The British General Election 2017: Impacts on the Middle East

On the 18th April 2017, during a time of uncertainty in contemporary British history, the Prime Minister Theresa May announced that a snap election would be held on June 8th, 2017. The announcement draped in the shadow of Brexit negotiations, (the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union). Since then, the Conservative Party, led by Theresa May and the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, have published manifestos containing their pledges; and, have been campaigning with promises of what Britain would look like under their respective leaderships. This paper examines these manifestos and their foreign policy orientations towards the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The paper will look at the election itself, providing answers for how Brexit will be impacted; whether the Labour Party has a chance of winning; the prospect of tactical alliances among parties; and, how smaller national parties such as the Liberal Democrat Party and the Eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) may still have a credible impact.