A July election is earlier than many in Westminster had expected, with a contest in October or November widely thought to have been more likely.

Rishi Sunak's announcement came after the Office for National Statistics said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation slowed to 2.3% in April, down from 3.2% in March.

He said that inflation was now "back to normal", meaning "the pressure on prices will ease and mortgage rates will come down" - although interest rates are actually a matter for the independent Bank of England.

While the Tories clearly believe they are in the right position to go to the polls, are the other parties election ready?
 

Conservatives

As speculation mounted that Mr Sunak was going to call an election, disgruntled Tory backbenchers submitted letters of no confidence to the chair of the 1922 committee. While falling inflation might have left the PM cock-a-hoop, many of his unhappy MPs pointed to the polls showing the party 20 points behind Labour.

It’s a bit more of a mixed bag for the Tories north of the border. Last week’s YouGov Scotland-wide poll had them on 12%. While that's the lowest rating since the Liz Truss fiscal event, John Curtice said they would likely still hold on to their six MPs. 

Labour

Anything can happen in an election campaign, but all signs point to Sir Keir Starmer moving into No 10.

“We think it is going to be one of the worst elections in history for the Conservatives,” said bookmaker Coral.

That victory would be a huge turnaround for the party who suffered one of their biggest drubbings in 2019.

Any win could be felt keenly in Scotland, where they currently have just two MPs.

Polls predict they could soon be the biggest party north of the border, with Glasgow and the central belt the key battleground. 

SNP

Little more than three weeks ago, John Swinney was a veteran SNP backbencher looking forward to a quiet couple of years after a long career.

Now he’s about to lead the party into what might be their toughest general election in a generation.

The SNP won 48 MPs in 2019. Of those, three have defected and one was forced out after a recall petition, with her seat being lost at a by-election.

Last week’s YouGov poll had Labour 10 points ahead, which Prof Curtice predicted would give them 35 seats, while SNP would be left with just 11.

There was some good news for the SNP in that survey, more than one in three Scots, 35%, have a favourable view of Swinney.

Read more: General Election: Rishi Sunak calls snap vote for July 4

Lib Dems

The Lib Dems have had a good run at the last Scottish council elections and they’ve done very well in by-elections in England.

However, up here the boundary commission changes have not been kind.

They won four MPs in 2019, but on 2024 boundaries they only have a notional two.

That said they should have a real chance of taking back Mid Dunbartonshire, the successor seat to the East Dunbartonshire constituency held by Jo Swinson. 

Scottish Greens

The Scottish Greens are standing more candidates at this vote than they have at any previous Westminster election.

It’s hard to see any of their hopefuls being elected on July 4. They could take votes away from the SNP, especially in Glasgow where John Swinney’s fight with Keir Starmer will be at its closest. 

Alba

This could be a tough vote for Alba, who are fielding a number of candidates across the country.

Thanks to the defection of Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill from the SNP, they have two seats.

While they both have relatively high profiles it is very unlikely that either will be returned.

The real goal for Alex Salmond's party is building towards the 2026 Holyrood vote.

Reform

The Brexiteers have repeatedly promised to stand in every Scottish constituency. That was always unlikely but even more unlikely given the surprise nature of the poll.

The story for them will be down south where they could cause real harm for the Tories.