Election latest: Tories 'can take comfort from Starmer's victory' - despite 'truly awful and accident-prone' campaign (2024)

The Labour leader, who is hoping to be prime minister by Friday morning, is delivering his final speech of the general election campaign.

Here is what he says, as he says it:

• Sir Keir Starmer praises the cheering crowd in the West Midlands, saying they give him and his top team "energy" and "confidence";
• He says this is a "really important election" with "two different futures on the ballot box";
• Voters can choose to continue with "the chaos, the division, and the failure that we've seen for 14 long years", or vote for Labour to "turn the page" and "rebuild our country," he argues;
• "Change only happens if you vote for it," he declares, adding that they are a "changed Labour Party that has pushed protest to one side, that has returned our party to the service of working people":
• The current position ahead in the polls, he says, is "vindication of the hard work that we have done" to change the party, and they are asking for "the opportunity to put our country back in the service of working people";
• The Labour leader runs through his missions in health, education, tackling antisocial behaviour, securing the borders, and energy security;
• But he warns that many constituencies "will be tight", and if people think it is "job done" already and don't vote, they "will wake up to five more years of a Tory government";

The Labour leader is speaking now at his final event of the general election campaign.

Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping that he has done enough to convince you that Labour should govern the United Kingdom for the first time since the 2005 election.

You can watch his final pitch live on Sky News, in the stream above, at the link below, and follow updates here in the Politics Hub.

Rishi Sunak has just delivered his final stump speech of the general election campaign.

Here is what he said, as he said it (this post was updated live):

• The PM declares to gathered activists: "It is not over until the final whistle blows, and this underdog will fight to the final whistle, with your support";
  
• He warns they "only have a day left to save Britain from the danger of a Labour government", and insists the result isn't a "foregone conclusion;
• Mr Sunak touts the Tory success in education and defence, restoring economic security after the financial crisis, and brags about the government's response to COVID and achieving Brexit;
• He says he understands people's "frustrations" with his party, but repeats his pledge to cut people's taxes if the Tories win;
• In conclusion, he says: "I love this country for what it has done for my family" - and praises his parents, who are there at the speech.

Our political correspondent Rob Powell was in the room and said it was the prime minister's "last attempt" to boost the Tory vote.

But he said otherwise it had been a "low-key" final day of election campaigning for the Conservatives.

"This hasn't been the sort of zipping around the country you expect to see from a campaign on the front foot," he says, noting it's mostly stayed within the boundaries of Hampshire.

There's a notable bit of "gallows humour" and sense of "resignation" among some candidates and activists, says Rob.

The PM's energy is undeniable, but it doesn't look like being enough to change his party's fortunes.

Rishi Sunak is speaking now at his final event of the general election campaign.

He is hoping he has done just about enough to convince enough voters to back the Conservative Party and keep him in Downing Street as PM - although the polls do not look good.

He is now making his final pitch to voters - and you can watch live on Sky News, in the stream above and follow updates here in the Politics Hub.

The messages coming out of Labour and the Conservative Party are very different on the last day of campaigning.

Labour interviews are sticking to the party line, with boring answers about the election having not been won yet, and the Tories seem to be "all over the place".

Sky's election commentator Adam Boulton says Labour representatives will not want to "drop the ball now" so will be sticking on message.

But he says the Conservatives' have been "all over the place", pointing out that Mel Stride was on Sky News this morning saying the party was heading for a massive defeat, and then Mark Spencer this evening saying everything is still to play for.

"Things have got worse for the Conservatives during this campaign because it has been truly awful and accident-prone," he adds.

Adam is joined on the Politics Hub panel by former culture minister Lord Vaizey, who says the Conservatives will carry out a post-mortem very quickly after the election result is in.

He says the party will only return to popularity when it comes back to centre ground.

"They can take comfort from Keir Starmer's dramatic victory tomorrow. He has shown you can come from nothing to something in five years," he adds.

That concludes our coverage of tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - stay with us for more election news and analysis this evening, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's final major campaign speech.

The Sun newspaper today backed Labour to win the general election, turning its back on the Tories for the first time since 2005.

We ask farming minister Mark Spencer if that is a blow to his party, and he points out the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph are still backing the Tories (only four of 11 titles that have announced endorsem*nts are backing them).

He also notes The Sun says "there is still no plan from Labour on immigration", and raises questions around tax rises.

The Sun's headline is Britain "needs a new manager", and Sophy Ridge says it appears the Conservative Party may need one as well.

We ask if he would consider a leadership bid, and he replies he needs to win his own seat before talking about that.

"I want to see Rishi Sunak be prime minister - that's what I've been campaigning for for the last six weeks. That's what I'll be doing right up 'til the end of polling tomorrow night at 10pm."

Our main story tonight is a YouGov poll - their final one of this election campaign - projecting Labour to win 431 seats in tomorrow's vote.

That would be the party's best result ever and the largest majority enjoyed by any single party since 1832.

If you're just joining us and need a quick catch up on the projection, including how the other parties will fare and some big names tipped to lose their seats, we've got you covered.

Watch our deputy political editor Sam Coates run through the numbers below:

On the final day of campaigning, Sir Keir Starmer has been on a whistle-stop tour of much of the UK, visiting Scotland, Wales, and England.

Polls suggest his party is on course for the biggest majority since 1832 and our political editorBeth Rigby says the jeopardy of this election has gone.

"The jeopardy in many ways has gone - if it was ever there. We can see Labour is heading for a big majority," she says.

"How big it will be without a single vote cast is unknown. When I talk about a big majority, I would say bigger than Boris Johnson in 2019 when he won 80 seats.

"That would be an astounding victory for Keir Starmer, who inherited a party that had its worst election defeat in 2019 when they just returned 203 MPs.

"So the scale of achievement, just to get a one-seat majority, is incredible."

But Beth adds that sources in both the Tory and Labour camps "have said there are still dozens of seats that are still undecided and could go either way".

She explains any sense of jeopardy actually lies with Reform UK and how they perform will affect the Conservatives.

We stand on the threshold of a landmark election.

Power has only changed hands once in the last 26 years, but after voters troop out to libraries, village halls and schools tomorrow to exercise their democratic right, power is almost certain to change hands once again.

If the polls are right, it will be a day for the record books.

Labour is on course for their biggest ever majority - surpassing even 1997 – and the Conservatives are expected to be turfed out of power for the first time in 14 years, truly the end of an era.

Will Sir Keir Starmer achieve the staggering victory that the pollsters expect - and if he does, what will he do with it?

And how will a Conservative Party rebuild and regroup if Rishi Sunak does lead Britain's most successful political party to its worst defeat?

Our weeknight politics showPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgeis live now on Sky News.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Sophy is joined tonight by Tory minister Mark Spencer and Labour shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symondson the eve of what could be a historic general election.

On Sophy's panel tonight are:

• Adam Boulton, Sky's elections commentator;
• Mhairi Black, SNP's former deputy leader at Westminster;
• Ed Vaizey, former Conservative minister.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgefrom Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.