LONDON, May 1: The Labour party has won the British election and its leader Tony Blair will be the next prime minister of United Kingdom.

As the polls closed at 10 pm GMT (0230 hrs IST) the Exit Polls of the BBC said that the Labour win was landslide. The Exit Poll gave Labour 47 per cent of votes, the conservatives 29 per cent ant the Liberal Democtas got 18 per cent share. In Britain today, as the polls began, early morning radio programmes startled the half-awake with news about the world's turtle population. Broadcasting rules keep all political parties off the air for the period of voting.

Polling stations reported a mixed turnout until mid-morning. In some parts of London, however, there were queues outside polling booths which opened at 7 am, as people waited to vote before going to work. In Britain, voter turnout is normally high –70 per cent or higher – and what is predicted to be the hottest May Day since polls began, is likely to ensure a higher than average turnout.

The leaders were out early. John Major cast his vote in his Huntingdon constituency, near London. The Prime Minister said he was feeling ``entirely confident and very relaxed.'' Tony Blair voted in Sedgefield, in North East England, a constituency that he has represented since 1983. Blair was accompanied by his wife and their three young children Ewan, 13, Nicholas (11) and Kathryn (9). Asked if the Conservatives would be out tomorrow, Blair maintained the circumspection of the last six weeks, saying, ``that depends on the people''.

On the streets, it's just another normal working day. Apart from the odd party car, festooned with stickers, ferrying elderly or disabled voters to polling booths, there is no real sign of an election. Voters have ``polling cards'' identifying them. They hand these back once they have voted. Polling booths, in churches, in gyms, on basketball courts, primary schools and youth centres, have small signs indicating their temporary use of the election.

Signs for the Ingestre Road booth in North London led into a laundry; someone apparently had drawn the arrow pointing in the wrong direction. A local council van had brought a group of old people, some in wheelchairs, to vote. In the polling booth at the Delancy Road sports centre, several elderly voters had left without voting because they could not get up the stairs.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.