Sunak seat shaky; Labour eyes historic win as UK votes

Opinion polls suggest Sunak’s seat, too, might not be safe; three major surveys project Labour winning at least 430 seats; results will be out today

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BRITAIN voted Thursday in a general election that polls predict will hand the opposition Labour party a landslide win and end nearly a decade-and-ahalf of Conservative rule.

The first national ballot since Boris Johnson won the Tories a decisive victory in 2019 follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's surprise call to hold an election six months earlier than required. His gamble looks set to backfire spectacularly, with polls throughout the six-week campaign and for the last two years pointing to a heavy defeat for his right-wing party.

That would almost certainly put Labour leader Keir Starmer, 61, in Downing Street, as leader of the largest party in parliament. Centre-left Labour is projected to win its first general election since 2005 by historic proportions, with a flurry of election-eve polls all forecasting its biggest-ever victory. But Starmer was taking nothing for granted as he urged voters not to stay at home.