Britain goes to the polls next week in a general election that looks set to end 14 years of Conservative rule marked by economic turbulence, Brexit, political scandal and upheaval.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s right-wing Tories are expected to be dumped out of power, with discontent appearing widespread about their record in government and the state of the country.
Sunak has been unable to narrow a gaping 20-point polling deficit to Keir Starmer’s centre-left Labour party, during a largely lacklustre election campaign.
Some predictions put the Conservatives on course for the worst results in their 200-year history and forecast a record majority for Labour, last in office under Gordon Brown in 2010.
One survey even suggested that Sunak could become the first sitting UK prime minister to lose his own seat.
Voting begins at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) next Thursday and runs until 10:00 pm, with official results trickling in late into the night and early morning.
Increasingly, the electorate is tipped to send a message to the Conservatives that their time is up, with some Tories already indicating that they can only mitigate the size of Labour’s win.