Millions of British voters went to their local polling stations on July 4 to have their voices heard in the General Election.
For those who might not be familiar with British politics, this General Election was the first since 2019 and early polls suggested that power would change hands.
The Conservative government was elected back in 2010, albeit needing to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats at the time.
The elections in 2015, 2017, and 2019 saw the Tories hold onto power with a growing majority.
But the time between 2019 and 2024 has been anything but smooth sailing, with the Conservative government having to tackle both the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
They have been plagued with accusations of partying during lockdown and mismanaging the country at a time when people are struggling.
With this in mind, early polls suggested that voters were open to a change of government, with some reports saying that Labour was set to gain the biggest majority of votes since 1832.
Who was on the ballot papers?Each ballot paper was different as hundreds of candidates aimed to get a seat in the House of Commons for their respective parties, but the main parties were all competing to gain a majority.
As previously mentioned, the Conservatives have been in power since 2010 and were aiming to become the first modern-day party to claim victory in five consecutive general elections.
Rishi Sunak led the Tories into this campaign and made headlines when he revealed that they would bring back National Service for all 18-year-olds.
The full Conservative Manifesto can be found HERE.
Sir Keir Starmer was hoping to become the first Labour Prime Minister since Gordon Brown in 2010 - and the polls were always in his favor.
The Labour Manifesto, titled "Change", centered around improving economic growth and improving living standards.
The full Labour Manifesto can be found HERE.
The Liberal Democrats continued to try to regain trust after breaking their promise over a decade ago not to increase tuition fees.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, arguably had the most fun while campaigning as he was seen bungee jumping and tackling obstacle courses.
One thing that the Lib Dems are keen on is restoring the relationship between the UK and the EU.
The full Liberal Democrat Manifesto can be found HERE.
Reform UK is the new kid on the block, but at the helm is Nigel Farage, who has become a familiar face in British politics.
Reform's pledges, which were laid out in a "contract" rather than a manifesto, largely focused on immigration, and drastically reducing the number of illegal immigrants who settle in the UK.
Reform also stated that they would scrap net-zero targets, which sparked a wave of backlash from those concerned about the environment.
The full Reform "Contract" can be found HERE.
The SNP (Scottish National Party) largely focused its attention on gaining independence for Scotland, and as a result of this, rejoining the EU.
John Swinney’s party also called for mass investment into the NHS.
The full SNP Manifesto can be found HERE.
The Green Party, co-led by Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, would introduce an additional tax on multimillionaires and billionaires, with the aim of raising between £30-70 billion to help fund improvements to health, housing, transport, and the green economy.
The Greens would also seek to rejoin the EU.
The full Green Party Manifesto can be found HERE.
Plaid Cymru was seeking out "fairness for Wales", with a focus on getting more power away from Westminster and into the Welsh government.
The full Plaid Cymru Manifesto can be found HERE.
In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein stated that the UK Government "must set a date for a referendum on Irish unity."
The DUP wants to remove trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Some former members of Parliament opted to run for this election as an independent, such as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
According to an exit poll for the BBC, Labour is set to receive a sweeping victory in the general election, projected to secure a majority of 170 seats.
If accurate, this forecast would see Sir Keir Starmer becoming prime minister with 410 Labour MPs, nearing Tony Blair's 1997 record.
The Conservatives are expected to drop to 131 MPs, marking their lowest number in post-war history.
.jpg_jQaeK2?tr=h-40)
.jpg_EK1U29?tr=h-40)
.jpg_jQaeK2?tr=h-184)
.jpg_EK1U29?tr=h-184)
