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

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

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 ThomasEditorNew polling has forecast how the UK’s different ethnic minority groups will likely be voting on Thursday, with the war in Gaza a major concern for 1 in 5 of the nation’s Asian voters. Exclusive polling for The Independent by More In Common shows that Black voters are still far more likely to vote Labour than any other party and more than any other ethnicity.Despite the Labour’s recent race rows, some 64 per cent of Black voters are set to rally behind Sir Keir Starmer’s party, compared with 37 per cent of the country’s white population.Ethnic minority voters aged 55+ are twice as likely (29 per cent) to vote Conservative as those aged 25-34 (14 per cent), and four times more than 18-24 year olds (seven per cent).Ed Hodgson, research manager at More In Common, said: “Labour looks set to match their strong national performance with a strong vote share among ethnic minority voters. Given the younger skew of this group, many of them will have voted Labour at every election since 2010, and never voted in a Labour Government.“Ethnic minority voters overwhelmingly think that a Labour government would make their life better, so this election marks the first chance for Labour to prove that this is the case.”Middle East conflict a factor impacting votesThe Independent’s exclusive polling also shows that the attacks in Gaza are seen as a top issue among one in five Asian voters.This means that Asian voters are six times more likely to see the Middle East conflict as a major issue than white voters; 20 per cent compared to three per cent.Mr Hodgson from More In Common said Labour has harmed its reputation with Muslim voters over its early stance on Israel’s campaign against Hamas, although they may still stay loyal.Mr Hodgson added: “For some of Britain’s Muslim Community, Labour has lost their trust over their stance on Gaza. However, given that less than a quarter list Gaza in their top three election issues, Labour’s vote share remains strong.”“This means that, for the most part, regaining the trust of Britain’s Muslims will be a challenge for after the election.”Labour’s leadership has faced criticism from within the party and beyond over its initial stance on the conflict, with Sir Keir criticised for refusing to back an immediate ceasefire in favour of calling for humanitarian pauses.Zara Mohammed, the General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, told The Independent that our polling “highlights significant concerns across Muslim communities and wider British society”.“Many are pained by what is happening in Gaza and are dissatisfied with the political response from the major parties and the current leadership,” Ms Mohammed said.“There is also a strong desire to ensure that Britain is not complicit in the ongoing genocide case against Israel. For the upcoming election, it will be crucial for the next Prime Minister and government to effectively achieve a long-term peaceful solution in the Middle East.”Amid these tensions, 19 per cent of Asian voters believe that a Labour government may actually make their life worse.Overall, however, 43 per cent of ethnic minority voters still believe a Labour government will make their life better.While half of all ethnic minority voters believe Labour reflects their views, a third of young voters (18-24) and older voters (45+) do not feel represented by the policies of Sir Keir’s party. Labour has recently been embroiled in a number of racism rows around its treatment of barrister Martin Forde, longstanding MP Diane Abbott, and prospective parliamentarian and academic Faiza Shaheen.Last month, The Independent revealed that Labour attempted to gag Mr Forde, who authored a report that exposed a “hierarchy of racism” within the party.Meanwhile, Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored last month, following suspension, but it was briefed out that she might be “barred” from running for the party in the General Election.For days, Sir Keir declined to say whether she would be defending her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat on July 4, as he faced claims of a “purge” of left-wing candidates.Ethnic minority voters are also far more likely to be concerned about jobs and unemployment than white voters, with 1 in 3 Asian voters and Black voters focusing on these issues, compared to 1 in 10 white voters.Recent analysis by the Trade Union Congress highlighted that the unemployment rate for Black, minority and ethnic workers is more than double that of white workers.In a similar vein, Black voters are twice as likely to be concerned about affordable housing in this election (32 per cent ) compared to white voters (15 per cent), according to our poll.Across England and Wales, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities face disproportionate homelessness. Black people in particular are four times more likely to be homeless than the wider population.Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Racial inequity is hard-wired into our housing system. Structural racism and discrimination mean the odds are often stacked against people of colour: they are less likely to have a safe and secure home and more likely to become homeless.”“Whoever gets the keys to Number 10 must prioritise building a new generation of genuinely affordable social homes. We also need robust renting regulation to root out discrimination in private renting.” 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 ThomasEditorWith the July 4 general election nearly just days away, all major parties have released their manifestos setting out their vision for the country’s future.The policies within these documents explain what each party would aim to achieve during their time in power, should they successfully secure a parliamentary majority.For all the latest updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverageWhile it’s very unlikely any party but Labour or the Conservatives will form the new government in July, other parties’ manifestos offer an insight into the principles their members hold, and will hold the prevailing government to account on if they secure any MPs.With each manifesto coming in at hundreds of pages, it can be hard to sift through to the important bits, so here’s a handy guide to where all the major parties stand on the key areas:ConservativesIncrease NHS spending above inflation every yearLong-term workforce plan: 92,000 new nurses, 28,000 more doctors by the end of next parliamentInvesting £8.6bn into social care system, reaching a funding settlement with local authoritiesSticking to 2019 plan of 40 new hospitals by 2030 (despite concerns from the National Audit Office)Expand Pharmacy First, build or modernise 250 GPs, build 50 more Community Diagnostic CentresLabourReduce waiting time for non-urgent treatment to no longer than 18 weeks from referral40,000 more appointments a week by incentivising out-of-hours working and shared waiting lists between practicesUse ‘spare capacity’ in the private sector to reduce waiting times (in the short-term)8,500 more mental health staffDouble the number of CT and MRI scanners for cancer preventionIntroduce Neighbourhood Health Service and give pharmacists independent prescribing rightsLib DemsGive patients the right to see a GP within 7 days, or 24 hours if urgentRecruit 8,000 new GPsBring in mental health hubs for young people, with check-ups offered at key points in lifeCancer treatment to be guaranteed no more than 62 days after referralGive pharmacists independent prescribing rightsSupport carers with wages at least £2 above the minimum, and free personal care for adultsGreensSteadily reduce waiting lists and grant rapid access to a GP (same day if urgent)Guaranteed access to an NHS dentistBoost NHS staff pay immediatelyRestrict the role of commercial companies in the NHSMove towards a legal and regulated drug marketMake mental health and equal priority to physical health: guaranteed free therapy within 28 daysReformNo tax on frontline NHS staff for first three yearsUse independent healthcare capacity to supplement NHS services20 per cent tax relief on all private healthcare and insuranceNHS patients to receive voucher for private treatment if they can’t see a GP within three daysSet up an ‘excess deaths and vaccine harms’ Covid inquiryTax and economyConservativesAnother 2p cut to national insurance (halving it to 6p from 12p at the start of the year)No increase to personal taxes like income tax or VAT Maintain corporation tax at 25 per cent and back businesses to trade and invest in the UKReduce borrowing and debtAbolish main rate of national insurance for self-employed workersLabourNo increases to taxes like income tax, VAT or national insuranceImplement new strict fiscal rules guided by ‘securonomics,’ strengthen the role of the OBRCreate ‘sustained economic growth’ by being the party of ‘wealth creation’Close non-dom tax loopholes and tackle tax avoidanceIntroduce VAT and business rates to private schoolsWindfall tax on oil and gas giantsLib DemsCut income tax by increasing the tax-free personal allowance (frozen since 2022)Reform capital gains tax to make it ‘fairer’ by introducing three rates, similar to income tax, and raising allowanceReverse Conservative ‘tax cuts’ for big banksImplement a one-off windfall tax on ‘super-profits’ of oil and gas companiesProtect the independence of the Bank of England and OBRFix ‘broken relationship’ with Europe to improve trade opportunitiesGreensNo increase to basic rate of income tax during cost of living crisis75 per cent windfall tax on banksIntroduce a ‘wealth tax’: assets over £10 million taxed at 1 per cent; assets over £1 billion at 2 per centReform capital gains by bringing rates in line with income tax, scrap the upper limit of