Almost three and a half years after the E.U. referendum, the British people will head to the polls on December 12th for one of their most important elections in recent times. Months of political impasse by opposing Labour and Conservative Parties means that the nation is yet to resolve issues regarding Brexit, the economy, health/social care, climate change, and law and order.
The main issue of Brexit has been a prolonged subject of debate. Voters and politicians alike hold divided views on how to leave the E.U., if at all. Conservatives, such as Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are desperate to leave as soon as possible. PM Johnson stated that the UK would leave by October 31st, “do or die”, but Parliament Members shot down his revised deal and forced him to appeal for an extension. However, the Labour Party would prefer a renegotiation: a choice between a more moderate exit from staying in a customs union and maintaining a closed markets relationship, or remaining all together. Like the Liberal Democrats, the SNP (Scottish National Party), looking to secure more seats, is pro-remain, but is campaigning for another referendum.
Another pertinent issue is the sluggish economy. Third-quarter growth is at 1%, the slowest in nearly a decade. PM Johnson and his conservatives don’t want any increases in income tax, National Insurances, and VAT, aiming to maintain taxes and other base economic contributions at their current rate. On the other hand, Labour leader Mr. Jeremy Corbyn prefers increasing corporation taxes, and upping the income tax on the top 5% of earners to emphasize the system of graduation. Ms. Jo Swinson and the Liberal Dems’ idea is to add one penny to the income tax in order to pay for health and social care, theoretically raising income by a significant amount.
Additional significant areas of debate include health and social care, law and order, and the environment. To the first, the National Health Service is under extreme financial pressure. Hospital wait times are greater than ever, and 1.4 million elderly people cannot obtain necessary daily care. For the second point, there are 14% less police officers than in 2010, leading to crime rates that won’t seem to drop. And all three parties wish to cut carbon emissions to net zero: Labour by 2030, Liberal Dems by 2040, and Conservatives by 2050.
With each party striving for the magic majority number of 326/650 parliament seats, and the Prime Minister elected from the leading party, citizens and government members are tense to see how events will play out. A projected voter turnout of over 70% to a snap election, the first held in December since 1923, holds a torn-apart nation's fate on the edge of a knife.
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