LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Britain is poised to scrap a milestone sale of shares in NatWest Group to the general public, three sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, hours after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the UK's first summer general election since 1945.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and UK Government Investments, the agency that manages Britain's holding in NatWest, were betting that the sale could jumpstart ambitions to promote wider retail ownership of UK stocks.

The July 4 poll now places the decision in the hands of the next government, the sources said, declining to be named pending official confirmation.

The UK finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting By Sinead Cruise and Anousha Sakoui, editing by Elisa Martinuzzi and Amanda Cooper)