General election: Rishi Sunak sets date for July 4th

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       Rishi Sunak announced a surprise summer general election in a statement outside Downing Street.

       The Prime Minister fired the starting gun for a July 4 ballot on Wednesday following a day of fevered speculation.

       Mr Sunak made the economy and combating the global security threats facing the UK the key elements of his pitch to the nation as he attempts to overturn a 20-point opinion poll deficit.

       He warned Sir Keir Starmer could not be trusted to lead the country through "uncertain" times.

       In response, the Labour leader told voters: "Together we can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain."

       A July election is earlier than many in Westminster had expected, with a contest in October or November widely thought to have been more likely.

       Here's a look at the latest polling, odds and insight into who could win the UK 2024 general election...

       Rishi Sunak confirmed the general election will take place on July 4 (Image: Getty)

       General Election polls tracker

       As we’ve seen in past general elections, opinion polls can be wrong, but they’re a good place to start.

       A new YouGov poll puts Labour on 46%, with the Tories 25 points behind on 21%.

       Insurgent party Reform UK, led by Richard Tice, is third with 12%.

       Sir Ed Davey's Lib Dems are next on 9%, while the Greens are on 7% and the SNP take 3%.

       The poll of 2,093 British adults was carried out on May 21-22.

       A snap poll by YouGov of 3,509 British adults on May 22 on whether the PM was right to call the general election found 61% said yes and 11% said no.

       ANALYSIS - By Sam Lister

       Tory MPs are furious. Instead of five months to allow the country's brighter economic fortunes to filter through to household budgets, there is only five weeks.

       No flights have yet taken off to Rwanda. Prisons are so full that criminals are being let out early.

       It also means backbenchers' plans to campaign hard locally over the summer holidays are gone and instead many will be out of a job. Conservative staff were being told only this week that they had three or four months to fine-tune the campaign.

       Electoral strategist Isaac Levido, the spreadsheet guru who looks constantly at the data, has always pushed for a poll at the end of the year.

       But yesterday was the Prime Minister's last chance to call a summer vote and he decided it was better to rip the plaster off.

       Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)

       Latest election odds

       Ladbrokes have revealed Labour are as short as 1/20 to win the most seats, while 1/10 says we see an overall majority for Labour, compared to 25/1 for the Conservatives.

       Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "Things look like they're going very much Labour's way, as far as the latest odds are concerned... and while we don't yet know exactly when the next General Election will be, we'd be staggered if the outcome isn't a Labour Majority."

       Betfair says the Tories are on course for election wipeout, odds on at 1/2 to lose 201 or more seats.

       Betfair Spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “The Betfair Exchange saw a huge amount of activity on its ‘next election date’ market this morning with July being backed in all day and the PM’s confirmation this evening of a July 4th election has not surprised punters.

       “And if Rishi Sunak had hoped his call would improve the Tories’ chances of an election win, then he won’t be pleased to see the Betfair odds showing a clear Labour win in July.

       “Labour are being heavily backed to win an overall majority, which is as short as 2/13, and they are even shorter at 1/12 to win the most seats when the country goes to the polls.

       “The Tories remain odds-on at 1/2 to lose a whopping 201 or more seats, and punters don’t seem convinced that it will be anything but a wipeout for the PM’s party."

       According to betting site Oddschecker, Labour are massive favourites to win the most seats in the general election, with odds of 2/17.

       The odds of the Conservatives winning a majority are 21/1, with Reform at 50/1 and UKIP at 110/1. According to the bookies, Labour is 1/9 to have a majority after the national vote, with the odds of a Labour Minority Government at 16/1.

       The bookies currently put the chances of a Labour-Lib Dem coalition at just 20/1, giving 25/1 odds of a Conservative majority.

       Expert analysis

       Daily Express political editor Sam Lister said the PM announcing a snap election when his party is 20 points behind in the polls is a "bold move".

       She wrote: "Rishi Sunak has been constantly consulting his senior advisers about when to call the vote and most insisted the end of the year was the most sensible time.

       "But a couple of his closest aides have been telling him to go early if inflation was down and growth on the up.

       "He has chosen to bet the house on their advice."