UK Politics

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditor British voters are picking a new government Thursday, voting in a parliamentary election that is widely expected to bring the Labour Party to power against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions and a fraying social fabric.A jaded electorate is delivering its verdict on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010.The center-left Labour Party led by Keir Starmer has had a steady and significant lead in opinion polls for months, but its leaders have warned against taking the election result for granted, worried their supporters will stay home.“We cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labour,” Starmer said on Wednesday night.The Conservatives have conceded that Labour appears headed for victory and urged voters not to hand the party a “supermajority.”In the final days of campaigning Sunak insisted “the outcome of this election is not a foregone conclusion.”But in a message to voters on Wednesday, Sunak said that “if the polls are to be believed, the country could wake up tomorrow to a Labour supermajority ready to wield their unchecked power.” He urged voters to back the Conservatives to limit Labour’s power.Labour has not set pulses racing with its pledges to get the sluggish economy growing, invest in infrastructure and make Britain a “clean energy superpower.”But nothing has really gone wrong in its campaign, either. The party has won the support of large chunks of the business community and endorsements from traditionally conservative newspapers, including the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun tabloid. The Sun said in an editorial that “by dragging his party back to the center ground of British politics for the first time since Tony Blair was in No. 10 (Downing St.), Sir Keir has won the right to take charge,” using the formal title for Starmer, who was knighted.Former Labour candidate Douglas Beattie, author of the book “How Labour Wins (and Why it Loses),” said Starmer’s “quiet stability probably chimes with the mood of the country right now.”The Conservatives, meanwhile, have been plagued by gaffes. The campaign got off to an inauspicious start when rain drenched Sunak as he made the announcement outside 10 Downing St. Then, Sunak went home early from commemorations in France marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.Several Conservatives close to Sunak are being investigated over suspicions they used inside information to place bets on the date of the election before it was announced.It has all made it harder for Sunak to shake off the taint of political chaos and mismanagement that’s gathered around the Conservatives since then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff held lockdown-breaching parties during the COVID-19 pandemic.Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, rocked the economy with a package of drastic tax cuts and lasted just 49 days in office. There is widespread dissatisfaction over a host of issues, from a creaking public health care system to crumbling infrastructure.But for many voters, the lack of trust applies not just to Conservatives, but to politicians in general. Veteran rouser of the right, Nigel Farage, has leaped into that breach and grabbed attention with his anti-immigration rhetoric.The centrist Liberal Democrats and environmentalist Green Party also want to sweep up disaffected voters.“I don’t know who’s for me as a working person,” said Michelle Bird, a port worker in Southampton on England’s south coast who was undecided about whether to vote Labour or Conservative. “I don’t know whether it’s the devil you know or the devil you don’t.” More

Sunak on FarageSupport trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRishi Sunak is reported to be worried about losing his own seat as a string of polls put the Conservatives on course for a historic defeat just hours before voting begins.The party is set to suffer its worst general election result in history, according to a major poll for The Independent that suggests it will hold on to just 82 seats, as a Labour landslide gives Sir Keir Starmer’s party 461.Earlier, the last YouGov MRP of the campaign gave Labour the biggest majority for any single party since 1832, with 431 seats.And a survey for More in Common predicted the Tories would win just 126 seats, against Labour’s 430.This combination photo shows the leaders of the political parties in Britain. Clockwise from top left are Conservative Party leader Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrat Party leader Ed Davey, Reform UK Party leader Nigel Farage, Scottish National Party John Swinney and Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay More

Rishi Sunak’s parents and his wife Akshata Murty joined him for the final stump speech of the general election campaign.The prime minister stood for a photo with his family after giving a speech at Romsey Rugby Club, north of Southampton where he grew up on Wednesday evening (3 July).“This underdog will fight to the final whistle,” Mr Sunak said during his last speech on the trail.The prime minister also urged Tory activists to continue campaigning, claiming they had “urgent work to do” to “save the UK” from a Labour government. More

