UK General Election 2024

[SteveM70]

And talking of the oven-ready bomb, Boris "Oven-Ready" Johnson is claiming in the Mail that Starmer will be the most damagingly left-wing PM since the 70s, or something.

Apart from being palpable nonsense, there have been two labour prime ministers since the 1970s so it would hardly be a notable achievement even if it were true.

But Johnson probably has a second article written saying Starmer is the most right wing Labour leader since the 70s

 

[deltic]

I struggle to find anyone to vote for, although I will.
In the last 20 odd years, nobody has ever canvassed at my door and I have only received 2 election leaflets both from the Tories.
What I want to listen to is a prospective MP who doesn’t talk about the opposition.
All sides are the same in that regard.
The ‘ You’ll be better off’ line stinks as well as the Tax grabbing methods just shift methods.
Travelling around for the last 3 days on a rover ticket I see that one of the biggest struggles will be to get people back in to work. The benefit brigade is fast becoming an army.
Little rant over, back to roving.

If you dont live in a marginal seat you will see little evidence an election is going on at street level.

 

[jfollows]

Do the Tories have time to field candidates for the ones who stood down this week?

Eleanor Laing and Rosie Winter stepping down means that two of the Deputy speakers will need to replaced after the election.

There is time, but it's a "scramble" (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-party-election-candidate-mp-b2551163.html):

Tories scramble to find almost 200 election candidates as Gove leads exodus
Rishi Sunak appeared to catch his own party unprepared for the general election as Conservative HQ tries to find scores of prospective MPs willing to stand

David Maddox
Political editor
17 hours ago

The Tories are scrambling to find candidates for almost a third of constituencies after Rishi Sunak’s decision to keep many of his party’s senior figures in the dark about his decision to call a snap election.

It is understood that when Mr Sunak made his rain-sodden announcement on the steps of Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon, candidates for 191 of the 650 seats still needed to be selected.

Since then more vacancies have occurred with a number of Tory MPs announcing they will retire, bringing the total to at least 78, breaking the 1997 record of 75. This dramatically included levelling-up secretary Michael Gove and former leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom on Friday evening.

Party chiefs are desperately appealing to prospective candidates to put themselves forward for seats – many of which they are projected to lose heavily – with the Conservatives expected to still be putting up batches of adverts for constituencies into the weekend.

Rishi Sunak told journalists he was ‘pumped up’ during his whirlwind tour of the UK
Rishi Sunak told journalists he was ‘pumped up’ during his whirlwind tour of the UK (PA Wire)
Political commentator Sir Anthony Seldon, a biographer of six prime ministers, said: “Surprise is always a smart tactic for a general, but it’s the enemy who should be surprised, not your own side. The Conservatives are going to have to move PDQ to fill their remaining empty seats to show that they are truly a national party.”

Former cabinet minister David Jones said he was “not sure why” the button had been pressed for an election “without close to a full slate of candidates being chosen”.

He added: “It is a huge commitment [to be a candidate]. People’s lives are literally going to be turned upside down. That is even more true for those who are being selected now. At least some will have had two years’ preparation but the ones selected now will have very little time to get ready.”

The Independent has seen a list of 93 seats advertised to pre-vetted people on the Tory potential candidates list, with at least one more batch to come at the weekend.

The party has been partly caught out by the number of retirements by MPs – including Greg Clark in Tunbridge Wells and Sir David Evennett in Bexleyheath and Crayford on Friday – as well as defections.

On the list is Dover and Deal, along with Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, the seats of defectors Natalie Elphicke and Dr Dan Poulter.

Others include Stratford-upon-Avon where former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has just stepped down.

Then there are scores of safe Labour seats with no hope of a Tory victory including Sir Keir Starmer’s Holborn and St Pancras constituency.

Underlining the importance of the decisions by the Tory party before the nomination deadline of 7 June, former London minister Paul Scully said: “We have to remember that these candidate selections are not just for this election but about the shape of the party for the next decade. These are really important decisions about how the party goes forward.”

In contrast to the Tories, the opposition parties appeared to be ready for the election, despite the shock announcement by Mr Sunak.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insisted there was ‘no way’ his party would do a deal with the SNP after the general election

Labour was short of around 80 candidates and only around 10 in battleground seats including Durham North and Halifax. The party said all its battleground seats will be selected by 31 May, and the rest by 4 June.

