Exit poll puts Keir Starmer on course to enter Number 10 | Politics | NewsKeir Starmer is on course to enter Number 10 today on the back of the second biggest landslide in history. Exit polls put Labour on 410 seats while the Conservative Party appears to have been left in tatters in an electoral bloodbath that is expected to leave it with its lowest ever number of MPs. If confirmed, the shock survey of voters means the Tories have just 131 seats while Reform have 13 seats. More than a dozen Tory big beasts are expected to be booted out by voters in a brutal reckoning with voters after 14 years in power. Labour’s expected victory puts it on its second highest performance ever, just shy of Tony Blair in 1997 when he secured 418 seats. At that time, the Conservative Party was left with 165 seats, just ahead of its nadir in 1906 when it returned just 156 seats after a thrashing by the Liberals. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will face bitter recriminations after his snap general election gamble spectacularly backfired. In a campaign that appeared to have been cursed from the off when he announced he was going to the country in the driving rain from a lectern in Downing Street, operational blunders, gaffes, a betting scandal and his early departure from D-Day commemorations compounded the already difficult position his party was in. Nigel Farage’s shock late entry into the race turned the screw further and voters appear to have made a stunning entry into parliament. Reform UK is expected to secure 13 seats from a standing start according to the exit poll. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to lose his seat to the Liberal Democrats along with a slew of other Cabinet ministers. In a campaign that appeared to have been cursed from the off when he announced he was going to the country in the driving rain from a lectern in Downing Street, operational blunders, gaffes, a betting scandal and his early departure from D-Day commemorations compounded the already difficult position his party was in. Nigel Farage’s shock late entry into the race turned the screw further and voters appear to have ….. But voter apathy could make Labour the owners of a lukewarm landslide, with turnout ….and many turning to the smaller parties. As voters headed to the polls on a gloriously sunny day, the main party leaders were out early to cast their votes. Mr Sunak smiled as he went to cast his ballot in Northallerton, North Yorkshire with Akshata Murty. Sir Keir and wife Victoria walked hand-in-hand to the polling station in Kentish Town, London while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and his wife, Emily, cast their votes in Surbiton. Mr Farage, meanwhile, sent in a postal vote. It marked the end of a gruelling six-week campaign that saw the Tories face numerous setbacks, Labour studiously refused to answer questions on key issues, Mr Farage was given a rockstar welcome by supporters at the biggest rally of the campaign and Sir Ed lark about on rollercoasters and paddle boards in an attempt to secure media interest. Mr Sunak’s decision to call a snap election stunned his own party, leaving MPs expecting an autumn vote reeling. The party had languished in the polls consistently for more than a year, leaving some warning there was no good time to hold a vote and going early would at least give the Tories the element of surprise. Initially, it appeared to at least mean that Mr Farage would stay largely out of the campaign when he announced he would not stand as a candidate. But just days before the closing deadline for candidates, the honorary Reform UK president blindsided Westminster by holding a hastily arranged press conference to reveal he would not only become party leader but also stand for Parliament in Clacton. It gave his party the boost it needed to nail down support with disaffected voters on the right. Mr Farage’s natural ability to engage an audience on television or in person injected pizzazz into an otherwise dull slog between the Prime Minister and Labour leader. In his final rally of the campaign, the Reform leader entered Clacton pier in Essex on an army vehicle to the tune of Without Me by Eminem and led crowds at a rally in a chant of “we want our country back”. Mr Sunak was left fighting on three fronts, with Labour surging in the centre, the Liberal Democrats relentlessly targeting wealthy blue wall seats and Reform going for the red wall. The PM focused his campaign on the gaping financial hole in Labour’s finances, warning that they will need to find £2,000 per family in taxes to meet their plans. Mr Sunak also repeatedly warned that Labour leader Sir Keir has refused to say what he plans to do with power. In the final fiery head-to-head televised clash of the campaign, Sir Keir dodged nine questions about what he intends to do with migrants crossing the channel illegally in small boats. Sir Keir, meanwhile, repeatedly promised change and said Labour would secure growth. Following the release of the exit poll, Sir Keir thanked those who "put their trust in a changed Labour Party" and those who voted for him. He said: "To everyone who has campaigned for Labour in this election, to everyone who voted for us and put their trust in our changed Labour Party - thank you." Meanwhile, the former Tory leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson described the predicted result of the election as a "massacre" for the Conservative Party. Source link Posted: 2024-07-04 22:58:24 |
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