It's a brave or even a desperate leader who calls a snap general election when trailing in the polls by 20%.

With three weeks to go to polling Day on the 4th of July, Ritchie Sunnax Gamble looks like

it'll backfire and, possibly spectacularly, with perilous consequences for Britain's oldest continuous party, the Conservatives.

And for the second most powerful member of the Cabinet, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who's

Britain's top finance minister.

It means a fight for his political life after a career spanning nearly 20 years.

Welcome to Power Play, Politico's Weekly Podcast, where I talk to some of the most influential people

on either side of the Atlantic.

I'm Anne McElvoy, and if you haven't already please do take a moment to follow this

podcast wherever you're listening so you don't miss an episode with a guest you might

like to hear from in this especially eventful election year. This week I'm joined by Jeremy Hunt on the campaign trail in his own

backyard the prosperous commuter towns and villagers of leafy Surrey to the south of London have returned Conservative MPs

to Parliament for generations.

And it's a sign of his party's predicament that he's fighting for every vote here against

his challenges, the Liberal Democrats and that

would also benefit labor in the national picture perhaps giving it a huge

majority. It's a very prosperous street here, quiet in the mid-morning, very manicured gardens,

good cars outside the houses really should be solitary territory.

Jeremy Hunt's talking to a voter because it turns out it's not.

Hello.

This is Anna.

Hello. Can you disturb your morning. What did you tell him?

...