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Parties begin a 48-hour blitz around constituencies to deliver a final appeal to voters.
But with only two days to go until polling day, thousands fear they will not be able to vote on the general election as delays in postal ballot packs rock the country.
The postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake announced it is “urgently” investigating delays to postal ballots being sent and criticised Royal Mail for failing to deliver them on time.
During the morning media round, Reform’s Richard Tice accused the Tories of “breaking Britain” in a clash with BBC’s Nick Robinson on Radio 4.
The party chairman was pressed on whether he would do to the right what Marine Le Pen did to the far right in France, saying a “complete realignment of the right of politics” is needed.
As part of today’s campaign trail, Rishi Sunak will be in Oxfordshire where he will warn supporters to “stop a Labour supermajority”.
Sir Keir Starmer, who boasts a stable 24-point lead in the polls, will be make multiple visits around the country in a bid to convince undecided voters.
Key Points
- Post Office minister ‘urgently’ investigates delays to postal ballots
- Flynn ‘massively concerned’ at postal vote delays
- Richard Tice: ‘Tories have broken Britain’
- Labour hits back at ‘massive majority’ criticism
- Sunak promises to fight until the ‘last moment’
- Rishi Sunak reveals his worst moment as prime minister
Parties prepare to wrap up the general election campaign
As the general election campaign comes to an end, parties are sharpening their key messages in the hopes of convincing the last few undecided voters before 4 July.
- Rishi Sunak will be speaking from Oxfordshire where he will urge wavering Tory voters to stick with his party to ensure a swing away from a Labour “supermajority”.
- Sir Keir Starmer is expected to spend one of the final days on the campaign trail making multiple visits across England. The Labour will then head to London to deliver a speech tonight.
- Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will be in the south west revisiting one of the party’s key priorities: ending the “sewage scandal”.
- First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney is set to visit a distillery as he calls on Scotland to reject Westminster austerity cuts from the next Labour government.
Labour: Sunak has ‘nothing to offer’ people of this country
Responding to Rishi Sunak’s criticism of Labour this morning, the party has hit back blasting the prime minister has “absolutely nothing to offer the people of this country”.
Ellie Reeves, Labour’s deputy national campaign coordinator, said: “It’s clearer than ever: desperate Rishi Sunak has absolutely nothing to offer the people of this country. That’s why the public can’t risk waking up on Friday morning with him as Prime Minister again.
“The Conservatives have failed to deliver and if out-of-touch Rishi Sunak gets back in, the chaos and decline will just continue. A vote for anyone but Labour risks letting the Tories back in to wreak havoc on our country, with five more years of chaos.
“Change with Labour will only come if people vote for it on Thursday 4 July.”
Flynn blasts postal vote delay ‘complete and utter shambles’
SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has criticised the postal vote delay row rocking voters around the country.
People in more than 90 constituencies are yet to receive their paper ballot by post, The Telegraph reports.
Hitting out at the election being called in summer, Mr Flynn said: “For vast parts of Scotland the school holidays have already started up. But a huge number of families are away on holiday.
“We warned the Tories when they were floating the idea of the election being at this time that it’s going to be in the school holidays of Scotland. The answer to that was ‘get people on postal votes’.
“We’ve tried everything we possibly can to get our supporters - and indeed everybody end - on to postal votes as well so they can take part in the democratic process.
“And they have not had those postal votes delivered. It is outrageous.”
Royal Mail says it has ‘no backlog' of postal votes
Royal Mail has said it has “no backlog” of postal votes amid claims votes will receive their ballot papers late.
Voters in dozens of constituencies have reported concerns about postal vote delays.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said Scottish voters could be “disenfranchised” if their postal votes cannot be returned on time.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Where concerns have been raised, we have investigated and confirmed ballot packs are being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network.”
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:52 1719910272Ranking the last five Tory prime ministers from best to worst
With the general election just days away, we delve into the premierships of the last five Conservative prime ministers, and rank them from best to worst.
Ranking the Tory prime ministers from best to worst
With the general election just days away, we delve into the premierships of the last five Conservative prime ministers, and rank them from best to worst. From David Cameron’s Brexit miscalculation to Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, join The Independent’s Chief Political Commentator John Rentoul and Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin as they discuss the last 14 years of Tory rule. Who navigated the complexities of governance most effectively? Who left a lasting positive legacy? Find out who (if any) comes out on top. Get the latest election news with The Independent.
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:51 1719909695Health minister warns against ‘interference’ in election
Health minister Maria Caulfield has warned against “interference” in the general election.
The Cabinet member’s comments come after the prime minister claimed Reform “may be using the same tactics of using fake accounts to influence voters”.
Ms Caulfield told GB News: “We know across the whole world that there are threats of AI, you know, global experts have been very clear, whether it’s China or Russia, we know that there’s been interference not just in this country, but in many countries in elections and it’s right and proper to flag that we’ve seen it, you know, before this election, kind of fake videos circulating of politicians of all colours, and we’ve caught those out at each and every stage.
“So we do need to be mindful of interference in elections more generally.”
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:41 1719909132Independent Debate | Is Starmer right to stop work for his family at 6pm on Fridays?
A row has erupted after the Tories criticised Sir Keir Starmer for his commitment to spending time with his children after 6pm on Fridays.
The Conservatives suggested that Sir Keir’s remarks, made during an interview with Virgin Radio, implied he would be a “part-time prime minister” if elected, with Rishi Sunak commenting, “I haven’t finished at six ever.”
But the Labour Party leader countered that safeguarding time for his 16-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter makes him more relaxed and a better decision-maker, adding: “There are a few exceptions, but that’s what we do.”
Now we want to know what you think.
Would Sir Keir be right to stop work for his family at 6pm on Fridays if elected prime minister? Or should someone in this position always be on call as the Conservatives suggest?
Have your say here.
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:32 1719909018 Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:30 1719908413Conservatives face backlash over small boats campaign ad
The Tories have posted a campaign ad attacking Labour over small boat crossings.
The party’s official account posted a picture showing a magnet in the shape of “UK under Labour” attracting multiple boats.
The X post read: “Illegal migrants are waiting for a Starmer supermajority. Vote Conservative to stop this.”
But online users have criticised the image labelling the ad “utterly ridiculous” and a “scaremongering” campaign.
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:20 1719908412Watch: All the party manifestos for the 2024 general election explained
All the party manifestos for the 2024 general election explained
With just 48 hours to go until the general election, it’s time for the British public to decide who will form the next government. The Labour Party, the Conservatives, Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party are all battling it out for votes in the hope of securing important seats in the House of Commons. But what are each party promising voters in the 2024 election? Ahead of polling day, The Independent takes a look at the manifestos published by the five big hitters.
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 09:20 Newer1 / 4OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
