The Latest | The UK has voted in a national election to choose its next government
Voters in the U.K. have cast their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election, which could have taken place as late as January 2025.
After 14 years in power under five different prime ministers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ’s Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the main opposition party, the left-of-center Labour Party led by Keir Starmer. Sunak’s party has struggled to reassure voters on issues including the rising cost of living and a crisis in the National Health Service.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 10 p.m. on Thursday night. Even before in-person voting began, hundreds of thousands of people had cast their ballot by postal vote.
Counting will begin immediately but most of the results will only be announced in the early hours of Friday.
Here’s the latest:
Exit poll: Conservatives set to face historic defeat; anti-immigration Reform UK gains big
Results from Britain’s exit poll suggest that the governing Conservatives are set to have their seats in the 650-seat House of Commons cut down to 131 — the Tories’ worst result in the party’s two-century history and one that would leave the party in disarray.
The exit poll also forecasts the left-of-center Liberal Democrats will take 61 seats, and Nigel Farage’s right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK, which currently does not have any seats, is set to take 13 seats. The Green Party is expected to take 2.
The Scottish National Party, SNP, are expected to secure 10 seats.
Exit poll suggests Labour is heading for a landslide victory
As polls close across the U.K., an exit poll suggests the Labour Party is headed for a huge majority in Britain’s election.
The poll, released moments after polls closed on Thursday, indicates that Labour leader Keir Starmer will be the country’s next prime minister.
Britain’s exit poll is conducted by pollster Ipsos and asks people at scores of polling stations to fill out a replica ballot showing how they have voted. It usually provides a reliable though not exact projection of the final result.
The exit poll suggested that Labour will win 410 of the House of Commons’ 650 seats, with the Conservatives taking 131 seats.
A key unknown: How will turnout influence the outcome of the UK election?
One of the significant unknowns in Thursday’s U.K election is how turnout will influence the outcome. The number of people who voted won’t be known until after polls close.
The U.K. has 67 million residents and 46 million were registered to vote in the last general election in 2019. Turnout at that time was 67%.
In local elections in May when Conservatives suffered heavy losses in council seats and mayoral offices, turnout averaged 30%, the Institute for Government, an independent think tank, reported.
Conservatives expressed optimism that reports of high turnout Thursday could help them overcome polls that have suggested a widespread Labour victory.
With a double-digit lead in the polls, Labour fears supporters will be complacent and won’t vote. They’ve urged their supporters to go to the polls.
Until polls close in the UK, humans’ canine friends are the winners
If you were watching the news coverage of the U.K. election, you would be forgiven for thinking it has gone to the dogs.
Seemingly every news site had a gallery of images with dogs outside polling stations, patiently waiting for their owners to do their civic duty while the news business fulfilled an obligation of its own to protect the sanctity of elections.
The U.K. has restrictions on what can be reported on election days before the polls close to avoid influencing voters. Unlike the United States, where there is wall-to-wall coverage and analysis, there is no such reporting in Britain.
There are just reports that people are going to the polls, along with photos and footage of the lead candidates entering polling stations — but there is no discussion of their campaign platforms.
Thus, the puppy love.
There was Alfie, a blonde shaggy dog in Chiswick, Arnie a cockapoo wearing a rainbow color bowtie in Liverpool and Tobie, a rare ottherhound, in Norfolk. Those were on Sky News.
On the BBC, there was Lucien, a Bernese mountain dog, lying outside Antrobus Village Hall in Cheshire, Pippin, a fox red Labrador, in the Edgware part of London, and Maui, an Old English sheepdog in Wokingham.
Journalists went the extra mile to show that it wasn’t just pooches at polls — they found at least two horses, a cat, a chicken and a giant snake named Neptune.
A north London borough and Labour stronghold excited about the possibility of change
Voters in the north London borough of Islington started to gather even before the polling station opened as the historically Labour Party stronghold tantalizingly considers the possibility of a change in government after 14 years of Conservative rule.
James Erskine, who works in advertising, said he was unable to forgive Conservative austerity policies that he believes have decimated public services, such as the National Health Service. Even so, he wanted to vote for something rather than against something.
