A UK election has been called for July 4. Here’s what to know
Associated PressLONDON — The United Kingdom’s first national election in five years is shaping up as a battle for the country’s soul, with some saying it poses an existential threat to the governing Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010. FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer pass through the Peer’s Lobby to attend the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Sunak, a former Treasury chief who has been prime minister since October 2022, is leading his party into the election. Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks from 10 Downing Street to speak to the media in London Wednesday, May 22, 2024, as he announces that he is to call a General Election for July 4. Immigration: Thousands of asylum seekers and economic migrants have crossed the English Channel in flimsy inflatable boats in recent years, raising concerns the government has lost control of Britain’s borders.