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U.K. Labour Party Closes in on Conservatives as Voting Begins

HeadlineJun 08, 2017

In the United Kingdom, polls are open today in an election that pits Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May against a resurgent Labour Party led by anti-austerity and antiwar candidate Jeremy Corbyn. On the final day of campaigning, May told voters she’s the only candidate to lead Britain out of the European Union—the so-called Brexit.

Prime Minister Theresa May: “The question is, who do you trust to have the strong and stable leadership to get the best deal for Britain in Europe, because Brexit matters. … So, yes, we need to get the Brexit deal right, bring back that control of our money, our laws and our borders.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spent Wednesday making a final push for his party’s platform of taxing the wealthiest 5 percent of Britons to pay for universal healthcare, free university tuition, free child care, expanded workers’ rights and other programs.

Jeremy Corbyn: “Hope that austerity can be ended, that we can stand up to the elites and to the cynics, hope that we can give our health service, our schools, our police, our social care the money they need and deserve, and need it now.”

Prime Minister Theresa May and her Tory Party are widely expected to win, but the race has tightened dramatically since May called for snap elections in April.

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