UK voters expected to make a significant shift away from the ruling Tory party

Jan van der Made

4 July 2024 at 2:24 am·1-min read

British voters head to the polls this Thursday, with the opposition Labour Party projected to secure a landslide victory. However, experts suggest that the vote is driven more by fatigue from over a decade of Conservative rule marked by erratic policy decisions, political chaos, and a deteriorating economy, rather than strong support for Labour's platform.

John Barry, a political scientist at Queens University in Belfast, predicts that the Conservative Party will "suffer a massive defeat".

He explains, "There is a palpable sense of exhaustion within the Conservative Party, and the public has simply had enough of 10 years of Conservative rule."

Key points of discontent include "the disaster of Brexit, the chaos within the Conservative Party under four prime ministers, the disgraceful behavior of former PM Boris Johnson during the COVID period," and the failed policies of former PM Liz Truss.

For the past two years, polling has indicated that Labour is 20 points ahead of the Conservatives, and no amount of campaigning has managed to shift the dial.

Both the Conservative program and the Labour Party Manifesto present plans aimed at improving economic conditions for the population.

The Conservatives propose tax cuts as the core of their strategy to stimulate economic growth while also aiming to reduce borrowing and debt.

Labour, on the other hand, focus on wealth creation, pledging to be "pro-business and pro-worker" and to introduce a new industrial strategy that will put an end to short-term economic policies.

The Telegraph
Wife wars? The real reason the Obamas are not standing up for Biden
When Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States in 2021, much was made of his wife Dr Jill Biden becoming the first First Lady ever to hold a salaried outside job.
Reuters
China anchors 'monster ship' in South China Sea, Philippine coast guard says
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday that China's largest coastguard vessel has anchored in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and is meant to intimidate its smaller Asian neighbour. The China coastguard's 165-meter 'monster ship' entered Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ on July 2, spokesperson for the PCG Jay Tarriela told a news forum. The PCG warned the Chinese vessel it was in the Philippine's EEZ and asked about their intentions, he said.
INSIDER
How Obama mentored the new UK prime minister to help him tell his story
The leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has been mentored by Barack Obama. The relationship is likely to continue if Starmer wins the UK election.
The Hill
Meghan McCain: Biden won’t be elected to a second term ‘one way or another’
Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said President Biden will not be elected to another term “one way or another.” “Joe Biden can step aside for another candidate or lose in historic numbers in a few months — but one way or another he will not be President soon and…
The Telegraph
Britain is about to discover just how dangerous Labour really is
The canapes and white wine will be packed away. The wooing of the business lobbyists will come to an end. The cosy dinners with Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Tony Blair for select donors will be consigned to the past, and there will be no more polite requests to sign public letters of support for its policies.
The Independent
Voices: Tory downfall: The 9 reasons it has all gone wrong for Rishi Sunak
A series of world events, poor decisions and fatal gaffes conspired to see Rishi Sunak lead the Tories to the worst electoral defeat in his party’s 346-year history
Yahoo News UK
Seven moments over 14 years that destroyed the Conservative government
The Tories have lost the 2024 general election with the worst results in the party's history. Here are the key moments that brought them down.
The Telegraph
Tory infighting erupts as Rishi Sunak says sorry for huge defeat
Rishi Sunak apologised to defeated Tory candidates as infighting broke out in the wake of the party’s worst general election result in modern history.
Sky News
Reformist vowing to ease headscarf laws and reach out to the West is elected Iran's new president
A reformist who has vowed ease headscarf laws and reach out to the West has been elected as Iran's new president. Masoud Pezeshkian secured 16.3 million votes in the race, finishing ahead of hardline conservative Saeed Jalili. The vote was called after former president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May.
INSIDER
Russia is using devastating 'meat assault' attacks to find out where Ukraine's firepower is hidden: report
Russia is throwing troops into high-casualty attacks for marginal tactical gains.
INSIDER
China-made military drones similar to the MQ-9 Reaper were disguised as wind turbines in shipments to Libya: Italian officials
The Times of London reported on Sunday that the drones were the Chinese-made Wing Loong, aligning with specifications released by Italian officials.
Associated Press
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong asks for a lesser sentence in landmark security case
Prominent activist Joshua Wong asked for a lesser sentence in court Friday after he earlier pleaded guilty in Hong Kong's biggest national security case. Wong was one of 47 activists charged in 2021 under a Beijing-imposed national security law with conspiracy to commit subversion for their involvement in an unofficial primary. The activists were accused of attempting to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and topple the city’s leader by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block city budgets indiscriminately.
LA Times
Barrett sought middle ground in Trump immunity case. This time Roberts said no
Chief Justice Roberts often prefers to avoid partisan decisions with careful compromises. Not so with the Trump immunity ruling.
Moneywise
Warren Buffett said that he could end America's deficit problem 'in five minutes' — here's what he would do
The Oracle of Omaha has a simple solution.
South China Morning Post
Taiwan's 'carrier killers', what makes China Coast Guard so powerful: 7 highlights
Taiwan will commission two Tuo Jiang-class stealth missile corvettes this week to enhance its asymmetric warfare capabilities in response to growing threats from Beijing's People's Liberation Army. Flare-ups between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea have drawn greater regional and even global attention, posing a challenge to Beijing's preference for a bilateral approach to resolving maritime disputes. Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
The Telegraph
Britain, what have you done?
The best we can possibly say is that it could’ve been worse. This wasn’t an “extinction level” event. The Tories have punched through the 100 seat mark.
CNN
As Europe turns right, why has a center-left party won by a landslide in the UK?
The United Kingdom’s decision to hand the center-left Labour Party a parliamentary majority comes at the same time Europe is broadly in the grip of what some call a right-wing populist surge.
The Daily Beast
Dem Fundraiser Mocks Biden Interview: Davy Crockett at Alamo
President Joe Biden is already catching flak from within his own ranks over his Friday-night interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.In assessing another shaky Biden performance, a number of Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with the 81-year-old U.S. president, who told Stephanopoulos that high-profile figures in the party, including Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, “all said I should stay in the race.”Prior to the recorded interview being aired, some Democratic lawmakers indicated th
The Daily Beast
SCOTUS Immunity Ruling Will Let Trump be Führer, Here’s My Proof: Michael Cohen
When the Supreme Court declared presidents immune from prosecution for their official acts Monday, one man immediately feared what it meant: Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-nemesis, Michael Cohen.Now he is revealing fresh details of his tussles with Trump when his former boss was in the Oval Office, telling The Daily Beast that they show how the SCOTUS ruling would unleash him as a “Führer” if he wins the election."He’ll run the country like a king, like a supreme leader, like a monarch, like a dict
Associated Press
Former Philippine leader Duterte and aide accused of steering government contracts to cronies
A former Philippine opposition senator accused ex-President Rodrigo Duterte of plundering state coffers in a criminal complaint filed Friday, alleging that he conspired with an aide to award government infrastructure contracts worth millions of dollars to cronies. Filed with the Department of Justice in Manila, the accusation adds to the former president’s legal worries, which include an investigation by the International Criminal Court into allegations of crimes against humanity over the widespread killings of suspects during Duterte's crackdown on illegal drugs. Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said two construction companies, owned by the father and brother of longtime Duterte aide and now Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go, received more than 100 government construction contracts worth at least 6.6 billion pesos ($114 million) from 2007 to 2018 in the southern city of Davao, while Duterte was mayor and vice mayor and after he became president in 2016.

Latest stories