LONDON: The British parliament dissolved formally on Thursday ahead of the July 4 general election which according to polls Labour Party is expected to win over the ruling Conservative Party.
According to the schedule after the surprise decision of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call the election last week, all 650 seats of members of parliament are now empty and five weeks of campaigning started to elect their successors, who will take their seats from July 9.
The first week of election campaigning has seen a shaky start.
Sunak announced the election for July 4, instead of later in the year as had been expected widely in what observers said was an effort to regain momentum.
After remaining in opposition for 14 years the Labour Party now has the chance to win back power with its leader Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer.
Some 129 lawmakers have so far announced that they will not be standing for re-election.
After the election announcement, PM Sunak travelled across the UK, promoting Conservatives as the safe option.
Polls put Labour on average at 45 percent of voting intentions, against 23 percent for the Tories, suggesting that Labour will have a very large win.
Meanwhile, Labour is seeking to exploit the public’s weariness with the Conservatives, who have seen five prime ministers since 2016 alongside economic woes and scandals.
