The British are not happy. In the aftermath of the colossal Brexit mess and the pandemic, the U.K. is reeling from an anemic economy and high inflation that have together created a “cost of living crisis” that’s the worst in most residents’ lifetimes.

While the country’s Conservative Party was traditionally known for competence and financial wherewithal, 14 years of Tory leadership has soured many residents’ opinions, especially as a series of scandals ‒ remember Boris Johnson? ‒ and spectacularly failed initiatives have dominated headlines.

Now, less than two years into the prime ministership of Rishi Sunak ‒ the young finance whiz who was supposed to clean up the Tories’ mess ‒ the U.K. is about to hold another general election. And Sunak’s Tories are expected to take a royal beating.

Here are some key things to know about this week’s vote.

Under U.K. law, general elections, which determine both the 650 members of the lower house of Parliament, known as the House of Commons, and ultimately the prime minister, have to occur at least every five years.

But the incumbent prime minister is in charge of setting the schedule. Sunak took the job in October 2022 after winning a Conservative Party leadership vote to succeed Liz Truss, who resigned following a spectacularly failed budget rollout. (Truss herself had taken office just weeks earlier in the wake of Johnson’s scandal-driven resignation. Remember the cheeky speculation about whether she could outlast a head of supermarket lettuce?)

BENJAMIN CREMEL|AFP|Getty Images

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, soaked in rain, delivers a speech in London on May 22 to announce July 4 as the date of the U.K.'s next general election.

Sunak could have waited until December, five years after the last general election. But in late May, the 44-year-old decided to dissolve Parliament and call the vote for July 4. He likely figured the move would give his party a better shot at retaining power: Although the Conservatives have been in........

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