UK General Election 2024: The United Kingdom is going for general elections after a period of 5 years to elect a new prime minister on 4th July, 2024. The main contenders for the post are the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak, leader of the conservatives, and Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party.
The Conservatives currently hold the majority with 344 MPs out of the 650 seats and are the largest party in the House of Commons. These numbers are set to change after this year's general elections.
UK Election 2024: Important Dates and Election Process
The UK general elections 2024 will be held on 4th July, 2024. The polling time starts at 7 am and ends at 10 pm. Voters can cast their votes by visiting the polling stations or sending their votes by post in advance.
For the first time, a photo ID card will be required for voters who will be casting their votes at the polling stations.
An exit poll will be announced after the polling closes.
There are a total of 650 constituencies in the UK, and candidates who win the election will be appointed as MPs of the House of Commons.
UK Election 2024: How is the PM appointed?
The Prime Minister of the UK is the leader of the party that has won the majority of seats in the general elections. A party needs to win 326 seats out of the 650 seats in order to hold the majority in the House of Commons.
The monarch of the UK (presently King Charles III) will invite the leader of the majority party to form a new government.
The current parliament was dissolved on May 30, 2024, after the general election date was announced.
Also Read:
UK Election 2024: Parties
The major parties in UK as of are as follows:
- Conservatives
- Labour Party
- Liberal Democrats
- Scottish National Party
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Reform UK
The Conservative Party is the ruling party, with 344 MPs after the dissolution of parliament.
UK Election 2024: Key Candidates
The most notable candidates in the UK general election 2024 are as follows:
Rishi Sunak
Source: Facebook
Being the current leader of the Conservative party, Sunak was appointed the PM of UK, after Liz Truss resigned from the post of PM in 7 weeks of appointment.
He is currently seeking a second term as PM.
Keir Starmer
Source: Brittanica
Keir Starmer, is the leader of the Labour Party and the favourite candidate for the post of PM. Poll forecasts predict a landslide victory for the Labour party this time.
Ed Davey
Source: Wikipedia
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, is a key figure in general elections as he is looking to obtain seats in Conservative strongholds and that can impact the outcome of the final result.
Nigel Farage
Source: Sky News
Another key candidate in this year's election is Nigel Farage, whose party, Reform UK, is expected to win seats, as predicted by some polls. This could significantly reduce the number of seats of the ruling party and dent their chances of winning a majority further.
John Swinney
Source: Wikipedia/ By Scottish Government - John Swinney - First Minister
Although John Swinney is not an MP of House of Commons, he is one of the most important candidates to watch out for. He is currently serving as the First minister of Scotland, and his party, the Scottish National Party, is the third largest party in the House of Commons with 43 MPs after dissolution of the House of Commons in 2024.
UK Election 2024: Key Issues
As per the survey conducted by the polling company YouGov, the key issues that are grappling the Britons are related to immigration, healthcare, housing crisis, economy and the environment.
Who will be the next Prime Minister of the UK?
Rishi Sunak, the current prime minister and party leader of the Conservatives, is looking to secure a second term. But labour party leader Keir Starmer seems to be the hot favourite to replace him this time.
Keir Stramer is expected to secure a historic mandate in favour of the Labour party of UK by achieving a landslide victory, as predicted by the pollsters.
Recommended Reading
Rishi Sunak Biography: Birth, Age, Parents, Education, Political Career, Net Worth, And More