London:
Britons went to the polls on Thursday for a general election that is widely expected to bring the opposition Labor party emphatically to power and end almost a decade and a half of conservative rule.
The country’s first national vote since Boris Johnson won a landslide for the Tories in 2019 follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise call for it to be held six months earlier than necessary.
His gamble appears to have backfired spectacularly, with polls throughout the six-week campaign – and the past two years – pointing to a heavy defeat for his right-wing party.
That would almost certainly put Labor leader Keir Starmer, 61, in Downing Street as leader of the largest party in parliament.
The centre-left Labor Party is expected to win the first general election since 2005 by historic proportions, with a flurry of polls on the eve of the election all predicting the biggest victory ever.
But Starmer took nothing for granted as he urged voters not to stay at home. “The future of Britain depends on the vote,” he said. “But change will only happen if you vote for it.”
Long night
Voting started at 7am at more than 40,000 polling stations across the country, from church halls, community centers and schools to more unusual locations such as pubs and even a ship.
At 10 p.m. the broadcasters then announce exit polls, which usually provide an accurate picture of how the main parties have performed.
Results from Britain’s 650 constituencies are trickling in overnight, with the winning party expected to win 326 seats at dawn on Friday – the threshold for a parliamentary majority.
Polls suggest voters will punish the Tories after 14 years of often chaotic rule and could oust a string of ministers, saying even Sunak himself might not be safe.
That would make him the first sitting prime minister not to retain his seat in a general election.
“I appreciate that people have frustrations with our party,” he admitted on Wednesday. “But tomorrow’s vote… is a vote about the future.”
Recommendations
Sunak, 44, is widely believed to have run a dismal campaign, culminating in anger over his decision to prematurely end France’s D-Day commemorations.
In new blows on Wednesday, The Sun newspaper switched to Labor – an important show of support as the tabloid has supported the winner in every election for decades.
It follows the Financial Times, the Economist and The Sunday Times, as well as the traditionally left-wing newspapers The Guardian and The Daily Mirror, which also endorse the party.
Meanwhile, three major surveys indicated Labor was on the brink of a record victory, with the Tories achieving their worst ever result and the centrist Liberal Democrats re-emerging in third place.
YouGov, Focaldata and More in Common are all expected to win at least 430 seats, more than the 418 under Tony Blair in 1997.
The Conservatives could plunge to a record low of less than 127, the trio predicted.
The Lib Dems were tipped to win dozens of seats – up from their current 15 seats – while Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform UK party was likely to win a handful.
YouGov and More in Common both predict that the Brexit figurehead would finally become an MP after the eighth time of asking.
‘National renewal’
If predictions are correct, Sunak will visit head of state King Charles III on Friday to offer his resignation as prime minister.
Starmer will meet the monarch shortly afterwards to take up his invitation to lead the next government – and become prime minister.
The Labor leader will then travel to Downing Street – the office and residence of Britain’s leaders – where he is expected to give a speech before making ministerial appointments.
It would mark a remarkable political rise for the former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, who was first elected to parliament in 2015.
He has promised a “decade of national renewal” but faces a daunting task in reviving creaking public services and a flagging economy.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)