The Lib Dems had selected 564 candidates before the election date announcement, including all 80 of their top targets.

Reform UK, meanwhile, had 500 candidates approved of the 630 they want to field. Richard Tice, Reform’s leader, said: “It appears we were much better organised than the Tories.”

One Conservative candidate hopeful, who has been trying to get a seat for months, said: “There was no need for this. The process has been painfully slow. It’s a real mess.”

Tory selections are now governed by “by-election rules” which means CCHQ draws up a shortlist of three potential candidates which are then sent to an emergency meeting of the constituency party.

A replacement for Theresa May in Maidenhead is set to be chosen tomorrow in a meeting chaired by pollster Lord Hayward.

Lord Hayward said he remembered being in CCHQ in 2017 when the snap election was called by Ms May and the party had to similarly scramble to fill seats..

He said: “This time the problem is not so much the number, because many of these seats are safe Labour ones. The problem is late decisions to step down in seats the party needs to hold on to.”

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The Conservative Party are standing candidates in seats across the United Kingdom, with over three-quarters of seats already selected. As we work to ensure all candidates are nominated by 7 June, local associations will be presented with a shortlist of excellent Conservative candidates.”

It is understood the party’s processes were held up by the need to readopt MPs, with boundary changes altering seats or seeing them disappear altogether in some cases.

There are claims, though, that CCHQ is pushing centrist candidates in a bid to help decide the winner of a future leadership contest and stop right-wingers such as Suella Braverman or Robert Jenrick replacing Mr Sunak after a defeat.

Confusion surrounds former Brexit minister Lord Frost who it was claimed has been blocked by being put on the “deferred candidates” list which would mean he could not apply for a seat. Mr Sunak has denied this.

Wanted: Conservative general election candidates

According to a list sent to pre-vetted prospective MPs by Tory election chiefs (and seen by The Independent), these are the first 93 seats for which the Conservatives are looking for candidates, from safer seats to no-hopers:

Daventry (East Midlands)
Leicester East (East Midlands)
Leicester South (East Midlands)
Leicester West (East Midlands)
Nottingham North and Kimberley (East Midlands)
Wellingborough and Rushden (East Midlands)
Basildon and Billericay (Eastern)
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Eastern)
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Eastern)
Barking (London)
Bethnal Green and Stepney (London)
Dulwich and West Norwood (London)
East Ham (London)
Edmonton and Winchmore Hill (London)
Hackney North and Stoke Newington (London)
Hackney South and Shoreditch (London)
Holborn and St Pancras (London)
Hornsey and Friern Barnet (London)
Ilford South (London)
Islington North (London)
Islington South and Finsbury (London)
Lewisham East (London)
Lewisham North (London)
Lewisham West and East Dulwich (London)
Leyton and Wanstead (London)
Poplar and Limehouse (London)
Stratford and Bow (London)
Tottenham (London)
West Ham and Beckton (London)
Gateshead Central and Whickham (North East)
Jarrow and Gateshead East (North East)
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (North East)
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend (North East)
Newcastle upon Tyne North (North East)
Ashton-under-Lyne (North West)
Birkenhead (North West)
Bootle (North West)
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough (North West)
Fylde (North West)
Gorton and Denton (North West)
Knowsley (North West)
Leigh and Atherton (North West)
Liverpool Garston (North West)
Liverpool Riverside (North West)
Liverpool Walton (North West)
Liverpool Wavertree (North West)
Liverpool West Derby (North West)
Makerfield (North West)
Manchester Central (North West)
Manchester Rusholme (North West)
Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (North West)
Runcorn and Helsby (North West)
Salford (North West)
St Helens North (North West)
St Helens South and Whiston (North West)
Wallasey (North West)
Warrington North (North West)
Widnes and Halewood (North West)
Wigan (North West)
Worsley and Eccles (North West)
Wythenshawe and Sale East (North West)
Brighton Pavilion (South East)
Dover and Deal (South East)
East Worthing and Shoreham (South East)
Reading Central (South East)
Slough (South East)
Bristol Central (South West)
Aberafan Maesteg (Wales)
Cardiff East (Wales)
Cardiff South and Penarth (Wales)
Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare (Wales)
Neath and Swansea East (Wales)
Pontypridd (Wales)
Rhondda and Ogmore (Wales)
Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North (West Midlands)
Smethwick (West Midlands)
Solihull West and Shirley (West Midlands)
Stratford-on-Avon (West Midlands)
Barnsley North (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Barnsley South (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Bradford East (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Doncaster Central (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Kingston upon Hull East (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Leeds Central and Headingley (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Leeds South (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Normanton and Hemsworth (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Rotherham (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Sheffield Central (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Sheffield Heeley (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Sheffield South East (Yorkshire and the Humber)

 

[Snow1964]

My MP has been quick off the mark, received letter in post today (addressed to all 3 of us registered to vote) saying that now election called please vote for me etc

Accompanied by glossy A3 size leaflet with new constituency map, (previous constituency has been split) and listing all the good things she has done, and some that have been campaigning on for years, but have not happened.

