The British people will go to the polls on Thursday to determine the new composition of the Parliament. Polling stations will be open from 07:00 to 22:00 local time (09:00 to 00:00 CET). The British parliament is elected for five years and one party needs to win 326 seats out of 650 for a majority.
The first preliminary results are expected around 23:30 (01:30 CET), and updated data is expected to be published between 03:00 and 05:00 (05:00 and 07:00 CET). Western media note that it is usually after the publication of such updated information on the voting results that the leader of the losing party concedes defeat.
On Friday morning, the leader of the winning party is expected to travel to Buckingham Palace to inform King Charles III that he is ready to form a government.
The pre-election polls were extremely unfavorable for the Conservatives: according to several media outlets that compiled polls from various opinion companies, Labor could get about 40% of the vote, the Conservatives about 20%, and the Reform the UK party about 16%.
At the same time, experts from Survation said that they can say with 99% confidence that Labor will win with a huge margin. According to their latest poll, given the current rules for distributing votes in the election, the Labor Party could win 484 seats out of 650 (about 75% of the seats). In this scenario, the Conservative Party would receive only 64 seats (about 10%), which could be the worst result in their history.
Thus, the Reform the UK party, headed by Nigel Farage, may, under a favorable set of circumstances, overtake the Conservatives in the elections and become the second most important political party in the country. Farage’s party is mainly focused on immigration and the continuation of Brexit.
At the same time, changes are expected from Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which is experiencing an internal crisis, may lose some seats in the British Parliament to Labor. At the same time, the left-wing nationalist party Sinn Fein may win the majority of seats in the parliament for the first time in history from Northern Ireland. The party adheres to the policy of abstentionism, which means that if it wins, it will not de facto take its seats.
Pre-election polls in Wales do not predict any radical changes.
According to British voters, the most important problems in the kingdom are currently the economic situation (about 52% said so), the healthcare situation (50%), and immigration and asylum issues (40%). At the same time, the British media note that in their election promises, both Labor and the Conservatives do not pay enough attention to the country’s main problems.
Labor leader Keir Starmer promises to reform several sectors, including the National Health Service, and to raise taxes to invest in these areas. The leader of the Conservatives, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, promises to cut taxes.
At the same time, the positions of the two parties on Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine do not differ much: Sunak promised to stand by Ukraine “no matter what it takes,” while Starmer repeatedly said that his support for Kyiv is “ironclad.” The Labor Party’s manifesto states that it is ready to work with the Ukrainian government to diplomatically isolate Russia and increase industrial production. Labor is also ready to work to create a path to Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
At the same time, Farage said that Russia and Ukraine should try to organize a negotiation process by using mediators. He criticized NATO’s eastward expansion and said that Ukraine, in his opinion, should act as a buffer state between Russia and the West in the future.
Political problems for the Conservative Party began at the end of 2021, when Boris Johnson, who was then Prime Minister, resigned due to his participation in parties during the COVID-19 lockdown and the scandals that followed. Liz Truss took over as prime minister in September 2022 and was replaced by Sunak in October. The Conservative Party has been in power in the UK for about 14 years.
In late May, Sunak announced his intention to hold general elections on July 4, a decision that came as a surprise to many. The previous parliament convened in December 2019, so the prime minister had until December to decide.
Earlier, Experts Club presented an analytical material on the most important elections in the world in 2024, a more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=eGb95W02MgF6KzXU
You can subscribe to the Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
The State Customs Service of Ukraine has granted the status of an authorized economic operator (AEO) with the right to apply simplified procedures to 46 companies, with 50 authorizations issued.
“A year ago, only one company in Ukraine had the AEO status, and now we are pleased to announce 50 authorizations received by 46 companies in total,” the agency said in a post on its Telegram channel.
The State Customs Service clarified that two of these companies received both types of authorizations at the same time: “on granting the right to apply simplifications” (AEO-C) and “on confirmation of safety and reliability” (AEO-B), which brings Ukraine closer to the possibility of concluding a mutual recognition agreement with other countries where the AEO program operates.
The agency emphasized that the list of roles that authorized companies play in the international supply chain has significantly expanded: 31 manufacturers (exporters), 10 importers, three warehouse holders and four companies that are carriers, forwarders and customs representatives have been granted AEO status.
According to the SCS website, the list has been updated with the following companies: Zaporizhzhia Non-Ferrous Alloys Plant (Ivano-Frankivsk), Firm Kaskad LLC (Dnipro), Ukrainian Kaolin Society (Hlukhivtsi, Vinnytsia region), Kliningspor (Velyki Mosty, Lviv region), and Oriflame Ukraine (Kyiv).
The AEO status was also granted to Popilnyansky Feed Mill (Kyiv), Tarkett Vinisin (Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region), and Agrosem (Kyiv).
The State Customs Service clarified that 28 applications for AEO authorization are currently under consideration. The agency believes that this figure indicates a consistently high interest of Ukrainian business entities in obtaining the relevant status.
In addition, the agency reminded companies planning to apply for AEO authorization or for the application of simplifications, transit simplifications, of the need to conduct a thorough self-assessment and fill out the relevant questionnaire, as this approach will allow companies to successfully pass the assessment of compliance with the criteria and/or conditions for granting authorization and, in particular, reduce the time for obtaining it.
