Polling stations opened on Thursday for Britons to vote in a general election that is expected to open a new phase in the country's history, with Labour expected to win and the Conservatives to leave power after 14 years in power that have witnessed numerous political, social and economic unrest.
The succession of crises since 2010, from the divisions caused by Brexit to the chaotic management of the Kovid pandemic, soaring prices, high levels of poverty, a crumbling public health system and the constant change of prime ministers, has sparked a great yearning for change that has led the Conservatives to admit in recent days that they are not seeking ... victory, but rather to limit the majority that the Labor Party is expected to achieve.
Barring any surprises, King Charles III is expected on Friday to appoint Keir Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer, to form a government after he moved his party back to the center-left and promised to bring "seriousness" back to power.
Before the ballot boxes opened, the lawmaker, who entered politics just nine years ago, said: "Britain can turn over a new leaf today. A new era of hope and opportunity after 14 years of chaos and decline".
46 million voters were called to the polls to renew seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. Each MP is elected under the first-past-the-post system, which favors the major parties.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. and closed at 10:00 p.m. (6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.). Preliminary polls will give an idea of the outcome at the close, before the results appear in the early morning hours.
Two main questions arise. The first relates to the scale of the Labor Party's victory and the defeat of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is unable to generate any momentum after 20 months in office. The second has to do with how the breakthrough of the anti-immigration and anti-regime Reform the United Kingdom party, led by Nigel Farage, the main proponent of Britain's exit from the European Union, has been translated into action.
Opinion polls gave the Labor Party an average of 40 percent of the vote, compared to 22 percent for the Conservatives, 16 percent for the Reform Party, and 10 percent for the Liberal Democrats (centrists).
According to YouGov's latest projections, this result would give the Labour Party 431 seats compared to 102 for the Conservatives, a majority not seen in the UK since 1832. The Liberal Democrats would win 78 seats and Reform three, meaning Nigel Farage would get into Parliament after seven failed attempts.
For Rishi Sunak, the fifth Conservative Prime Minister in 14 years, this election marks the end of a very difficult campaign.
However, he tried to take the initiative at the end of May last year by calling for an election in July instead of waiting until the autumn, as had been decided. But time has shown the weakness of his party and the fragility of its position.
Meanwhile, the 44-year-old investment banker and former finance minister had accumulated a series of mistakes and appeared to lack political acumen, as evidenced by his brief appearance at the 80th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day landings and his delay in responding to suspicions within his party about betting on the date of the landings. The election.
His strategy was essentially to accuse Labor of wanting to raise taxes, then in the final days to warn of the dangers of a "super-majority" that would leave Labor without a countervailing force and to concede his party's defeat.
In his confrontation, Keir Starmer emphasized his humble origins - his mother was a nurse and his father a manual laborer - in contrast to his millionaire opponent. To fend off attacks from the right and to counter the effects of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn's expensive program, he promises very tight management of public spending without raising taxes.
In this context, he relies on restoring stability, state intervention and investment in infrastructure to revive growth, which would correct the situation of public utilities, whose performance has deteriorated since the austerity measures of early 2010.
Starmer also wants to take a firm stance on immigration and move closer to the European Union without joining it. But he warned that he had no "magic wand," a sentiment echoed by Britons who, according to opinion polls, have no illusions about the prospects for change.
Although his caution led some to say he was unambitious, it allowed Labor to gain support in business circles and in the right-wing press.
On Wednesday, The Sun newspaper followed the Financial Times and The Economist in calling for a vote for Labour.
The tabloid, owned by businessman Rupert Murdoch, whose support for Labor in 1997 was crucial to Tony Blair's victory, said: "It's time for a change."
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