Interestingly it has her name at the top, and is effectively branded as an Individual (only in the tiny print at bottom does it say published by Conservatives at .....) Feels like vote for me, ignore the party.

A couple of orange diamond LibDem boards have also appeared around town, expecting lot more of this in next 6 weeks

 

[Benters]

Keir Starmer was in Stafford this morning making a speech at Stafford Rangers FC which included lowering the voting age to 16. This is the first time a Labour leader has visited Stafford since Tony Blair in 1997. Then, Blair visited the local ambulance station (since demolished and relocated) just round the corner from me.That visit went well as Stafford turned Labour for the subsequent and following two General Elections. Given the unpopularity of the current Government, Stafford could very well turn Labour again.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Given the unpopularity of the current Government, Stafford could very well turn Labour again.

Seems quite possible. Be right in saying that for the past 40 years, that the Stafford constituency has always been held by whichever party is then in power at Parliament?

 

[nw1]

Keir Starmer was in Stafford this morning making a speech at Stafford Rangers FC which included lowering the voting age to 16. This is the first time a Labour leader has visited Stafford since Tony Blair in 1997. Then, Blair visited the local ambulance station (since demolished and relocated) just round the corner from me.That visit went well as Stafford turned Labour for the subsequent and following two General Elections. Given the unpopularity of the current Government, Stafford could very well turn Labour again.

Particularly as the rural bits were spun off in 1997 to form Stone, aka the province of Bill Cash.

 

[ikcdab]

Apart from being palpable nonsense, there have been two labour prime ministers since the 1970s so it would hardly be a notable achievement even if it were true.

But Johnson probably has a second article written saying Starmer is the most right wing Labour leader since the 70s

Not really. Both Blair and Brown were closet Tories. starmer has well proven left wing tendencies, evidenced by some of his CPS decisions. And the problem that Starmer has is that the labour extremists are keeping quiet. Wait till the election is won and then see what happens.
Stand by for a repeat of the GLC 1981 elections when the moderate leader was deposed by Ken Livingstone within 24hrs of winning the election.

 

[nw1]

starmer has well proven left wing tendencies, evidenced by some of his CPS decisions. And the problem that Starmer has is that the labour extremists are keeping quiet. Wait till the election is won and then see what happens.
Stand by for a repeat of the GLC 1981 elections when the moderate leader was deposed by Ken Livingstone within 24hrs of winning the election.

And he will be deposed by the new leader of the Labour Party, one Elvis Aaron Presley.

Seems quite possible. Be right in saying that for the past 40 years, that the Stafford constituency has always been held by whichever party is then in power at Parliament?

I believe so, yes, Labour from 1997-2010 otherwise Tory. As stated above though, the pre-1997 seat was more rural and thus more predisposed to the Tories.

 

[317 forever]

Bear in mind the starting positions. Major barely had a majority whereas Sunak still has most of the 80 won in 2019.
It may be the new normal to have rapid swings in popularity, but overturning such a majority would be unprecedented.
These will also be the first elections with the new boundaries, which are expected to provide a small boost to the Conservatives as they correct the demographic drift which usually favors Labour.

It would be the strongest government to be defeated since 1970. The defeated (Labour) government had been elected with a majority of 96.

 

[daveo]

Out of interest, how did travelling (I assume, the railways) on a rover ticket show you that? If I go travelling by rail, what I tend to see is, lots of trains and stations

and lost bags!!!

 

[317 forever]

I am very pleased the election is on 4 July. It doesn't clash with any planned holidays or hospital appointments. This matters to me because I work in polling stations and don't want to lose my additional income stream.

Whoever wins, I win, with extra money.

If anyone here would like to work at the general election, contact your local authority's Election department. They are always in need of people.

