General election: UK heads to ballot box as polls open for ‘most important vote in a generation’

Exit poll to be released at 10pm when voting closes in third election in five years

Polling stations have opened across the country for the “most important general election in a generation”.

After a campaign defined by Brexit, the NHS and accusations of bias and fake news, members of the public are casting their vote in the third general election in under five years.

The two largest parties have presented vastly different visions for the country, with Boris Johnson’s Conservatives focusing on Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour highlighting the health service and inequality.

The official exit poll, a joint survey for BBC News, ITV News and Sky News, will be announced as soon as voting closes at 10pm.

In 2017, the exit poll correctly predicted a hung parliament, while in 2015 it accurately projected that the Conservatives would be the largest party but failed to predict the small Tory majority in the final result.

There are 650 parliamentary constituencies which will be contested today across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with 326 seats required for a party to have a guaranteed majority.

However, because Sinn Fein MPs in Northern Ireland do not take their seats in the House of Commons, a lower number may be enough to secure a majority.

If no single party can win a majority, negotiations will need to take place between multiple parties to form a government, either by coalition or by a confidence and supply agreement.

In 2010, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed a formal coalition, with Lib Dem MPs receiving positions in the cabinet in return for supporting the Tories.

In 2017, Theresa May’s Conservatives did not have a coalition but made a deal with the DUP for support in critical votes so they could govern.

Thursday’s vote is the first December general election since 1923 and the first winter election since February 1974.

The Electoral Commission has warned people not to take selfies or photos inside polling stations because it may lead to a breach of the law, as it is a criminal offence to reveal how someone has voted.

Voters in England, Scotland and Wales do not need to bring ID to vote but they will be asked to give their name and address before they are issued a ballot paper.

In Northern Ireland, voters will be asked to show either a passport, driving licence, Electoral Identity Card or certain kinds of Translink Smartpass.