December 12 is finally here: today citizens of the United Kingdom are making their way to their local polling stations to cast their votes in the snap general election that Parliament called in October.
The United Kingdom was not due for another general election until 2021-2022 since Theresa May’s Conservatives barely won the 2017 vote (which was also preliminary). However, the minority government formed by the Conservatives then proved difficult to manage as the Brexit talks intensified. Theresa May herself struggled to find support for her deal in numerous meaningful votes, while her successor, Boris Johnson, got rejected by Parliament every step of the way. Thus, MPs agreed to hold new elections in order to move past the impasse, with the Conservatives hoping to secure a majority, which would allow them to pass legislation more easily.
Based on the preliminary polls, it appears that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will get his wish granted and keep his job. A massive poll summarizing the predictions of smaller polls published by The Guardian gave the Tories a lead of about 11% in front of their opponents, the Labour Party. This will be more than enough to ensure Johnson can move ahead with his Brexit withdrawal agreement without resistance by MPs.
As of now, it is extremely unlikely that the Conservative Party would lose the elections. The British pound has gradually stabilized over the past month due to the Tories’ comfortable lead. If Johnson’s party performs worse than expected, the pound might react negatively.
The results will start coming in after 10 pm GMT, when the polling stations will officially close.
