RUMOURS have been abound that the Prime Minister is set to call a General Election.
The Prime Minister was grilled on the widespread speculation that he would call the next Westminster election on Wednesday at PMQs.
Cabinet is due to meet this afternoon and ministers have reportedly not been told what is on the agenda.
But what are the odds on when the next General Election might be and why is July 4 one of the rumoured dates?
What are the odds on the next General Election?
Speaking in the House of Commons, all Sunak (below) revealed was that “there is going to be a General Election in the second half of the year”.
According to Oddschecker, by far the most likely date for a General Election to be called is between July and September.
Sky Bet have the odds on this at 1/7 while Betfair have it as 1/8. A number of journalists and MPs were speculating that the prospective date would be July 4.
That means you need to put £7 on with Sky Bet to make £1 in profit.
After this, the next most likely date for the General Election, according to the bookies, would be between October and December of this year.
Sky Bet had the odds on this at 13/2 while Betfair had it at 5/1.
Odds for the election to be held between now and June were as high as 40/1 with Betfair given this would be at such short notice.
According to the Sunday Times chief political commentator Tim Shipman, today marks the final day the election could be called for June 27.
What else is happening on July 4?
Should the election be called on July 4, this could have huge implications on Scotland as a number of local authorities will have already started the school holidays.
According to Edinburgh City Council’s website, holidays in the area will start on Friday, June 28 while in Glasgow schools will shut at 1pm on Wednesday, June 26.
In Dundee City Council, schools will also shut on Friday, June 28 while in Perth & Kinross they are set to shut on Thursday, June 27.
Many others have pointed out that the suggestion of a July 4 election would also take place in the midst of this summer’s European Championships.
Although there are no matches scheduled for July 4 specifically, two of the quarter-final fixtures will take place on July 5.
When will an announcement be made?
It’s not yet clear if an announcement will be made at all on Wednesday although speculation is rife.
Reports suggest that the Cabinet has been told to meet at 4pm and ministers have reportedly not been told what’s on the agenda.
The Prime Minister’s top team did not meet yesterday as he was in Vienna.
