David Cameron is poised to remain prime minister of the United Kingdom after Thursday’s election, according to an early exit poll.
Despite polls on the eve of the election indicating a draw between Cameron’s Conservative Party and the Labour Party led by Ed Miliband, an exit poll predicted that the Tories would attain 316 seats—just shy of a majority in Parliament. Labour is projected to win only 239 seats, leaving Cameron in the better position to form a government. A similar exit poll in the 2010 election was largely accurate.
The exit poll also suggested that it would be a successful night for the Scottish National Party (SNP), which supports Scottish independence and is expected to displace Labour in Scotland by winning 58 seats. Although voters rejected separating Scotland from the United Kingdom last September, the success of the SNP could thrust the issue back into the forefront of British politics.
Analysts in Washington expressed pessimism about the British election, no matter who prevails. Cameron has largely focused on domestic issues as prime minister and shirked an active role in addressing international crises, including challenging Russia on its destabilization of Ukraine. U.S. officials were also concerned when Cameron cut Britain’s defense budget to lower the deficit.
Had Miliband won, he was expected to further alienate Britain from its once robust security alliance with the United States by pressing for issues such as recognition of a Palestinian state.