Voters poured into polling stations Thursday morning in Portsmouth, a city on England’s south coast known for its naval base and historic dockyard, as poll workers greeted them warmly.
Elderly couples walked hand-in-hand to the local church, where ballot boxes had been temporarily fitted, parents with children in strollers and young adults rushing to work.
One by one, they weighed in on the future of the nation in a vote that polls suggest could end 14 years of Conservative-led government.
“I just want to see change,” said Sam Arga, 36, who was outside a polling station Thursday morning. “I’d really like to see us do something different.”
It also serves as a microcosm of a broader national challenge facing the governing party: a long-held Conservative seat held by a popular candidate that is now in danger of being lost, and a largely disillusioned electorate that has expressed frustration with their quality of life and many See as a lack of leadership.
Portsmouth North is held by long-time Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, who had a prominent role at the coronation of King Charles III last year, drawing international attention to her stability and restraint when she wielded a heavy, jeweled ceremonial sword.
She was first elected to the seat in 2010, when the Conservatives went into coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, and her political future now appears uncertain. Ms. Mordaunt, who is seen as a potential contender for the leadership of his party, is widely liked in Portsmouth, and many of his supporters have said he has no intention of moving in a new direction.
But the polls suggest so Labor voters in the constituency could overturn support for the Conservatives in Thursday’s poll.
The centrist Liberal Democrats – considered the third most popular party here – and the hard-right Reform UK Party could also siphon votes from the Conservatives.
“My hope is for a more compassionate government from Friday,” said Graham Milner, 62, who was walking through the city center with her husband of three decades on Wednesday afternoon.
Many of the shops around the couple were empty or boarded up. Graffiti marked the sides of shuttered department stores. Apart from bookmakers, charity shops and small stores selling vape, there is little to attract people to the area, Mr Milner said.
He first came here to serve in the navy – the city is home to the country’s largest navy – and was stationed as a chef on a troop ship during the 1980 Falklands War. He was kicked out of the military because of his sexual orientation, he said, and later became deeply involved in Union work after returning to civilian life. He cast his vote by postal vote last week.
“The austerity program has been absolutely crippling for working-class people,” Mr Milner said, adding that the number of working people relying on food banks just to get by. “This is not the Britain I served in the army for.”
Her husband, Carl Milner, 64, acknowledged that whichever party comes to power will have a tough task ahead. But he said of the Conservative government’s plan to reduce inequality in communities across Britain, “We’ve talked about ‘leveling up’ for a long time, but it’s gotten worse.”
Concerns about the hollowing-out of the National Health Service, a cost-of-living crisis that has left many struggling, debates about immigration and the fallout from Britain’s withdrawal from Europe were front of mind for many locals.
They described a sharp decline in their own fortunes and the fortunes of their home town.
Others said they had no plans to vote at all, disillusioned by parties and politicians they saw as out of touch.