General election 2024: Rishi Sunak to make statement outside Downing Street – UK politics live

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Sunak says the king has granted the dissolution of parliament, and the election will be on 4 July.

Key events

Sunak is now talking about government achievements.

We’ve tackled inflation, controlled debt, cut workers’ taxes, and increased the state pension by £900.

We’ve reduced taxes on investment and seized the opportunities of Brexit to make this the best country in the world to grow a business, put record amounts of funding into our NHS and ensured it is now training the doctors and nurses it needs in the decades to come.

Sunak says the election will be a choose – who will take the right decisions to give people a better future.

(Sunak is getting drenched in the rain.)

Sunak is almost being drowned out by someone playing ‘Things can only get better” very, very loudly in Whitehall.

Sunak says the king has granted the dissolution of parliament, and the election will be on 4 July.

Rishi Sunak starts by saying the country has fought through the most challenging times since the second world war since the last election.

During Covid, he said the country faced a defining moment. He said we would be defined by the small acts of kindness.

He reminds people he set up the furlough scheme.

He says he has never and will never leave people to face the darkest of days alone.

He will do all he can to provide people with the strongest possible protection.

The pandemic upended many aspects of life.

And just as the country was recovering, the war in Ukraine sent energy bills spiralling.

He says he is someone who puts economic stability first.

I came to office above all, to restore economic stability.

Economic stability is the bedrock of any future success. Whether that is rising wages and good jobs, investment in our public services, or the defence of the country.

And because of our collective sacrifice and your hard work, we have reached two major milestones in delivering that stability, showing that when we work together anything is possible.

The lectern has arrived. And it does not have a prime ministerial crest, which means he is announcing party business, not government business. Confirmation that he is calling an election (if you don’t trust all the media organisations already telling you, as fact, he will be announcing he’s going to the polls).

The rain is getting worse in Downing Street. This is from the FT’s Lucy Fisher.

The rain is getting heavier in Downing St as we wait for Rishi Sunak to come outside at 5pm and call a snap July election

Speakers are out but no podium yet… pic.twitter.com/2gKT305wuL

— Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) May 22, 2024

The rain is getting heavier in Downing St as we wait for Rishi Sunak to come outside at 5pm and call a snap July election

Speakers are out but no podium yet…

When Liz Truss delivered her first speech in Downing Street at PM, the weather was also terrible. She kept driving around Wesminster in her car for several minutes until the rain eased off for a bit.

This is from Philip Collins, the journalist and former Labour adviser.

Sunak's given up. Calling an election now means he's given up.

— Philip Collins (@PhilipJCollins1) May 22, 2024

Tim Shipman, the Sunday Times’ political editor, agrees.

The view of most MPs and ministers I have spoken to today https://t.co/EEX4Nhekvp

— Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) May 22, 2024

Nicholas Watt from Newsnight has more on Tory reaction to the election news.

Am rather losing count of the number of ministers asking me what is happening with their government. One described an imminent general election as “weird”. They asked: why do it before the flights have taken off for Rwanda?

— Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) May 22, 2024

Am rather losing count of the number of ministers asking me what is happening with their government. One described an imminent general election as “weird”. They asked: why do it before the flights have taken off for Rwanda?

From Sky’s Darren McCaffrey

The last time there was a July election in the UK was in 1945 (July 5th)

Labour won by a landslide

— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) May 22, 2024

The last time there was a July election in the UK was in 1945 (July 5th)

Labour won by a landslide

From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg

Gift for the sketch writers - it is absolutely CHUCKING IT DOWN in Downing Street while they're getting ready for the announcement

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) May 22, 2024

Gift for the sketch writers - it is absolutely CHUCKING IT DOWN in Downing Street while they’re getting ready for the announcement

According to Beth Rigby from Sky News, Rishi Sunak will be making his statement from inside No 10 because it is raining.

From David Williamson from the Sunday Express

I just rang up a backbencher to see what they thought of an early election and they told me they were in the process of writing a no confidence letter.

— David Williamson (@dp_williamson) May 22, 2024

I just rang up a backbencher to see what they thought of an early election and they told me they were in the process of writing a no confidence letter.