Today, July 4, parliamentary elections are taking place in Great Britain, called ahead of schedule by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The elections promise to fundamentally change the face of the UK government, according to pollsters.

The United Kingdom, comprising England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, is divided into 650 constituencies. British citizens vote for their preferred representative in Parliament. Candidates can run as independents or as members of political parties, including the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Reform Party, the Scottish National Party, the Green Party, Sinn Fein, and the Democratic Unionist Party. The candidate with the most votes in each constituency is elected as the representative. If a party secures a majority (at least 326 seats), it can form the government.

Opinion polls over the past year have consistently predicted a dominant Labour victory, potentially ending the Conservative Party's 14-year rule. A Guardian poll on July 2 indicated that Labour has a 20-point lead over the Conservatives (40.7% to 20.7%). This could translate to Labour winning 428 seats, up from 203, while the Conservatives could drop to 127 seats from their current 365, giving Labour a majority of 102 seats.

Rishi Sunak, the leader of the Conservative Party and current Prime Minister since October 2022, took over after Liz Truss's brief 50-day tenure. Before his political career, Sunak worked at Goldman Sachs. Keir Starmer has led the Labour Party since April 2020, succeeding Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer, first elected as an MP in 2015, has previously served as the Shadow Brexit Secretary and Shadow Immigration Secretary.

The Conservative Party is also expected to lose significant support due to Nigel Farage's return to politics. Farage, former MEP and leader of UKIP, now heads the Reform Party. He seeks to leverage the turmoil caused by Brexit, which has exacerbated the UK's economic challenges. Farage is also notable for being the only prominent British political leader who blames the West for provoking the war in Ukraine.

The first exit poll data, known for their accuracy in Great Britain, are expected at 22:00 local time (midnight in Bulgaria). The initial official results will be available at 23:30 local time (01:30 in Bulgaria). In Britain, the winner's name is announced without revealing their party affiliation, so it will be known overnight if any party has surpassed the 326-seat threshold required for a majority. Final results are anticipated to be clear by 08:00 (10:00 in Bulgaria) on Friday.