Britain goes to the polls, and a wipeout is in the works. What to know about the election

But the Conservatives got an unpleasant surprise relatively early in the short six-week campaign: the re-emergence of political firebrand Nigel Farage and his vehemently anti-immigration Reform party, which quickly positioned itself to siphon off a big share of the Conservative vote.

At one point, polls put Reform within striking distance of tying or even overtaking the Conservatives. But its backing slipped somewhat after some supporters were caught making overt racist slurs.

What went wrong for the Conservatives?

Longevity. Austerity. And Britain's messy exit from the European Union, even though politicians on all sides have avoided discussing the subject — a reticence waggish commentators have dubbed "Brexit omerta."

Analysts attribute the lack of campaign discourse surrounding Brexit's widely acknowledged failure to bring Britain prosperity and prestige to a desire on Conservatives' part to avoid calling attention to previous overblown promises, and Labor's wish to not antagonize potential swing voters who back in 2016 had supported leaving the E.U.

After 14 years in power, though, Conservatives are also fighting voter dissatisfaction on other fronts. Austerity measures have sapped essential public services, especially the National Health Service, and many young Britons now see home ownership as an almost impossible dream.

Why is Labor suddenly palatable to voters?

The Labor Party lost big in 2019. Since then, though, it has jettisoned its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was tainted by longstanding allegations of antisemitism and widely disliked. The party's reputation for economic ineptitude faded as dissatisfaction grew with Conservative policies and practices during the pandemic, and after Starmer took the Labor reins in 2020.

What about that other famous British institution?

The election coincides with a rough patch for the British royal family. Both King Charles III, who ascended the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, and Catherine, the princess of Wales,

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