Two day’s to go to United Kingdom elections

It’s just two days until Britain votes in a general election. The centre-left Labour Party looks set to take power for the first time in thirteen years. Olly Barratt reports from London.

The United Kingdom will have its first national election in nearly five years on Thursday, with polls indicating that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party may face backlash for unfulfilled promises during their 14-year tenure. The center-right Conservatives came to power amid the global financial crisis and have since won three elections. However, their tenure has been marked by a sluggish economy, deteriorating public services, and several scandals, making them vulnerable to criticism from both left and right-wing critics.

The Labour Party, leaning left, leads in most polls, emphasizing a campaign focused on “Change.”

Additionally, the Tories confront challenges from the Reform Party, which is drawing support from the right wing of the Conservatives by criticizing their handling of immigration issues.

ABC News further reports that people throughout the United Kingdom will elect all 650 members of the House of Commons, one for each local constituency. There are no primaries or run-offs, just a single round of voting on July 4.

Britain uses a “first past the post” system of voting, which means that the candidate that finishes top in each constituency will be elected, even if they don’t get 50% of the vote. This has generally cemented the dominance of the two largest parties, Conservatives and Labour, because it is difficult for smaller parties to win seats unless they have concentrated support in particular areas.