Polls are open for the main vote

LONDON – The UK heads to the polls on Thursday, seeking to defy months of polls predicting the incumbent Conservative Party will suffer a historic defeat at the hands of centre-left Labour.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the vote six weeks ago, taking politicians and the public by surprise. Most expected the election to be held later in the year, giving more time for the recent decline in inflation and an expected cut in interest rates to hit voters’ wallets.

Several smaller parties are vying for seats in the UK’s lower house of parliament, the 650-member House of Commons, including the Liberal Democrats, Greens, Scottish National Party, Plate Cymru, Democratic Unionist Party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Voting will take place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Within the UK political system, a party increasing its share of the popular vote does not necessarily win more parliamentary seats – and the Conservatives or Labor led by Keir Starmer are certain to take the reins of power. It may be by winning an absolute majority or by forming a coalition government.

Convention says that the leader of the party with the most seats in the Commons becomes Prime Minister

Political Studies Almost two years According to Hannah Bunting, a lecturer in quantitative British politics at the University of Exeter, a narrow parliamentary majority would have required a historic gain of almost 13% of the national vote, pointing to a Labor victory. That would be a bigger swing than Labour’s Tony Blair achieved over John Major in 1997.

A strong Labor lead was reinforced in a large aggregate vote Published by YouGov Earlier this week.

Politicians and Labor warn, however, that no result is guaranteed and polling could be inaccurate. More than 100 seats, including those currently held by top Conservatives, are thought to be the closest to calling, including Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt and Chung.

Thursday’s vote will be the first UK general election since 2019, when Conservative leader Boris Johnson won the party’s biggest majority win over Jeremy Corbyn’s Labor Party since 1987. It was on a platform of pledging to complete the “Brexit” process of leaving the EU, which is mired in a political stalemate.

Johnson’s administration was later marked by several public scandals, including the “Particate” case, in which senior politicians defied lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to his reluctant resignation in July 2022.

He was succeeded by Liz Truss, who lasted 44 days in office before resigning as the so-called mini-budget crisis rocked financial markets.

Sunak, a former Conservative finance minister, oversaw a period of relative political stability; But the country is struggling with a severe cost-of-living crisis and sluggish economic growth.

The legacy of 14 years of Conservative rule – the party won through a coalition arrangement under David Cameron in 2010 – has been a key theme on the campaign trail.

Sunak and Starmer tried to convince the public that their party could solve important issues such as housing, the National Health Service and defence.

Sunak said during a debate in early June that Labour’s policies would lead to a £2,000 ($2,553.73) tax increase for “every working family” during the next parliament. Starmer said the party had proposed tax increases aimed at specific groups.

The public will have to vote for their local parliamentary candidate between 7am and 10pm local time, after which a closely watched poll will be released.

Votes will be counted overnight and results are expected to be out on Friday morning.