From the latest major opinion poll, the results of which were published by most British media after 8 PM yesterday—just hours before the voting began at 7 AM today—it appears that the ruling Conservative Party, in power for 14 years, may face a devastating electoral defeat. In contrast, the Labour Party is poised to emerge from the election, which has called upon more than 46 million voters, with the largest majority of any party in modern British history, according to The Times newspaper today.
The results of the poll organized by YouGov suggest that Labour could gain a majority of 212 seats in the 650-member parliament, while Conservative seats may drop to just 102. With these results, Friday will dawn on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, 61, who could be invited to assume the position of Prime Minister, supported by an army of 431 MPs in parliament, marking not only the best electoral performance for the party but also the largest majority in the House of Commons since 1832 for any party, as stated by the newspaper.
Voters today will select 650 MPs through voting in one of 543 constituencies in England, 57 in Scotland, 32 in Wales, and 18 in Northern Ireland. There are 4,515 candidates contesting for a parliamentary seat with a term of 5 years, most representing 5 major parties. The Conservative Party has fielded candidates in 635 constituencies, while the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have candidates in 631 constituencies each. The Reform Party, formerly known as the Brexit Party, has submitted 630 candidates, nearly double its number from the previous election five years ago, while the Green Party has 629 candidates.
