Britain able to vote over NHS, immigration and value of dwelling

Brits have revealed the key issues they are voting over on July 4, after prime minister Rishi Sunak called a surprise election this afternoon, following months of speculation. 

The Tory PM is set to officially announce the massive gamble this afternoon in an official statement at Downing Street, which comes as the Labour party has soared miles ahead in the polls. 

Top party members, including foreign secretary Lord Cameron, cancelled plans and made their way back to London to discuss the election.  

Across the country, voters said they were itching to get to the polls, revealing they are voting in hoped that problems with immigration, the cost of living crisis and the deepening crisis in the NHS get solved. 

Brian Mosley, 70, the director of a machine tools company welcomed the snap election. The father-of-four from Bury, Greater Manchester, said: ‘I am ready, whenever. I think the Conservatives have lost the country. It’s the old adage, stay in power too long and it leads to corruption.

‘They have lost touch with everybody and the Government doesn’t support business like our European neighbours do. There is a skills shortage in this country and we need a change.

‘I’m not sure Keir Starmer has the right solutions but we need to do something – we need investment in the NHS, the police and in education. I would pay another penny or two in income tax for that.’

Louisa, a 23-year-old living in London, told MailOnline that she was looking forward to having some continuity in British politics.

‘We might finally have one prime minister for the whole term!’, she joked. 

But Helen Ramsey, 59, a regional sales manager from Oxfordshire, said she isn’t looking forward to the build up to the snap election. 

The divorced mum-of-one, said: ‘I’m sitting on the fence about it. I’m already bored with politics at the moment but if we are having an election in July that’s all we are going to hear for the next six weeks.

‘A lot of people will be away for their summer holidays by July so that will affect the turn out.’

Stephen Watson, 38, from Gateshead, disagreed, saying that the news of the surprise election was ‘shocking.’

‘[Sunak] caught us off guard with that. It is shocking news to me, I thought he would’ve called it later this year to see if he could boost his popularity.’ 

He added that he believed the Tories were going to struggle in the upcoming election. 

‘I think the Conservatives are gonna get roasted either way to be honest. I think they’re gonna get beaten. They’ve got problems in the party they need to sort out. I don’t know what Rishi is thinking.

‘I think he knows he’s going to get beaten in the next general election, so he’s just ripping the band aid off and the Conservatives can go back to sorting themselves out internally before fighting again.’

Jeffrey, a 24-year-old from London, said he was not keen on either party, and wanted to vote for someone who was more down to earth.

‘There needs to be someone who understands the general public, who has been in our shoes’, he told MailOnline. 

Brad Blain, 59, a film distribution consultant from Cardiff, agreed, adding: ‘It probably is time we had an election. The last few years of Brexit, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis – there’s been so much change, people are ready to express their view on who should be running the country.

‘But a summer election will be something – they’ll want to have it before people start going away in the summer holidays.’

Retired management consultant David Phillips, 72, and father-of-one from Bridgend, South Wales, said: ‘I’m already looking forward to it.

‘I have no problem voting for alternative parties in local elections but in general elections I vote for a party and that is Labour.

‘For me, the sooner we have an election the better. Former Conservative Prime Ministers like John Major and Margaret Thatcher have acted with integrity – and they haven’t told lies. It’s time for a change.’

Over in Maidstone Lance Brookfield, 65, self-employed, was cautiously happy about the announcement.

The Maidstone local who is soon to retire said: ‘Sooner is better in my opinion.

‘We’ve had two unelected Prime Ministers. I know they won heavy under Boris Johnson but it all went badly wrong.

‘I’m a bit p***** off really that it has taken this long. The Government is supposed to be working for the people and they’ve been keeping it to themselves for so long.

‘I nearly always vote Green. But this time I am torn between them and just trying to unseat the Tories.

‘I might have to vote change in that case. 

Pensioners Nick and Alison Cooper were downbeat about the election being called.

The pair voted Labour in 2019 but described themselves as one-time Tories.

Alison said: ‘I don’t know how to feel about it because I don’t know who I am going to vote for.

‘I think that he’s realised it’s not going to get any better so he’s said let’s go now.

‘Inflation is better and interest rates are set to come down and I think Sunak thinks that’s the best he’s going to get.

Nick added: ‘I don’t trust any politicians anymore. They’re careerists. Back in the day, people would do something beforehand and now it’s a bunch of people straight out of doing their degrees.’

A sodden Sunak had to battle both the rain and the sounds of New Labour anthem Things Can Only Get Better being blasted from beyond the Downing Street gates, as he said he would ‘fight for every vote’ as he attempts to overturn a 20-point opinion poll deficit.

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’.

‘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.’

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.’