UK Prime Minister Sunak calls for surprise July election

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday announced that the country would hold a surprise general election on July 4.

Sunak needed to hold a vote by January 2025, according to CNN, and his announcement outside Downing Street coincided with a fall in inflation rates that same day.

"This hard earned economic stability was only ever meant to be the beginning," Sunak said after announcing the election. "The question now is how and who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future for you, your family and our country. Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future."

When Sunak became prime minister in October 2022, annual inflation hit a four-decade high of 11.1%, according to the House of Commons Library. By April 2024, the U.K.'s Consumer Price Index, which measures the cost people pay for goods over time, hit 2.3% compared to the same time the previous year.

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