British voters go to the polls in a tight, hard-fought national election

The main candidates in Britain&#039;s 2017 election

(Image credit: Eon Neal,Oli Scarff,Lesley Martin/AFP/Getty)

published 8 June 2017

Polls are open in the United Kingdom for a general election that Prime Minister Theresa May might wish she hadn't scheduled. When May called the snap election in April, her Conservative Party was 20 points ahead of the main opposition Labour Party, and she argued that she needed a larger majority in Parliament to negotiate a beneficial exit from the European Union. After two terrorist attacks, Britain's national conversation has shifted from Brexit to national security, as well as May's proposed changes to Britain's health-care system. Polls show that Labour has cut the Conservatives' lead down to single digits.

May says the Tories will foster a "stronger, fairer and more prosperous Britain," while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promises to govern "for the many, not the few." Voters in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will elect 650 members to the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.