national insurance taxInvest £40bn into the “green economic transformation,” through combined revenue-raising measuresOnly party backing full nationalisation of public utilitiesReformLift income tax allowance to £20k (and higher rate to £70k)Lower fuel duty by 20p per litreReduce stamp duty to 0 per cent below £750k (up from the current £250k)Bring corporation tax down to 15 per cent within three yearsImmigrationConservativeGet Rwanda scheme off the ground as soon as possibleIntroduce a legal cap on migrationIncrease visa feesCut migration by half and then reduce every year of next parliamentLabourReduce migration by training more UK workers to fill employment gapsBan employers from recruiting from overseas as defaultAbolish the non-dom status immediately (curbing transitional measures)Bring in 1,000 more staff dedicated to returning asylum seekers with rejected applicationsCancel the Rwanda policyLib DemsScrap the Rwanda scheme, and provide a safe, legal route for refugeesCreate a dedicated unit to decide on asylum cases within three monthsGive asylum seekers right to work if no decision is made on their case in three monthsGive full settled status to all EU citizens in the UK with pre-settled statusGreensReplace Home Office with Department of MigrationScrap minimum income requirement for spouses of migrants with work visasEnd all detention of migrantsAll asylum seekers to work while their case is being decidedReformAll migrants who arrive illegally from safe countries are barred from claiming asylumSmall boat migrants who cross Channel are sent back to FranceRequired five years residency before benefits can be claimedAsylum seekers to be processed from safe countries offshore20 per cent national insurance for international workersLabourRecruit 6,500 new teachersCreate 100,000 new nursery places and 3,000 primary school-based nurseriesHelp such as training or apprenticeships for all 18-21 year olds looking for workFree primary school breakfast clubs for all childrenConservatives30 hours free childcare from nine months old (from September 2025)Child benefit threshold for single-income households raises to £120,000Schools to ban mobile phonesEnd ‘rip-off’ degrees and fund 100,000 more apprenticeships instead60,000 more school places and 15 new free schoolsLib DemsDedicated mental health professional in every primary and secondary schoolIncrease school and college funding per pupil above inflation every yearIntroduce a ‘tutoring guarantee’ for every disadvantaged pupil needing supportAll adults given £5,000 to spend on education or training throughout their lives, rising to £10k when possibleTriple pupil premium to £1000 a yearGreensAdditional £8bn funding for schoolsAbolish university tuition feesScrap OFSTEDEnd ‘high stakes’ testing in schools to reduce pupil stressReformBan ‘transgender ideology’ in all schoolsNo VAT on private school feesScrap interest on student loansCut funding to universities that ‘undermine free speech’EnvironmentConservativesBan bonuses for water company bosses if the company breaks the lawCreate a new national parkIncrease the UK’s offshore wind capacity threefoldCut the cost of net zero and aim for goal of 2050LabourCreate Great British Energy – a publicly-owned clean power companyBan bonuses for bosses of failing water companiesMake five million homes energy efficientCreate 650,000 new energy jobs by 2030Ban frackingLib DemsWater companies made public and bonuses for bosses bannedIntroduce a 16 per cent sewage tax on water company profitsDouble the size of Protected Area Network by 2050All new homes to be zero carbonPlant 60 million trees a yearGreensBring in a carbon tax on businesses of £120 per tonne emitted (rising to £500 p/t over ten years)70 per cent of UK electricity to come from wind by 2030Ban cage farming and badger cullingBring energy sources into community ownership, allowing excess to be soldRemove oil and gas subsidiesReformScrap VAT on energy billsScrap environmental leviesSpeed up North Sea oil and gas licencesScrap HS2 and ULEZ 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 has suffered a fresh blow on the eve of the general election as yet another poll put the Conservatives on course for a worse defeat than in 1997.With just hours until polls open, a survey for More in Common predicted the party will win just 126 seats, compared with Labour on a total of 430.That would be down from the 365 seats won by the Tories in 2019, with chancellor Jeremy Hunt and defence secretary Grant Shapps set to be ousted.Earlier, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Boris Johnson’s intervention for the Tories “won’t have done them any good at all”.Mr Johnson warned a Labour super-majority would be “pregnant with horrors”. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer said Tory warnings on Labour being likely to win “the largest majority any party has ever achieved” amounted to “voter suppression”.Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said Labour was likely to win “the largest majority any party has ever achieved”.And a second Tory minister, Andrew Griffith, said Labour would win a majority “unprecedented in modern history”.Show latest update 1720015342Second major poll in 24 hours forecasts bigger labour landslide than 1997Another pollster has forecast the Tories’ worst ever loss in Thursday’s general election, with Labour set to outperform its 1997 landslide victory.Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, defence secretary Grant Shapps and veterans minister Johnny Mercer are set to lose their seats, according to More In Common’s MRP poll of 13,556 adults across Britain, for The News Agents podcast.Labour is set for an upset in Islington North, where the party’s former leader Jeremy Corbyn has a 91% chance of winning, but is on for around 430 seats in total, reducing the Conservatives Party’s House of Commons tally to 126.More in Common has also forecasted Reform UK winning two seats, likely Ashfield in Nottinghamshire which the party’s Lee Anderson won in 2019 as a Conservative and Clacton in Essex, where Nigel Farage is standing.The Green Party is tipped to win Brighton Pavilion where Caroline Lucas was the party’s only MP between 2010 and 2024, with its target constituency Bristol Central – where party co-leader Carla Denyer is a challenger to Labour shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire – “too close to call”.It comes after Survation quizzed 34,558 respondents and found it is “99% certain” Labour would win more than 418 seats – the number which Labour took under Tony Blair’s leadership 27 years ago.Jane Dalton3 July 2024 15:021720017974Tories haven’t made as much progress as I’d have wanted, says SunakThe prime minister said: “I appreciate people have frustrations with our party, of course I do.“We haven’t got everything perfectly right, haven’t made as much progress in every area as we would have liked, but tomorrow’s vote is not a by-election on the past, it is a vote about the future.”Mr Sunak said criticism “comes with the territory” when asked about Tory recriminations over the party’s faltering election campaign.On a campaign visit to Hampshire, he said: “No one gets into politics without being ready for criticism. That comes with the territory.“But look, I am proud that this campaign has shone a spotlight on Labour’s plans to raise people’s taxes.”Mr Sunak also dodged a question about his plans for Friday, instead saying: “I’m working very hard until the last minute of this campaign for every vote.”He said he was not going to get drawn into “post-match analysis” before the election.Asked whether he was concerned that the result could effectively spell the death of the Tory party, he said: “You guys are focused on all the kind of post-match analysis. No one’s voted. There have been postal votes but… lots of people haven’t made up their minds.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak talks to journalists on board his campaign battle bus during the election campaign (Aaron Chown/PA) 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 has made a last ditch appeal to voters, revealing for the first time that his favourite meal is sandwiches.With less than 24 hours until polls open for the general election, the prime minister sat down for a personal interview with ITV’s This Morning.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.And, asked what his last meal would be in Downing Street, with polls putting the Tories on course for a crushing defeat, Mr Sunak said he is a “big sandwich person”.Rishi Sunak met Britain’s most tattooed mum while appearing on the show 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 ThomasEditorOur readers have blasted Tory attacks against Sir Keir Starmer, branding criticism of his intention to reserve Friday nights for his family as an ineffective “smear” campaign that fails to recognise the importance of work-life balance.Many Independent readers expressed strong support for Sir Keir when we asked for their opinions, emphasising the hypocrisy of the Conservative Party, given its historical stance on family values.Critics felt dubbing the Labour leader a “part-time prime minister” was desperate, hypocritical, and likely to backfire, recalling instances where senior Tories like Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab took holidays during crises. However, a handful of readers did express some concerns, arguing that being prime minister will mean accepting the job’s demanding nature.The sentiment was shared over on Twitter/X, where we polled our readers. Almost 89% agreed that Sir Keir was right to prioritise his family after 6pm on a Friday.Here’s what you had to say:‘Hypocrisy’Of course Sir Keir has the right to make time for his family. The fact that the Tory party, for so long the self-appointed standard bearers for family values, should suggest otherwise demonstrates their hypocrisy and