Editorial 05 July 2024.
It’s Friday morning and the UK has a new government! Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has been handed a colossal mandate from the public, waving goodbye to 14 years of Conservative rule.
All the UK newspapers lead on the news but feature the exit poll results – which were issued around 10 pm on Thursday – due to the papers being sent to print.
‘Labour win the general election by a landslide‘
Daily Mirror features a large image of Starmer and his wife, with the exit poll predictions. The paper notes Labour is predicted 410 seats, Tories 131, Lib Dems 61, Reform 13 and SNP 10 – other parties 25. The Mirror’s headline reads: “Landslide” and says a “thumping victory” for Keir Starmer.
The Daily Star features a list of the “good bits in full” after the Conservatives’ 14 years in government. The image shows a blank piece of paper.
The Metro carries an artistic picture of Sir Keir Starmer, the man set to be the next prime minister alongside the headline: “Keir Stormer!”
The Sun’s front page reports the exit poll data suggests Labour is on course for a 170 majority and that Britain has seen “red”. The paper notes former PM Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a snap election has “backfired.”
The i newspaper – like most papers – features an image of Sir Keir along with the headline: “Labour landslide”. The paper reports the Lib Dems are on course to become the third largest party once again, while voters appear to have punished the SNP for the recent turmoil in the party.
The Guardian says the exit poll predictions “appeared to confirm that Labour’s ‘time for change’ message struck a chord with voters after years of chaos and division”. It adds the exit poll forecast appears to suggest Reform UK has “squeezed the Conservative vote”.
‘Crushing blow as Tories wiped out’
The Daily Express is one of the few papers still firmly in the Conservative camp. The paper’s headline reads: “Crushing blow as Tories wiped out.” The paper notes that more than a dozen senior Tories including cabinet ministers could lose their seats in what it calls a “brutal reckoning by voters after 14 years in government”.
The Daily Mail says if the exit polls are right, Labour could end up in power for a decade. It forecasts a “crushing defeat” for the Tories, the paper adds.
The Daily Telegraph says if the exit polls are accurate it would be the worst result for the Tory party in modern times. The paper says Sunak would be expected to resign as party leader on Friday, but some cabinet members have urged him to remain in post until a successor is picked. “Who that could be will depend on which Tory ‘big beasts’ survived election night,” it adds.
The Times says that, while the scale of the Labour victory predicted by the exit poll is less than some of the previous polls had suggested, it would give Sir Keir a huge mandate to change Britain and “potentially go farther than Labour’s cautious manifesto for government”.