The United Kingdom is holding a general election on Thursday, in which the main opposition Labour Party is expected to return to power after 14 years.
Here are the main players in the nationwide vote.
keir starmer
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer is a former human rights lawyer and chief public prosecutor who pollsters predict will win the election and become prime minister.
Starmer, 61, is credited with bringing his party back to centre ground and rooting out anti-Semitism since he became leader in April 2020, succeeding left-wing Jeremy Corbyn.
Supporters see them as a pragmatic, safe pair ideally suited to lead Britain out of economic decline.
Critics have accused him of being an uninspiring wimp who has failed to lay out a clear vision for the country during a cautious campaign.
Starmer was born in London to a toolmaker father and a nurse mother. His unusual first name was a tribute by his socialist parents to Keir Hardie – a founding father of the Labour Party.
The avid footballer and Arsenal fan was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to criminal justice, but rarely uses the prefix “Sir” before his name.
Rishi Sunak
Sunak, 44, is seeking his mandate from the British people, as he is installed as Conservative leader, and therefore prime minister, by his own MPs in October 2022.
He replaced Liz Truss, who was ousted after just 49 days in office after her tax-cutting economic agenda caused market panic and lost her party’s support.
Sunak, of Indian origin, is the first British Asian and Hindu Prime Minister of Britain.
The former finance minister is credited with stabilising the government and reducing inflation following the chaos of Truss and Boris Johnson’s prime ministers.
However he has failed to deliver on many promises, including cutting health waiting lists, stopping irregular immigration and deporting migrants to Rwanda.
Sunak has run a lackluster and chaotic campaign, which began with announcing the election date in the rain and included criticism for not attending key D-Day anniversary celebrations.
Opinion polls have given him the lowest approval ratings of any prime minister.
Nigel Farraz
The 60-year-old former beer-loving, cigarette-smoking member of the European Parliament is one of the most divisive figures in British politics.
He earned the nickname “Mr Brexit” from former US President Donald Trump after helping persuade a majority of Britons to vote to leave the European Union in 2016.
However, the staunch Eurosceptic has repeatedly lost at Westminster and is seeking an eighth term as MP.
He heads the far-right Reform UK party, whose polling data suggests it could deprive the Conservatives of several key seats needed to win re-election.
Farage has been embroiled in a racism scandal after several Reform activists were filmed making racist and homophobic comments.
Reform, which Farage co-founded in 2018, rejected three candidates over the weekend because of offensive comments.
Farage also faced criticism for saying that the West “provoked” Russia to invade Ukraine.
Swinney, Davey and Denyer
Neither Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats nor John Swinney’s Scottish National Party (SNP) will win the election – but they can have a say on who will.
Davey, 58, hopes his party can prevent a Conservative victory by winning a number of seats in southern England as it looks to overtake the SNP and reclaim its position as the third-largest party in parliament.
He has campaigned on serious issues such as adult social care and polluted waterways, and performed irreverent stunts such as falling off a paddleboard and tackling an obstacle course.
Swinney, 60, does not sit in the UK Parliament but is First Minister in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, having taken over the SNP leadership in May following the resignation of Humza Yousaf.
Her SNP is struggling to prevent a resurgence of the Labour Party in Scotland, which could end its hopes of independence for a generation.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, 38, is hoping to win the new seat of Bristol Central, as the group aims to increase its representation of MPs from one to four.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)