Who are the main players in the UK’s upcoming national election?

LONDON — Millions of voters in Britain are going to the polls Thursday to elect a new House of Commons and a new government.

Voters will elect 650 lawmakers representing as many constituencies or local areas, and the leader of the party that wins the most lawmakers will become prime minister.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the main opposition party, the centre-left Labor Party, after 14 years in power under five different prime ministers.

The Conservatives and Labor traditionally dominate British politics under the UK’s first-past-the-post electoral system, making it difficult for smaller parties to gain representation in Parliament.

But the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Scottish National Party and the Greens, among others, are also in the running.

Here’s a look at the parties, who runs them and what they promise:

Who is your leader? Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Sunak, 44, came to power in October 2022 when he inherited a Conservative Party and an economy in crisis after Liz Truss The brief term of prime minister. The Oxford graduate and former Goldman Sachs hedge fund manager is Britain’s first black leader and the first Indian to become prime minister. Sunak has stressed that he is the man who steadied the ship, but critics say he lacks political judgment and is out of touch with ordinary voters.

How many seats did they win in the last election? 365

What do they promise? Achieve a stronger economy and reduce taxes by around £17 billion a year. Increase public health spending above inflation and boost defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. The party says this will be paid for by savings on tax evasion and cuts to social welfare spending. The party also promises to limit immigration numbers and expel some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Who is your leader? Keir Starmer.

The 61-year-old lawyer, former chief prosecutor of England and Wales, is the current favorite to be Britain’s next leader. Starmer, a centrist and pragmatist, has worked hard to shift his party away from former leader Jeremy Corbyn’s more overtly socialist policies and quell internal divisions. Critics consider him boring and unambitious, but the Labor Party has gained popularity under his leadership.

How many seats did they win in the last election? 202

What do they promise? Promote “wealth creation”, encourage investment and improve British infrastructure, such as railways, under a 10-year infrastructure strategy. Establish a state clean energy company to boost energy security, funded by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants. schools to pay for thousands of new teachers in public schools. Reduce record public health wait times.

Who is your leader? Ed Davey.

Davey, 58, was first elected to Parliament in 1997. The former economics researcher served as the government’s energy and climate change secretary under an uneasy Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition from 2012 to 2015. Davey became leader of the centre-left liberal democrats. in 2019 and he wasn’t a household name until this election, when he made headlines with multiple outlandish stunts, including bungee jumping to urge voters to take “a leap of faith.”

How many seats did they win in the last election? eleven

What do they promise? Improve Britain’s overstretched health and social care systems, including the introduction of free home nursing care. Invest in renewable energy and home insulation. Take drastic measures against water companies that discharge wastewater. Reduce the voting age to 16 years. Rejoin the single market of the European Union.

Who is your leader? Nigel Farage.

Farage, a political firebrand who prides himself on being the disruptor of British politics, has posed a serious headache for the Conservatives since announcing he would stand for election. The 60-year-old populist has long divided opinion with his anti-immigration rhetoric and his Eurosceptic stance. Farage, a key Brexit supporter, is courting many disillusioned Conservative voters with his promises to reduce immigration and focus on “British values”. Farage previously ran for Parliament seven times but never won.

How many seats did they win in the last election? None, although the party gained its first lawmaker this year when former Conservative Party vice-president Lee Anderson defected to the Reform Party.

What do they promise? Freeze all “non-essential immigration” and prohibit international students from bringing their dependents with them. Abandoning the European Convention on Human Rights so that asylum seekers can be deported without intervention by human rights courts. Eliminate “net zero” targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reduce energy bills.

Who is your leader? John Swinney.

Swinney, 60, became the SNP’s third leader in just over a year in May. The politician has sought to bring stability to the party, which has been in crisis since Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon abruptly resigned last year during a campaign finance investigation that ultimately led to criminal charges against her husband. Swinney has served the party for a long time: he joined its ranks at age 15 and previously led the party from 2000 to 2004.

How many seats did they win in the last election? 48

What do they promise? Swinney has said that if his party wins a majority of seats in Scotland he will try to start negotiations on Scottish independence with the London-based UK government. He wants to rejoin the European Union and the European single market. He also called for increased public health funding, the removal of the UK’s Scotland-based nuclear deterrent and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Who is your leader? Carla Denyer and Adrián Ramsay.

Denyer, a mechanical engineer, worked in wind energy before joining the Greens in 2011. The 38-year-old worked for nine years as a local politician in the southwestern English city of Bristol. In 2021 she was elected co-leader of the Greens alongside Ramsay, also a local government politician with experience working with environmental charities.

How many seats did they win in the last election? 1

What do they promise? Phase out nuclear power and take the UK to net zero emissions by 2040. The Greens have pledged £24bn a year to insulate homes and £40bn a year invested in the green economy, to be paid for by a carbon tax, a new wealth. taxes on the very rich and an income tax increase for millions of higher earners.