Election news latest: Labour set for biggest majority in almost 200 years, polls show

The leader of Plaid Cymru has said the Conservatives are “desperate” for attacking Sir Keir Starmer for wanting to spend Friday evenings with his children.

Starmer said earlier this week that Friday night dinner is important to his family and that he tries to “not do a work-related thing after 6pm” on Fridays.

This led to senior Conservatives criticising the Labour leader, accusing him of being a “part-time prime minister”.

Speaking to the PA news agency on Wednesday, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid, said: “I think that the Conservatives are pretty desperate if they’re coming down to that kind of level of personal attack.

“People attack me personally all the time and I tend to try to ignore it.

“What we need to focus on is what’s really at stake in this election.

“Conservatives are going – high time – Labour will form the next government, but we can hold them to account.”

While the polls have yet to open, the likelihood is that Sir Keir Starmer will be the new prime minister on Friday, if polls are accurate. The Institute for Government has now revealed on X what the demands are in the first 72 hours for a new prime minister.

Rishi Sunak has attempted to play down comments made by a minister this morning that suggested the Tories had already lost the election.

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said it is “highly unlikely” that polls suggesting a victory for Labour are wrong, and that the party is heading for a landslide victory.

But the prime minister told This Morning that Stride “wasn’t quite saying that” – and that the priority should be ensuring that Labour do not get a “supermajority”.

Sunak said: “Actually, you know, what Mel was doing was warning of what a very large Labour majority, unchecked, would mean for people.”

The prime minister repeated his own claim that analysis showed that 130,000 people “can make the difference in this election”.

The analysis suggests that people who are still undecided on who to vote for or wavering on their choice could boost Tory seats by voting for them on Thursday.

Sunak added: “So, everyone watching who thinks, ‘oh, this is all a foregone conclusion’, it’s not.”

The prime minister was quizzed about his plans for the future of the country during an appearance on This Morning – as well as his favourite dinner.

After saying that his meal of choice was sandwiches – and that he is a “big sandwich person” – Rishi Sunak then detailed a traditional meal that he has at every election he contests.

He said: “Actually, I always have on election night – we have a bit of a tradition, my local butcher, one of my local butchers called Kitson’s in Northallerton High Street, always do a special election pie.”

Sunak described the pie as a “very good pork pie with a special chutney and some cheese as well, on top”, and added he has had the pie at all the elections he has stood at in the Richmond, Yorkshire, constituency.

“I have to check in with them,” he added.

Thursday marks the first general election that voters must bring photo IDs to be entitled to vote in person.

The Electoral Commission has warned that Britons should check that they have the correct photo identification when heading to the polls on 4 July.

Not all types of photo ID will be accepted at polling stations, but a passport, driving licence or blue badge are valid.

Anyone without a valid form of photo ID will not receive a ballot paper.

Find out the full list of accepted photo ID from Yahoo News UK.

Rishi Sunak has said that being prime minister means his responsibilities as a father and husband take a back seat.

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning on the final day of campaigning, Sunak was asked about his criticism of Sir Keir Starmer for appearing to suggest he’d clock off at 6pm on Friday nights even if he becomes prime minister.

Sunak said “there is always work to do, there’s always decisions that need to be made” and that the job “demands” it because “it’s a great responsibility to be prime minister” and that “public service entails sacrifice”.

He explained: “I love my girls and one of the things I’ve spoken about a lot is doing this job means I’m not as good a dad, I’m not as good a husband as I’d love to be.

“And that comes with the territory of being in public service and having the responsibility of being PM – to do a great job… I will work day and night as I have done to make a difference to people’s lives.”

When either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer take to the stage to hail victory in the British election on Friday, they will be joined at their moment of triumph by either a man with a trash can on his head or someone dressed as "Elmo" from the Muppets.

Among the more than 4,500 candidates standing for election to parliament's 650 seats are those from fringe parties, single issue campaigners, and, in a peculiarly British tradition, those who are simply making fun of the whole thing.

The best known figure in the latter category is Count Binface, "an intergalactic space warrior, leader of the Recyclons from planet sigma IX", who will be challenging prime minister Sunak in his constituency in northern England.

Read the full story from Reuters.

Tory warnings of a Labour landslide amount to “voter suppression”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader, asked what he thought of work and pensions secretary Mel Stride’s warnings of “the largest majority any party has ever achieved”, told broadcasters in Carmarthenshire: “It’s more of the same, it’s really voter suppression, it’s trying to get people to stay at home rather than to go out and vote.

“I say if you want change, you have to vote for it. I want people to be part of the change.”

While the Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey has been criticised for his publicity stunts during the campaign, he shows no sign of stopping on the last day of campaigning.

During a visit to Owl Lodge in Lacock, Wiltshire, this morning Davey seemed ecstatic to be sitting in a tiny car – and a tractor – with the Lib Dem double decker looming in the background.

Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator has criticised interviewers for using transgender people as a “gotcha question” for politicians.

Speaking to LBC this morning, Pat McFadden was asked where a transgender woman would go to the toilet in a restaurant.

But McFadden fired back that Labour want to “protect women-only spaces”, saying: “I think with this issue, you know, asking politicians this one day after the other in some game of gotcha is actually…

“I’m not sure the Equality Act needs to be changed because the Equality Act protects women-only spaces, and it’s right to protect women-only spaces, I’m not sure Equality Act needs to be changed.”

He added: “But let me say something else about this, for people going through this, let’s act with a bit of kindness to people, rather than using them as some kind of gotcha question in an interview all the time.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has used his final day of campaigning to mock the Conservatives for “wheeling out Boris Johnson”.

Johnson made a surprise appearance with Rishi Sunak for a speech on Tuesday night, where the former prime minister urged voters to stop a Labour landslide.

But Starmer name-checked the former prime minister this morning as he attacked the Tories in Carmarthenshire, Wales, this morning.

He told activists: “I’ve been saying throughout this campaign that if they are returned on Friday for five more years of the Tories we won’t get anything different, it will be the same.

“They’ve evidenced it in the campaign because Rishi Sunak started by campaigning with David Cameron.

“Then he borrowed Liz Truss’s programme and put it in his manifesto of unfunded tax cuts.

“And last night they wheeled out Boris Johnson.

“When I say chaos, division and failure, they’ve just exhibited it in the campaign.”

Rishi Sunak is on the verge of leading the Conservative Party to the worst defeat in its 346-year history, according to a new poll for The Independent.

The Techne UK survey of 5,503 voters has given Labour a 19-point lead at 40% – almost twice the Tories’ 21% – with just one day of campaigning left to go.

While the Conservatives have gained two points from late last week, and Labour dropped one with Reform UK also losing a point to 16, the narrowing of the polls appears to be too little, too late for Sunak after a disastrous campaign.

Read the full story from The Independent.

Labour has slipped behind the SNP days before election day, a new poll suggests.

A survey by Savanta for The Scotsman suggests 31% of Scots could vote Labour on Thursday, three points down on the last poll, while support for the SNP is unchanged at 34%.

According to analysis from professor Sir John Curtice, Labour, which won just one seat north of the border in the 2019 election, is on course for 22 Scottish MPs while the SNP would keep 24 seats.

Read the full story from PA Media.

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch, touted as a potential future Tory leader, may lose her seat in the election, according to The Times.

Badenoch’s North West Essex seat is reportedly at risk due to a delay in postal votes being sent out – which would rule her out as Rishi Sunak’s successor if he quits.

On the last day of the campaign, the major parties have been frantically trying to grab the attention of any undecided voters.

Conservatives

Still way behind in the polls, the Conservatives have reached the “sad pets” stage of the campaign, warning voters that they face “surrendering” their finances if Labour win – alongside pictures of cats and dogs waiting for food.

Labour

Alongside a picture of a smiling Rishi Sunak and some creepy music, Labour warned voters on TikTok not to “wake up to five more years of the Tories on Friday”.

Liberal Democrats

The Lib Dems are urging voters to “do something they’ve never done before”, alongside a video of leader Sir Ed Davey bungee jumping and screaming “vote Liberal Democrats”.

Reform UK

Nigel Farage’s party have taken a more serious approach, with an announcement to “freeze immigration”, alongside a picture of migrants on boats below Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.

SNP

A video of SNP’s leader in Westminster Stephen Flynn shows him sunbathing as he warns voters not to let the Tories “steal your vote” by remembering to take photo ID – just like you when going on holiday.

With less than 24 hours to go until the polls open, party leaders make their last pitches to voters across the country.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak will end his campaign trail in the South East – home of the so-called ‘Blue Wall’ of Tory safe seats.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will make a marathon tour of the country, speaking to voters in England, Scotland and Wales.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will hit the road again to round off his stunt-packed campaign, with several stops lined up in southern England.

Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will take another trip to the Essex seaside constituency of Clacton in an attempt to finally win a seat in the Commons. Survation pollsters have said Clacton is the only constituency where Reform UK has a confident lead, but they could take 16 seats at an “upper end” estimate.

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride warned that the country could wake up with a “very weak and marginalised opposition” if polls are correct.

Labour are on course for a landslide victory in the 4 July poll, with the Tories predicted to suffer huge losses, possibly putting them below the Lib Dems in terms of seats.

Speaking this morning, Stride suggested the Conservatives were the only one party could “hold this (Labour) government to account” as he repeated Tory warnings of a “supermajority”.

He told Times Radio: “We’re on the brink, probably, of the largest landslide we’ve ever seen in this country… what we have to have is some balance within our parliament.

