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 ThomasEditorBoris Johnson lent his support to Rishi Sunak on the campaign trail in a last-ditch attempt as pollsters forecast their party could “win a lower share of the vote than at any past general election”.The former prime minister has been largely absent from the campaign, although supportive in his newspaper column, and has been writing letters of endorsement and backing a number of Tories in social media posts.As he stepped onto the stage at the National Army Museum on Tuesday, less than 48 hours before polls open, Mr Johnson was greeted by applause and chants of “Boris, Boris, Boris”.He made his speech after Survation pollsters found Labour is on course to win more seats than it did in 1997.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Here is Mr Johnson’s 10-minute speech in full:“First of all, […] how wonderful it is to see you all again. “I feel the pride of your company and how grateful I am to all of you for everything that you’ve been doing over the last few weeks and for coming so late tonight to this as it is way past Keir Starmer’s bedtime.“If you are slightly surprised to see me, if you’re slightly surprised, I’ll be absolutely clear that I was glad when Rishi asked me to help. Of course, I couldn’t say no and I’m here for one reason and one reason only, which is the same reason as all of us are here, we’re here because we love our country and whatever our differences, they are utterly trivial by comparison with the disaster we may face if these so-called opinion polls are right. “I think and hope the British people will show more sense on Thursday and draw back from the brink. “But if these polls are right, then at the very moment when this country has beaten Covid and beaten post Covid inflation, and at the very moment when we should be encouraging enterprise and growth and putting some money into home ownership and putting some money into people’s pockets, Westminster is about to go in diametrically the opposite direction. “So, none of us can sit back as a Labour government prepares to use a sledgehammer majority to destroy so much of what we have achieved and what you have achieved. “Five years ago, you helped to send Jeremy Corbyn and his then disciple Keir Starmer into orbit, where they belonged and we got Brexit done, we restored democracy.  “It was because we got a proper Brexit, and you will all remember how hard that fight was when we came out of the EU single market. We controlled our own regulation and my friends, whatever people may say, that national independence was vital. “When it came to approving Covid vaccine faster than any EU country and therefore getting the fastest vaccine rollout of any major economy and the fastest economic rebound in the G7. “And let me just ask you in case you’ve forgotten, because I haven’t, a chance to remind you that for the 200 countries on Earth, which was the first government, after all the miseries of Covid to put a licensed, approved and effective vaccine into the arms of our citizens?“It was the British government. It was a Brexit government. It was a Conservative government. It was thanks to Brexit which you helped to deliver. “This country was able to take the lead in standing up for Ukraine in delivering the agreement. “Many, many other things, taking back control of our money, our laws, thanks to Brexit that we can today finally legally control our own borders. “And is it not therefore the height of insanity if these polls are right that we are about to give Labour a supermajority, which they will use to make us nothing but the punk of Brussels, taking EU law by dictation with no say on how that law is made, paying into Brussels budgets again, you watch, you watch. “As the price for scrapping the Rwanda scheme just as it is on the verge of coming into force, just as it is being imitated by governments around the world to act as a deterrent. Bringing back uncontrolled free movement, uncontrollable free movement as the price of stamps deal with the EU. “Do you think this country really wants to give Starmer that kind of mandate? I don’t think they do. “And yet, Labour are so complacent, they’re so smug, they’re barely concealing their agenda anymore, and we can see what it is. “Whacking up taxes on pensions, on property, persecuting private enterprise, attacking private education and private healthcare, with all the pointless extra burden that will place on the taxpayers. “Poor old Starmer is so terrified of disobeying left-wing dogma that he’s reluctant to explain the difference between a man and a woman. And he just sits there with his mouth opening and shutting like a stunned mullet. “Do we want this kind of madness? Do we want to have higher taxes? Do we want more wokery imposed on our schools? “Unless we change it, this gigantic Labour majority, pregnant with horrors, because even though Labour’s share of the votes right now is far lower than ours was in 2019, and even though Starmer has record low approval ratings for a man in his in his position supposedly on the verge of office, our system, I’m afraid, will deliver that supermajority because too many good, kind, moderate Tories are about to vote for other parties apparently, and thereby get exactly the opposite of what they really want. “Even if those other parties turn out to be full of Kremlin crawlers who actually make excuses for Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. They say Putin’s a good operator, puffing their troops and running a tight ship. “Well, if that’s what they mean by a man who shoots journalists and poisons his opponents and murders thousands of innocent Ukrainian civilians, I say shame on them. “They can achieve nothing at this election except to usher in the most left-wing Labour government since the war, with a huge majority, and we must not let it happen. “Don’t let the Putinistas deliver the Corbynistas. Don’t let Putin’s pet parrots give this entire country psittacosis – which is a disease you get by the way from cosying up to pet parrots.