The 2024 UK General Election - news, speculation and updates

[cupid_stunt]

I'm not particularly convinced that the Tories are campaigning in my constituency - the incumbent has a twenty thousand majority, and the MRP polls suggest it's going to be tighter than a fishes arse.

There's been two(?) single page flyers delivered by the postie, and that's - from what I've seen - it. Tory bloke has retweeted half a dozen fairly generic tweets, but I'm not aware of anything but the most sporadic door knocking. I don't think they've had a stall in any of the three towns - unlike both Labour and the Greens.

There's not much campaigning from the Tories here, flyers delivered by RM, not seen any posters up, not heard of anyone having their door knocked. Although Peter Bottomley has been spotted twice trying to talk to shoppers in different parts of the town, but not with the usual older supporters, who I am told have given up, instead he has captured 4 of that rare, almost extinct, breed - young conservatives!

Labour is throwing everything at it, I've never seen anything like it, activists leafleting and canvassing, posters everywhere, stalls in town, and yesterday Worthing got a visit from their battle bus with Hilary Benn and local Love Island star, Amy Hart, putting in an appearance. They are bloody determined to take both seats, which have been safe Tory seats since being created in 1997, and looking back to the pervious constituencies covering the town, it's been Tory since at least 1918.

ETA - Almost forgot, Keir Starmer was down here to officially launch their GE campaign too.

 

[Rob Ray]

yesterday Worthing got a visit from their battle bus with Hilary Benn and local Love Island star, Amy Hart, putting in an appearance.

Well I suppose Hilary can always emphasise how badly he let his dad down.

 

[King Biscuit Time]

Only one of whom is likely to keep their seat, of course.

Has anyone done an analysis of Tory MPs by majority and who they might support in a leadership race. How the initial MP rounds play out might be very different with (say) 90 MPs compared to 140. Depends where in the distribution most of the wingnuts are and how far the tide goes out

 

[Karl Masks]

This is my local Tory effort, make of it what you will.

 

[Wilf]

If a cabinet minister has been placing insider bets, Shapps has to be prime suspect.

Which one?

 

[Silas Loom]

Which one?

Corinne. She’s the worst.

 

[PR1Berske]

The Green Party 's leaflets in Bristol Central have backfired

 

[Karl Masks]

The Green Party 's leaflets in Bristol Central have backfired

Not really backfired, these are people who were obviously going to vote Labour anyway. I doubt these leaflets have actively persuaded people to vote Labour.

Not sure wohat difference it would make them winning Bristol anyway, the greens already have the council iirc and one extra seat won't make a dent in Starmer's campaign, even though Deboinarre is a Blairite type

 

[Smangus]

 

[nottsgirl]

Less than 2 weeks to go.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

ETA - Almost forgot, Keir Starmer was down here to officially launch their GE campaign too.

he's easily forgettable...

 

[Silas Loom]

All a bit boring today. No new polls. No new gaffes or scandals.

 

[cupid_stunt]

All a bit boring today. No new polls. No new gaffes or scandals.

Yet.

 

[Elpenor]

I think the rest of the campaign will be dull tbh

Two main parties desperate to have the election asap really, Labour to bank the polls now and not risk a fuck up, tories to avoid any more fuck ups

 

[moochedit]

I think the rest of the campaign will be dull tbh

Two main parties desperate to have the election asap really, Labour to bank the polls now and not risk a fuck up, tories to avoid any more fuck ups

The 2 main parties hope it'll be dull but i'm not sure they have much control over that anymore

 

[pbsmooth]

he sounds nice

Birmingham election candidate apologises for ‘deeply disturbing’ remarks about women

Independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob pledges to ‘fight misogyny’ after outcry over podcast comments

www.theguardian.com

 

[Rimbaud]

Live in a London Labour stronghold and only poster I've seen for them was in a house where every other window had a big Union Jack in it which I'm guessing belongs to a Labour councillor/the candidate themselves. Customers at work are universally indifferent/disdainful of them too, even the ones who are members. Mad amount of apathy really, never seen the like.

Same here in Newcastle Labour heartlands, only seen 2 posters, both in relatively posh areas which makes me suspect they are related to the candidate or something.

 

[cupid_stunt]

All a bit boring today. No new polls. No new gaffes or scandals.

