Labour Party poised to win UK government after 14 years of Conservative Party rule

The Labour Party is projected to win a landslide victory Thursday evening, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule in the United Kingdom.

Labour is on track to win 410 seats in the British House of Commons, a sizable margin above the 326 seats needed for a majority, according to a nationwide exit poll conducted by Ipsos for the BBC, ITV News and Sky News.

Conservatives are set to grab 131 of the 650 seats, and smaller parties make up the rest.

These polls, which are conducted at polling stations across the U.K., have historically given an accurate snapshot of the ultimate election results.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Conservative leader, called a surprise snap election six weeks ago. The timing of the announcement raised eyebrows given the party’s relative unpopularity in the country.

Conservatives have weathered several scandals, including the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss and the resignation of Boris Johnson amid allegations he held parties at No. 10 Downing St. during the pandemic.

A Labour victory would also run counter to a recent streak of a rightward shift in other European countries, such as France. But those same populist trends are strong in the U.K., and the exit polls suggest voters have acted on well-reported dissatisfaction with Conservative’s handling on a number of issues including high costs of living and immigration levels.

Labour leader Keir Starmer is expected to become the country’s next prime minister.

“To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party – thank you,” Starmer wrote on social platform X.

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