British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Labour Party rival Keir Starmer to start their election campaigns in earnest on Thursday, a day after Sunak surprised the nation by announcing early elections on 4th July.
Sunak, whose Conservative Party trails Labour by around 20 percentage points in opinion polls, ended months of speculation centered on an election in October or November, and instead used a rain-soaked address to the electorate to kick off what is likely to be six weeks of frenetic campaigning.
Both party leaders are expected to hit the campaign trail, seeking to seize the early initiative by meeting voters and delivering the messages they hope will earn them enough seats in Parliament to form a majority government on July 5.
