10 Downing Street (Getty)
On Thursday, May 7th, voters in the United Kingdom take to the polls to elect a new government. In one of the closest General Elections in living memory, Britain’s two main parties – David Cameron’s Conservatives and Ed Miliband’s Labour – are neck-and-neck in the polls, with neither forecast to secure enough votes to form a government, resulting in a Hung Parliament.
With Labour potentially having to rely on Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party – who want independence for Scotland from the United Kingdom – to form a majority, Thursday’s vote could have significant implications for the future of the Union. Similarly, there’s a very real possibility that no workable coalition of parties capable of forming a majority could emerge from the election, raising the likelihood of a minority government and a further ballot before the end of the year.
In the U.K., there will be extensive coverage of election night from around 10pm BST on all main terrestrial channels, as well as on Sky News for satellite subscribers. You can find a handy list of who’s showing what and when right here.
In the U.S. the main news channels will be reporting updates, but no continuous coverage is scheduled. If you live in the ‘States and want to catch live rolling coverage, or live in the UK but won’t be in front of a TV Thursday evening, here’s how to watch online and on mobile:
Watch 2015 UK General Election Coverage Online
Clockwise: Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Nicola Sturgeon (Getty)
You can catch the BBC’s extensive election coverage, headed by David Dimbleby, for free via the BBC iPlayer site. No subscription is required, though you should have a Television License to watch. The BBC News website will also have rolling results from each constituency as they’re declared.
If you have access to a satellite subscription, viewers in the U.K. can also follow Sky’s coverage online through Sky Go. You’ll need the log-in and password for a satellite subscription — either yours or someone else’s — to access the stream.
If you live outside the UK, all is not lost: there are still ways by which you can catch the BBC’s coverage.
Watch 2015 UK General Election Coverage on Mobile
Will the Camerons still reside in Downing Street come Friday? (Getty)
Mobile users in the UK can watch election coverage for free via the BBC iPlayer app, which is free to download from the App Store or Google Play store. No subscription is required, though you should have a Television License to watch.
Mobile users in the UK can also watch election coverage on the Sky GO app, which is free to download from the App Store or Google Play store. You’ll need a satellite subscription and log-in details to access the stream.
