“My working hypothesis is that we will have a general election in the second half of this year,” Rishi Sunak said on Thursday during a visit to Mansfield, in central England. The British Prime Minister plans to call the next general elections in the second half of this year, the date of which is the subject of intense speculation in the United Kingdom.
Legally, elections must be held by January 2025 but the head of government can call them at any time.
“I want to continue the work, to manage the economy well and to reduce taxes. But I also want to continue to tackle illegal immigration, assured the 43-year-old Prime Minister, in office for a little over a year. So I have a lot to do and I am determined to continue to serve the interests of the British people. »
Many commentators are wondering about possible elections in early May, the time of year when voting is most often held. Such a scenario would make it possible both to make them coincide with local elections, which promise to be difficult for the conservative government, and to avoid them taking place on a date too close to the American presidential election.
Eighteen points ahead of the conservatives
Currently, Labour, positioned on the center left, is ahead by around 18 points in the polls over the Tories, who have been in Downing Street for fourteen years and weighed down by the scandals of the Boris Johnson era and the purchasing power crisis. caused by inflation.
But opinion polls reveal great unpopularity in power rather than enthusiasm for Labor, whose leader Keir Starmer recognizes that nothing is a foregone conclusion. The latter called for mobilization in his back-to-school speech on Thursday, saying he was “ready” to lead his party to victory.