Sunak’s summer election gamble is bound to backfire

The general election we’ve all been waiting for has finally been called. The Prime Minister announced the election date – 4 July – in the pouring rain, his suit jacket becoming drenched as he spoke, all while someone blared ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ outside Downing Street. The whole scene was so on the nose, no satirist would have ever thought of staging it. It should be clear already that Rishi Sunak has made a terrible mistake.

The PM has clearly been advised that going early with his election announcement is preferable to being seen to ‘do a Gordon Brown’ and holing up in No.10. The inflation figures yesterday may have also been a factor. But while it’s true that inflation has slowed to 2.3 per cent on the year to April – which marks the lowest headline inflation rate in almost three years – this is hardly something that is going to persuade people to vote Tory.