Who Will Be Next UK Prime Minister? Britain Set For Voting Today; Opinion Polls Predict Win For Keir Starmer

UK Election Latest Updates: The United Kingdom is all set to go for polls on Thursday from 7 AM to 10 PM (0600-2100 GMT). An exit poll later in the day will provide the first indication of the outcome, with detailed results expected early on Friday. Earlier, the opinion polls indicated that the centre-left Labour Party is poised for a historic victory in Thursday’s election.

Who is Keir Starmer, Labour Party Candidate?

Keir Starmer took charge of the Labour Party in 2020 after its worst electoral defeat in 84 years in 2019 under veteran left-wing figure Jeremy Corbyn. He then focused on shaping Labour as a party known for competence and pragmatism rather than beingdriven primarily by ideology.

A former human rights lawyer, who ascended to become Britain’s top prosecutor, Starmer entered parliament in 2015 and served as Corbyn’s spokesperson on Brexit. He was named after Keir Hardie, the founder of the Labour Party.

Will Rishi Sunak Return as UK PM?

In this election, the United Kingdom heads to the polls on Thursday to decide on Sunak’s 20 months in office and the four Conservative prime ministers before him.

It should be noted that the UK general elections are determined by individual votes in 650 districts, each representing a seat in the House of Commons.

For the UK election, one party needs 326 seats for a majority, though about 320 seats typically suffice because the speaker and three deputies do not vote.

UK Election Expected to Deliver Diverse Parliament

The UK general election on Thursday is expected to deliver the most diverse Parliament in the country’s history, including in the number of parliamentarians of Indian heritage likely to be elected from across the nation.

According to an analysis by the British Future think tank, the Labour Party is set to have by far the largest number of ethnic minority MPs if the party wins an overall majority and even more in a landslide scenario.

With around 14 per cent of MPs coming from an ethnic minority background this time, the analysis finds that the new Parliament will be closer than ever to reflecting the diversity of the British electorate.

“This election will see the biggest rise in ethnic minority representation and the most diverse Parliament ever,” said Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future.

“In the space of 40 years, we’ll have gone from zero to one in seven MPs being from an ethnic minority background. Britain is closing the gap between the diversity of Parliament and the electorate much faster than anyone thought possible,” he said.

The last general election in 2019 resulted in 15 MPs of Indian heritage crossing over the line, many of whom are contesting again alongside several first-timers.