mean-spiritedness.Stevevaughan‘Thrive not survive’Regardless of the political arguments here and that we are talking about politicians, we need more leaders to step up and demonstrate that you can only be a great leader if you are able to have more in your life than your job or career. In order to make the best decisions, take action when appropriate, bring others with you, grow those around you, you have to be well-rested, engage in different activities, be the person you want to be. And if that involves being a parent, a partner, a sportsperson, a musician or anything else, then you have to know how to make time for it.Will there be times when the job might involve some extra hours – of course! Just like when being a parent might involve some extra hours. And we do it to be the best person we can be and have the success in life that we want. A career is one part of life and we need to manage priorities in all parts of life as we go. Because they do change.So I applaud any leader who says and demonstrates that they understand that to be successful in any part of life you have to prioritise what is important in all parts of life. Let’s have our leaders thrive rather than just survive.SoniaGaviraWhat not to doThe Tory campaign will be seen in the future as what exactly not to do. The latest attack on Keir Starmer is actually losing votes for the Tories for a number of reasons, the first being is that it’s an attack on traditional family values something the Tories are always going on about, it comes across as anti-semitic or just ignorant of Jewish traditions and it’s just desperately pathetic, no one believes it which brings me to the last and probably most important point, when the Tories use these moronic attack lines hoping the electorate will buy them, it shows their utter contempt for the public. This party doesn’t have a clue and will be devastated in the elections, I’m so excited.HappyEater‘Desperate’What a pile of confected garbage. There are thousands, if not millions, of jobs – from nuclear power technicians to lifeboatmen – which require 24-hour ‘on call’ status. That does not prevent attendance at Shabbat or at Thursday quiz night down the pub.Tory private polling must be far worse than the ‘public’ polls for them to get this desperate.sublatomontes‘Work smarter, not harder’Work-life balance is extremely important for a person’s mental health and affects their ability to do the job, doesn’t matter who you are. I heard a story that makes the point that I will paraphrase here. Two men go into the woods with the same type of axe and start chopping down trees, half way through the day the second man leaves for an hour then comes back. At the end of the day the second man had chopped down more trees than the first. The first man asked the second how he had chopped down more trees and where had he been in the middle of the day. The second man said “I went home to sharpen my axe”. Work smarter, not harder. Recharge your mind and your body. People who brag about the amount of time they spend on a job are often compensating for the lack of quality they produce. I also imagine a lot of Tory politicians who went to boarding school don’t appreciate the value of family time as they weren’t given it by their parents. Right-wingers would love to water down workers’ rights even further by getting rid of regulations like working time directives to squeeze even more out of employees but we shouldn’t accept it. No-one seriously believes that Starmer thinks the country will shut down when he clocks off or that nothing serious will happen at a weekend. I imagine Rishi Sunak needing to work late because there are no competent Tory MPs left who the work could be delegated to.JDM17‘This is not a normal job’I think it’s commendable that Starmer wants to have some family stability.However this is not a normal job with normal hours. What worries me is what happens out of hours.CynicalmeOf course Starmer should be allowed time off with his family on Friday evening, especially if it’s to respect his wife’s faith. Some Tories seem to have forgotten how warmly they and the right-wing press welcomed Cameron’s comments about the regular downtime with his family that he took when PM. No mention of international crises or dereliction of duty then. Desperate stuff from a failed government going through its death throes (I hope).Mattrowski‘As long as he’s there when the phone rings’This is just Tory desperation and hypocrisy. I’m sure that if a crisis erupts at 7pm on a Friday then Starmer would get to it and be ready to work. I’m not a super fan of the man, but I doubt that he’s lazy and workshy.And besides, let’s remember Boris Johnson. The man who waddled on a vacation every other month, and refused to work. Remember when his whole cabinet was on sunny vacations and couldn’t be bothered to show up? Johnson was the personification of laziness, a man so idle that his booze parties got him kicked out of office.Starmer’s