Why has Rishi Sunak called a snap election?

With the Tories around 20 points behind Labour in the polls, most experts are predicting not just that Sir Keir Starmer will win the coming election, but will do so by a landslide, writes Simon Walters – so what is the PM thinking?

Sunak’s pitch to the electorate will be that the economy is back on the up under the Conservatives and ‘don’t let Labour wreck it’ (UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Imag)

On the face of it, Rishi Sunak has just done the political equivalent of a man on death row choosing to bring forward the date of his execution.

With the Tories around 20 points behind Labour in the polls, most experts are predicting not just that Sir Keir Starmer will win the coming election, but will do so by a landslide.

So why has Sunak done it?