“I think we’re right on the brink of a very perilous situation. Opposition in parliament is there to hold the government to account… it really matters.”

British female politicians have become the victims of fake pornography, with some of their faces used in nude images created using artificial intelligence.

Political candidates targeted on one prominent fake pornography website include: the Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner; the education secretary, Gillian Keegan; the Commons leader, Penny Mordaunt; the former home secretary, Priti Patel; and the Labour backbencher Stella Creasy, according to Channel 4 News.

Many of the images have been online for several years and attracted hundreds of thousands of views.

Read the full story from The Guardian.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said he “does not know” whether one of his candidates is still standing for election following offensive comments he made about Israel.

Joe Belcher sparked outrage when he wrote “the leaders of Israel, and Gaza conspired to carry out what happened on Oct 7 for financial gain”.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Ramsay was questioned whether Belcher, who was put up as the Green candidate for Aldridge-Brownhills, was still representing the party.

He told the programme: “I honestly dont know the answer to that. We’ve got 574 candidates across the country – I’m afraid I haven’t memorised all of them.”

According to the ‘Who Can I Vote For?’ website, Claire Nash is the Green Party candidate for Aldridge-Brownhills.

The Lib Dems' education spokeswoman has defended party leader Sir Ed Davey over his campaign stunts.

Davey has been filmed bungee jumping, boogie boarding and riding down water slides throughout the six-week election campaign, opening himself up to accusations that he is not taking the election seriously.

But Munira Wilson insisted that the stunts have worked, telling LBC: “Well, we’re all talking about it and we are talking about the issues. I think he’s really taken himself not very seriously to shine a spotlight on serious issues…

“I think he’s got a balance between really serious issues that people are worried about and also, frankly, making sure that he has a somewhat better time than some of the other party leaders – but also not taking himself too seriously, which I think politicians too often do.”

A YouGov knowledge test has found that one in eight Britons think you can still register to vote today – one day before the election. It comes as 2024 marks the first time that photo ID will be required to vote in the general election.

Around £235 million is expected to be withdrawn from ATMs on Thursday as people fit trips to cash machines around casting their general election votes, according to a forecast from UK cash access and cash machine network Link.

The network expects the total to be lower than it was on December 12 2019, when the last general election was held.

On that date, which resulted in Boris Johnson returning to Downing Street as Conservative prime minister, £322 million was withdrawn.

Read the full story on PA Media.

With less than than a day before the first votes are cast, a new poll has suggested that Labour are on course to eclipse the 1997 landslide that gave Tony Blair a commanding majority.

According to the major Survation polls of over 34,000 voters, Sir Keir Starmer is set to lead his party to 484 seats, with a Labour landslide “99% certain”. In 1997, Labour secured 418 seats, which kicked off 13 years in power for the party.

Labour’s best-case scenario is a 517-seat victory, with 447 seats at the “lower end” and a 484-seat average.

According to the model, the Conservatives look set to secure between 34 and 99 seats – an average of 64. The Liberal Democrats are set to take between 49 and 73 with an average of 61, but the figures mean it is a viable scenario that the Lib Dems become the official party of opposition, pushing the Tories into third votes in terms of seats.

Tory big beasts that look set to lose their seats include chancellor Jeremy Hunt, defence secretary Grant Shapps and education secretary Gillian Keegan.

However, prime minister Rishi Sunak is set to keep a seat in the House of Commons, with a 99% win probability in the Richmond and Northallerton seat, North Yorkshire.

Survation pollsters wrote in their analysis: "The Conservative Party is virtually certain to win a lower share of the vote than at any past general election”.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson finally made an appearance in the Tory election campaign on Tuesday night, urging voters to prevent “the most left-wing Labour government since the war”.

Johnson, who has been noticeably absent throughout the six-week general election campaign, joined Rishi Sunak in front of a crowd of Conservative Party supporters as polls continue to point to a huge Labour majority.

Speaking at the rally, held at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London, Johnson made a veiled reference to Reform UK – who are ahead of the Tories in some polls – telling the crowd: “Don't let the Putinistas deliver the Corbynistas”.

Seemingly dismissing any notion of a rift between himself and Sunak – whose resignation as chancellor was seen as the key moment that led to Johnson’s downfall – Johnson said: “When Rishi asked me to come and help of course I couldn’t say no. We’re all here because we love our country.”

Chants of “Boris, Boris, Boris” could be heard as the former PM told supporters: “There’s only one thing to do – vote Conservative on Thursday my friends and I know you will. I know you will.”

Sunak told the crowd: “Isn’t it great to have our Conservative family united, my friends?”

Johnson’s appearance was at one of the Conservative Party’s final campaign events, before polling stations open their doors to voters between 7am and 10pm on Thursday.