All the polls leading up to the UK general election give Labour an overwhelming advantage. Brexit and its impact on the UK economy, Covid-19 and rising costs of living seem to have dashed the Conservative Party’s hopes.
The United Kingdom is celebrating this Thursday, July 4th, elections with a strong aroma of a change of cycle, as according to all predictions it will mark the end of the ‘Tory’ era (conservatives) and could return power to the Labour Party. 14 years away from Downing Street,
These will be the first elections since Britain left the European Union and they will be marked by the consequences of the elections themselves. Brexit.
Opinion polls on voting intentions confirm the victory of the Labor Party by Keir Starmer and they also see that this formation can make history by a absolute majority never seen in the country before.
According to opinion polls, Labour will win 41% of the vote, meaning Keir Starmer could become prime minister with a majority of over 200 seats, the largest of any post-war government. Moreover, Labour could win more seats than it did in 1997, when the party was led by Tony Blair.
For its part, the Conservative Party of current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing an electoral disaster. In the last election it won 365 seats and is expected to get only around 20% of the total vote. Not only that, Sunak’s seat could be at stake.
He Brexit and its impact on the British economy, Covid and the rise in the cost of living appear to have buried the Conservative Party’s hopes. The Conservatives have already conceded defeat, but it remains to be seen what the final difference will be.
The leader of the British Labour Party, Keir Starmer asked this Thursday to vote for “change” while the Prime Minister is conservative Rishi Sunakto avoid a Labour “supermajority”. Both wrote X on their social media accounts to mark the opening of polling stations. “Change. Today you can vote for it,” Starmer wrote, while Sunak stressed the importance of “stopping the Labour supermajority.”
The British electoral system favours the two major parties, the Conservatives and Labour. But discontent with the Conservatives has also emboldened the far right, which, along with four other parties, the Liberal Democrat Party, the Reform UK party – formerly the Brexit–, SNP and the Green Party have options to gain representation.
Polling stations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland opened their doors at 07:00 local time (08:00 in the Basque Country), on a day that will last until 22:00 local time (23:00 in Euskal Herria).
In total, around 46 million Britons are called to vote in the general election to choose the composition of the 650-seat House of Commons (lower) of parliament.
How does the British electoral system work?
The country is divided into 650 constituencies, and in each of them the citizens elect one candidate. In this way, the voters directly elect a member of parliament in the Lower House, one for each constituency, without having to draw up party lists. The leader of the party that wins the most legislators becomes prime minister.
Of the 650 MEPs, 543 represent England, 57 Scotland, 32 Wales and 18 Northern Ireland. Under this system, there is no requirement to obtain an absolute majority, nor to hold second rounds.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
