The year of elections is set to see another nation heading to general elections ,the polls on July 4, 2024. Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announced an early election in Britain this Wednesday.
This announcement is unexpected since autumn was previously anticipated as the election period. Sunak’s party trails significantly behind Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, which could potentially result in the Conservative Party losing power.
Additionally, the Liberal Democrats, under Ed Davey’s leadership, pose a significant challenge to the Tories in southern England. The Scottish National Party and the Green Party are also expected to contest several seats fiercely against the Conservative Party in the UK general elections of 2024.
These are the primary contenders for the UK general elections in 2024.
Rishi Sunak
The 44-year-old Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is seeking validation from the British populace for his role. Sunak, who has represented Richmond in Parliament since 2015, was appointed as Prime Minister by his Conservative Party colleagues in 2022. Prior to this, he served in two cabinet roles under Boris Johnson, most recently as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022.
As the first British-Asian prime minister, Sunak is recognized for bringing stability to the UK government after the tumultuous end of two consecutive leaderships. Nonetheless, he frequently records some of the lowest approval ratings for a prime minister in opinion polls.
Additionally, Sunak has not met several of his commitments, such as shortening health service waiting times, stopping unauthorized immigration, and relocating migrants to Rwanda.
Keir Starmer
Keir Starmer, a 61-year-old British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 2015, assumed leadership of the Labour Party in 2020.
While some believe that Starmer might be the key to pulling Britain out of its economic slump, detractors label him a “flip-flopper.” They argue that Starmer struggles to present a coherent vision for the nation’s future.
Starmer has steered the Labour Party more towards the political centre. Although headline polls indicate a possible overwhelming victory for Labour in July, deeper analysis reveals a decline in credibility for both Starmer and his party since 2015.
Swinney, Davey and Denyer
Ed Davey, aged 58, is seeking to thwart a Conservative victory by securing multiple seats in southern England. His objective is to surpass the Scottish National Party and reclaim the position as the third-largest party in parliament.
John Ramsay Swinney, aged 60, serves as the first minister of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh rather than being a member of the UK parliament. He took over the leadership of the SNP in May following Humza Yousaf’s resignation. If the SNP cannot curb the rising support for Scotland’s Labour Party, it may jeopardize its independence aspirations for a generation.
Carla Denyer, aged 38, co-leads the Green Party with ambitions to expand its representation from one to four MPs. She is contesting the newly established seat of Bristol Central.
Although these parties may not win the elections outright, they could still wield significant influence over who does.