Well Farage is providing some entertainment today, following him blaming the EU for the war in Ukraine, resulting in Johnson attacking him in his Mail on Sunday column, and then Farage coming up with this front page from 2016, whilst calling Johnson 'morally repugnant', which I think we can all agree on, but is so ironic coming from Farage, all very pot and kettle stuff.

I must admit I am finding these 'blue on blue attacks' somewhat amusing.

Nigel Farage hits back at 'hypocrisy' of Boris Johnson over Ukraine comments

The Reform UK leader brandished a newspaper front page from 2016 with the headline: 'Boris blames EU for war in Ukraine'.

news.sky.com

Oh, and he's also has instructed Carter Fuck to take action against the Mail on Sunday over their front page article on him.

Nigel Farage denies explosive Russia link and makes lawyer claim 'I am so angry'

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted a five-minute video responding to accusations that he is repeating Vladimir Putin's justification for waging a war in Ukraine

www.mirror.co.uk

I am hoping for a long drawn out legal battle, proper deckchair and popcorn stuff.

 

[moochedit]

Telegraph getting desperate ....

 

[Silas Loom]

Times was running the same stupidity as the header on its rolling news blog all morning, to unanimous derision BTL.

 

[Wilf]

he sounds nice

Birmingham election candidate apologises for ‘deeply disturbing’ remarks about women

Independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob pledges to ‘fight misogyny’ after outcry over podcast comments

www.theguardian.com

PR advice for Misogynistic Scumbags Who Get Caught Out seems to have changed. Used to be 'it was just bantz', which has now evolved into this from this particular Misogynistic Scumbag:

While banter in an informal setting can often be crude, I should have refused to take part,

 

[pbsmooth]

PR advice for Misogynistic Scumbags Who Get Caught Out seems to have changed. Used to be 'it was just bantz', which has now evolved into this from this particular Misogynistic Scumbag:

I was forced into the banter, your honour

 

[hitmouse]

Is it worth setting up a dedicated "general election - the view from where you are" thread for observations of what campaigning looks like in local areas?
On that note, had (I think) my first leaflets of this election campaign through my door today, Green, Reform, and some independent I'd never heard of. Reform have three slogans/policies, all of which are basically about immigration, turns out they want to tackle immigration AND stop the boats AND stop immigrants working illegally, really covering the whole range of possible issues there. Entertainingly, the Reform leaflet asks me to vote for a candidate that I couldn't vote for if I wanted to, since she's standing in a different constituency up the road.

Also, lots of anti-Labour stickers around my local area saying stuff like "Love genocide? Love war? Love islamophobia? Vote for [an objectionable Labour MP who's standing in a different constituency down the road in the other direction", and then ones saying "Vote for Palestine, vote for LGBT+ people, vote for working people, say no to Labour, Tories and Reform", which I don't really disagree with but is a bit vague about what it actually wants me to do. Oh, and seen a few Lib Dem stickers on lampposts around the student bits in town, it's been a while since I've seen anyone enthusiastic enough about the Lib Dems to do very low-level vandalism on their behalf.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Is it worth setting up a dedicated "general election - the view from where you are" thread for observations of what campaigning looks like in local areas?

I did a few months back, and it got merged with this one.

Entertainingly, the Reform leaflet asks me to vote for a candidate that I couldn't vote for if I wanted to, since she's standing in a different constituency up the road.

That's always been a bit of a problem with election stuff delivered by the RM, because they go by postcode sectors, which don't tend fit exactly with the constituency areas.

 

[hitmouse]

I did a few months back, and it got merged with this one.

I knew I got that idea from somewhere!

 

[Silas Loom]

Tories seem to be finding CCHQ’s latest email wheeze a trifle embarrassing.

 

[Silas Loom]

And meanwhile, their candidate in Colchester has released a campaign video acknowledging that his party is “a shower of shit”.

 

[cupid_stunt]

And meanwhile, their candidate in Colchester has released a campaign video acknowledging that his party is “a shower of shit”.

Got a link for that?

 

[Voley]

Most honest thing I've heard a Tory say in a while. Certainly headline of the day.

Tories are a ‘shower of shit’, says Conservative candidate James Cracknell

Former Olympian standing in Colchester adds: ‘If one of my teammates got caught for cheating they’d be dead to me’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Voley]

The Tories have been unreal since the election date was announced. How many more fuckups can they fit into 2 weeks?