Britian might be ready for a shift to Labour after 14 years of Conservative rule
A demonstrator holds a banner calling for a general election, in Westminster in London, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
DATE OF ELECTION
TBA. The timing of the election is up to the prime minister. Rishi Sunak says his “working assumption” is that it will be towards the end of the year.
TYPE OF ELECTION
Parliamentary
WHO’S RUNNING
All 650 seats in the House of Commons are up for grabs, with the leader of the largest party set to become Britain’s next prime minister. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives currently have a big majority, but after 14 years of Conservative government, opinion polls suggest voters are ready for a change. The left-of-center Labour Party led by Keir Starmer has a substantial lead.
WHY IT MATTERS TO THE WORLD
The past decade in British politics brought a world-shaking burst of populism epitomized in the 2016 vote to leave the European Union, which roiled the continental alliance. It also brought to power in Britain the brash Boris Johnson, whose scandal-plagued term tested the strength of Britain’s political and legal systems. A Labour victory would suggest voters want to turn the page on a turbulent era. Whoever wins will have to have a set of problems recognizable in many Western democracies, including a sluggish economy, creaking public services and a polarized debate about migration.
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