“For its part, the State Customs Service, together with the Ministry of Finance, is developing initiatives that will expand the list of opportunities and benefits for businesses that have AEO authorization,” the service summarized.
As reported, the provisions of the Customs Code of Ukraine regarding the possibility of customs clearance of goods without presenting them to the customs authorities will cease to be effective on November 7, 2023. In order to continue to use the possibility of clearing goods at the facilities of enterprises, the State Customs Service recommended that businesses obtain the status of an authorized economic operator.
Having AEO authorization will allow the company to take advantage of all the benefits of AEO and facilitate access to the simplifications provided for by the Customs Code and the Convention on the Common Transit Procedure. In particular, the simplifications include reducing the level of risk in relation to the goods being transported, prioritizing customs formalities and releasing goods at the company’s location. Earlier, roundtables were devoted to customs reform, where the event’s organizer and moderator Maksim Urakin stated that the State Customs Service provides 35-40% of state budget revenues, and these figures have remained stable in recent years. That is why customs reforms are so important for the country.
Ukrposhta JSC has opened a logistics terminal with automated sorting lines in Odesa, which handles 270,000 small and large parcels per day for the entire south of Ukraine, the company’s press service said on Tuesday.
“The peculiarity of it (the terminal) is that it is here that parcels for three regions – Odesa, Kherson and Mykolaiv – are sorted,” said Igor Smelyansky, Ukrposhta’s CEO.
According to him, by installing fully automated sorting lines, Ukrposhta can adaptively respond to changes in the military situation and, by reducing the possibility of errors during sorting, deliver parcels to their destinations quickly and accurately.
As Smelyansky clarified on Facebook, the new terminal in Odesa is equipped with equipment and software from a Ukrainian manufacturer with the ability to process three parcels per second.
It is noted that the opening of the Odesa terminal is part of Ukrposhta’s development and modernization strategy, which the company launched in 2021. Currently, the company has installed 17 automated lines in seven cities of Ukraine: nine lines sort small shipments and eight sort large parcels. Over the next two months, the company will open new terminals, logistics centers, and depots with innovative equipment in cities across Ukraine.
Smelyansky also noted that Ukrposhta plans to complete the automation of facilities in all seven terminals and 16 logistics centers by 2024.
Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) has changed the opening time of online sales for international trains to reduce the load on the application, the company’s press service reports.
“We are changing the opening time of online sales for international trains to stabilize the slightly overloaded application,” the press service said in a statement on Wednesday.
It is noted that from Thursday, ticket sales in the Polish direction (Przemyśl, Dorohusk, Chełm, Warsaw) will start at 09:00, with a sales period of 20 days before the departure date.
Slovak and Austrian direction – from 08:00, 20 days in advance. Ticket sales for trains to Moldova will start at 08:00, with a sales depth of 30 days.
“All sales start simultaneously on the Ukrzaliznytsia website and in the app. The opening of sales for all domestic flights will remain at 08:00,” UZ said.
The company explained that prior to these changes, ticket sales for all international trains opened at 8 am, except for the Kyiv-Warsaw train, which started selling tickets at 9:00 am.
“The changes will help reduce peak loads on our systems and, accordingly, make the use of the (…) application even more convenient and faster,” UZ assured.
UZ also reported that it has begun a gradual transfer of ticket sales to the new website https://booking-new.uz.gov.ua. International tickets will no longer be available on the old website.
Export of agricultural products during the marketing year, mln tons
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
The United States will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, which will include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and ammunition for the Patriot and other air defense systems, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said.
“I am proud that the United States will soon announce more than $2.3 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine. This package will provide more air defense interceptors, anti-tank weapons, and other critical munitions from U.S. stockpiles, within the President’s authority…and will be delivered to Ukraine,” the Pentagon press service quoted Austin as saying before the talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The Defense Minister noted that the announced aid package will also allow the United States to purchase more Patriot and NASAMS air defense interceptors, which will be delivered in an accelerated time frame due to a change in the order of deliveries for some foreign military sales.
In addition, the Pentagon chief noted that ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Washington, the United States will take “steps to build a bridge to Ukraine’s NATO membership.”
He added that he looked forward to “the opportunity to discuss further ways to meet Ukraine’s urgent security needs and build a future force capable of withstanding Russian aggression.”
“Ukraine does not stand alone, and the United States will never waver in its support. Together with our 50 allies and partners, we will continue to provide the critical capabilities Ukraine needs to repel Russian aggression today and deter it tomorrow,” Austin assured.
In turn, Umerov thanked Austin for his comprehensive assistance and support.
“Thanks to this support, we have stopped Russia, stopped its aggression against people, our values and national interests. And we look forward to discussing with you how we could continue our partnership and become a NATO member in the future. I hope that Ukraine will soon receive an invitation. But for now, we will discuss how to increase our capabilities and plans,” Umerov said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia had dropped more than 800 guided aerial bombs on Ukraine in the past week alone. He called on the leaders of the countries to ease restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia. In particular, he said that Ukraine needs “the necessary means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian warplanes, wherever they are.”
