Britons headed to the polls today in a general election widely expected to emphatically return the opposition Labour Party to power and end nearly a decade-and-a-half of Conservative rule.

The country’s first national ballot since Boris Johnson won a landslide for the Tories in 2019 follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise call to hold it six months earlier than required.

His gamble looks set to backfire spectacularly, with polls throughout the six-week campaign — and for the last two years — pointing to a heavy defeat for his right-wing party.

Centre-left Labour is projected to win its first general election since 2005 by historic proportions, with a flurry of election-eve polls all forecasting its biggest-ever victory.

Voting began at 7:00 am in more than 40,000 polling stations across the country, from church halls, community centres and schools to more unusual venues such as pubs and even a ship.