The United Kingdom’s first election in five years is shaping up as a battle for the country’s soul, with some saying it poses an existential threat to the governing Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010. The center-right Conservatives took power during the depths of the global financial crisis and have won two more elections since then. But those 14 years have been filled with challenges and controversies, making the Tories, as they are commonly known, easy targets for critics on the left and right.Labour, which leans to the left, faces its own challenges in shaking off a reputation for irresponsible spending and proving that it has a plan to govern.
Both parties are being ripped apart by the conflict in the Middle East, with the Tories facing charges of Islamophobia and Labour struggling to distance itself from antisemitism that festered under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The timing of the election is determined by the prime minister’s calculation of the date most advantageous to the ruling Conservatives. It had been expected in the autumn, when a number of economic factors were expected to have improved their chances, the Institute for Government, a London-based think tank, had said.