Britain is holding a general election on Thursday, with the main opposition Labour Party expected to return to power for the first time in 14 years.
The main candidates on the national ballot are:
Keir Starmer
Labour leader Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, is polled as likely to win the election and become prime minister.
Starmer, 61, has been credited with moving the party back to the centre and rooting out anti-Semitism since succeeding left-winger Jeremy Corbyn as leader in April 2020.
His supporters see him as pragmatic and trustworthy, ideally suited to steer Britain out of economic decline.
Critics have accused him of being unmotivated and duplicitous, who failed to present a clear vision for the country during a careful election campaign.
Mr Starmer was born in London to a toolmaker father and a nurse mother, and his unusual first name was given to him by his socialist parents as a tribute to Labour party founder Keir Hardie.
An avid footballer and Arsenal fan, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to criminal justice but rarely puts the prefix “Sir” before his name.
Rishi Sunak
Sunak, 44, was appointed by his own MPs to be leader of the Conservative Party and therefore prime minister in October 2022 and is seeking a vote of confidence from the British people.
He succeeds Liz Truss, whose tax-cutting economic policies upset markets, cost her party support and led to her ouster after just 49 days in power.
Mr Sunak, who is of Indian descent, is Britain’s first Asian and Hindu prime minister.
The former financier is credited with stabilising the chaotic government of Truss and Prime Minister Boris Johnson and significantly bringing inflation down.
But he failed to deliver on some promises, including reducing medical waiting lists, stopping illegal immigration and repatriating migrants to Rwanda.
Mr Sunak has run a lackluster and botched election campaign, starting with announcing election date in the rain and then facing criticism from Senator Normandy for missing a key Senator Day event.
Opinion polls show his approval rating is one of the lowest of any prime minister in history.
Nigel Farage
The beer-loving, cigarette-smoking former MEP, 60, is one of the most controversial figures in British politics.
He earned the nickname “Mr Brexit” from former US President Donald Trump after persuading a majority of Britons to vote to leave the European Union in 2016.
But this extreme eurosceptic is an annual loser at Westminster and is trying to become an MP for the eighth time.
He leads the far-right Reform UK party, which opinion polls suggest could steal some key seats from the Conservatives needed for re-election.
Mr Farage was embroiled in a racism scandal after several reform activists were filmed making racist and homophobic comments.
The Reform Party, which Mr Farage co-founded in 2018, denied backing three candidates over the weekend, citing offensive comments.
Mr Farage also faced criticism after saying the West had “provoked” Russia into invading Ukraine.
Swinney, Davie, Denier
Neither Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats nor John Swinney’s Scottish National Party (SNP) are likely to win the election, but they could have a say in who wins.
Davie, 58, is aiming to win several seats in the south of England to stop the Conservatives from winning and overtake the SNP to regain the third largest party position in Parliament.
He has combined campaigning on serious issues like adult social services and polluted waterways with irreverent antics like falling off a paddleboard and trying to compete in an obstacle course.
Mr Swinney, 60, is not a member of the UK Parliament but became leader of the SNP in May following the resignation of Humza Yousaf and is first minister in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
His Scottish National Party (SNP) is struggling to prevent a Labour resurgence that could destroy Scottish independence hopes for a generation.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denier, 38, is hoping to win the new seat of Bristol Central, where the far-right group is aiming to increase its number of MPs from one to four.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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