Election latest: No 10 addresses postal vote concerns - as two ex-PMs spotted on doorbell cameras (2024)

It's not just the UK gripped by an election this week.

In France, Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party is on course to take control of the country's parliament - should first-round results be replicated in the decisive second round this weekend.

It's worth noting that Emmanuel Macron will remain president, but a fresh prime minister is on the cards (read more here).

Labour wants 'better' deal with France

Asked if an incoming Labour government would find it more difficult to work with France and strike a better deal with the European Union if Paris shifts to the right, Sir Keir Starmer struck an optimistic tone.

Speaking on the campaign trail in Birmingham, he said: "I will work with any government in Europe and across the world if we are elected in to serve the country.

"For me, that's what serious government is about."

Sir Keir stressed his desire for a "stronger and better" deal with France for tackling small boat crossings, and to renegotiate with the EU too.

But he stressed the French and British elections were both still in the balance despite the sense of inevitability surrounding both.

"I genuinely don't want to get ahead of myself," he added.

Starmer vows to maintain support for Ukraine

Sir Keir also dismissed questions on whether he'd meet Vladimir Putin.

He said the Tory government and Labour opposition had "spoken with one voice" on the war in Ukraine, and that won't change.

Should Labour win the election, Sir Keir would be set to attend a NATO summit next week in Washington.

By Matthew Thompson, political correspondent

Ed Davey may have begun the day dangling upside down from a crane on his latest stunt - but with three days to go until polling day, his electoral fortunes still hang in the balance.

Which begs the question, just what does success look like for the Liberal Democrats at this election?

As it stands, given this year's extensive boundary changes, the party are defending just eight seats, if we adjust the 2019 vote to the new map.

That equals their worst ever performance in 2015 - so presumably they're aiming higher than that.

Senior party sources are tight-lipped about putting a ceiling on their ambitions. Believe me, I've asked.

Is a historic result on the cards?

But today, one at least hinted at where they see their floor. It was suggested to me that the party has an eye on the historical record.

The largest number of Lib Dem gains at a general election was 26 seats, back in 1997. Added to their current eight, that gives a total of 34. Anything above that, it was strongly suggested, would be a good night.

Though I dare say in their heart of hearts, Lib Dem HQ will be hoping for more.

If you take the average of the five most recent MRP polls, which predict seat numbers as well as vote share, you get 58. The least generous of them gives the Lib Dems 49 seats.

Polls are just polls, of course. They're not gospel. But one senior strategist told me his expectations were "higher this week than they were last week, which in turn is higher than they were at the start of the campaign, and that's higher than they were at the start of the year".

I'll leave it to you to decide whether those thrice-risen expectations are likely to have gone beyond a mere 34 seats, even if the party won't spell it out publicly.

The cost of living crisis has been one of the key issues of this general election campaign.

In some very welcome news for households, the energy price cap has fallen today - but it is expected to tick up again in a few months.

So, is now the time to fix? Will prices ever return to prior levels? We're answering these questions and many more in our Money blog:

It's the final week of election campaigning and leaders are leaning on all the old favourites in a bid to woo voters.

Keir Starmer's hammering home the need for change, Ed Davey is auditioning for a future series of Total Wipeout, and the PM has been warning voters not to hand Labour a "supermajority".

It's a term the Tories have been banding about for weeks - but what does it mean, and why does Rishi Sunak think it'll work?

What's the PM getting at?

"Supermajority" is being used by Mr Sunak to refer to the scale of the Labour victory being projected by many pollsters - with some saying they could top the 419 seats won by Tony Blair in 1997.

That gave Labour a majority of 179, but with the Tories tipped to do even worse than they did back then (165 seats), Sir Keir Starmer could end up enjoying the biggest parliamentary advantage on record - well over 200 seats according to some projections.

Mr Sunak has said such a "supermajority" would make it harder for the Labour Party to be held by to account in the Commons.

Is he right to sound the alarm?

Well, no - because the concept of a supermajority is meaningless in British democracy.

It's a familiar phrase in US politics, where a supermajority of two-thirds really does matter in some votes.

For example, the Congress requires particularly significant legislation - like impeaching a president - to hit that two-thirds threshold.

