Turnout in Britain’s general election was forecast to be close to a record low of 60 percent, according to the BBC, in a shift that appeared to reflect disillusionment with conventional politics.
Keir Starmer will become prime minister after a resounding victory on Thursday, sweeping the Conservatives after 14 years. The result was widely expected, a factor that may have prompted some voters to stay at home.
But the low turnout underscores the enormous challenge facing Starmer, who takes over at a time when many Britons are skeptical of the government’s ability to fix the ailing National Health Service, modernize the stagnant economy and increase access to public services that have suffered deep cuts over the past decade.
A 60 percent turnout rate would be the second-lowest in a British election since 1885. Turnout was about 59 percent in 2001, when Prime Minister Tony Blair was re-elected for a second term.
Turnout at the last general election in 2019, at 67.3 per cent, was the second highest since 1997, when Blair came to power in a landslide victory. In the 2019 election, the age group least likely to vote was 18-24 year olds, while those aged 65 and over were the most likely to vote.
