An exit poll conducted by the BBC, ITV, and Sky predicts a huge victory for the UK’s Labour Party in the general election, with a projected majority of 170. This would mean Sir Keir Starmer would become the next prime minister with 410 Labour MPs, just shy of Tony Blair’s 1997 total. In contrast, the Conservatives are expected to see a steep decline, with predicted results indicating only 131 MPs; their poorest electoral outcome ever recorded. The Liberal Democrats are forecasted to come in third with 61 MPs, while the Scottish National Party and Reform UK will claim 10 and 13 MPs respectively.
The Green Party of England and Wales is predicted to double their seats and Plaid Cymru is expected to reach four seats. The remaining 19 seats will be awarded to “Others” according to the survey. The exit poll captured data from around 130 polling stations in England, Scotland, and Wales, but specifically excluded Northern Ireland. Statistical analyst Sir John Curtice and a team of experts oversaw the exit poll process which at the last five general elections had predicted outcomes with an accuracy range of 1.5 and 7.5 seats.
If the results of the exit poll are confirmed, it would be a remarkable rebound for the Labour Party, which recorded its worst result at a post-war election in 2019. The Conservative Party may avoid a wipe-out, as predicted by some polls, but their projected outcome will be a damaging setback for the party that had ruled for 14 years. The surrender of seats is considered likely to be due to the rise of the Liberal Democrats and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK exceeding performance expectations.
Results which poured in during early hours were required to confirm if and how much the exit poll was accurate. Scotland’s former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, sounded a warning of a “bad night” for the SNP party, which is anticipating a loss of 38 seats. Labour’s forecasted win would only be a tad short of the 179 majority Tony Blair secured in 1997, and it is believed they could have attained it with a lower vote share compared to Corbyn’s in 2017, Curtice commented. Sir Keir’s dedication to transforming his party and steering it towards the center ground of UK politics accounts for this victory. The success was led by Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, who commended Sir Keir’s efforts while acknowledging that it was still too early for actual results.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, praised their projected result by stating “It looks like this will be our best result for a generation.” The Conservatives appear to be headed for their most disappointing election outcome since 1906, a year which saw them obtain 156 seats. Their campaign efforts faltered in failing to surpass Labour’s sizeable opinion poll lead. The conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride commented on the situation, including his lack of faith in the predicted results. He apologized for his colleagues’ prospective losses and was unsure whether or not he would retain his own seat given the situation
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More