“Everybody if you actually want higher taxes next week, this year, if you feel you’ve got a few thousand to spare, then vote Labour on Thursday. If you want uncontrolled immigration and mandatory wokery, and pointless kowtowing to Brussels again, then go right ahead, make my day, vote for Starmer.“But if you want to protect our democracy and our economy and keep this country strong abroad by spending 2.5 per cent of our GDP on defence which Labour still refuses to commit to, then you know what to do, don’t you, everybody?“There’s only one thing to do – vote Conservative on Thursday my friends and I know you will. I know you will.”“In the brief time that we have left, I hope that you will encourage everybody else in this country to do the same. “Thank you very much. Thank you.” 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 ThomasEditorVoters in the UK will visit polling stations up and down the country on July 4 to have their say in which political party they want to represent their area and country.Prime minister Rishi Sunak announced the snap general election at the end of May, sparking six frantic weeks of political campaigning. June has seen leaders, candidates and activists fight for every last vote: knocking on doors, taking part in televised debates, and trying to avoid controversy.For the latest political updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coveragePolling suggests the election will mark the end of 14 years of Conservative governance, with Labour flying ahead in projected voting intention. Some also predict smaller parties like the Lib Dems, Greens and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK could pick up record seats.Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during their BBC head-to-head debate 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 ThomasEditor Britain’s upcoming general election is widely expected to lead to a change of government for the first time in 14 years. Many analysts believe it will be one of the country’s most consequential elections since the end of World War II.Ahead of the July 4 vote, The Associated Press takes a look back at other landmark U.K. elections since the war.___When former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called an election in December 2019, it was essentially about one issue: Brexit. General elections in the U.K. are typically held in the spring or early summer. But in the fall of 2019, the recently-appointed Johnson gambled on holding one on December 12, when most people just want to get ready for Christmas and would rather think of anything but politics.For Johnson, desperate times called for desperate measures. The June 23, 2016 Brexit referendum, won narrowly by those backing an exit from the European Union, triggered a chaotic period in politics.Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, had resigned immediately after his side lost the referendum. His successor, Theresa May, tried but failed to find a Brexit formula that a majority in Parliament would back. Everyone seemingly had a different idea as to what post-Brexit deal the U.K. should have with the EU, and the original day of departure — March 2019 — was delayed. Parliament was in chaos, and Johnson, who succeeded May, pledged that he would get “Get Brexit Done.”With Labour’s Brexit policy unclear and its left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn deeply unpopular, Johnson’s Conservatives won their biggest majority since 1987 under Margaret Thatcher. Labour suffered its worst election result in terms of seats since the 1930s.Johnson prevailed largely because his message was clear, especially in parts of the country that voted Brexit but had for decades voted Labour. The U.K. left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020. Any celebrations were short-lived, however, with a deadly coronavirus pandemic soon spreading around the world. Johnson was forced to resign in the summer of 2022 after he was found to have lied to Parliament over lockdown-breaching parties at his offices in Downing Street. The 49-day tenure of his successor, Liz Truss, was even more chaotic after she unveiled unfunded tax cuts that roiled financial markets and sent borrowing costs for homeowners surging.It’s a dual legacy that their successor Rishi Sunak has had to contend with ahead of Thursday’s election. 