“I think nothing has gone well in the last 14 years, and I think it’s really important that the right result happens,’’ he told The Associated Press. “I was even excited that we might get a different opposition to the big two parties. I don’t actually think that will happen, but that would be amazing. I just see this as the potential for a seismic shift, and that’s what I’m hoping for.”
Erskine did not disclose who he voted for
England’s team base at Euro 2024 is a ‘politics-free zone’
England’s team base at the European Championship soccer tournament in Germany is a “politics-free zone” on election day, defender John Stones says.
Stones said he had no clue about his teammates’ voting intentions.
“I couldn’t tell you about the other lads. I’m sure it it’ll be something that’ll get brought up tonight, later on, but I couldn’t tell you who they vote for. They keep it close to their chests,” he said.
That’s a stark contrast to France’s players, who have been vocal about a hard-fought parliamentary election campaign at home.
England is preparing for its Euro 2024 quarterfinal match against Switzerland on Saturday
Staunchly conservative voters in Clacton weigh a switch to the Reform Party
LONDON — Britain is going to the polls Thursday at a time when public dissatisfaction is running high over a host of issues.
From the high cost of living and a stagnating economy to a dysfunctional state health care system and crumbling infrastructure, some disillusioned voters have turned to the populist Reform Party.
Its divisive leader Nigel Farage, who championed Brexit, is drawing growing numbers of Conservative voters with his pledge to “take our country back.”
Opponents have long accused Farage of fanning racist attitudes toward migrants and condemned what they call his scapegoat rhetoric. They say that underfunding of schools, hospitals and housing under governments on the right and left is the problem, not migrants.
Polls show Farage has a comfortable lead in Clacton-on-Sea — a town on England’s southeast coast where many older, white voters used to staunchly support the governing Conservatives.
It’s unclear how much impact his party will have in capturing seats and Parliament, though it could be a spoiler by siphoning votes from Conservative candidates.
Farage, who has lost seven campaigns for Parliament, was the rare party leader who didn’t go to the polls Thursday. He voted in advance by mail.
All voters must bring ID for the first time in a general election
All voters in the U.K. were required to bring identification with them Thursday for the first time in a general election.
A change in the law has required voters in England, Scotland and Wales to prove their identity since 2023 by showing a passport, drivers’ license and more than a dozen other acceptable forms of ID.
Voters in Northern Ireland have had to show identification since 1985, and photo ID since 2003.
The Elections Act introduced by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2022 was enforced, ironically, earlier this year when Johnson tried to vote without ID in a local election in South Oxfordshire.
He was turned away, but returned later with his identification and cast his vote.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, who urged voters to take ‘a leap of faith,’ votes in his suburban London district
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey voted Thursday in an election that could see his left-of-center party gain a larger share of seats in Parliament.
Davey’s Lib Dems have been trying to make inroads in areas of southern England where Conservatives are vulnerable as their party has plunged in popularity after 14 years in power.
Davey’s stunt-filled campaign has been a publicity bonanza. He has tumbled off a paddleboard into a lake, braved roller coaster rides and bungee jumped, urging voters to take “a leap of faith.”
The party had 15 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons when Parliament was dissolved in May.
The party has vowed to improve Britain’s ailing health and social care systems, including introducing free nursing care at home. It wants to lower voting age to 16 and rejoin the European Union’s single market. Davey has championed the cause of hold water companies accountable for dumping sewage in rivers.
Davey, first elected to Parliament in 1997, greeted members of the news media as he arrived with his wife, Emily, to vote at a Methodist church in Surbiton, a suburb in southwest London.
“It’s a beautiful day,” he said as he left the polls. “I hope lots of people come out to vote.”
UK communities locked in tight contests as traditional party loyalties come second
Communities all over the United Kingdom such as Henley-on-Thames are locked in tight contests in which traditional party loyalties come second to more immediate concerns about the economy, crumbling infrastructure and the National Health Service.
