The United Kingdom general election is scheduled to be held on July 4, 2024. The election will elect representatives for 650 seats and the political party that wins 326 seats will be able to form its government. The UK general election 2024 will determine the composition of the House of Commons and subsequently the government of the United Kingdom. The election is to elect 650 representatives to the House of Commons, with a majority of 326 seats.

Like India, the United Kingdom also has several powerful political parties. The two major political parties in the United Kingdom are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, both of which have dominated the political landscape of the United Kingdom for the past 100 years.

The Conservatives are currently in power, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Conservatives pride themselves on traditional views, preferring a stable, responsible mode of governance rather than radical change and growth. They value defence and national security, building up the UK military to provide a strong military capability. While the general perception of the Conservatives is that they are dominated by the wealthy and elite, they are also traditionally seen as strong and effective administrations.

On July 4, the Conservatives will face the Labour Party, which has consistently put pressure on and acted as a strong opposition during the past 14 years of Conservative government in the country.

Considered the voice of the working class, the Labour Party is a progressive party that stands for social justice and believes in strong government involvement in the economy, while the Conservative Party believes in independent and liberal economic policy. The Labour Party also believes in maintaining strong foreign relations, not building a strong defense.

Other parties contesting the United Kingdom general election 2024 are the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

The country is currently in a pre-election period, where ministerial and departmental activities are restricted, and the lower house of the United Kingdom is dissolved. In the last elections, the Conservatives secured 345 seats, Labour secured 205 seats, and other opposition as well as independent candidates secured a total of 305 seats. Although the Conservatives have been in power since 2010, there is growing controversy among British citizens who are dissatisfied with the economy, increased immigration, and deteriorating National Health Services.

The United Kingdom is currently struggling with low growth and is performing very poorly compared to other developed countries. Slow growth in their economy has led to a housing crisis, as the cost of living has surged, making the United Kingdom very expensive in a very short period of time. The Covid 19 pandemic and the Ukraine war have made the revival of the economy even worse, as thousands of people are struggling to make ends meet, prices are constantly rising, hurting ordinary citizens.

A major issue of the election, the Labour Party promised to restore economic stability, reduce taxes and keep government finances under control and transparent to the public. They have also launched a program called “Get Britain Building Again” which focuses on investing in housing and modern infrastructure.

Inflation in the country has made healthcare a privilege. The National Health Service, a decades-old program that provided affordable and quality healthcare to citizens, is now collapsing in the slow economy. Lack of funds and their inability to move with the times and equip themselves with better modern facilities, the NHS which was once a symbol of modern Britain has now become medieval.

The Labour Party has once again released a manifesto outlining its plans for the future and its desire to make Britain great again. It plans massive changes to the entire healthcare system to fix the failing NHS, which means hiring more healthcare workers, building hospitals and reducing waiting times for appointments. However, there is growing resentment among healthcare workers in the United Kingdom as they have to constantly go on strike and fight for pay rises.

The pay rise will not be possible without better economic policies, for which the party wants to create a National Wealth Fund to boost investment in future technologies such as clean energy, reducing their reliance on fuel imports and establishing the UK as a clean energy superpower.

The Labour Party aims to control electricity bills and involve the government more extensively in public services, so as to reduce the burden placed on ordinary people by big companies.

However, the party is known for promising radical economic changes that do not work in the long run. The Conservatives are gearing up to take on the Labour Party, as Rishi Sunak has vowed to fight for every vote and secure a fifth term for his party. The manifesto will be released before the elections, while the party has still made public statements about reducing inflation and presented facts that the UK economy is growing faster than France, Germany and the United States.

The Conservatives want to cut taxes, introduce help for low-income families and double the free childcare support. In addition, they want to abolish the guarantee of National Insurance, an unfair double tax on work and the pension triple lock. The Conservatives have also promised to give the NHS an extra one billion pounds if they are elected.

The 2024 United Kingdom general election is scheduled to take place on July 4, 2024. The new government will determine the country’s foreign relations and impact on the global economy for the next five years.