UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for a General Election after months of speculation.

Sunak made a statement in increasingly heavy rain outside 10 Downing Street yesterday, marking a sad sight as he announced the election which, according to the polls, will not go the Conservatives’ way.

The election date could have been held as late as January 2025, with the last General Election taking place 31 January, 2020.

However, as predicted, Sunak did not wait that long. The date for the 2024 General Election will be Thursday, 4 July.

Some commentators in the media and online have expressed surprise, however, that the Tories did not wait until the autumn in a bid to improve their ratings in the polls.

The BBC’s collation of polling data from different sources shows that Labour is likely to win a near-whitewash in July, currently polling at 45%.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, are at 23%, giving them a massive deficit to make up over the coming weeks.

The BBC data shows a rapid shift in opinions on the two parties in late 2021 – at the time of the Partygate scandal, with Labour taking a modest lead.

The gap widened significantly in late 2022, when the UK saw three separate prime ministers within a matter of weeks after the departure of Boris Johnson and the record-short premiership of Liz Truss.

Commenting on the news and the way the announcement was handled, a disgruntled anonymous Tory MP told the BBC: “Labour MPs are happy. We’re not. That tells a story.”

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The next government, quite literally, has the population’s lives in its hands. As we head into the election season, political parties must remember that a healthier nation is not only beneficial to our day-to-day lives but it supports the safe running of the NHS and wider economy. Our evidence shows that every £1 of investment in the NHS returns £4 to the economy in gross value added (GVA).

“Since the last election, the NHS has gone through its most difficult years with it responding to a global pandemic, growing waiting lists, staffing pressures and strikes, and rising ill health. In the face of these challenges, its 1.4 million staff continue to deliver their very best for their patients but the road to recovery is long.

“Health leaders are clear on what the NHS needs to thrive and they recognise they also have an important role to play in making this happen, including by working even harder to spend every healthcare pound as effectively as possible.

“We are at a turning point for the NHS and political parties have a choice to make on what they want their legacy to be if they are granted the keys to Downing Street. Simply put, the next government’s commitment to the NHS will shape our own health and wellbeing, and those of generations to come.”