It's yet another June and the people of the United Kingdom prepare for yet another election. Prime Minister Theresa May took a big gamble a few months ago by announcing a snap election on June 8 to fathom the waters of popularity against her adversaries to settle the Brexit question once for all. It was on June 23, 2016, that the UK had voiced in favour of quitting the European Union in a referendum which was called by May's predecessor David Cameron. That too was a gamble and it saw a backlash, leading to Cameron's exit.
Now, with the May government facing yet another test of democracy, what will the results imply? With the gap between May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reducing fast, analysts are deeply interested to see how things would unfold for May and her Brexit roadmap.
This election has become more crucial in the wake of a number of terror attacks in the country in the last few months, including the one at a music concert in Manchester on May 22, causing death of 23 people. The question now is: Is Brexit still the most important issue of this election or has terror overtaken it?
Here are the five most important issues related to the UK elections of June 8, 2017:
TERROR: Though Brexit is the actual goal in this election for which the May government is working, the voters of UK will have the fresh memories of the recent terror attacks while casting their ballots. Though the Conservatives have the support in terms of Brexit, they will also be feeling uneasy over the failure to ensure security of the people despite the fact that the UK has one of the best intelligence apparatus in the world.
The government's decision to reduce the threat level and its failure to keep tabs on Khurram Butt, one of the tree attackers on the London Bridge on Saturday, June 3, are something that PM May will not feel assured about.
May is trying to play on the voters' psyche ahead of the polls asking they should be asking who they could trust better on the question of security on the day of the polling. Corbyn, on the other hand, is also trying to put up a stronger face on the question of terror, saying if a Labour government is formed, it will use all resources to empower the police and security forces.
BREXIT: Brexit remains May's biggest hope to see her party through. The issue has remained one of the three most important issues in this UK election at 63 per cent [a recent poll by YouGov has said] while health remains a distant second at 42 per cent and will influence the people's voting behaviour.
And May has a lead over Corbyn in this regard. The same YouGov poll has suggested that the number of people who believe the Conservatives are better placed to deal with Brexit is much more than those who back the Labour. In fact, while the Conservatives were backed by 34 per cent people, the Labour got just nine per cent, finishing third after the UK Independence Party at 10 per cent. The Lib Dems finished at seven per cent.
It is not without a reason that May called the risky election even though there could be some voters who would look away from the May regime but yet will not pose that big a threat owing to the fact that there is not much of an alternative option when it comes to handling Brexit. The Labour Party's lack of clarity on the issue of Brexit would only make May's position stronger.
IMMIGRATION: PM May's immigration policy has failed to impress many and her opponents have even described it as "unworkable", "economically illiterate" and "utterly short-sighted". It was also accused of being in "chaos" after the PM said she had aimed at reaching the debatable target before 2022 and was undermined by her Brexit secretary later. The Conservatives had made pledges on immigration in 2010 and 2015 polls as well but could not do much since the UK authorities could not stop EU workers from arriving in their country.
Corbyn, on the other hand, has been a strong advocate of immigration. Speaking in a television debate last month, Corbyn said it is the migrants who have seen the UK improving in fields of health, education and transport. He had said though the number of EU citizens would conclude after Brexit, he refused to put a limit on the number of immigrants in the country.
Theresa May's immigration policy has been accused of being in "chaos" after she signalled she wanted to achieve the contentious target before 2022 – only to be undermined by her Brexit Secretary hours later.
SCOTLAND: Apart from Brexit and terror, Scotland's independence is another key issue of this election and no wonder leaders of all parties, including the prime minister, have made it a point to campaign in the northern parts. PM May has warned that the June 8 election is not a second referendum for Scotland's independence and any vote except that for the Scots Tories would be to weaken the union. But while May's warning could have backfired at other times, it is certainly not the case now.
When Scotland had overwhelmingly voted against Brexit last year, its First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had seen as a way towards the country's second independence referendum (the first one which was held in September 2014 did not succeed). But Sturgeon's plan did not prove to be true as the Scots did not pursue it, thanks to the uncertainties caused by Brexit. Sturgeon's own government's ratings too have gone down.
The Scottish National Party is still a big player in Scotland but the rise of the Scottish Conservatives under Ruth Davidson has posed it quite a challenge and that could ultimately see May's unionist stance getting stronger. The significance of Scotland in the UK election is to see whether a fresh call for independence comes up again.
