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Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a general election on July 4 has set in train a series of political and constitutional events unforeseen 48 hours ago.
裏希•蘇納克(Rishi Sunak)決定在7月4日舉行大選，這引發了一系列48小時前未能預料的政治和憲法事件。
With an election now six weeks away, these are the some of the key moments in Britain’s new political calendar.
現在距離大選還有6周的時間，以下是英國新政治日曆上的一些關鍵時刻。
What does the election mean for parliament?
這次選舉對議會意味著什麼？
The prime minister’s decision to hold a July 4 poll has led to a frenetic clearing of the legislative decks before parliament is officially “prorogued” — or suspended — on Friday.
首相決定在7月4日舉行大選，導致議會在週五正式「休會」或暫停之前的立法清理工作。
The surprise calling of a summer election has forced Sunak to hurriedly drop key bills including measures to crack down on smoking by young people and create a new football regulator for England.
出人意料的夏季選舉迫使蘇納克匆忙放棄了一些重要法案，包括打擊年輕人吸菸的措施，以及爲英格蘭建立一個新的足球監管機構。
Parliament will be officially dissolved on May 30, at which point all seats fall vacant. Some MPs resent the fact that they have had little time to say their farewells to colleagues.
議會將於5月30日正式解散，屆時所有席位都將空缺。一些議員對他們幾乎沒有時間和同事道別的事實感到不滿。
After the election, parliament will meet on July 9, when the first business will be the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons and the swearing-in of new MPs. The State Opening will take place on July 17.
選舉結束後，議會將於7月9日開會，屆時第一件事將是選舉下議院議長和新議員宣誓就職。國會開幕大典(The State Opening)將於7月17日舉行。
When will the manifestos appear?
宣言何時發表？
Labour says its manifesto, or programme for government, is ready but it has yet to set a publication date. According to party insiders it will be “a reasonably slim document”. Sunak claims Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition party, has “no plan” for the country.
工黨表示，其宣言或政府計劃已經準備就緒，但尚未確定發佈日期。據黨內人士透露，這將是一份「相當薄的檔案」。蘇納克聲稱，主要反對黨領袖基爾•斯塔默爵士(Sir Keir Starmer)對國家「沒有計劃」。
The Labour manifesto has been pulled together by Rav Athwal, a former academic and Treasury official, but under tight political control from Pat McFadden, the party’s campaign co-ordinator, and campaign chief Morgan McSweeney.
工黨宣言由前學術界和財政部官員拉夫•阿斯瓦爾(Rav Athwal)起草，但受到該黨競選協調人帕特•麥克法登(Pat McFadden)和競選負責人摩根•麥克斯威尼(Morgan McSweeney)的嚴格政治控制。
Party insiders say McFadden and McSweeney have “bomb-proofed” the manifesto to avoid it exploding in the course of a six-week campaign. Expect a focus on “stability” with promises to reform worker rights, planning and a pledge to invest in the green transition.
黨內人士稱，麥克法登和麥克斯威尼已經對宣言進行了「防爆」處理，以避免它在爲期6周的競選過程中引爆。預計他將把重點放在「穩定」上，承諾改革工人權利、規劃並承諾投資綠色轉型。
Allies of Sunak say the Conservative manifesto is “in good shape” and is intended to show the party has not run out of ideas. “It’s not going to be bland,” said one. The party says it expects to publish the document early in the campaign.
蘇納克的盟友表示，保守黨的宣言「狀態良好」，意在表明該黨還沒有窮盡想法。其中一人表示：「宣言不會是平淡無奇的。」該黨表示，預計將在競選初期公佈這份檔案。
Will Tanner and James Nation, two policy advisers, “held the pen” on the document. Expect red-blooded commitments on tax cuts, migration, welfare reform and extra defence spending.
兩位政策顧問威爾•坦納(Will Tanner)和詹姆斯•納恩(James Nation)「執筆」這份檔案。預計他們將在減稅、移民、福利改革和增加國防開支等問題上做出令人振奮的承諾。
Will there be TV debates?
會有電視辯論嗎？
Although they feel like a long-standing tradition in British politics, TV debates between party leaders started only in 2010, a remarkable 50 years after Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy went head to head in the US presidential race in 1960.
雖然電視辯論在英國政壇似乎是一個歷史悠久的傳統，但政黨領袖之間的電視辯論直到2010年纔開始，這距離1960年理查德•尼克松(Richard Nixon)和約翰•F•肯尼迪(John F Kennedy)在美國總統競選中正面交鋒已有50年之久。
Typically the underdog in an election has more to gain from such an encounter, so Sunak’s team have challenged Starmer to take part in a televised debate during every week of the six-week campaign.
