Polling day has arrived for the UK’s general election, in what’s expected to be a landslide victory for the Labour Opposition after 14 years of a Conservative UK Government. Here’s your UK election guide for the historic day.
Around 46.5 million voters are eligible to determine who will be Prime Minister: Conservative leader and PM Rishi Sunak, or Labour’s Keir Starmer.
Here’s your guide to the UK election.
Tory popularity
Sunak is hoping to hold on to power for his Conservative Party (also known as the ‘Tories’). However, Labour’s Keir Starmer has consistently polled ahead of Sunak as preferred leader.
Overall, Labour has led the Tories in almost every opinion poll since December 2021, when former PM Boris Johnson was found to have held unlawful COVID-19 lockdown parties at his residence with senior ministers.
The scandal became known as “Partygate“ and eventually led to Johnson’s resignation in 2022.
Liz Truss took over from Johnson as PM but resigned within weeks after she announced a series of controversial tax cuts.
Truss resigned as Prime Minister after 45 days in office — the shortest stint in UK history.
Her leadership marked a slump in the Tories’ popularity. Opinion polls showed Labour was roughly 30 points ahead of the Conservative Government in the days before she stepped down.
Sunak became the UK’s first non-white PM when he took over the leadership in October 2022.
Polls show the Tories could be heading for their worst election defeat in history.
British newspapers The Sun and The Sunday Times, both owned by former News Corp Chair Rupert Murdoch both endorsed Opposition Leader Keir Starmer, the first time they’ve backed a Labour candidate since Tony Blair in 2005.
Campaign
In May, Sunak announced an election would be held on 4 July.
Sunak’s campaign has been overshadowed by a recent Tory betting scandal.
The BBC has reported up to 15 Tory candidates are under investigation, along with one Labour candidate, about unlawful bets on the date and outcome of the election.
London police have confirmed one of the PM’s bodyguards is also under criminal investigation.
Rishi Sunak
Sunak is a 44-year-old former investment banker. Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty are estimated to be worth more than £651 million ($AU1.2 billion).
In the lead up to the election, Sunak has promised voters tax cuts and stronger economic growth under a renewed Conservative Government.
He’s also pledged to reintroduce mandatory national service for school graduates. Sunak’s plan would make it compulsory for young people in the UK to train in the military or volunteer through emergency services.
Keir Starmer
Starmer is a lawyer and former chief public prosecutor, and was knighted for services to law in 2014. He has been a Labour MP since 2015.
Starmer became Labour leader after his party suffered one of its worst-ever election defeats under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in 2019.
In the lead up to this election, Starmer has pointed to his record of change within Labour, turning it into a more centrist political party compared to Corbyn’s left wing policies.
Smaller parties
Opinion polls show the Tories and Labour will face challenges from smaller parties. From the centre and the left, there’s the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.
On the right, well-known Brexit supporter Nigel Farage is attempting to make a political comeback as leader
of ‘Reform UK’, a populist, anti-immigration platform.
Farage said he wants his party to become the “real opposition” in UK politics.
Big issues
Cost of living has ranked as the top concern for UK voters heading into the election. Annual inflation peaked at above 11% in 2022 — higher than inflation levels in most western economies.
Roughly 14.4 million people are estimated to be living in poverty in the UK, a figure that has increased during recent high inflation.
The country is also still recovering from its COVID-19 health crisis, with 7.5 million people currently awaiting treatments in public hospitals.
What now?
When polls close on Friday morning (7am AEST), ‘exit polls’ will be broadcast, showing the estimated number of seats each party has won.
While there is margin for error, these polls are considered reasonably accurate.
Final results will continue to be shared throughout the day as counting continues, before Sunak and Starmer will each deliver a victory or concession speech.
The winner will take up residence at 10 Downing Street tomorrow.
