Labour Party expected to overthrow Conservatives in Thursday’s U.K. election

Political polls project the Labour Party to gain a majority in the House of Commons election on Thursday and end the Conservative Party’s 14-year stint in power. Analysts expect the Labour Party’s prime minister candidate, Keir Starmer, to unseat incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The House of Commons seats are being voted on, not the prime minister? Each of the United Kingdom’s 650 established localities, known as constituencies, will elect a representative to the House of Commons. Candidates are not required to win over 50 percent of a constituency vote to be elected but have the most votes in the region overall. Whichever party has a majority in the House–alone or by coalition with another party–will appoint the government’s prime minister. Brits expect the Labour Party to win the 326 constituencies necessary to control the House and appoint candidate Starmer as prime minister. The prime minister can call parliamentary elections whenever he sees fit, and Sunak called the latest vote months earlier than the traditional autumn election period.

Why did Sunak call the vote early? Analysts suggest Sunak called the election early to maximize the slight ease of national inflation and pull the rug out from under opponents. Sunak’s government has been widely criticized for the sharp rise in inflation and allowing a wave of migrants to enter the country. Analysts also suggest the early election hoped to thwart the populist Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage from splitting the conservative vote. However, many predict the early vote will cost the prime minister his place on Downing Street.

What are the general party views and platforms?

• Conservative Party: Focused on building the economy and cutting billions in taxes annually while increasing defense spending to 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP by 2030. The party aims to boost government savings by cracking down on tax evasion and cutting welfare spending. Sunak has also promised to cap the recent rush of immigrants into the country.
• Labour Party: Pushing for investment in British infrastructure and creating wealth with a decade-long plan. The party also promises to boost energy security with state-owned clean energy operations financed with higher taxes on oil and gas producers. Labour members also aim to increase taxes on private schools to fund more public schools.

Does King Charles III fit into any of this? The reigning monarch must approve the formation of the new majority government, meaning he essentially validates the election results. He must also approve the prime minister’s decision to call an election and dissolve parliament. While Charles technically can block a party from taking power or stopping the early election, monarchs generally never contradict their prime minister or question election results.

Dig deeper: Read Emma Freire and Elizabeth Russell’s report in WORLD Magazine for more on this week’s UK election.