TIME TO DECIDE
Do we get a Bank Holiday for the July 4 General Election? Here’s all you need to know
Sunak says inflation is now 'back to normal'
BRITS will have 15 hours to cast their vote in the upcoming general election on July 4.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the date on May 22, giving voters just a few weeks to make up their minds who they want to run the country.
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Can I get time off to vote in the General Election?
Polls will open at 7am and close at 10pm, those who work are usually expected to cast their vote before or after work or during their lunch break.
But if this is not possible, employees are entitled to request time, though it is down to the discretion of their boss whether or not the time off is granted.
Is July 4 a Bank Holiday?
While polling days are viewed as important by many, they are not Bank Holidays.
Although teachers as well as pupils may get a day off as a number of polling stations are set up in local schools.
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But on polling day, it will be business as normal for the vast majority of the country.
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.
What did Rishi Sunak say in his Downing St speech?
The Prime Minister made the economy and combating the global security threats facing the UK the key elements of his pitch to the nation as he announced the election date.
In response, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told voters: "Together we can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain."
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Mr Sunak said: "This election will take place at time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War."
He highlighted Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the tensions in the Middle East relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict, China's efforts to "dominate the 21st century" and migration "being weaponised by hostile states to threaten the integrity of our borders".
The building blocks for Rishi Sunak’s soggy General Election announcement were all there - they’d been planning it for weeks
"These uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action to chart a course to a secure future," he said.
"You must choose in this election who has that plan."
Mr Sunak's announcement came after the Office for National Statistics said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation slowed to 2.3 per cent in April, down from 3.2 per cent in March.
He said that inflation was now "back to normal", meaning "the pressure on prices will ease and mortgage rates will come down" - although interest rates are actually a matter for the independent Bank of England.
It was "proof that the plan and priorities I set out are working", Mr Sunak said, but he acknowledged "for some it might still be hard when you look at your bank balance".
Mr Sunak said he had restored "hard-earned, economic stability".
"The question now is how and who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future for you, your family and our country."
He added: "On July 5, either Sir Keir Starmer or I will be prime minister. He has shown time and time again that he will take the easy way out and do anything to get power.
"If he was happy to abandon all the promises he made to become Labour leader once he got the job, how can you know that he won't do exactly the same thing if he were to become prime minister?
Why is Rishi Sunak calling a General Election now?
By Kate Ferguson, Sun on Sunday Political Editor
So, why has the PM suddenly decided to roll the dice and call a summer election?
The first thing to point out is that No10 was not united on the decision.
One camp, led by the Tory Party’s chief strategist Isaac Levido, had urged the PM to “go long” and wait until October or November to hold an election.
This would give them more time to show the economy is improving and let the Bank of England cut interest rates, they argued.
This in turn would let banks cut mortgage rates, which are currently crippling family budgets.
Only then would people start to feel financially better off.
But another team, led by the PM’s Political Secretary James Forsyth, have been pushing for a summer election.
Now, it is important to note that James is Rishi’s best mate.
They have known each other since school, are godparents to each other's kids, and Rishi was best man at James’ wedding.
They are more than just political colleagues. They are besties.
Anyway, James’ camp reckons Rishi can now finally show he is achieving all five of the priorities he set out when he became PM.
These are - halve inflation, get the economy growing, get debt falling, cut NHS waiting lists and pass new laws to stop the boats.
On the economy, the PM will point out that growth is up, wages are rising and inflation is down to 2.3 per cent - almost bang on target.
NHS waiting lists also dropped for the fourth month in a row, according to official figures out last month.
And on stopping the boats, the PM has managed to pass laws enacting his flagship Rwanda deportation plan.
The thinking is - strike while the iron is hot and you can put five big ticks by your promises.
But there is also grim news for No10 that has nudged them into calling a summer election.
Their flagship Rwanda Bill has passed parliament and is now law. But hopes they will get a flight off the ground this year are fading fast.
Northern Ireland's HIgh Court ruled that the plan breached human rights laws and therefore should not apply in NI.
This paved the way for English laws to also reject it.
Meanwhile, small boat crossings are going up again.
A whole summer of damaging headlines showing boats on the shores of Dover will only feed a sense that No10 does not have a grip.
Rishi is famously straight laced.
He doesn't drink, he has never taken drugs, and he is not a gambler.
But he has staked it all on a July 4 election.
Will he come up trumps? Or will he lose it all?
"If you don't have the conviction, to stick to anything you say, if you don't have the courage to tell people what you want to do and if you don't have a plan, how can you possibly be trusted to lead our country, especially at this most uncertain of times?"
But Labour leader Sir Keir said: "If they get another five years they will feel entitled to carry on exactly as they are. Nothing will change."
He promised a "new spirit of service", putting the country before party interests.
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"I am well aware of the cynicism people hold towards politicians at the moment, but I came into politics late, having served our country as leader of the Crown Prosecution Service, and I helped the Police Service in Northern Ireland to gain the consent of all communities."
He added service was the "reason, and the only reason why I am standing here now asking for your vote".
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