United Kingdom: exit polls show complete triumph for the Labour Party

An exit poll by Ipsos UK in the UK general election suggests that Labor will score an outright win in the face of a Conservative debacle.

According to Sky News, Keir Starmer's party looks set to score a historic win with an estimated 410 seats, which equates to an overall majority of 170. This would make Starmer the next UK prime minister.

"To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party - thank you," Starmer tweeted as soon as the polls closed.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives are aiming to win just 131 seats, a number that languishes compared to the 365 congressional seats won in the 2019 election. If this sluggish performance is confirmed, the Conservative Party will have reached the lowest total number of seats in its history, even below the 156 seats won in 1906.

Labour's almost certain triumph leaves Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has been in office since 2022 and has been harshly criticized for his handling of the economy and an election campaign plagued by mistakes that was ridiculed by the British media and as well as the British people themselves on social media.

Sky News also reported that, in addition to Sunak's major defeat, some of the Conservatives' most important figures are expected to lose their seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer.

Here's what the distribution of seats would presumably look like for each party, according to the Ipsos UK poll and as cited by several well-established media outlets:

Labor: 410

Conservatives: 131

Liberal Democrats: 61

Reformists: 13

SNP: 10

Plaid Cymru: 4

Greens: 2

Other 19

If Labour actually achieves a resounding win in the official results, it could end 14 years of Conservative rule. It would also be the party's first general election victory since 2005.

In addition to Labour, another party to triumph today was the Liberal Democratic Party, which will presumably win more than five times the number of seats it won in the last election, rising from 11 to 61.

If the Ipsos model successfully forecasts the vote, the Liberal Democrats are expected to take the title of third largest party in the House of Commons from the SNP, which is likely to lose 42 seats, falling from 52 to 10.

However, the Liberal Democrats have yet to celebrate the results released by the exit polls.

In fact, their leader, Ed Davey, said he was "humbled" by the numbers thrown up by the model and assured his audience that the final tally will show their "our best results in a century thanks to our positive campaign with health and care at its heart."

However, despite the triumph of the left and center-left, not all conservatives were defeated today.

The famed Nigel Farage, who pushed for the Brexit referendum in the UK, led the Conservative Reform UK party in its return to the political scene and managed to enter Parliament after winning 13 seats according to estimates.

What will happen now after the election?

In the U.K., the leader of the party with the most lawmakers automatically becomes prime minister, after the King officially invites him or her to form a government.

The BBC explains that the leader of the party with the second highest number of seats will become the leader of the opposition. In the event that the incumbent prime minister loses the election, as will happen now, the transfer of government is remarkably quick, in contrast to many other countries where this is a much longer process.

In other words, it is almost certain that Rishi Sunak will leave 10 Downing Street, the British Prime Minister's residence, within a day, being replaced by Starmer, who will move into the official residence shortly thereafter.

How did the U.K. election go?

While the United States celebrated its independence from British rule, the United Kingdom had an election day that really had everything. Although the Labour Party was already emerging as an early favorite in the polls, the vote had many eye-catching moments, from Palestinian flags found at polling stations to the viral appearance of Nigel Farage.

While more than 90 parties vied for British power, Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party, Farage's Reform Party and incoming 'premier' Keir Starmer's Labour Party were the big players of the day.

On election day one of the hotly debated topics on social media was the presence of Palestinian flags found outside some polling stations. Municipalities such as Barking, Dagenham and Tower Hamlets reported being aware of the situation and sent officials to remove them, since they took it as an act of intimidation.

"If anyone has concerns about possible intimidation, they should contact the police. The commission has no role in investigating possible criminal offenses, such as those related to intimidation," said a spokesman for the Electoral Commission.

Problems with mail-in voting

As reported by The Telegraph, up to 120 districts experienced delays or problems with the delivery of ballots, who "could not cope with the increased demand."

"Some voters said their letter carriers had told them their ballots were delayed because sorting offices were making sure the packets were delivered first," the media outlet noted.

The Electoral Commission has already said it will take action on the matter and that mail-in votes will be part of its investigation after the polls close. Disagreements between the parties over procedures surrounding this type of voting contributed to problems, which were then compounded by the unexpected announcement of early elections by the day's big loser: Sunak.

Nigel Farage's charismatic arrival in a tank.

True to form, the Reform Party candidate, who came out of retirement for this election, entertained voters before Election Day.

Dressed in a light blue suit and matching tie, he arrived in a military vehicle from which he gave a speech to his supporters.

He implored those present to go vote "with their hearts" to "change politics once and for all."

"For all of us who voted for Brexit, for all of you who helped (the Conservatives) win that 80-seat majority with Boris Johnson in 2019, you have betrayed our trust and you deserve to lose the election," he said in reference to Sunak's Conservative Party.