The UK General Election is on the 7th May. This is when the British people vote for the political party they want to rule the country for the next 5 years.
Here are the 7 main politicians and political parties in the UK:
From left to right: Ed Miliband (Labour), David Cameron (Conservatives), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Nick Clegg (Lib Dem), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymry), Leanne Wood (Greens), Nigel Farage (UKIP).
The Conservatives – currently in power as part of a coalition government. They are traditionally right-wing and wear a blue tie. Members of this party include the current Prime Minister David Cameron and past Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. They believe in austerity; increasing taxes and reducing public spending in order to reduce the economic deficit.
Labour – a moderate left-wing party who was in power from 1997-2010. The leader of this party is Ed Miliband and they traditionally wear a red tie. Tony Blair was the leader of this party in the early 2000s.
Liberal Democrats – this party teamed up with the Conservatives to form the current coalition government. They traditionally wear yellow ties and are a left-wing party. The leader of this party, Nick Clegg, is the current Deputy Prime Minister.
The Green party – a left wing party whose main concern is the environment. They currently have 1 MP in the parliament but have gained a lot of popularity in recent years. The leader of this party is Natalie Bennett.
United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) – this extreme right-wing party wants the UK to leave the European Union, to reduce the amount of aid that the UK gives to poorer countries and to reduce immigration. It is head by Nigel Farage and has gained in popularity in recent years.
Scottish National Party (SNP) – this party wants Scotland to be an independent country. It is head by Nicola Sturgeon.
Plaid Cymru – (pronounced ply-d come ree) this is the party of Wales. They do not want Wales to be an independent country but they want to represent Welsh interests in the House of Commons. They are left wing. The leader is Leanne Wood.
Tomorrow we will explain where the parties stand on the most controversial issues in British politics.