All data on the election in Great Britain

At the United Kingdom Parliamentary election, a clear victory for the Labour Party is apparent. The incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives are suffering significant losses. Overview of the election with data and infographics.

Political landslide in the United Kingdom: According to exit polls from the unexpectedly called elections for the new composition of the British House of Commons, the previously opposition Labour Party is predicted to win a landslide victory. Labour leader Keir Starmer thus has the best chances of ousting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the chair in the London Downing Street. The Conservatives must prepare for massive losses after 14 years in power. According to forecasts, Labour is expected to secure 410 of the 650 seats in the British House of Commons. The threshold for a majority lies at 326 seats.

The Conservatives therefore only have 131 MPs. The polling stations in the four constituent parts of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland closed late on Thursday evening at 10:00 PM (local time, 11:00 PM CET). The counting of votes is still ongoing at night.

The first voices from the Tory camp conceded defeat on election night. "This is a very difficult moment for the Conservative Party," said Cabinet member Mel Stride, for example. However, the forecasts are based only on exit polls. The counting of all votes in the 650 constituencies across the country could still take hours. A preliminary result is not expected until the early hours of the morning.

Note: The infographics for the House of Commons election 2024 are being updated continuously as soon as the first counting results become available.

A total of approximately 46.6 million registered voters were called upon to determine the power balance in the British House of Commons on July 4th. The trigger for the early elections was an unexpected decision by the incumbent Prime Minister Sunak. The Conservative Party leader sought a sort of liberation stroke - and may have inadvertently set off a power shift on the British Isles.

Sunak's chances of re-election were poor in the run-up to the election: In the polls, the opposition Labour Party (Lab) was significantly ahead of the ruling Conservatives (Conservatives, Con) until the last minute. The right-populist "Reform UK" Party (Ref. UK) made considerable gains, but is likely to rank behind the Liberal Democrats (LibDem), who are expected to emerge as the third strongest force from the election. The Liberal Democrats were seen at 61 seats on election night, Farage's right-populists at 13 seats.

With his platform "Reform UK," Nigel Farage, who once drove the Brexit forward significantly, is entering the House of Commons for the first time. Experts predict that the former Brexit Party may have cost the Conservatives many additional votes on the right-wing flank.

Labour leader and opposition leader Keir Starmer thanked his supporters on election night. "To all those who campaigned for the Labour Party in this election, to all those who voted for us and placed their trust in our transformed Labour Party: Thank you," he shared on the online platform X.

In the campaign, Starmer spoke of a "chance for a change for the better." If the forecasts were to be believed, he could already be the new British prime minister in a few days, taking over the reins of government after 14 years. "Stop the chaos," he called out to the Britons during the campaign, "start a new chapter and begin rebuilding."

Sunak, on the other hand, focused on far-reaching tax cuts and a tough immigration policy to win votes. He also presented himself as a guarantee for security and economic strength. For wide sections of the British public, the years since the Brexit referendum had been marked by uncertainty, the Coronavirus pandemic, general economic stagnation, and sharply rising living costs.

"Now is the time for Great Britain to choose its future and decide whether we want to build on the achievements or risk returning to the beginning without a plan and without certainty," Sunak declared at the end of May in a speech at his official residence in Downing Street in the pouring rain.

For the 44-year-old Sunak, this election was the first real test on a national level. He was appointed party leader of the Conservatives without a vote in October 2022 and subsequently became prime minister. "I am the one who is ready to take bold actions," Sunak declared at his re-election announcement. "I have a clear plan and that's why I will provide security for you and your family."

Openly, it was uncertain whether Sunak's announcement would be enough to turn the ship around. "The people of Britain are longing 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 indicated a very pronounced swing towards the LibDems right up to the last minute.

Great Britain's incumbent prime minister appeared deserted before the vote. Two weeks before the vote, Sunak had to find a new campaign chief. Tony Lee, the Conservative Party's strategy planner, came under fire in connection with bets on the election date.

The list of scandals, political defeats, and mistakes of the British government under Sunak is long. The Conservative Tories have been in power in the House of Commons, the British Parliament's official name, since the Labour defeat under Gordon Brown and the election of David Cameron in May 2010.

Cameron's Conservative faction was able to defend its majority in the regular House of Commons elections in 2010 and 2015 - and even in the Brexit chaos after Cameron's controversial EU referendum and the unexpected elections in June 2017 and December 2019, the Conservatives were able to keep the ship afloat.

The British politics came to a standstill in this period: Since the 2016 vote on the UK's exit from the EU, the Britons had already experienced five prime ministers from the Conservative ranks. After Cameron, it was Theresa May and later Boris Johnson, then Liz Truss for a few weeks, and finally Rishi Sunak as a short-term replacement candidate in the autumn of 2022 took over the reins of government from Truss in Downing Street No. 10.

Note: This schematic depiction shows the results of the previous House of Commons election in 2019.

Reasons for the Decline of the Conservatives in Public Favor are numerous. Above all, observes the observers, the numerous scandals and affairs, particularly under the former Prime Minister Johnson, have destroyed the trust of the people in the Tory Party, which has ruled in the United Kingdom for 14 years.

Johnson's successor Liz Truss was too short in office to leave a better impression. And Rishi Sunak seems to have failed so far to turn the Tory ship around. In the Local Elections in the Spring, Sunak as Leader of the Conservatives had to accept significant losses for his party in the constituencies.

In the Parliamentary Elections on 4th July 2024, all 650 seats in the British House of Commons were up for election. Elected in the entire United Kingdom, that is, in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. One seat per constituency can be won. The 650 members of the House of Commons represent each constituency.

According to the parliamentary electoral commission, there are 543 MPs for England (previously: 533), Scotland sends 57 (instead of previously 59), 32 come from Wales (previously 40), and Northern Ireland continues to send 18 "Members of Parliament". The number and boundaries of the constituencies - the so-called Constituencies - orientate themselves according to the population figures.

Regularly elected for five years

According to British electoral law, the relative majority decides locally: voters have only one vote each to cast. Winners in the 650 constituencies are those who receive the most votes. The "winner takes it all" rule of the majority electoral system favors local candidates and larger parties. The local vote shares of the defeated candidates fall.

Members of the British House of Commons are elected for a regular term of five years. Voters must register in advance. The deadline for this was this time on 18th June. Subsequently, it was free for Britons, Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish to vote at the polling station on election day or to vote by postal ballot beforehand.

Elections in the United Kingdom are traditionally held on a Thursday. The polling stations opened on schedule at 7.00 am (local time, 8.00 am CET). Voting ended only late in the evening at 10.00 pm (CET: 11.00 pm). Immediately afterwards, the counting of the votes began.

With initial results from individual constituencies, it could be reckoned with during the night. The counting was expected to be completed according to the BBC's estimation only on Friday morning. At the latest then, the provisional result should have become clear, who in the United Kingdom, after 14 years under the Conservatives, will steer the political course of the country in the future.

The Labour Party's landslide victory in the British House of Commons election could potentially lead to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ousting from the London Downing Street, given the Conservative Party's significant losses and Labour's predicted majority of 410 seats.
The unexpectedly called election for the new composition of the British House of Commons has seen a shift in political power, with the Conservative Party facing massive losses after 14 years in power, accumulating only 131 MPs.
The Brexit debate has been a significant factor in the elections, with the right-populist "Reform UK" Party making gains and Nigel Farage entering the House of Commons for the first time, potentially costing the Conservatives additional votes on the right-wing flank.
In light of the election results, the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, has an opportunity to form a new government, promoting a "chance for a change for the better" and addressing issues like economic stagnation, rising living costs, and general uncertainty among the British public.