Boris Johnson’s father Stanley Jonson has admitted he will not be voting for the Conservatives in the general election.Mr Johnson reveals the party he plans to vote for in a video posted on X on Wednesday (3 July) by Liberal Democrat’s candidate for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale in Greater London Helen Baxter.Ms Baxter captioned the video: “I spoke to another Mr Johnson today who told me he was voting @LibDems – we had a long conversation about the negative consequences of #Brexit on our economy and our standing in the world.”Part of the way through the clip, Mr Johnson congratulates Ms Baxter before she asks “Are you voting for me?” More

Nigel Farage has called former prime minister Boris Johnson a “busted flush, a hypocrite and a liar” as he denied that a potential return from his fellow brexiteer to politics would affect his growing support.The Reform UK leader also said that British politics will “break up” in the next five years due to pressure for electoral changes.Mr Farage made his comments during a Reform rally at Clacton Pier in Essex on the eve of the general election (3 July).The Reform leader led crowds at the rally in a chant of “We want our country back” as he said the 2024 election is the “tip of the iceberg” for Reform. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRishi Sunak will lead the Conservatives to their worst election result in history, with a major poll for The Independent suggesting that the party will hold on to just 82 seats.The Techne survey, released on the eve of the general election, put Labour on course for a 272-seat majority, with Sir Keir Starmer winning 461 seats.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaignAfter a day of Tory infighting over the potential outcome of the election, with one of Mr Sunak’s closest allies conceding that Labour will win in a record-breaking landslide, four polls predicted how many seats each party would gain.While there was a range of results, the worst outcome put the Tories on course to drop below 100 seats, while the best-case scenario saw them winning just 126. This would far exceed the defeat faced by John Major in 1997, when the number of Conservative seats fell to 165.All outcomes would beat the Tories’ worst election result in history, which came in 1906 when the party won just 156 seats and Arthur Balfour, who had quit as prime minister a month earlier, lost in his own constituency.The unprecedented drubbing predicted in Thursday’s election marks an incredible fall from grace for the party, which won 365 seats just five years ago under Boris Johnson. Even members of Mr Sunak’s inner circle have warned that he could lose in his constituency of Richmond and Northallerton, one of the safest Tory seats in the country. The Techne poll for The Independent forecast that Sir Keir would become prime minister with 461 seats, the Conservatives would come second with 82, and the Liberal Democrats third with 55. Meanwhile, it suggested that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK would win seven seats, including Clacton in Essex where Mr Farage is standing.The bombshell survey came as the prime minister was forced to insist he was still “fighting hard for every vote” after cabinet minister Mel Stride said Britain was heading for “the largest Labour landslide this country has ever seen”.Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are heading for a record defeat More

Johnny Mercer’s wife appeared to call the police on Gulf War veterans who carried out a peaceful protest against the veterans’ minister a day before the general election.Several members of Justice4Veterans, who claim to suffer from Gulf War Syndrome, arrived in Plymouth Moor View with banners on Wednesday (3 July), accusing Mr Mercer of betrayal.The banners also called for local residents to vote him out of office.In a video, shared by Justice4Veterans, Mr Mercer’s wife Felicity can be seen on the phone.She says: “I’m standing on Derriford Roundabout, and I’ve got some people with banners saying ‘Johnny Judas Mercer’and ‘Johnny Mercer out’. I’d like some police sent down please.”The Independent has contacted Devon and Cornwall Police for further information. More

In recent elections, it seems that voters have been swayed more by charismatic candidates than the promises being made.Through the bumpy ride that has been Brexit followed by coronavirus followed by the cost of living crisis, amidst several crises of international security, it has to be wondered if charisma is really the best method to pick a good leadership candidate?Bethan Kapur speaks with academics about the mechanics of falling for charismatic leaders and whether voters in this general election are still looking to be swooned or something else this time. Get all your election coverage here. More