As Britain votes in the general election, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is trending on Google Trends. Alongside him, his Conservative Party, Keir Starmer, and his Labour Party are also trending.
The Conservative and Labour parties dominate the political landscape in Britain. The Conservatives have been in power for 14 years and have had five different prime ministers during this period.
The keyword “Rishi Sunak” was at the eighth spot on Google’s real-time trends in India on Thursday. The user’s interest began at 1:30 pm on June 27 this year and peaked on July 4 as Britain decides the fate of the Conservative Party.
Millions of people will vote today to elect 650 members to the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament. The party securing the most seats in the country’s First Past the Post electoral system will form the new government.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who succeeded the short-lived Liz Truss-led government, aims for a second term in office. Sunak is the first non-white prime minister of the United Kingdom.
A day before the voting, he shared an Instagram post saying, “This election will determine the future of our country.”
In the next few lines, he contrasts his government with the Labour Party-led government: “Higher taxes with Labour, or lower taxes with me. Higher immigration with Labour, or lower immigration with me. Higher crime with Labour, or safer streets with me.”
“You’ve got less than 17 hours to save Britain from a Labour supermajority,” Sunak underscored.
The leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, also shared an Instagram post ahead of polls in the country. He shared a video with the caption, “This is what change looks like.”
“We stand here on the eve of the election as a changed Labour Party, a Labour Party that has pushed protest to one side, has returned our party to the service of the working people and proudly says country first, party second,” says Starmer in the video.
He added, “With a chance, not just to put our NHS back on its feet, but to make it fit for the future, a chance to make sure that every young person has everything they need, the skills, the opportunities, the housing, the security to go as far as their talent will take them.”
“An opportunity to make sure that the economy works for everyone, wherever they live, with living standards raised across the country. Our public services are working properly again. We’re reset, holding our heads high on the international stage. Imagine a Britain moving forward together with a Labour government. That is what we’re fighting for. Let’s continue that fight. If you want to change, you have to vote for it. Vote Labour,” Starmer further said.