Rishi Sunak announces UK general election for Thursday 4 July

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Rishi Sunak has vowed to "fight for every vote" as he called an early UK general election for Thursday 4 July.

In a surprise announcement, the PM said he would go to the polls this summer as he bids to win a fifth term in office for the Conservatives. It overturned expectations of an autumn election, which might have given his party a better chance of closing the gap with Labour.

Sir Keir Starmer said it was "time for change" away from "Tory chaos". Labour has been posting large leads in national opinion polls, and has insisted it has a fully organised campaign ready to go.

Parliament will now be suspended on Friday, before it is formally shut down on Thursday next week ahead of an official five-week election campaign. It means there are only two days to pass any outstanding legislation - a move which will mean some of the government's measures will have to be abandoned.

Rumours had swirled from early on Wednesday morning, and as Prime Minister's Questions got under way in the Commons, it still wasn't clear whether an announcement was coming. October or November had been thought more likely for an election date.

But confirmation that annual inflation had fallen to its lowest rate in almost three years triggered hours of speculation in Westminster that the UK's first July election since 1945 could be on the cards. The prime minister referenced the stats as he announced the election date in Downing Street, in a sign he hopes to frame his campaign around a narrative of economic recovery after a period of rising living costs. He added the fall in inflation, along with the UK's emergence from recession earlier this year, were "proof that the plan and priorities I set out are working".

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