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

Rishi Sunak is delivering his final stump speech of the general election campaign.

Here is what he says, as he says it:

• 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";
• "We need to wake people up to this danger," he says, arguing that it is their "duty" to "make sure that Britain does not sleepwalk into this";
• Many say the election is a "foregone conclusion", he says, but adds: "I believe in my bones that it is not";
• Analysis shows that it will take only 130,000 votes to "deprive Starmer of that supermajority he so desperately craves";
• "We cannot surrender to Labour - we need to fight for every vote";
• The PM discusses Labour's record until it left office in 2010, saying the Tories restored economic security after the global financial crisis - and he touts Tory success in education, defence, during COVID, and taking the UK of out of the EU, which is "a record I am mighty proud of";
• "Despite that", he says, people have a "hesitation" about supporting them again, and understands their "frustrations";
• But he argues that tomorrow is not a by-election, but a "choice about the future of our country" which will have "severe consequences for each and every family if we get that choice wrong";
• "A vote tomorrow is a vote for the Conservatives to cut your taxes," he declares, to applause;
• 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;

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.

By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent

On a slightly damp afternoon, in a summer so far marked by disappointing weather, the Conservative campaign bus pulled into a primary school in rural Hampshire today.

A smattering of Lib Dem activists (I counted five) had bothered to turn up to protest the against the prime minister. I say protest - it was actually to gloat, and even then through mild bemusem*nt rather than anger.

They knew the game was up. It felt like everyone knew the game was up.

I mean a campaign stop with five-year-olds the day before the election seemed a little pointless.

It was a day riven with resignation.

Earlier, the work and pensions secretary had essentially conceded, talking about a future Labour government, pleading to voters not to give Sir Keir Starmer a "supermajority".

The next stop was a campaign visit in a seat the Tories might actually hold - though that has been a feature of the entire campaign.

Almost exclusively, we've only been in seats with Rishi Sunak that should have traditionally been ultra Conservative. Village pubs, farm shops, garden centres and large homes have been ubiquitous.

The last stop is one final campaign rally tonight, with maybe a hundred people - we've been told not to expect any surprises.

That in itself is hardly a surprise.

The Conservative campaign started in a very wet Downing Street, it ends in the drizzle in Southampton.

It has simply petered out.

With ABBA's Take A Chance On Me blasting across a field in Hertfordshire, Sir Ed Davey arrived in the Liberal Democrats' battle bus for what was billed as the last big stunt of his campaign.

Whether his antics have cut through, we will find out tomorrow, but he certainly can't be faulted for enthusiasm.

Yellow confetti exploded as Sir Ed left the bus with both hands waving in the air, laughing and smiling in front of his supporters.

"This is it. Tomorrow we have the chance to win the change our country desperately needs," he said.

"After so many years of being let down, taken for granted by this out-of-touch Conservative government, this is a chance to vote for something different."

Sir Ed continued: "You may have noticed that I've quite enjoyed this campaign."

The leader said he has travelled 6,000 miles, visited 50 constituencies and bungee jumped 160ft, to cheers from the crowd.

Pyrotechnics were ignited as he came to the end of his speech, before he ditched the orange theme for the backseat of a pink Cadillac and made his exit, waving to the crowd.