UK election: From controversies, campaign highlights to talking points
People are voting across Britain to pick their next Prime Minister.
Voting started in Britain on Thursday for the snap general election called by Prime Minister Theresa May in April.
May announced the election in hopes of increasing the Conservative Party’s slim majority in parliament, and strengthening her hand in European Union exit talks.
Here is all the buzz on the elections:
Five talking points
•May being called ‘Maybot’ for her robot-like answers to questions from the media and voters
•Her repeated use of phrase ‘strong and stable’ came in for much ridicule
•People none the wiser about the way forward on Brexit despite her answers
•Two terror attacks in Manchester and London during the campaign
•Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron taking down May on live television
Five controversies
•May ruling out a mid-term election six times but announcing one on April 18
•May not appearing in live television leaders debate
•May making policy U-turns on social care and tax
•Corbyn unable to put a figure on live radio broadcast how much a new free childcare policy will cost
•Labour leader Diane Abbott’s ‘car crash’ interviews on live television
Five campaign highlights
•Rise of Corbyn: From a leader seen to be unfit for politics in the age of television to a position where Labour poses a serious challenge to the Conservatives.
•From a leader who limited exposure to media, people saw May up close and personal during the campaign; opinion divided whether they liked her or not
•Increased new registrations by young voters enthused by Corbyn’s promise of scrapping tuition fees
•Conservative party releasing a slick video titled ‘Theresa ke saath’ with a Hindi song and images of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appeal to the British Indian community
•May performing ‘abhishek’ in a Hindu temple; Corbyn wearing saffron headgear during a gurdwara visit.
