The front pages of UK newspapers are dominated by news of Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a snap general election on July 4th. This move has been described as a “bombshell” by the Metro, which reports that Sunak made the decision after a day of denials. However, the Financial Times suggests that this early election is a “big gamble” by Sunak, as the Conservative Party is currently lagging behind Labour by more than 20 points in opinion polls. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail quotes Michael Gove as telling Sunak he has “dared and will win” and the Daily Mirror pokes fun at Sunak’s soaking wet appearance as he arrived back at No 10 after making the announcement.
The Guardian writes that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is widely expected to become the next prime minister following his party’s transformation since losing the last general election under Jeremy Corbyn. The paper reports that Starmer is quoted as saying, “Together we can stop the chaos,” as the battle for number 10 officially gets underway. The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, takes a dig at Labour by using a play on their “Things Can Only Get Better” anthem, with a protester playing the song on a loudspeaker during Sunak’s speech. Associate editor Gordon Rayner writes that the prime minister’s message is that things have got better under his leadership, and things could get worse if Labour take power.
Finally, the i describes the snap election as “judgment day” with parties scrambling to put together manifestos and find enough candidates to fill seats. It reports that Sunak’s decision was influenced by falling inflation and the fear of setbacks on tax cuts and interest rates if the election was delayed further. The Daily Express focuses on Sunak’s message to its readers, stating that a vote for Labour is a “risk” to everything that has been “hard won,” whilst the Daily Star mocks up a postbox with the face of ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells superimposed on it, calling her “Little Miss Twaddle.
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