UK election update: Labour candidate Keir Starmer (left) and Chancellor Rishi Sunak
UK Election Live Updates: Voting in the UK takes place today, with polling stations open from 7 am to 10 pm (0600-2100 GMT). Exit polls at 10 pm will provide the first indication of the results, but full results are due to be published early on Friday. Opinion polls for this year’s UK election suggest that the centre-left Labour Party is set to win a historic victory in Thursday’s election, which would end 14 years of Conservative rule and potentially see Starmer take over as Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street by Friday morning. YouGov’s final seat projections, published on Wednesday, show Labour on track to win a majority of 212 seats, the largest by any political party in modern history.…read more
In the final days of the campaign, Labour leader Starmer and Conservative Chancellor Rishi Sunak both warned voters of severe economic consequences if their opponent won.
Who is Labour candidate Keir Starmer?
Keir Starmer (61), Labour’s candidate to face Rishi Sunak in the 2024 UK election, became leader of the party in 2020 after it suffered its worst electoral defeat in 84 years in 2019 under veteran leftist Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer has focused on shaping Labour as a party known for competence and pragmatism, rather than one driven primarily by ideology. A former human rights lawyer who rose to become Britain’s top prosecutor, Starmer entered Parliament in 2015 and served as Corbyn’s spokesman on Brexit. Starmer is named after Labour founder Keir Hardie.
Starmer’s campaign has been centered around a simple promise of “change”, resonating with public frustration over Britain’s strained public services and falling living standards – symptoms of economic weakness and political uncertainty.
Important points to know
– British voters head to the polls on Thursday to judge Sunak’s 20-month tenure and the four Conservative prime ministers who came before him. They are widely expected to do something they have not done since 2005 – elect a Labour government.
– In UK general elections, each person votes in 650 constituencies to represent a seat in the House of Commons, and each party needs 326 seats to win a majority, but because the Speaker and three MPs do not vote, about 320 seats are usually enough. Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein party abstained from running for a seat in Westminster.
– The Sun, a British tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch, on Wednesday backed Labour and Starmer, saying in an online editorial that “it’s time for change.”
– Mr Sunak has sought to persuade voters that his 20 months in office marked an end to his predecessor’s economic chaos after external shocks like COVID-19 and the Ukraine war, and an end to years of turmoil under Conservative governments. Mr Sunak, who is about 20 points behind Labour in opinion polls, has asked former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom he ousted in 2022, to address the Conservative party conference late on Tuesday night.
– Many election experts predict that turnout will be low, below the 67% recorded in 2019. However, if the election results in a Labour majority and weakens the Conservative Party, it could bring about major changes for the UK.
(With input from relevant agencies)
