On Thursday, the British cast their votes in an ongoing parliamentary election that is expectedly bringing Keir Starmer’s Labour Party to power and potentially ending Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives administration after 14 years.
Opinion polls showed a thumping victory for Starmer, reflecting that people want change due to infighting within the Conservative Party which has seen five premiers in 8 years. This may place Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer elected with a broad platform but without overwhelming popular support or enough money to implement it.
Starmer told voters: “Today Britain can begin a new chapter.” “We cannot afford five more years under the Tories. But change will only happen if you vote labour.”
The country’s forty thousand polling stations opened at 0600 GMT. At his parliamentary constituency of Richmond in Northern England, Sunak, 44 voted early accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty. Starmer voted at around 0830 GMT with his wife in his North London constituency.
Sunak had called the election earlier than expected and recently changed tack during his campaign. He shifted from advocating for another consecutive Tory win to warning about dangers associated with Labour dominance in parliament without checks.
While making his last appeal before the final vote on this day, Sunak warned against potential risks under a Labour government including increasing taxes, economic setbacks and growing insecurity amid global tensions-claims refuted by Labor party.
“They will do lasting damage to our country and our economy – just like they did the last time they were in power,” he said. “Don’t let that happen.”
Voting ended at10 p.m. (2100 GMT), with an exit poll giving first indication of results. Detailed official outcomes were expected by early Friday.
If opinion polls are correct then Britain would join other European countries punishing their own governments following cost of living crisis caused by Covid-19 pandemic as well as Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. On the other hand, unlike France, Britain appears poised to move towards center-left rather than further right.
Since Sunak replaced Liz Truss in October 2022, Labour has had a poll lead of 15 to 20 points. Truss resigned after just 44 days in office when there was a bond market crash and pound collapsed. Pollsters say that Labour could get one of the biggest election wins in British history even surpassing Blair or Thatcher majorities. However, a lot of people who have not decided on their vote and possibly low turnout may affect the result.
This would have been unthinkable during the last general election in 2019 when Boris Johnson won a substantial Conservative victory. At that time, predictions indicated that Conservatives would be governing for at least ten years with labour seemingly destroyed.
Starmer took over from veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn after Labour’s most crushing defeat in 84 years back in 2019, having served as England and Wales’ chief prosecutor. Since then he has moved it to the middle ground.
Conversely, Tories have been torn apart by internal chaos under Johnson; hostility after Brexit referendum outcome and failure to meet needs of 2019 voters. Party integrity was destroyed by Johnson while economic credibility went down hill under Truss leaving Sunak tasked with rescuing things. However inflation rates returned to target levels from an eleven-point-one percent peak in forty one years ago and some issues related with Brexit were resolved but polling stations did not show any improvement.
Sunak’s campaign was hit by several problems, including his announcement of the poll in pouring rain, early departure from a D-Day event that disappointed veterans and allegations of gambling in the election among his assistants which reopened scandal talk. At the same time, Nigel Farage’s surprise take over as leader of right-wing Reform UK has eaten away at Conservative votes, and center-left Liberal Democrats are expected to do well in wealthy southern England.
Starmer could also have an advantage in Scotland if there is a resurgence of Labour following a funding scandal within the Scottish National Party. But running the country may pose serious challenges for him.
His campaign focused on only one promise- “Change,” targeting public discontent with stretched public services and worsening living conditions. However, it is not possible for him to make much difference; taxes are at their highest rate since 1949 yet national debt is nearly equal to gross domestic product.
Starmer repeats this warning consistently and seeks international investments to help solve these problems.
Sunak argues that his two years as Chancellor have steered the economy towards a positive path, hence Labour should not be allowed to put all that progress in danger.
“They will do lasting damage to our country and our economy – just like they did the last time they were in power,” Sunak said. “Don’t let that happen.”
Voting ended at 10 pm (2100 GMT), with an exit poll providing the first indication of the results while detailed official outcomes were expected by early Friday morning.
