The United Kingdom heads to the polls on Thursday in a general election that is expected to see the main opposition Labour party return to power after 14 years.
Here are the main players in the nationwide vote.
– Keir Starmer –Supporters see him as a pragmatic, safe pair of hands, ideally suited to managing Britain back from economic decline.
Critics accuse him of being an uninspiring flip-flopper who has failed to spell out a clear vision for the country during a cautious campaign.He succeeded Liz Truss, who was ousted following just 49 days in power after her tax-cutting economic agenda spooked markets and lost her the support of her party.
Sunak, who is of Indian descent, is the UK’s first British Asian and Hindu prime minister.Sunak has run a lacklustre and mishap-strewn campaign, which started with his rain-sodden announcement of the election date and included criticism for skipping the main D-Day anniversary event.
Opinion polls give him some of the lowest approval ratings of any prime minister ever.He gained the nickname “Mr Brexit” by former US president Donald Trump after helping to persuade a majority of Britons in 2016 to vote to leave the European Union.
The arch-Eurosceptic is a perennial loser at Westminster though and is seeking to become an MP at the eighth time of asking.Reform, which Farage co-founded in 2018, disowned three candidates over the weekend due to offensive comments.
Farage also faced criticism for saying that the West “provoked” Russia into invading Ukraine.Davey, 58, hopes his party can stop a Conservative victory by winning several seats in southern England as it eyes overtaking the SNP to regain its position as the third-largest party in parliament.
He has mixed campaigning on serious issues such as adult social care and polluted waterways with irreverent stunts like falling off a paddleboard and tackling an obstacle course.His SNP is struggling to fend off a Labour resurgence in Scotland, which could kill off its independence hopes for a generation.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, 38, is hoping to win the new seat of Bristol Central as the fringe outfit targets increasing its representation from one to four MPs.