Britons cast ballots in election set to propel Labour to power

Opinion polls suggest voters just want change after 14 years of turmoil under Conservatives

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LONDON - Britons began voting on July 4 in a parliamentary election that is expected to bring Mr Keir Starmer's Labour Party to power, sweeping away Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives after 14 often-turbulent years.

Opinion polls put Mr Starmer's centre-left party on course for a landslide victory but also suggest many voters simply want change after a period of infighting and turmoil under the Tories that led to five prime ministers in eight years.

This means Mr Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer, could take office with one of the biggest to-do lists in British history but without a groundswell of support or the financial resources to tackle it.

"Today, Britain can begin a new chapter," Mr Starmer told voters in a statement on July 4. "We cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labour."

The country's 40,000 polling stations opened at 6am GMT (2pm Singapore time).

Mr Sunak, 44, was among those to vote early. He was pictured leaving a polling station in his Richmond constituency in northern England, holding hands with his wife Akshata Murty.

called the Having election months earlier than expected, Mr Sunak has in recent weeks abandoned his call for a fifth consecutive Conservative victory, switching instead to warning of the dangers of an unchallenged Labour Party in Parliament.