Polls open in British election

SBS World News Radio: After nearly two months of campaigning, Britain's election campaigns have been dominated by the terror of recent attacks in London and Manchester and questions over Brexit.

Polls open in British electionPolls open in British election

Polls open in British election

From the dramatic to the dull, the British election campaign has had it all.

Prime Minister Theresa May surprised everyone by announcing the snap poll back in April after less than a year in office.

She was hoping to gain a majority and strengthen her position in parliament ahead of upcoming negotiations over Britain's exit from the European Union.

Ms May says she understands the challenges that lie ahead.

"So, yes, we need to get the Brexit deal right, bring back that control of our money, our laws and our borders. We need to build that deep and special partnership with the EU, a comprehensive free-trade agreement with the European Union. But we also need to build new trade deals, create new trade deals, for our goods and services around the world, with new friends and old allies alike."

Most opinion polls predict a solid win for her Conservative Party.

But it has not proved to be an easy election campaign.

While visiting a butcher's market recently in central London, Ms May encountered a particularly disagreeable crowd booing as she chatted with people.

Scottish First Minister and head of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon has frequently clashed with Ms May over the Brexit decision.

She has repeatedly promised to hold a new referendum on Scottish independence to keep Scotland in the European Union.

"The impact of Brexit on everybody in our country is going to be disastrous, and that's why I have a duty to allow people the choice to opt for something better ... Scotland's future should be in Scotland's hands. That is what this debate is about, the future of our country."

Some analysts have bemoaned how the Brexit issue has been treated during the campaign, saying the main parties have largely used it just to criticise one another.

The Liberal Democrats are also opposed to Brexit, and their leader, Tim Farron, has promised a vote on a final deal if they win, although a victory is highly unlikely.

Britain's safety has also come under scrutiny after a series of deadly attacks in the cities of Manchester and London have raised the country's terrorism alert to its highest levels.

The Prime Minister's main rival, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, has chastised her approach to fighting terrorism.

"Our democratic values must be maintained. We must resist Islamophobia and division and turn out on the 8th of June united in our determination to show our democracy is strong, however you decide to vote. And, yes, we do need to have some difficult conversations, starting with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states who have funded and fuelled extremist ideology. It is no good Theresa May suppressing a report into the foreign funding of extremist groups. We have to get serious about cutting off the funding to these terror networks, including ISIS, here and in the Middle East."

Ms May says, if the nation's human rights laws in any way impede her strategy to wipe out terrorism, she will change them, a remark sharply criticised by human rights advocates.

At the same time, she has been criticised for her cuts to police resources when she was previously the country's Home Secretary.

Voting in the election begins this evening, Australian time, with results expected Friday morning.

 






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