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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

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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has refused to guarantee any of his top team a job in his new cabinet as Labour appears to be closing in on victory.The Labour leader was pressed on the issue in his final broadcast interview with the BBC’s political editor Chris Mason as he toured the key battleground seats in the midlands.Mr Mason pressed Sir Keir: “People deserve to know who might be running some of the big aspects of the state come Friday, if you are to win. Will the senior figures in your shadow cabinet to take those respective roles in government if you do win?Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (Stefan Rousseau/PA) 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 ThomasEditorParties have begun a 48-hour blitz in constituencies across the country as they make their final appeals to voters ahead of polling day.Rishi Sunak began Tuesday visiting businesses in Oxfordshire, insisting predictions of a heavy Tory defeat were not going to stop him from continuing his fight to remain in No 10.Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is campaigning across the Midlands. The Labour leader has urged Mr Sunak to meet Royal Mail bosses “in the next hour or two” to fix the ongoing postal vote chaos. It comes as Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake announced the delays to postal vote delivery are being “urgently investigated” and criticised Royal Mail for failing to deliver ballot packs on time. But Royal Mail, who is also conducting sweeps of their delivery system on polling day, said there is “no backlog” and blamed stakeholders instead. Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn warned some Scots could be “disenfranchised” if their postal votes cannot be filled out and returned on time.Show latest update 1719931941Starmer refuses to name new Labour cabinet if he wins electionSir Keir Starmer has refused to name his cabinet if he wins the General Election on Thursday and speculated “plenty of constituencies” could come down to “just a few hundred votes”.The Labour leader told the BBC: “I’m not going to get ahead of myself and announce, say, cabinet or possible cabinet.”He added: “To do so two days before the election, to do so would to be complacent – and you would never expect a leader to do that.”( 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 ThomasEditorThe general election is only a few days away and the polls suggest Labour will be in a position to form a government on 5 July.As well as bringing a fresh intake of MPs, a Labour victory would mean a new cabinet running the country with Sir Keir Starmer. The cabinet is made up of about 20 senior ministers, each appointed by the prime minister and most with their own department.Although there may be minor changes, the cabinet is likely to be comprised in line with the current shadow cabinet.For the latest political updates, follow The Independent’s live coverageOn top of the standard £91,346 that all MPs receive, cabinet ministers can be paid up to £67,505 in addition. Senior ministers oversee departments and often other MPs holding junior minister positions.Here’s your guide to all the politicians that would be likely to make up the new cabinet if Labour secures victory on 5 July:Here’s all the likely cabinet ministers in a Labour government at a glance:Sir Keir Starmer, Prime MinisterAngela Rayner, Deputy Prime MinisterRachel Reeves, Chancellor of the ExchequerBridget Phillipson, Education SecretaryYvette Cooper, Home SecretaryWes Streeting, Health SecretaryEd Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net ZeroDavid Lammy, Foreign SecretaryPat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterShabana Mahmood, Justice SecretaryJonathan Reynolds, Business SecretaryLiz Kendall, Work and Pensions SecretaryJohn Healey, Defence SecretaryLouise Haigh, Transport SecretaryThangam Debbonaire, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and SportAnneliese Dodds, Women and Equalities SecretarySteve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsPeter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and TechnologyHilary Benn, Northern Ireland SecretaryIan Murray, Scotland SecretaryJo Stevens, Wales Secretary 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 ThomasEditorClacton is expected to receive an official visit by a US president if Nigel Farage pulls off victory on Thursday and his friend Donald Trump retakes the White House in November, Reform campaigners have been told.With Mr Farage now the odds on favourite to win the seaside town against defending Tory MP Giles Watling his supporters are already beginning to look ahead to what will follow.With the election of an international celebrity politician, Reform campaigners in Clacton have been told that Trump will visit if he is reelected against an increasingly tired looking Joe Biden.Mr Trump’s love for golf may mean that Clacton Golf Club with its 18-hole links course, 10-acre practice field, putting and chipping areas and clubhouse with bar may need to prepare for an unusual guest.Nigel Farage has claimed former US president Donald Trump “learned quite a lot from me” 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 ThomasEditorMillions of voters in Britain are going to the polls on Thursday July 4 to choose a new Prime Minister and a new government. Voters will elect 650 MPs representing as many constituencies, or local areas, and the leader of the party that returns the most lawmakers will become prime minister. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the main opposition party, the left-of-center Labour, after 14 years in power under five different prime ministers.The Conservatives and Labour traditionally dominate British politics under the U.K.’s “first past the post” electoral system, which makes it difficult for smaller parties to win representation in Parliament. But also in the running are the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Scottish National Party and the Greens, among others.Here’s a look at the parties, who’s leading them and what they are promising:Who is the Conservative leader?Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, 44, is the leader of the Conservative party.Sunak came to power in October 2022 when he inherited a Conservative Party and an economy in turmoil after Liz Truss’s short-lived premiership. The Oxford graduate and former Goldman Sachs hedge fund manager is Britain’s first leader of color and the first Hindu to become prime minister. Sunak has stressed he is the man who steadied the ship, but critics say he lacks political judgement and is out of touch with ordinary voters.How many seats did they win in the last election? 365What are they promising? Delivering a stronger economy and cutting taxes by some 17 billion pounds per year. Increasing public health spending above inflation, and boosting defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. The party says this will be paid for by savings on tax evasion and slashing welfare spending. The party also pledges to cap immigration numbers and remove some asylum-seekers to Rwanda. Who is the Labour leader?Keir Starmer, a 61-year-old lawyer, is the leader of the Labour party. Starmer is a former chief prosecutor for England and Wales and the current favorite to be Britain’s next leader. A centrist and pragmatist, Starmer has worked hard to steer his party away from the more overtly socialist policies of former leader Jeremy Corbyn and quelled internal divisions. Critics call him unexciting and unambitious, but Labour has surged in popularity under his leadership.How many seats did they win in the last election? 202What are they promising? Promoting “wealth creation,” encouraging investment and improving Britain’s infrastructure like railways under a 10-year infrastructure strategy. Setting up a state-owned clean power company to boost energy security, paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants. Taxing private schools to pay for thousands of new teachers in state schools. Cutting record-high public health waiting times. Who is the Liberal Democrat’s leader?Ed Davey, 58, is the leader of the Liberal Democrat party.Davey was first elected to Parliament in 1997. The former economics researcher served as the government’s energy and climate change secretary under an uneasy Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition from 2012 to 2015. Davey became leader of the left-of-center Lib Dems in 2019 and was not a household name until this election, when he made headlines with multiple zany stunts — including bungee-jumping to urge voters to take “a leap of faith.”How many seats did they win in the last election? 11What are they promising? Improving Britain’s overstretched health and social care systems, including introducing free nursing care at home. Investing in renewable energy and home insulation. Clamping down on sewage-dumping water companies. Lowering the voting age to 16. Rejoining the European Union’s single market.Who is Reform UK’s leader?Nigel Farage, 60, is the leader of the Reform UK party.Farage, a political firebrand who takes pride in being the disruptor in British politics, has posed a serious headache to the Conservatives since he announced he is running in the election. The populist has long divided opinion with his anti-migrant rhetoric and Euroskeptic stance. A key proponent of Brexit, Farage is capturing many disillusioned Conservative voters with his promises to cut immigration and focus on “British values.” Farage previously ran for Parliament seven times but never won.How many seats did they win in the last election? None — though the party gained its first MP this year when ex-Conservative Party deputy chair Lee Anderson defected to Reform. What are they promising? Freezing all “nonessential immigration” and barring international students from bringing their dependents with them. Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights so that asylum-seekers can be deported without interventions from rights courts. Scrapping “net zero” goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to bring down energy bills. Who is the SNP leader?John Swinney, 60, is the leader of the SNP party.Swinney became the SNP’s third leader in just over a year in May. The politician has sought to bring stability to the party, which has been in turmoil since Scotland’s long-serving First Minister Nicola Sturgeon abruptly stepped down last year during a campaign finance investigation that eventually led to criminal charges against her husband. Swinney has long served the party: he joined its ranks at 15 years old, and previously led the party from 2000 to 2004. How many seats did they win in the last election? 48What are they promising? Swinney has said that if his party wins a majority of seats in Scotland he will try to open Scottish independence negotiations with the London-based U.K. government. He wants to rejoin the European Union and the European single market. He also called for boosting public health funding, scrapping the U.K.’s Scotland-based nuclear deterrent, and an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.Who are the Green party leaders?Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay are co-leaders of the Green party.Denyer, a mechanical engineer, worked in wind energy before she joined the Greens in 2011. The 38-year-old served as a local politician for the southwestern English city of Bristol for nine years. In 2021 she was elected co-leader of the Greens along with Ramsay, also a local government politician who has experience working with environmental charities. How many seats did they win in the last election? 1What are they promising? Phasing out nuclear power and getting the U.K. to net zero by 2040. The Greens have pledged 24 billion pounds a year to insulate homes and 40 billion pounds a year invested in the green economy, to be paid for by a carbon tax, a new wealth tax on the very rich and an income tax hike for millions of higher earners. More