Incumbent Sunak pitted against Starmer as Britain votes

Right-wing Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage appeared to hop onto the #DogsAtPollingStations bandwagon earlier today, posing with a pup outside a voting station.

It’s unlikely that either actually cast a ballot at the polling station, with Farage, who is running to represent Clacton-on-Sea, having voted by post, according to the BBC.

It’s also unclear whether it was Farage’s own pup. He’s posted photos previously of at least two of his dogs, Pebble and Baxter.

British dogs aren’t the only four-legged creatures hightailing it to polls — cats, horses and even reptiles have been spotted outside polling stations today, with their owners eager to get their beloved pets involved in the democratic action.

One social media user, Amy Hughes, shared a photo on X showing the poster arriving at a polling station on horseback.

“Early to the polling station this morning,” Hughes wrote just before 7:30 a.m. local time, no doubt beating those who made their way on foot with the help of a trusty steed.

A bit further behind was Topsy the tortoise, who was spotted posing outside a polling station later this afternoon.

Meanwhile, several cats infiltrated the popular #DogsAtPollingStations hashtag on X, determined not to let democracy go to the dogs.

Who let the dogs out?

British voters, apparently.

There are 23,800 posts and counting for the U.K.’s top election day hashtag on X, #dogsatpollingstations.

Media outlets in the U.K. are under a strict reporting blackout while voting takes place, with our London bureau among those observing the rules. But until the polls close, the pupperazi is clearly out in full force, delivering election content online.

If Starmer wins, he would be the first member of Parliament with the title “Sir” to be elected British prime minister since the 1950s.

He received this chivalric royal honor in 2014 in recognition for his work as a human rights lawyer and head of Britain’s government prosecutor’s office. Though Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne at the time, Starmer received his knighthood from then-Prince Charles, who tapped the kneeling lawyer on each shoulder with the flat edge of a sword.

Starmer’s full title is Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, which was first given by King George I in 1725 and, according to the royal family, dates to medieval times when knights were actual soldiers toting swords and armor. It’s a lofty honorific for Starmer, a man with the most blue-collar upbringing of any candidate in a generation.

Plenty of prime ministers have been knighted since leaving office, but Starmer would be the first MP and leader to already have the title since Anthony Eden, who was knighted in 1954 and became prime minister a year later.

While some parts of the U.K. were expecting rain today, in Britain’s capital, it’s been nothing but clear and sunny skies for voters making their way to London’s polling stations.

Today’s weather stands in stark contrast to Britain’s last general election on Dec. 12, 2019, when temperatures were much cooler and many lining up at polling stations had to endure rain, prompting concerns the dreary weather might affect voter turnout (even if Londoners are used to it).

Still, official figures from the House of Commons library showed voter turnout in 2019 was at 67.3%, down by just 1.5 percentage points compared to the June 2017 election, but higher than the four elections held between 2001 and 2015, with all four held during the months of May and June.

Experts have said they don’t believe there’s a correlation between regular weather and voter turnout. But John Curtice, a top polling expert in the U.K., told NBC News no one should be surprised if voter turnout is “on the low side” for different reasons.

As with any country, the U.K. certainly has its quirks when it comes to its election results, so we’ve put together a dictionary to help you make it through the election. (The first part, defining terms like Blue Wall, Red Wall and the House of Lords, is here.)

First past the post: The name given to the U.K.’s system of selecting members of Parliament (MPs). Voters in each constituency elect one MP, and the person with the most votes wins. With more than two parties likely running in a constituency, wins are often taken with a plurality rather than an absolute majority.

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Americans who remember former Prime Minister Tony Blair may think that Labour, the left-of-center party that he led, regularly wins power here. In fact, Blair was Britain’s first Labour prime minister since the 1970s — and the party hasn’t won a single general election since he stood down in 2007.

If Starmer ends that losing streak today, he will become just the fourth man since World War II to defeat the Conservatives. The others being: Clement Attlee in 1945, Harold Wilson in 1964 and 1974, and Blair between 1997 and 2005.

The two other Labour prime ministers in that period, James Callaghan and Gordon Brown, both inherited the role but never won elections. Since 2005 Labour has suffered four consecutive defeats, the most recent a historically chastening ballot-box beatdown for then-leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

If Starmer manages to end these 14 years of Conservative rule, he would echo Attlee, Wilson and Blair, all of whom ousted governments that had stood for a decade or more. In all, Labour has governed for just 30 years of its 120-year history. By contrast, the Conservatives’ dominance often fuels their claim to be the most successful force in British political history.

HONG KONG — For thousands of Hong Kongers who moved to Britain after Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in the Chinese territory, the election offers a chance to vote again. And in some seats, the fate of Conservative candidates could hang on their votes.

More than 120,000 people from the former British colony have moved to Britain under a bespoke immigration scheme the U.K. introduced in 2021 in response to a national security law imposed by Beijing.

“It is very meaningful for them to participate in democratic elections again,” Ian Ng, a spokesperson for the Vote for Hong Kong 2024 campaign, said in an interview. “Their turnout will not be low,” he added.

As with any country, the U.K. certainly has its quirks when it comes to its electoral process, so we’ve put together a dictionary to help you make it through the election.

Red Wall: Contrary to the U.S. color-politics system, the left-of-center Labour Party is associated with the the color red. The Red Wall is the often-working class, post-industrial constituencies in England’s north and middle (Midlands). The Conservative Party won many Red Wall seats in the last election.

Blue Wall: The group of constituencies that have traditionally voted for the Conservative Party, which uses the color blue. The constituencies are for the most part in the more affluent, southern part of England. Many are in the commuter belt outside London.

House of Commons: The lower chamber of the U.K. Parliament, where the 650 elected members make the country’s laws. Today’s election is to put MPs into this legislature.

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