The UK voters are heading to the polls on Thursday (July 4) for a key general election that is being seen as a referendum on 14 years of Conservative rule.

The snap election, announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is being held much earlier than required, taking many in his party by surprise.

In the last general election, the opposition Labour Party suffered its worst defeat since 1935. However, it has since rebuilt itself under the leadership of Keir Starmer.

Notably, Thursday’s vote comes after a six-week campaign in which all major parties canvassed the country for support. Much of the debate have focused around the economy, the cost of living, the state of Britain’s public services, and tax and immigration.

Since the last general election in 2019, which Boris Johnson won by a landslide, Britain has had three Conservative prime ministers.

One of the most well-known champions of Brexit – announced his return to politics to lead the hard-right Reform UK party.

Sunak, Starmer, Farage, and the leaders of all other major parties are expected to make appearances at their respective local polling stations throughout the day. 

It is worth mentioning here that, approximately 46.5 million people are eligible to vote in this election, casting their ballots in 650 separate constituencies across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. A party needs 326 seats to form a majority government.

An exit poll from UK broadcasters will project the seat totals are soon as polls shut at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET), and counting will take place throughout the night and into Friday morning.

(With inputs from agencies)