'Out of touch': British voters open up on UK election, parties

The United Kingdom will hold its first national election in almost five years on Thursday, with opinion polls suggesting that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party will be punished for failing to deliver on promises made during 14 years in power.

The centre-right Conservatives took power during the depths of the global financial crisis and have won three more elections since then.

But those years have been marked by a sluggish economy, declining public services and a series of scandals, making the Tories, as they are commonly known, easy targets for critics on the left and right.

The Labour Party, which leans to the left, is far ahead in most opinion polls after focusing its campaign on a single word: Change.

Here is a look at what some voters are saying:

Long-time Labour

Cathy Gosling, 64, a former London book publisher now retired and living in northern England, was "absolutely going to vote" for the main Labour opposition.

"This (Conservative) government is corrupt, inefficient, and immoral," she said.

"And how can we have a millionaire for prime minister when people are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis?"

At the same time, the veteran Labour supporter admitted some reservations about party leader Keir Starmer, noting that he has been "very cautious".

"I wish he would have been more dynamic during the campaign," Gosling added.

Labour convert

Charlotte Anselme, 21, runs a small jewellery shop in the centre of Richmond, north Yorkshire, where Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is running for re-election.

"The conservatives have ruined the country, and Reform is racist," the first-time voter argued.

"We would vote Green if we could, but they are not going to win," referring to herself and a friend she works with.

"We don't like Keir Starmer... and we didn't like his position about Gaza. But we will probably vote Labour."

Undecided

Claudette Forrester, 61, lives in the traditionally Conservative-voting town of Godalming, in Surrey on London's southwestern fringes.

"I'm normally quite right-wing, but this time around I have no idea to be quite honest because they are as bad as one another," she confided of the two main parties.

"Neither of them (have) got the right answers for any of the things that are going on.

"I feel like they don't know what the everyday person has to go through in life... they're really out of touch."

Reluctant Tory

Tom Lough, 82, a former engineer at British Steel and voter in Northern England, is set to stick with Sunak.

"I've always voted conservative — not that I'm very happy," he explained, calling the country "a mess".

"I've got no confidence that Labour will do any better," he added.

Lough is unimpressed with the current crop of politicians, whom he argued ascend without enough experience.

"The level of competency in politics in much lower than we had in the past.

"People like (former prime minister Winston) Churchill were politicians for years before going to the top."

Reform UK

Michael Cashman, 49, of Clacton in eastern England, was set to switch his vote from the ruling Tories to the anti-immigration party of Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage.

"I know that voting for Reform is obviously stealing votes from the Conservatives and that we are probably going to hand it to Labour," he said.

"But if I don't go and vote for change and try something different... then it just stays the same."

Not voting

In this election, Kaden Hayes could vote for the first time, in his hometown of Bury, northwest England.

But the 18-year-old is "not interested in politics" and feels ignored by the country's political parties, so will not be heading to the polling station.

"I feel like the government targets an older audience rather than a younger audience," the teenager, who secured a job at the town's market after leaving school aged 16, said.

"I don't understand what they talk about. I don't know it well enough to know what they're on about and vote against or with."

Likely Lib Dems

Growing up, Holly Cobb, 21, cared for her sister, who has a range of different medical conditions, and has been drawn to Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey.

The leader of the centrist party has been vocal about caring for his disabled son.

"I'm still figuring out who I'm going to vote for, but I will say Ed Davey... has spoken very openly about his experiences as a young carer and adult carer now.

"He's someone that really wants to put caring on the political agenda, which is something I've never seen before. And I found it very powerful when he talks about those experiences and talked about valuing paid and unpaid carers."