通常，在選舉中處於劣勢的一方會從這樣的交鋒中獲益更多，因此，蘇納克的團隊向斯塔默發起挑戰，要求他在爲期6周的競選活動中，每週都參加一場電視辯論。
“Don’t you think the British public deserve to know what you actually stand for?” asked Richard Holden, Tory chair, on social media platform X. It is highly unlikely Starmer will agree to such an intense schedule.
保守黨主席理查德•霍爾頓(Richard Holden)在社群媒體平臺X上問道：「難道你不認爲英國公衆應該知道你到底代表什麼嗎？」斯塔默極不可能同意如此緊張的日程安排。
“I’ve been saying bring it on for a very, very long time,” Starmer said in January. “I’m happy to debate any time.”
斯塔默在今年1月表示：「我已經說了很久很久了，開始吧，我很樂意隨時進行辯論。」
There has been speculation that the Labour leader might only take part in two debates on the BBC and ITV. A spokesperson for Starmer declined to comment, but insisted: “We’re up for it.”
有人猜測工黨領袖可能只參加BBC和ITV的兩場辯論。斯塔默的發言人拒絕置評，但堅稱：「我們準備好了。」
How will candidates be picked?
如何挑選候選人？
A frantic rush by all the parties to select their final candidates will now take place before the June 7 deadline to submit nomination forms to the Electoral Commission, the elections watchdog.
在6月7日向選舉監督機構選舉委員會(Electoral Commission)提交提名錶格的最後期限之前，所有政黨都將瘋狂地快速選出他們的最終候選人。
Both the Conservatives and Labour have scores of vacancies left to fill, with additional openings arising on Thursday after a new clutch of MPs announced they would be stepping down at this election.
在一批新議員宣佈他們將在這次選舉中辭職後，保守黨和工黨都有幾十個職位空缺需要填補，週四還會出現更多的職位空缺。
The latest departures include Tory MPs Dame Eleanor Laing, deputy Commons speaker, plus ministers Jo Churchill and Huw Merriman. Labour MPs Holly Lynch and Kevan Jones have also now said they will leave parliament.
最新離職的包括保守黨議員、下議院副議長埃莉諾•萊恩爵士(Dame Eleanor Laing)，以及部長喬•丘吉爾(Jo Churchill)和休•梅里曼(Huw Merriman)。工黨議員霍利•林奇(Holly Lynch)和凱萬•瓊斯(Kevan Jones)也表示將離開議會。
The heaviest scrutiny will fall on empty Labour and Tory “safe” seats, into which party bosses are likely to try and parachute favoured figures. The central party machines enjoy far greater influence in these eleventh-hour selections.
最嚴格的審查將落在工黨和保守黨空缺的「安全」席位上，黨魁們可能會試圖把自己看好的人空降到這些席位上。中央政黨機器在這些最後時刻的選擇中享有更大的影響力。
Will international meetings be affected?
國際會議是否會受到影響？
Sunak’s decision to go for July 4 throws up some significant political and diplomatic challenges. Downing Street’s working assumption is that he will still attend the G7 summit in Bari, Italy, between June 13 and June 15.
蘇納克決定在7月4日舉行大選，這帶來了一些重大的政治和外交挑戰。英國政府目前的假設是，蘇納克仍將出席6月13日至15日在義大利巴里舉行的七國集團(G7)峯會。
More interesting is the fact that whoever emerges as prime minister on July 4 — opinion polls suggest it will be Starmer — will be thrust immediately on to the world stage with two big upcoming international summits.
更有趣的是，無論誰在7月4日當選首相——民意調查顯示將是斯塔默——都將立即被推到世界舞臺上，參加即將舉行的兩場大型國際峯會。
The newly elected UK leader will travel to a Nato meeting in Washington starting on July 9, where the Ukraine war will be high on the security alliance’s agenda.
新當選的英國領導人將於7月9日前往華盛頓參加北約(NATO)會議，烏克蘭戰爭將是該安全聯盟的重要議程。
Then crucially on July 18, the new premier is scheduled to host a meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace. London’s sluggishness over fixing this date for the grouping of more than 40 European states had already riled allies.
至關重要的是，7月18日，這位新首相將在布萊尼姆宮(Blenheim Palace)主持歐洲政治共同體(European Political Community)會議。倫敦方面對於確定這個由40多個歐洲國家組成集團的會議日期的遲緩，已經激怒了盟友。
A change of prime minister would further complicate matters. Sunak intended the event to focus on irregular migration, while Starmer is likely to favour a broader agenda.
更換首相將使問題進一步複雜化。蘇納克希望這次會議能集中討論非正常移民問題，而斯塔默則可能傾向於更廣泛的議程。