I come back off my hols on June 24th. I am lucky. For personal reasons I wanted my holiday to finish June 24th or start June 26th. Thankfully I chose the first option.

 

[TheSmiths82]

I come back off my hols on June 24th. I am lucky. For personal reasons I wanted my holiday to finish June 24th or start June 26th. Thankfully I chose the first option.

You could have applied for a postal vote though, but there is something magical about walking into a polling station. Thankfully I am going away later in July, I just hope we get the result I want or it will be quite a miserable holiday probably spent planning on my move to Ireland

 

[317 forever]

You could have applied for a postal vote though, but there is something magical about walking into a polling station. Thankfully I am going away later in July, I just hope we get the result I want or it will be quite a miserable holiday probably spent planning on my move to Ireland

True enough. My main point is that I will want time to catch up with the campaign before the vote.

More importantly, I prefer to keep the occasions separate in terms of "vibes". I shall be going to Ireland myself. Last time I was there, the mood was obscured by coinciding with the Brexit vote (although I had already voted postally).

 

[najaB]

More importantly, I prefer to keep the occasions separate in terms of "vibes". I shall be going to Ireland myself. Last time I was there, the mood was obscured by coinciding with the Brexit vote (although I had already voted postally).

I feel you. There were two occasions where I woke up in a hotel room in Northern Ireland, literally crying as a result of an vote the night before: Brexit, and Donald Trump. I'm not risking it again!

 

[gg1]

Not really. Both Blair and Brown were closet Tories. starmer has well proven left wing tendencies, evidenced by some of his CPS decisions. And the problem that Starmer has is that the labour extremists are keeping quiet. Wait till the election is won and then see what happens.
Stand by for a repeat of the GLC 1981 elections when the moderate leader was deposed by Ken Livingstone within 24hrs of winning the election.

Do you genuinely believe that immediately after Starmer winning their first general election for 18 years, a majority of Labour MPs would vote to boot him out in favour of a new leader from the same wing of the party who only 5 years earlier delivered Labour's worst General Election performance for over 80 years?

There's more chance of Steve Bruce becoming the next manager of Real Madrid.

 

[infobleep]

You could have applied for a postal vote though, but there is something magical about walking into a polling station. Thankfully I am going away later in July, I just hope we get the result I want or it will be quite a miserable holiday probably spent planning on my move to Ireland

You can even apply for a postal vote and walk in to a polling station to hand it in.

You will need to fill out an additional form though if you do but if you like the idea of filling out an additional form, purely because you can, then do it.

I do postal votes for the obvious reason I'm working at the elections but when I'm not I like to hand my postal vote in so I can visit the polling station.

 

[NeilCr]

Stand by for a repeat of the GLC 1981 elections when the moderate leader was deposed by Ken Livingstone within 24hrs of winning the election.

Can you explain how that will actually happen please?

Given the make up of the NEC etc

 

[edwin_m]

And talking of the oven-ready bomb, Boris "Oven-Ready" Johnson is claiming in the Mail that Starmer will be the most damagingly left-wing PM since the 70s, or something.

I assume he didn't mention the damagingly right-wind prime ministers.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Mind you the Mail seems a bit confused, as its lead story is a semi-sympathetic one about Reeves, writing in today's edition.

Maybe that shows that the Mail isn't quite the Tory propaganda mouthpiece that so many people claim, but is actually a newspaper that reports what's going on on both sides - albeit usually with a bias to the right.

After all, I bet that if the BBC ran a story about what Labour were promising AND also a story about what a prominent Tory was saying, I doubt you'd say the BBC 'seemed a bit confused' - you'd simply accept they are reporting what different politicians are saying. Why should it be any different when a newspaper reports stories from both sides of the divide?

 

[DoubleLemon]

I struggle to find anyone to vote for, although I will.
In the last 20 odd years, nobody has ever canvassed at my door and I have only received 2 election leaflets both from the Tories.
What I want to listen to is a prospective MP who doesn’t talk about the opposition.
All sides are the same in that regard.
The ‘ You’ll be better off’ line stinks as well as the Tax grabbing methods just shift methods.
Travelling around for the last 3 days on a rover ticket I see that one of the biggest struggles will be to get people back in to work. The benefit brigade is fast becoming an army.
Little rant over, back to roving.

Vote for the least worst. Then things get a little better. Then vote for the least worst next time and they get a a bit more better. There might be something on the manifesto that you agree with.

