{"id":57217,"date":"2024-05-23T14:41:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T14:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/23\/u-k-2024-general-election-what-to-know\/"},"modified":"2024-05-23T14:41:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T14:41:06","slug":"u-k-2024-general-election-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/23\/u-k-2024-general-election-what-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"U.K. 2024 General Election: What to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/23\/multimedia\/23uk-election-explainer-promo-jgtf\/23uk-election-explainer-promo-jgtf-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"U.K. 2024 General Election: What to Know\" title=\"U.K. 2024 General Election: What to Know\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Polls suggest that the center-left Labour Party is set to return to power after more than a decade in opposition, which would bring a fundamental realignment to British politics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-25226fac\">How does Britain vote?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The country \u2014 which consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales \u2014 is divided into 650 constituencies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Voters in each constituency select a candidate to represent them as a member of Parliament, and the political party that wins the most seats usually forms the next government. That party\u2019s leader also becomes prime minister.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">To win an overall majority, a party must secure 326 seats. If the top party falls short of that, the outcome is known as a \u201chung Parliament\u201d and the party can try to form a coalition government with other parties. In 2010, the Conservatives joined with the Liberal Democrats to form Britain\u2019s first coalition government since World War II, and, in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/election-2017-40245514\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">2017<\/a>, the Conservatives allied with Northern Ireland\u2019s Democratic Unionist Party.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-60ea1bab\">What are the main issues?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/yougov.co.uk\/politics\/articles\/49500-political-tracker-roundup-may-2024\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">state of Britain\u2019s economy<\/a> is the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/en-uk\/economy-still-seen-most-important-issue-facing-britain#:~:text=The%20economy%20continues%20to%20be,issue%2C%20mentioned%20by%2019%25.\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">top issue<\/a> for most voters today, according to polls, in the wake of a cost-of-living crisis and record inflation \u2014 which reached <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/commonslibrary.parliament.uk\/research-briefings\/cbp-9428\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a peak of 11.1 percent<\/a> in 2022 and has only recently begun to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/22\/business\/uk-inflation.html\" title=\"\">return to target levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/16\/world\/europe\/uk-nhs-crisis.html\" title=\"\">National Health Service<\/a>, the state-funded health care system that provides care at no extra charge, is another top priority. A decade of fiscal austerity that began under Prime Minister David Cameron after the 2009 global financial crisis left Britain\u2019s public services deeply underfunded and facing chronic staff shortages. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/09\/world\/europe\/uk-nhs-private-health-care.html\" title=\"\">Waiting lists<\/a> for N.H.S. treatment were already growing before the pandemic, and have since rocketed further upward, a major source of public dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Immigration comes third in most voters\u2019 lists of top issues, although its importance differs starkly according to party preference. Only 20 percent of Labour voters said it was one of their most pressing national concerns, compared with 65 percent of Conservatives in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/yougov.co.uk\/politics\/articles\/49500-political-tracker-roundup-may-2024\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a recent poll conducted by YouGov<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-7bf3e11e\">Who is running, and who is likely to win?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The two largest parties in Britain are the Conservatives, led by <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/10\/24\/world\/europe\/rishi-sunak-uk-first-prime-minister-color.html\" title=\"\">Prime Minister Rishi Sunak<\/a>, and the Labour Party, led by <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/07\/world\/europe\/keir-starmer-labour-party-uk.html\" title=\"\">Keir Starmer<\/a>, a former public prosecutor and human rights lawyer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Scotland, the Scottish National Party became the most popular party <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/election-2015-scotland-32635871\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">in 2015<\/a>, displacing Labour there. But a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/18\/world\/europe\/nicola-sturgeon-husband-embezzlement-scotland.html\" title=\"\">funding scandal<\/a> and the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/02\/15\/world\/europe\/nicola-sturgeon-scotland-resignation.html\" title=\"\">departure of Nicola Sturgeon<\/a> as first minister has weakened the party\u2019s support over the past year. Polls now suggest that Labour has a chance of gaining significant ground in Scotland this time round, which would ease Mr. Starmer\u2019s path to becoming prime minister.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The populist Reform Party, which was co-founded by <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/05\/22\/world\/europe\/farage-brexit-party-europe.html\" title=\"\">Nigel Farage, the champion of Brexit<\/a>, has risen in the polls in recent months. Conservative Party officials fear that the anti-immigration party could cannibalize the right-wing vote in individual constituencies, although Mr. Farage\u2019s decision <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/23\/world\/europe\/nigel-farage-donald-trump-uk-election.html\" title=\"\">not to run as a candidate<\/a> will have been welcomed by the Tories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Two other parties, the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-politics-68955271\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Liberal Democrats<\/a> and the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-68956733\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Green Party<\/a>, made sizable gains in local elections in early May. But while both are aiming to gain seats in July, Britain\u2019s electoral system makes it harder for smaller parties to win seats in a parliamentary election.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-1adf8ac9\">When will we find out the results?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Just after polls close at 10 p.m. on July 4, exit-poll results are announced, based on surveys of thousands of voters after they have cast their ballots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Exit polls are not always accurate \u2014 famously, in Britain\u2019s 1992 and 2015 elections, they predicted a hung Parliament, when in fact the Conservative Party went on to win a majority. But they have become increasingly reliable in the country in recent years and are generally seen as offering a good early indication of how the public has voted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The first results from a few individual constituencies will announced from around 11 p.m., and then a steady rhythm of results arrive through the early hours of the next morning. By around 7 a.m., the overall result is usually clear, although some rural seats can be announced later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/23\/world\/europe\/britain-2024-general-election.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polls suggest that the center-left Labour Party is set to return to power after more than a decade in opposition, which would bring a fundamental realignment to British politics. How does Britain vote? The country \u2014 which consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales \u2014 is divided into 650 constituencies. Voters in each constituency [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/23\/multimedia\/23uk-election-explainer-promo-jgtf\/23uk-election-explainer-promo-jgtf-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[50,1032,503],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57217"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57219,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57217\/revisions\/57219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}