All data on the election in Great Britain
The voting has ended - Great Britain is preparing for political upheavals: According to polls, the Labour Party is set for a landslide victory in the UK's hastily called election to fill the British House of Commons. Has Rishi Sunak miscalculated? Data and infographics in the overview.
A Big Day in the United Kingdom: Polling stations in the four constituent parts of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland closed at 10:00 PM (local time, 11:00 PM CET). The vote counting begins.
Initial projections suggest that the Labour Party could win with an overwhelming majority. Opposition leader Keir Starmer has the best chances of ousting the incumbent prime minister Rishi Sunak from the chair in the London Downing Street. Sunak's Conservatives are expected to suffer significant losses.
A total of approximately 46.6 million registered voters were called upon to determine the power balance in the British House of Commons on this 4th of July. The snap elections were triggered by an unexpected decision from the incumbent prime minister Sunak: The Conservative Party leader sought a sort of liberation stroke - and inadvertently initiated a power shift on the British Isles.
Note: Infographics for the 2024 House of Commons election will be updated continuously as soon as the first projections on the election outcome become available.
According to the polls, Sunak's chances of being re-elected are slim: The opposition Labour Party (Lab) was leading the conservative Tories (Conservatives, Con) in the polls up until the last minute. The right-wing populist "Reform UK" Party (Ref. UK) could become the third strongest force.
The right-wing populist Reform UK Party of Nigel Farage, who once significantly advanced the Brexit cause, could make its first entry into the House of Commons. Experts predict that the former Brexit Party will cost the Conservatives many votes on the right wing.
Labour leader and opposition leader Keir Starmer - possibly the next British prime minister - spoke of a "chance for a change for the better." After 14 years, it's time for a change, he urged the Britons during the campaign, "stop the chaos," he implored them, "start a new chapter and begin the rebuilding."
Note: This schematic representation serves as a comparison, showing the results of the 2019 House of Commons election.
Sunak campaigned primarily on far-reaching tax cuts and a hard immigration policy to win votes. At the same time, he presented himself as a guarantee for security and economic strength.
"Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future and decide whether we want to build on the achievements we have made or whether we risk returning to the beginning without a plan and without certainty," Sunak declared at the end of May during a speech before his office in the Downing Street in the pouring rain.
For the 44-year-old Sunak, this election is his first real test on a national level. He was appointed party leader by the Tories without a vote in October 2022 and subsequently became prime minister. "I am the one who is ready to take bold actions," Sunak insisted. "I have a clear plan and that's why I will provide security for you and your family."
It is uncertain if Sunak's announcements will be enough to steer the ship once more. "The people in Britain are yearning for a change," said the leader of the Liberal Democrats (LibDem), Ed Davey. "And this election is our chance to finally bring it about." The polls indicate a strong desire for change.
Boris Johnson, the incumbent Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, seemed abandoned by luck before the election. Two weeks before the vote, Sunak had to find a new campaign chief. Tony Lee, the Conservative Party's strategy planner, found himself in the crosshairs regarding bets on the election date.
Lee's wife Laura Sanders, who is running for the Conservative Tories, is suspected - possibly with insider knowledge - of betting on a July election. Betting based on insider information is illegal in the United Kingdom. The case caused quite a stir on the island.
The list of scandals, political blunders, and mistakes of the British government under Sunak is long. The Conservative Tories have been in power in the House of Commons, the official name of the British Parliament, since the Labour defeat under Gordon Brown and the election victory of David Cameron in May 2010.
Cameron's Conservative Party was able to defend their majority in the regular scheduled House of Commons elections in 2010 and 2015. Even in the Brexit chaos following Cameron's controversial EU referendum and the extraordinary elections in June 2017 and December 2019, the Conservatives managed to stay afloat.
British politics, however, has not yet found peace: Since the 2016 vote on the United Kingdom's exit from the EU, the British have already experienced five Conservative Party leaders: After Cameron came Theresa May and later Boris Johnson, then Liz Truss for a few weeks, and finally Rishi Sunak took over the reins of government in Downing Street No. 10 from Truss in the fall of 2022.
Reasons for the decline of the Conservatives in public favor are numerous. Above all, observers emphasize that the numerous scandals and affairs, especially under the former Prime Minister Johnson, have destroyed the trust of the people in the Tory Party, which has ruled the United Kingdom for 14 years.
Johnson's successor Liz Truss was too short-lived in office to leave a better impression. And Rishi Sunak seems to have failed so far to steer the ship in favor of the Tories. In the spring local elections, Sunak had to accept significant losses for his party in the constituencies.
At the Parliamentary elections on July 4, 2024, all 650 seats in the British Parliament are up for grabs. Elections take place throughout the United Kingdom, that is, in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. One seat is won per constituency. The 650 members of Parliament represent their respective constituencies.
According to the parliamentary boundary commission, 543 seats are allocated to England (previously 533), Scotland will send 57 seats (instead of the previous 59), 32 seats come from Wales (previously 40), and Northern Ireland continues to contribute 18 "Members of Parliament." The number and boundaries of the constituencies - the so-called constituencies - are based on population figures.
Regularly elected for five years
According to British electoral law, the relative majority decides: Voters, male and female, each have only one vote to cast. Winners in the 650 constituencies are those who receive the most votes locally. The "winner takes it all" rule of the first-past-the-post voting system favors local candidates and larger parties. The local vote shares of losing competitors expire.
Members of the British House of Commons are elected for a regular term of five years. Eligible voters must register beforehand. The deadline for this is at the upcoming election on June 18. Afterwards, British citizens, Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish residents are free to vote at the polling station on election day or by postal vote beforehand.
Elections in the United Kingdom are traditionally held on a Thursday. Polling stations opened regularly on July 4 at 7:00 am (local time, 8:00 am CET) and will not close until late evening at 10:00 pm (CET: 11:00 pm). Immediately after the polling stations close, the counting of votes begins.
Immediately after the polling stations close, British media will publish initial projections on the election outcome. With the first partial results from individual constituencies, one can only expect them in the course of the night. The counting is expected to be completed according to the BBC's estimation around Friday morning. At the latest, the preliminary result should indicate whether there will be a power shift in the United Kingdom after 14 years under the Conservatives or not.
- Despite Rishi Sunak's campaign focusing on tax cuts and a hard immigration policy, the polls indicate that he has a slim chance of being re-elected, with the opposition Labour Party leading the Conservatives.
- If the initial projections hold true, the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, could win the British House of Commons election with a landslide victory, potentially ousting Rishi Sunak from Downing Street.
- The Conservative Party, under Sunak's leadership, is expected to suffer significant losses in the election, which was hastily called due to an unexpected decision from Sunak.
- The voting results from the British House of Commons election on July 4th could potentially mark a shift in British politics, ending the Conservative Party's 14-year rule and heralding a new era of leadership under the Labour Party.