preference for family Fridays is fine. Who cares. As long as he’s there when the phone rings.BobertsonGood managementIf you’re a good manager you can go home knowing your staff are competent and the systems you’ve put in place will keep things going until you come back to work on Monday morning. Only if there is an emergency which requires you personally to deal with it should you need to go into work out of hours.Pen2030‘Burnt out’Obviously the best thing for the country is for it to be led by someone completely burnt out from never having any rest, and miserable because they don’t get to spend quality time with their loved ones. I know that I make all of my best decisions when exhausted, miserable and lonely…The Mark in remarkable‘Non-issue’I remember when Boris as London Mayor wouldn’t end his holiday early to come back because of the awful rioting. Starmer has said he would be available on a Friday evening if there was a serious matter to attend to. This is a non-issue and it’s desperate for the Tories to make it out to be something it’s not. No one can be expected to work 24/7 without any breaks.LV426Starmer ‘should put the country before himself’I dislike politicians in general but Starmer shouldn’t have decided to run for PM with these views. I understand he has a family but he knew that when he chose to run for PM. He should have mentioned there would be cover in place, and I’m sure there will be. Starmer should be putting the country before himself, it comes with the job. As for the Tories, they can do one, lazy bunch of skivers.Galileo666‘No parent should miss out’This is a non-issue. If Starmer wants to spend time with his wife and kids that is a commendable thing. This madness that he is somehow not allowed a private life is complete nonsense. And if he does it at a time when it supports his wife and children’s faith then it is an even better thing. I respect him for doing this. His children will soon be grown up and no parent should miss out on their children’s growing up. At least he has his priorities right. Tories are just liars.punda‘Not Batman’Why does this always happen? Why do Tories always try and a big deal of perfectly reasonable statements?He would be the PM, not Batman. There are millions of people running the various parts of the country. They do not need the Prime Minister at the beck and call to keep everything together.Sure if something happens, at 18:15 on Friday, then the PM will be expected to take control, but nobody is expecting him to drive an ambulance if a guy in Putney has a lie in.Jim987‘Effort to keep normalcy’The guy said he took his kids to sports and had dinner with his family. This isn’t news – this is Keir Starmer’s effort to keep normalcy in a very not normal job with his family.Now if he were to clock off on a Friday and there’s a crisis, I’d probably feel different – but he even said in his interview and I quote “I will not do a work-related thing after six o’clock, pretty well come what may. There are a few exceptions, but that’s what we do.”Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Keir that much. But it’s kind of intense how people are just unable to be logical or rational about these things.HotLava‘Starmer is never clear’This is why Starmer will always be attacked.He is never clear on any issue. Personal or otherwise. He should have just said ‘my wife is Jewish and we observe Shabbat’ instead of the nonsense we now have….NineyTheObserver‘Tories are desperate’Tories are desperate. Raab was paddleboarding in Mediterranian during the Afghanistan evacuation. Part-time Johnson used to go on more holidays every year than he had children and still felt that he needed “power nap” after his lunches.JustOneMoreThing‘Family is the bedrock of society’Lame and desperate Tory smear tactic. Family is the bedrock of society and he should be applauded for trying to balance family with his political responsibilities. Obviously if needs be he would sacrifice that family time (we are talking a few hours on a Friday night!) if the interests of the nation required that.Gazza07‘Refreshing’There are countless studies showing that being at work all the time doesn’t make you more productive and that finding a good work/life balance is actually key to wellbeing, physical and mental health and general happiness. There are also many examples of other countries (France/Germany, etc.) where this is already commonplace and hasn’t led to a sudden decrease in productivity.It is refreshing to see a politician recognising this, and normalising “normal” working hours/days/weeks.The tories haven’t got a leg to stand on, between Boris “I’m on holibobs so won’t come to Cobra meetings” Johnson and Dominic “The sea was closed” Raab.LoneFishSome of the comments have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.All you have to do is sign up, submit your question and register your details – then you can then take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More