LONDON – Millions of people in Britain trudged toward voting booths Thursday on a cold and blustery day to decide whether to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to “get Brexit done” or support opposition parties who want to delay Britain’s departure from the European Union or even cancel it altogether.
The vote, Britain’s first winter general election for nearly a century and its fourth national ballot in less than five years, is not formally directly connected to Brexit. But Johnson called the vote in an attempt to gain a working majority to break a parliamentary deadlock over the nation’s EU exit.
An exit poll is due at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET).
An overall result is expected in the early hours of Friday morning.
If Johnson’s Conservative Party retains power with a comfortable majority in Parliament it will pave the way for him to push through Brexit on Jan. 31. If Johnson loses, or no single party gains an absolute majority – a “hung Parliament” – Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn may attempt to form a minority government by partnering with other opposition groups such as the Liberal Democrats. A total of 650 parliamentary seats are up for grabs.
Britain’s election:Mudslinging clouds UK’s ‘nightmare before Christmas’ vote
The election comes three years after Britain narrowly voted to leave the EU. The nation is as divided now as it was in 2016. There is also a desire to move on.
“We’re fed up. This just needs to be over,” said Julie Ames, 30, who works in a hair salon, as she made her way to a voting station south of Britain’s capital.
British electoral law prohibits revealing details about how another person has voted. However, posts on social media indicated long lines at some voting stations, which is unusual in Britain. It could suggest that turnout is higher than anticipated, although it is not immediately clear which parties that would favor.
The vote also comes amid allegations of disinformation campaigns and outright falsehoods disseminated by all the main political parties. However, Johnson’s Conservative Party has done more than any other group to stretch the limits of truth and transparency, according to a study by First Draft, a media watchdog. It found that nearly 90% of Facebook ads paid for by the Conservatives in the first few days of December contained misleading claims.
Over the period, the Conservative Party created more than 6,000 ads.
Corbyn, 70, has put the preservation of Britain’s cherished state-funded National Health Service (HNS) at the center of his campaign. The Labour Party has argued that Brexit will cause the NHS to be opened up to U.S. pharmaceutical and technology firms as part of Johnson’s drive to create a lower-taxed, more lightly regulated post-Brexit Britain. Johnson has repeatedly disputed that claim, though he has a record of being pro-big business and pro-development when he was London’s mayor from 2008-2016. He has also openly stated falsehoods.
“Standing behind the NHS is a kind of secular religion for all Britons,” said Richard Whitman, a political scientist at the University of Kent, in England.
Whitman said the election represented a choice for Britain: retain close economic and political ties with Europe, or move closer to the United States as a consequence of an expected trade deal the two nations would sign after Brexit.
Still, Johnson focused almost exclusively on Brexit throughout his campaign.
“If we can get a working majority, we have a deal, it’s ready to go,” Johnson, 55, said Wednesday during his final campaign appearance, in central England.
“We put it in, slam it in the oven, take it out and there it is – get Brexit done,” the prime minister said, as he watched pies being baked at a catering company.
Corbyn said Wednesday at his final campaign rally: “My message to all those voters who are still undecided is that you can vote for hope in this election.”
The outcome of Thursday’s vote could have major consequences for the United Kingdom’s union of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU in 2016’s vote and political leaders there have threatened to call an independence vote if Brexit takes place.
Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/12/12/uk-election-boris-johnson-jeremy-corbyn-brexit/4407121002/
Comments