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 ThomasEditor United Kingdom elections have a distinct vocabulary that draws on traditions of parliamentary democracy as well as modern political slogans and spin.As voters go to the polls Thursday to elect a new government, The Associated Press deciphers some key words and phrases: Battle bus Luxury coaches rented by the main political parties to whisk politicians and journalists around the country for campaign visits during the five-week campaign. Labour has a red bus emblazoned with the word “change,” while the Conservatives’ blue bus promises a “clear plan, bold action, secure future.” The centrist Liberal Democrats’ yellow bus has taken leader Ed Davey on a headline-grabbing journey that has involved paddleboarding, rollercoaster-riding, Zumba and bungee-jumping. Blue wall A swath of seats in southern England, the wealthiest part of the country, where voters traditionally have supported the Conservative Party, whose traditional color is blue. With the Conservatives trailing in the polls, the centrist Liberal Democrats are targeting these affluent, socially liberal voters and hope to snatch some of the seats. See also: Red Wall. Brexit Britain’s departure from the European Union, triggered by a 2016 referendum and completed in 2020, was the country’s most seismic, and divisive, act in decades. Yet it has featured little in the election campaign. The Conservatives don’t want to acknowledge that many of the promised economic benefits haven’t materialized. Labour doesn’t want to reopen old wounds or alienate Brexit-backing voters. So Brexit has become something of a political Voldemort — that which mustn’t be named. Coalition government A rarity in the United Kingdom, a coalition government is one in which two or more political parties divide up ministerial posts, compromise on policies and agree to govern in concert. The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition of 2010-2015 was Britain’s first since World War II. First past the post Used to describe an electoral system in which the candidate with the highest number of votes in each district wins, even if that person doesn’t gain a majority of votes cast. The system tends to favor the two big parties, Conservatives and Labour, which historically have won a majority of seats in Parliament, while taking well under half the votes. House of Commons The lower house of Parliament has 650 seats, each representing a district of the U.K. The leader of the party with enough seats to command a majority — either alone or in coalition — becomes prime minister and leads the government. House of Lords The unelected upper house of Parliament scrutinizes legislation passed by the Commons. It’s made up of peers appointed for life by political parties, along with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary nobles. Its ballooning size and undemocratic nature are often criticized but reform has proved difficult. Hung Parliament An outcome in which no single party holds a majority of seats in the House of Commons. In that case, parties will try to forge agreements that will assemble a working majority, enabling a government to pass laws. If opinion polls giving Labour a double-digit lead are borne out on polling day, this is an unlikely result. King’s Speech An annual speech — read by the monarch at the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament — that is written by the government and outlines its legislative program. This year’s speech will be delivered by King Charles III on July 17, and will lay out the plans of either Labour leader Keir Starmer or Conservative leader Rishi Sunak. Majority/minority government A majority government is formed by a party that holds more than half the seats in the House of Commons. Minority government occurs when a party that doesn’t have a majority of seats governs alone, relying on support from smaller parties on a vote-by-vote basis. Minority governments tend to be short-lived — the most recent lasted from 2017 to 2019. Marginal seat Constituencies won by a small margin and thus more likely to switch hands in an election. The opposite is a safe seat. Red wall A string of seats in England’s Midlands and north once dominated by mining, steelmaking and other heavy industries that traditionally voted Labour, whose traditional color is red. After years of high unemployment and social decay, many of these voters switched to the Conservatives under Boris Johnson. Labour hopes to regain many of these seats Thursday. Supermajority An American term with no clear meaning in Britain, introduced into the U.K. election by the Conservatives in an attempt to shore up the party’s vote by warning that Labour could get untrammeled power if it wins too many seats in Parliament. Swingometer A fixture of the BBC’s election night coverage for decades, a pendulum-style representation of the percentage of voters who have shifted from one party to another, used to predict the outcome in parliamentary seats. Once an actual prop, it’s now delivered through digital graphics. Tactical voting Describes the practice of voters backing a party they wouldn’t usually support in order to defeat another candidate. There has been speculation this election could see high levels of tactical voting by centrist and left-leaning electors to oust Conservatives. 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 ThomasEditorVoters in the UK will visit polling stations up and down the country on July 4 to have their say in which political party they want to represent their area and country.Prime minister Rishi Sunak announced the snap general election at the end of May, sparking six frantic weeks of political campaigning. June has seen leaders, candidates and activists fight for every last vote: knocking on doors, taking part in televised debates, and trying to avoid controversy.For the latest political updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coveragePolling suggests the election will mark the end of 14 years of Conservative governance, with Labour flying ahead in projected voting intention. Some also predict smaller parties like the Lib Dems, Greens and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK could pick up record seats.Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during their BBC head-to-head debate 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 warned voters against enabling a Labour ‘supermajority’ at the general election on Thursday as his party continues to lag behind in the polls.The prime minister tested out the new line on the campaign trail in the run-up to polling day in a decidedly defensive move against Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.“The outcome of this election is not a foregone conclusion,” said Mr Sunak. “If just 130,000 people switch their vote and lend us their support, we can deny Starmer that supermajority.“Just think about that: you have the power to use your vote to prevent an unchecked Labour government.”For the latest political updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverageRishi Sunak delivers a speech in central London while on the general election campaign trai 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 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 per cent – almost twice the Tories’ 21 per cent – 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 per cent, the narrowing of the polls appears to be too little, too late for Mr Sunak after a disastrous campaign.It comes as Rishi Sunak started a 48-hour tour in the battle bus on the campaign trail by stacking shelves at Morrisons, delivering a message that only 130,000 voters were needed to stop a Labour “supermajority”.However, according to Techne, he will only be able to rely on four in 10 Tory voters who supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 election, representing a collapse in support for the party. While Nigel Farage’s Reform has gone slightly backwards in this poll, the data reveals that the party has taken a quarter (25 per cent) of the previous election’s Tory vote, almost four times as many as Conservative supporters who switched to Labour (7 per cent).If this is how the election pans out, the Tories would be only the third largest party on 66 seats, behind the Lib Dems on 70, while Labour would have a majority of 284, according to Electoral Calculus. Reform would get a foothold in parliament with six seats.Techne chief executive Michela Morizzo warned that the poll contraction in favour of the Tories is “too little, too late”. She said: “Our last Westminster tracker poll of this general election campaign has been delivered with a very large sample audience of 5,503 potential electors. While there has over the last week to 10 days been a small contraction in the Labour lead, it is clear from our final pre-election poll that the Conservatives are heading for a defeat.“With ‘won’t vote’ hitting an all-time high of 26 per cent of the total electorate – an incredible 44 per cent won’t vote in the age group 18-34 years – I am absolutely sure we are heading towards a significant Labour majority and change of government. “The question is: how many Conservative voters will stay at home on Thursday? This time, more than ever, voters will decide on the route to the polling station and I feel a big uncertainty on the final results. It’s not a question about Labour, which will certainly win, but what Conservatives will do and the impact the results will have on the future of the party.”Sunak is set to lose badly to Starmer 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 ThomasEditorNigel Farage and Reform have made the biggest splash on social media of any political party or politician this election.The right-wing party and its leader have amassed more than 2.8 million reactions on Facebook since the start of the election, according to data analysed by Hootsuite, a social media analytics platform. Mr Farage’s official Facebook page alone has garnered 2.1 million reactions and shares, with the Reform page taking 719,000. This marks by far the largest Facebook interaction rate for any party or politician. By contrast, Rishi Sunak received just 270,000 Facebook reactions, while Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer attracted 300,000. The Labour Party page has garnered 269,000 reactions since 22 May, when the election was called, while the Conservatives have gained just 163,000. The two parties’ combined Facebook engagements are at just 60 per cent of Reform’sMr Farage also leads engagement on X (Twitter), with 13.9 million likes and retweets; while his videos have been viewed a combined 39.4 billion times on the platform during the election. Tweets from the Reform account are also the highest for party engagement, at 9.3 million interactions.However, the Labour Party’s videos on X – including endorsements from Elton John — are the second most popular during the campaign, garnering 11.4 billion views, or 13.2 billion if combined with Sir Keir’s account.This compares to 8.8 billion views for Mr Sunak and the Conservatives, 4.5 billion views for Reform alone, 4 billion views for the Green Party, and just 260.4 million views for Ed Davey and the Lib Dems. Meanwhile, Mr Sunak has the highest engagement on Instagram (2.6 million) since the election was called, due in part to his large following on the platform – 3.6 million followers.What does this tell us? Not much necessarily, other than the fact that Reform’s target audience is highly engaged on social media, particularly Facebook. It is also unclear how much this engagement will translate into material gains this week.Crucially, while the party may have an increasingly wide reach on social media, it lacks concentrated support in most constituencies; with latest polls estimating Reform could win five seats at best.But it is impossible to ignore that Mr Farage in particular has an online star-power which other politicians have failed to leverage, with even the prime minister making a tiny splash on social media in comparison. More