Voters across the UK are going to the polls today for the 2017 General Election.

Residents of Cumbria's six constituencies - Barrow, Carlisle, Copeland, Penrith, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Workington - have until 10pm to put their cross on their ballot papers to select their MP.

Despite the rain, anecdotal reports suggest that people are turning out in droves to vote.

Care worker Jonny Eastman, 23, lives in the centre of Carlisle.

He was preparing to cast his vote last night.

It is only the second time he has been to the ballot box - the first being in 2010's General Election.

Jonny said: "It is good to get your opinion across by voting and going with what you believe is the right direction to travel in.

"I've only voted once before, when I was 18 and I did it because I could."

Polling stations across the city have been seeing a "steady stream" of voters, with many either casting theirs as they drop off children at nearby schools or when there has been a break in the weather.

At one, in Fusehill Street, it was reported at around 9am that "around double" the usual number of people had already been in to cast their votes.

Georgina Harrow is a 19-year-old A level student from Denton Holme, Carlisle and she's voting Labour.

This is her first time voting in the UK general election as she recently moved from Sydney in Australia to live with her family who were already living in the city.

As a sixth form student her aim is to get the grades to go to university in September.

“Labour have promised to keep nursing bursaries and that's why I think they're the best party for me right now.”

She had an interview for the University of Cumbria to study Nursing and is waiting on their decision.

“Labour seems to more focused on the NHS. Health care in Australia is so different and it would be a shame to put a cog in the system.”

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn announced in a speech to the Royal College of Nursing that 'Labour is ready to step in and save the NHS from cuts and privatisation'.

In Whitehaven, polling stations were said to be busy.

For Patricia Ritson, of Whitehaven, said the issue of the health service was the main issue for her in deciding who to vote for in the General Election.

Abigail McGill, of Whitehaven, said: "The NHS, the police and schools have been the biggest issues for me.

"I have three kids, and their schooling is important. We also need to keep our hospital."

One Whitehaven voter said: "It was the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, that I wasn't happy with – with Sellafield as he's not into nuclear power.

"Once he gets into power he could stop everything.

"With these terrorists now, his views are not what I think they should be. We are living in dangerous times.

"I know we have always been Labour in this area but I think people are starting to change their minds."

Another Whitehaven voter said: "I'm disillusioned with the lot of them. If they are incapable of making a decision on Brexit, what do we do?"

He said he doesn't agree with the referendum decision of leaving the European Union, and the political discord that has taken place since.

A Whitehaven woman said: "I have voted for who I have always voted for. But they are all full of broken promises."

Fran Dugan, of Whitehaven, said: "I have been swayed by the terrorist attacks and the responses to that. I was going to vote in a different way until that happened."

Paul Hanson, of Whitehaven, said: "There hasn't been much of a campaign.

"It has been more of a time to remember all those who have lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. They haven't ridden on the back of that."


If you are unsure where to go to vote, the location of your local polling station will be on the poll card, which will have been delivered to you before today.

You can also find your polling station by visiting wheredoivote.co.uk .

Cumbria's councils have lists on their website of their polling stations. These are available here: Carlisle , Eden , Copeland , Allerdale (in downloadable link), Barrow , South Lakeland .

If you chose to do a postal vote but didn't send it in time - don't worry. You can hand in your vote at your local polling station or Electoral Registration Office but you must do it by 10pm.


Security around polling stations has been constantly being reviewed and updated in the wake of the terrorist attacks that have hit Britain, a senior police officer has said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for protective security, said "Security around polling stations is constantly being reviewed and updated by local police forces.

"Plans are in place to make sure that resources are appropriately allocated.

"The general threat level remains at severe, so we continue to ask the public to be alert and to report any concerns to police."

Voting is underway as a new poll reveals that the Conservatives come into the General Election today with a seven-point lead over Labour.

Opinium Research's final poll before today's ballot put the Tories unchanged on 43 per cent with Labour down one point since last week on 36 per cent.

It was the first Opinium study of the campaign which has seen the Tory lead increase rather than shrink and adds to a mixed picture painted by pollsters in recent weeks.

The poll put the Liberal Democrats up two points on 8 per cent, with Ukip and the SNP unchanged on 5 per cent, the Greens on 2 per cent and Plaid Cymru on 1 per cent.

While Opinium offered good news for Theresa May, a Survation poll for Good Morning Britain found the Conservative lead over Labour slashed from 17 points to just one over the course of the last month, with the Tories on 41.5 per cent compared with Labour on 40.4 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats were on 6 per cent and Ukip on 3 per cent.

A daily constituency-by-constituency estimate by pollster YouGov suggests the Conservatives could emerge from the election with 304 Commons seats - down 26 from the end of the previous parliament - compared with Labour's 266 (up 37), with the Scottish National Party on 46 (down eight) and the Lib Dems on 12 (up three).

This result would deny any party an absolute majority, which requires 323 MPs - assuming Sinn Fein sticks to its policy of not taking up seats.

The YouGov model, which draws on survey data and analysis of key demographics, previous voting behaviour and likely turnout, has consistently shown stronger results for Labour than polls carried out under more conventional methods.


The General Election in numbers:

46.9 million : The number of people eligible to vote on polling day, 1.1 million of whom have joined the electorate since 2016.

3,304 : The number of candidates standing across all parties.

974 : The number of female candidates standing in the General Election.

326 : The number of seats needed for a working majority.

17 : The Government's majority at the end of the 2015-17 parliament.

97 : The number of seats Labour needs to gain to win a majority.

330 : The number of seats the Conservatives had at the end of the 2015-17 parliament, compared with 229 for Labour.

650 : The number of constituencies across the UK.