In the UK, a governing party only has to hold more than half of the 650 seats in the Commons, whether that be 326 or much more.

A majority of one could be just as effective as something much bigger - so long as they keep their MPs in line.

Some have argued that the "supermajority" concept isn't without merit, for example in referendums, but it's certainly not relevant to this election despite the Tories' best efforts to make it so.

Whether it's healthy for parliament to be as dominated by one party as it could be from 5 July is another question - but whatever the majority Labour might have, there'll be nothing super about it.

Rishi Sunak is riding two horses at once in the final furlongs of this election campaign.

As you'd expect, he's denying he's given up trying to win this vote, telling reporters – as with England last night – "it's not over until it's over".

But he's also spending an awful lot of time conjuring up the image of what a big Labour victory would look like.

Speaking at a distribution plant in Stoke-on-Trent, Mr Sunak went as far as referring directly to Sir Keir Starmer's "deputy prime minister and his foreign secretary".

The aim is to try to unsettle wavering Tory voters who may be thinking of jumping ship or simply staying at home on Thursday.

"I don't want Britain to sleepwalk into the danger of what an unchecked Labour government with a supermajority would mean," he said.

'Supermajority'? There's no such thing

It's worth pointing out that no UK government is ever "unchecked" – that's why we have opposition parties, elections, and the media - and in our parliamentary system there is no such thing as a "supermajority".

But Rishi Sunak is using this as a device to try to paint a picture of what a Labour government would mean, in his view, for tax, migration and – perhaps most pointedly – security.

Asked if he genuinely believed Vladimir Putin was sitting in Moscow hoping for a Starmer government, the prime minister said: "Yeah, I worry about our nation's security under Keir Starmer."

There's a risk in this approach, though. Pollsters warn sending out signals to your own voters they may be on the losing side can depress turnout.

Others will wonder if it all simply looks a bit desperate.

Rishi Sunak today suggested Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has not done enough to tackle the allegations of racism within his party.

It comes after campaigners in Clacton were filmed making racist comments by undercover reporters, including about the prime minister.

Mr Sunak told reporters in Staffordshire said Mr Farage has "got some questions to answer".

"I think he described the comments as inappropriate last time I heard - they weren't inappropriate, they were racist and appalling," he said.

The PM said that "multiple Reform candidates and campaigners" had been caught "openly espousing racist and misogynistic views" showed voters "something about the culture" within the party.

Mr Farage's party has dropped several candidates because of racist remarks they have made, which led to another disowning the party and backing the Tories.

Continuing his out-of-the-box campaign stunts, Sir Ed Davey was seen to be taking part in a Zumba class earlier today.

He was whisked away from the scene of this morning's bungee jump in East Sussex to attend the outdoor class with members of the public in Berkshire.

Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard with their guide to the election day ahead.

This is day 40 of the campaign. Jack and Sam look at where the parties are now as the election approaches,with Labour’s attack ads and the Conservatives pushing back against Reform UK. Plus, the reaction to the first round of the French elections which has seen the far-right make significant headway.

Email Jack and Sam: jackandsam@sky.uk

👉Tap here to follow Politics At Jack And Sam's wherever you get your podcasts👈

This month's polling day has been coined the TikTok election.

For the first time, political parties have been taking to the social media platform to campaign directly to young people - using viral sounds and memes with varying levels of success.

But there has been another phenomena that has emerged this election season - politicians caught on a Ring doorbell.

Lord Cameron, for example, was caught on recorded doorbell footage while out canvassing "on a random Tuesday".

In the clip, he says: "Hi, it's David Cameron. I was calling because of the election on 4 July."

Watch for yourself below...

Now, former prime minister Theresa May has been spotted doing the same - also on Ring doorbell footage.

Asked by an automated voice to leave a message - as nobody is home - she introduces herself, and "pops a leaflet through the door".

It appears that when it comes to canvassing - the future is now.

Pledges and promises are coming thick and fast from every party as the general election approaches.

Struggling to keep up with who is saying what?

Here is a summary of where the main parties stand on major issues.

For a more in-depth look at what each party has pledged, scour ourmanifesto checker...