Britons vote in European Parliament elections

IANS  |  London 

Voters in Britain cast their ballots on Thursday for the elections, as the political deadlock over the UK's withdrawal from the bloc continues.

Britain is split into 12 regions for the elections, including 9 in England and one each in Scotland, and British voters will elect 73 members to the (MEPs) out of the 751 for a term that starts on July 2, the reported.

The election was being held in a climate of widespread voter apathy over the uncertainty surrounding Brexit as the has rejected Theresa May's deal three times and there had been calls for a second referendum.

The results from Britain will show whether the newly launched Brexit Party, founded by veteran eurosceptic Nigel Farage, will win the largest number of the 73 British seats in the as is forecast.

In Liverpool, England, retired said she would vote for opposition

Roy said she had considered spoiling her ballot paper. "But upon reflection, I have decided I must vote (for) Labour, mainly because I trust them, more than any other party, to deliver Brexit."

Roy, who voted to leave in the 2016 referendum, said, "More than anything else, I want this issue sorted so that we can address the issues, which are running down our country."

Initially, the were not planned as Britain prepared to leave the EU on March 29. But at the European summit in April, the and the agreed to delay Brexit until October 31.

The UK is obligated to participate in the as it is still a member of the EU. But it's uncertain for how long British MEPs will continue because of the uncertainties over Brexit.

The are the 9th time Britain has elected MEPs to the European Parliament.

Theresa May's in the European Parliament have 18 seats, the same as Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, followed by with 14 seats, which earlier belonged to the

The rest of the seats are held by others, including two of Nicola Sturgeon's and one of Vince Cable's

--IANS

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First Published: Thu, May 23 2019. 19:28 IST