UK voters are heading to the polls today for an important general election. This election is seen as a decision on 14 years of Conservative rule.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for this snap election, which is happening months earlier than necessary. This early call surprised many people in his party.
The opposition Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, is hoping for a comeback, in the last election, Labour had its worst defeat since 1935. However, Starmer has worked to rebuild the party since then.
The six-week campaign has seen all major parties traveling across the country to gather votes. The main topics of discussion have been the economy, the cost of living, the state of public services, taxes, and immigration. Not much has been said about Britain’s relationship with the European Union, which the country left in 2020.
Since the last general election in 2019, which Boris Johnson won by a large margin, the Conservative Party has had three different prime ministers. Boris Johnson was replaced by Liz Truss in 2022, Truss became the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, and she was then replaced by Rishi Sunak.
During the campaign, Nigel Farage, a prominent supporter of Brexit, announced his return to politics. He is now leading the hard-right Reform UK party.
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Today, Sunak, Starmer, Farage, and other party leaders are expected to vote at their local polling stations. About 46.5 million British people are eligible to vote. They will cast their ballots in 650 different areas across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. To form a majority government, a party needs to win at least 326 seats.
News outlets are not allowed to report anything that could influence voters while polls are open. An exit poll will be released by British broadcasters as soon as the polls close at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET). Vote counting will continue throughout the night and into Friday morning.
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