Though it has traditionally been a Conservative Party stronghold, the area known for its famous regatta may change its stripes. The Conservatives, which took power during the depths of the global financial crisis, have been beset by sluggish growth, declining public services and a series of scandals, making them easy targets for critics on the left and right.
“This is a blue (Conservative) town, always has been,’’ said Sam Wilkinson, a restaurant manager. “My generation won’t necessarily vote blue, not necessarily, but at the same time who else do you vote for? It’s really tricky. I’m just kind of looking out for my kids really, hopefully more money into education and the arts.”
Residents steadily streamed to the polling station, including Patricia Mulcahy, who is retired.
“The younger generation are far more interested in change,’’ she said. “So, I think whatever happens in Henley, in the country, there will be a big shift. But whoever gets in, they’ve got a heck of a job ahead of them. It’s not going to be easy.”
Labour’s ex-leader Corbyn casts vote as an independent candidate
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is running for reelection as an independent, posted a photo of himself voting Thursday in his North London district.
Corbyn, a socialist who has won his seat for Labour at every general election since 1983, was suspended from the party and barred from running by Labour after his leadership faced antisemitism allegations.
He became deeply unpopular after Labour in 2019 suffered its worst defeat since 1935.
Keir Starmer was chosen as leader to replace Corbyn and he has rebuilt it and moved it closer to the center. Pollsters and politicians expect Labour to win the largest number of seats.
Corbyn posted a photo of himself on the social media platform X with his right thumb up, saying: “Just voted for the independent candidate in Islington North. I heard he’s alright.”
Labour’s Keir Starmer, favored to win power, votes in London
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer voted Thursday in an election that is widely expected to return his party to power for the first time in 14 years and make him prime minister.
Starmer, who has warned his supporters not to take the election for granted despite polls and politicians predicting a landslide, voted in his London neighborhood.
Pollsters have given Labour a double-digit lead since before the campaign began six weeks ago.
Starmer has spent his time criss-crossing Britain and urging voters to vote for change.
He has pledged to revive a sluggish economy, invest in the nation’s crumbling infrastructure and repair the broken National Health Service, which his center-left party founded in 1945.
Scottish National Party leader, fighting Labour wave, casts his vote
Scottish National Party leader John Swinney has voted as his party fights to hold off a wave of support from the rival Labour Party.
Swinney, who became the SNP’s third leader in just over a year in May, has tried to bring stability to a party in turmoil.
Scotland’s long-serving First Minister Nicola Sturgeon abruptly stepped down last year during a campaign finance investigation that eventually led to criminal charges against her husband, who was the party’s chief executive.
Swinney joined the party at 15 years old, and previously led the party from 2000 to 2004.
Swinney has said that if his party wins a majority of seats in Scotland he will try to open Scottish independence negotiations with the London-based U.K. government. He wants to rejoin the European Union and the European single market.
Swinney walked to the polls in Burrelton Village Hall, Perthshire, with his 13-year-old son Matthew.
Sunak votes in his Northern constituency
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cast his ballot Thursday in a national election that will determine if he remains in office.
Sunak, who tried to bring stability to a Conservative Party in chaos when he was picked as leader in October 2022, spent the past six weeks trying to persuade voters across the U.K. to give his party another term after 14 years in power.
Pollsters and politicians widely expect the Labour Party to win for the first time since 2005.
Sunak’s campaign got off to a soggy start when he called the snap election in a downpour outside 10 Downing Street in May.
He had been expected to wait until the fall, when expected improvements in the economy would give him a better chance.
Sunak voted shortly after polls opened in his constituency in Yorkshire in northern England.
Polls open in vote that could end Tories’ 14 years in power
British voters are picking a new government on Thursday after polls opened at 7 a.m. for a parliamentary election that is widely expected to bring the opposition Labour Party to power.
Against a backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust of government institutions and a fraying social fabric, a fractious electorate is delivering its verdict on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010.
The center-left Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, has had a steady and significant lead in opinion polls for months, but Labour leaders have warned against taking the election result for granted, worried their supporters will stay home.
Sunak, for his part, has tried to rally his supporters, saying on Sunday that he still thought the Conservatives could win and defending his record on the economy.