lucky.
Read More All the engagements the royal family may miss as King Charles announces the Firm will postpone appearances that 'may appear to divert attention from election' The first clue came on his whirlwind trip to Austria on Tuesday when observers noted that Mr Sunak was in a buoyant mood. 'He was so chipper it was almost weird,' one said. 'It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Suddenly the PM could consult his Cabinet and inform the King without having to make any obvious changes to his schedule to alert the outside world of his dramatic decision. Later on, he launched the Conservative Party's election campaign at the Excel Centre in east London Only when it emerged that Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps were being recalled from abroad to attend the crunch Cabinet meeting did the rumours start to harden up.
But privately Mr Sunak and his chief-of-staff Liam Booth-Smith continued to harbour doubts about the wisdom of antagonising grumpy voters further by delaying the election. They also believed that springing a sudden election could throw an under-prepared Labour Party off guard. Behind the scenes, ministers were ordered to start work on manifesto plans two months ago.
Jitters over small boats also played a part. The PM hopes the first deportation flight to Rwanda will take off before the election – and he is ready to overrule any attempt by the European courts to block it. But Tory strategists believe many more flights would be needed to stop the boats. One former Cabinet minister said: 'I told them they were off their rockers to be thinking about a summer election. We are 20 points down, we need time to let the better economic news have an impact, we need another round of tax cuts and we need to get those flights off to Rwanda – that is critical. To go now is madness.'
By Davild Wilcock, Deputy Political Editor, James Tapsfield, Political Editor and Greg Heffer, Political Correspondent After taking a drenching from the rain when he announced the election in Downing Street just after 5pm, Mr Sunak later bounded around the stage in front of his ministers, some of whom looked less than ecstatic to be in an election campaign this early in the year.
A veteran Tory MP told MailOnline: 'The mood is funereal. It's like that scene at the end of Four Weddings and a Funeral. This is a disaster. Just look at the launch – it was a disaster. Mr Sunak said it was the 'moment for Britain to decide' its future, whether he should stay as PM or Keir Starmer take over
'The question now is how and who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future... now is the moment for Britain to decide its future,' he said. Preparations are being made for a Conservative rally at the Excel centre later tonight with campaigning due to kick into overdrive. Ms Murty applauds her husband during his rallying cry as Mr Sunak takes a massive gamble on his political career
Mr Sunak said: 'These uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action to charter a course to a secure future. He said: 'This election will take place at time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War.' The rumours gathered pace after Mr Sunak hailed a 'major milestone' this morning with inflation tumbling to the lowest level in nearly three years.The last general election held in July saw a Labour landslide in which Clement Attlee swept to power to oust Winston Churchill after the end of Second World War hostilities in Europe.
A new generation of MPs who came to define 20th century British politics entered Parliament, including James Callaghan, Michael Foot and Harold Wilson. Then it emerged Lord Cameron had cut short a trip to Albania to be back in time for the Cabinet meeting at 4.15pm, while Jeremy Hunt cancelled an appearance on ITV tonight.Tories were furious at the prospect, with claims the chair of the powerful 1922 committee Graham Brady had agreed to accept text messages from people who want to voice no confidence in the leader.
The latest Savanta poll gave Labour a 17-point lead over the Tories. According to Electoral Calculus, those numbers would produce a 236 majority for Keir Starmer. He raged that No10 officials must stop 'placating' Mr Sunak and giving airtime to 'average' colleagues.
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