No party is perfect to anyone. But at least try and make things better by voting for something you think would improve the country.

 

[nw1]

Maybe that shows that the Mail isn't quite the Tory propaganda mouthpiece that so many people claim, but is actually a newspaper that reports what's going on on both sides - albeit usually with a bias to the right.

After all, I bet that if the BBC ran a story about what Labour were promising AND also a story about what a prominent Tory was saying, I doubt you'd say the BBC 'seemed a bit confused' - you'd simply accept they are reporting what different politicians are saying. Why should it be any different when a newspaper reports stories from both sides of the divide?

Even so, the general form horse for the Mail has been very much pro-Tory and anti-Labour in recent years, stridently so at times: so I am surprised by any pro-Labour coverage.

I guess it could show something else: that even the Mail hasn't got that much faith in Sunak. If so, that is very worrying for the Tories.

 

[Gloster]

In the Telegraph (on my news feed, so no possibility of copying) Truss (remember her: well, yes, she can’t be wiped from our minds or our bank overdrafts) has started giving Sunak advice as how to win the election. This will cheer Labour no end.

 

[spyinthesky]

Out of interest, how did travelling (I assume, the railways) on a rover ticket show you that? If I go travelling by rail, what I tend to see is, lots of trains and stations

I did quite a lot of walking past the droves of unemployable layabouts near the stations . I have a few other interests apart from the railway that a rover is useful.

Who are the benefit brigade?

Those that find that working doesn’t suit their lifestyle rather than those who are unable to work. There are thousands of them, do you not see it?

 

[najaB]

There are thousands of them, do you not see it?

In a population of over 65 million that doesn't sound like much of an issue. You'll find that there aren't as many as the right-wing press would like us to believe.

 

[brad465]

Sunak announcing plans to reintroduce National Service for 18 year olds:

Conservatives plan to bring back mandatory National Service

Every 18-year-old would choose between joining the military or volunteering one weekend a month in the community.

www.bbc.co.uk

The Conservative Party has said it would bring back mandatory national service if it wins the general election.

It said 18-year-olds would have a choice of either joining the military full-time, or volunteering one weekend every month carrying out a community service.

The party is proposing a Royal Commission to consider the details but would plan for the first teenagers to take part in September 2025.

The cost is expected to be around £2.5bn per year.

Under the plans, young people could choose a full-time, 12-month placement in the armed forces or UK cyber defence, learning about logistics, cyber security, procurement or civil response operations.

Their other option would be to volunteer one weekend per month - or 25 days per year - in their community with organisations such as fire, police and the NHS.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he believed bringing back compulsory service across the UK would help foster the "national spirit" that emerged during the pandemic.

Mr Sunak said: “This is a great country but generations of young people have not had the opportunities or experience they deserve and there are forces trying to divide our society in this increasingly uncertain world.

“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future. I will bring in a new model of National Service to create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country."

The prime minister said the move would help young people to learn "real world skills, do new things and contribute to their community and our country".

 

[najaB]

Sunak announcing plans to reintroduce National Service for 18 year olds

Just giving up on the youth vote - I can't imagine that's a vote winner with 18 to 20-something year olds.

 

[Cowley]

Sunak announcing plans to reintroduce National Service for 18 year olds:

Conservatives plan to bring back mandatory National Service

Every 18-year-old would choose between joining the military or volunteering one weekend a month in the community.

www.bbc.co.uk

There’s a game being played here to try and frighten people into voting for them by making people think that we’re under a certain type of threat that he’s been trying to warn us about (but obviously can’t fully disclose).

It’s surely just going to be yet another huge misstep by them though isn’t it?

 

[brad465]

There’s a game being played here to try and frighten people into voting for them by making people think that we’re under a certain type of threat that he’s been trying to warn us about (but obviously can’t fully disclose).

It’s surely just going to be yet another huge misstep by them though isn’t it?

There's a lot we can do before resorting to some form of conscription, such as reverse all the army cuts since at least 2010. In any case this pledge has clearly just been drafted (no pun intended) out of thin air.

 

[Cowley]

There's a lot we can do before resorting to some form of conscription, such as reverse all the army cuts since at least 2010. In any case this pledge has clearly just been drafted (no pun intended) out of thin air.

And I assume it’ll fall flat on its face like everything else he’s done over the last few days (months).

He is extraordinarily bad at this stuff isn’t he?