Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that Britain would hold elections on July 4, after requesting the dissolution of the parliament.
"Earlier today I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of parliament. The king has granted this request and we will have a general election on July 4," he said.
Speculation about an imminent election had mounted throughout the day after 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.
Sunak’s center-right party has seen its support dwindle steadily after 14 years in power. It has struggled to overcome a series of crises including an economic slump, ethics scandals and a revolving door of leaders in the past two years.
The center-left Labour Party is strongly favored to defeat Sunak’s party.
