United Kingdom elections 2024: Date, candidates, what to know

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom is poised to hold its first election in five years in a country battered by the cost-of-living crisis, the fallout from Israel-Hamas conflict and deep divisions over how to deal with migrants and asylum seekers crossing the English Channel from Europe on small inflatable boats. The most likely time for the election is in the autumn, according to the Institute for Government, a London-based think tank. Rishi Sunak, a former Treasury chief who has been prime minister since October of 2022, is expected to lead his party into the election. His primary opponent will be Keir Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions in England and leader of the Labour Party since April 2020.