UK Election: Labour party predicted to make history, Keir Starmer poised for Downing Street
Britain held a general election on July 4, widely expected to see Labour secure a landslide victory and end the Conservative Party's 14-year rule. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to call the election early appears likely to backfire, with polls consistently predicting a heavy defeat for his party. Labour, led by Keir Starmer, aimed for its first win since 2005.
AFP
July 04, 2024 / 16:58 IST
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Britain voted on July 4 in a general election widely expected to hand the opposition Labour party a landslide win and end nearly a decade-and-a-half of Conservative rule. (AFP Photo)
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The first national ballot since Boris Johnson won the Tories a decisive victory in 2019 follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's surprise call to hold it six months earlier than required. (AFP Photo)
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Sunak's gamble looks set to backfire spectacularly, with polls throughout the six-week campaign - and for the last two years - pointing to a heavy defeat for his right-wing party. Image: Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty hold hands during his final rally at Romsey Rugby Football Club, in Romsey, Hampshire, July 3, 2024 as part of a campaign event (AFP Photo)
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Centre-left Labour is projected to win its first general election since 2005 by historic proportions, with a flurry of election-eve polls all forecasting its biggest-ever victory. That would almost certainly put Labour leader Keir Starmer, 61, in Downing Street, as leader of the largest party in parliament. Image: Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive to cast their votes at a polling station in London on July 4, 2024. (AFP Photo)
But Starmer was taking nothing for granted as he urged voters not to stay at home. "Britain's future is on the ballot," he said. "But change will only happen if you vote for it." (AFP Photo)
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Voting began at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) in more than 40,000 polling stations across the country, from church halls, community centres and schools to more unusual venues such as pubs and even a ship. (AFP Photo)
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Voting closes at 10:00 pm (2100 GMT). Broadcasters then announce exit polls, which typically provide an accurate picture of how the main parties have performed. (AFP Photo)
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Results from the UK's 650 constituencies trickle in overnight, with the winning party expected to hit 326 seats -- the threshold for a parliamentary majority -- as dawn breaks Friday. (AFP Photo)
Polls suggest voters will punish the Tories after 14 years of often chaotic rule and could oust a string of government ministers, with talk that 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. (AFP Photo)
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"I appreciate people have frustrations with our party," Sunak conceded on Wednesday. "But tomorrow's vote... is a vote about the future." Sunak, 44, is widely seen as having run a dismal campaign, with anger over his decision to leave D-Day commemorations in France early the standout moment. (AFP Photo)
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Three large-scale surveys indicated Labour was on the brink of a record victory, with the Tories set for their worst-ever result and the centrist Liberal Democrats resurgent in third. The Conservatives could plunge to a record low of less than 127, the trio predicted. If the predictions are accurate, Sunak will on July 5 visit head of state King Charles III to tender his resignation as prime minister. (AFP Photo)
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Starmer will meet the monarch shortly after to take up his invitation to head the next government -- and become prime minister. The Labour leader will then travel to Downing Street -- the office and residence of British leaders -- where he would be expected to deliver a speech before making ministerial appointments. It would cap a remarkable political rise for the former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, first elected an MP in 2015. He has promised a "decade of national renewal" but faces a daunting task revitalising creaking public services and a flatlining economy. (AFP Photo)
![But Starmer was taking nothing for granted as he urged voters not to stay at home. "Britain's future is on the ballot," he said. "But change will only happen if you vote for it." (AFP Photo)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2024/07/20240704105720_AFP__20240704__362P3Y2__v1__HighRes__BritainPoliticsVote.jpg "But Starmer was taking nothing for granted as he urged voters not to stay at home. "Britain's future is on the ballot," he said. "But change will only happen if you vote for it." (AFP Photo)")
!["I appreciate people have frustrations with our party," Sunak conceded on Wednesday. "But tomorrow's vote... is a vote about the future." Sunak, 44, is widely seen as having run a dismal campaign, with anger over his decision to leave D-Day commemorations in France early the standout moment. (AFP Photo)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2024/07/20240704110913_AFP__20240704__362F2QJ__v1__HighRes__BritainNirelandPoliticsVote-1.jpg ""I appreciate people have frustrations with our party," Sunak conceded on Wednesday. "But tomorrow's vote... is a vote about the future." Sunak, 44, is widely seen as having run a dismal campaign, with anger over his decision to leave D-Day commemorations in France early the standout moment. (AFP Photo)")
![Starmer will meet the monarch shortly after to take up his invitation to head the next government -- and become prime minister. The Labour leader will then travel to Downing Street -- the office and residence of British leaders -- where he would be expected to deliver a speech before making ministerial appointments. It would cap a remarkable political rise for the former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, first elected an MP in 2015. He has promised a "decade of national renewal" but faces a daunting task revitalising creaking public services and a flatlining economy. (AFP Photo)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2024/07/20240704111343_AFP__20240704__362P9LY__v1__HighRes__BritainPoliticsVoteLabour.jpg "Starmer will meet the monarch shortly after to take up his invitation to head the next government -- and become prime minister. The Labour leader will then travel to Downing Street -- the office and residence of British leaders -- where he would be expected to deliver a speech before making ministerial appointments. It would cap a remarkable political rise for the former human rights lawyer and chief prosecutor, first elected an MP in 2015. He has promised a "decade of national renewal" but faces a daunting task revitalising creaking public services and a flatlining economy. (AFP Photo)")
