Evening Standard comment: PM makes his pitch as election day gets close; M&G fund hits trouble; New help for homeless

“It is the most crucial election of modern times,” the Prime Minister tells us in his interview today — and he’s right about that.

Sometimes elections can be hyped too far, but not this one. In a week Britain’s future will be decided.

Will Brexit happen? Will large parts of our industry be nationalised? Will spending soar and debt get out of control? Will the union of the United Kingdom survive

For many voters this has been a worrying and unhappy election contest. Old party loyalties have been tested. Their leaders have produced strong reactions — negative as well as positive.

A lot of people will decide how they vote out of fear of the alternatives, rather than because they feel enthusiasm for what they are being offered.

So we welcome Boris Johnson’s positive words in his interview with the Evening Standard today.

He’s ending the campaign by trying to appeal to wavering voters by promising to return to a centrist, One Nation agenda — building on a Conservative manifesto which, were it not for Brexit, would see his party rooted firmly in the mainstream of politics.

He says he wants to be the sort of leader who can bring back a “sense of possibility” to the country. “I remember when I was Mayor that sense of being able to push things forward, whether it was Crossrail or new green initiatives, and see things come to fruition,” he says.

There is a lot in his manifesto that people who are not natural Conservatives could support, if he can win them over.

Everyone frustrated by the RMT union’s wrecking behaviour on the South Western Railway line out of Waterloo this month will see there is a case for requiring a minimum level of services to be run during strikes — as happens in some other parts of Europe.

The Prime Minister is absolutely right, too, to focus on the need to build more homes and tackle rough sleeping. It’s good to see the Tory leader recognise the importance of ending homelessness, an issue which usually gets pushed to the sidelines during elections. Mr Johnson recalls what it was like when he joined campaigners against homelessness for a night on the streets: “The experience of waking up in the small hours on a very hard cardboard mat, looking up at the stars and wondering why you are there. It’s the time crawling by in the night, the drizzle.”

The test, of course, will be whether he can turn these positive plans into action. He says he does not want the next Parliament to be dominated by Brexit. That is wishful thinking.

Our relationship with our nearest neighbours will overshadow our politics for many years to come. But it is good to hear the Prime Minister tell us that he does “understand the feelings of people who want to have a positive relationship with the EU; I totally understand that and want to bring people together”.

Next week the country gets to decide whether a leader who helped divide the nation can bring it back together.

M&G fund hits trouble

Investors in M&G’s £2.5 billion property fund are horrified to find that their cash has been frozen.

M&G can’t sell assets quickly enough, and blames Brexit for slowing down the market. It’s a bad excuse: three years in, Brexit’s hardly a surprise.

Investors have been let down by the fund, but it should never have been allowed to make the impossible promise of good returns and easy access to cash in the first place. Our financial markets are supposed to be regulated.

Anger at M&G should also be directed at the Financial Conduct Authority for not stepping in.

New help for homeless

The PM backs the Evening Standard’s Homeless Appeal today — and there’s another boost, too, with a £50,000 donation from Deliveroo.

Meanwhile, there’s still time to bid in our online auction to help the cause.

Together we can end rough sleeping.

Read more

Boris Johnson's big election bid to London as he vows to tackle crime