Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson have delivered their final messages to voters, with the Labour leader urging Britain to “vote for hope” today and the prime minister repeating his message about getting Brexit done.
Boris Johnson’s final pitch
Addressing a London rally described as “glitzy” by the Daily Mail, Johnson said: “This election is our chance to end the gridlock but the result is on a knife-edge.”
He said: “Just imagine how wonderful it will be to settle down to a turkey dinner this Christmas with Brexit decided – and how awful it would be if Corbyn and Sturgeon were in Downing Street advancing their plans for two more referendums.”
Johnson also told those considering voting for the Brexit Party that they were risking the “terrifying prospect of Jeremy Corbyn moving into Downing Street”.
Jeremy Corbyn’s last message
At his own rally in Hoxton, east London, Corbyn said: “Tomorrow you can shock the establishment, by voting for hope.
“Hope for yourself. Hope for your family. Hope for your community. Hope for our NHS. Hope for our country. Tomorrow, vote for hope. Vote for real change.”
Arguing that “the establishment doesn’t want Labour to win,” he said Britain stands at a “fork in the road,” with a “truly historic” choice between two very different parties.
What do the polls say?
All the pollsters believe that the Tories will get the most votes, with YouGov predicting a nine-point lead, putting the Conservatives on 43, Labour on 34 and the Lib Dems on 12. The Guardian says the polls “point to anything between a hung parliament and a convincing majority for Johnson”.
Both leaders have agreed that the result could be very tight as the UK heads to the polls in the country’s third general election in less than five years. It is the first to be held in the month of December for nearly 100 years.
Will weather and voter apathy make a difference?
Weather forecasters predict a cold and wet day across the country. Although bad weather on polling day has often been cited as bad for Labour, Chris Hanretty, a politics professor at Royal Holloway University, told The Independent: “The effects of weather on turnout are small, if they exist, and the effects on vote share are tiny (less than one fifth of one per cent in an extreme case).”
Voter apathy could still have an impact on the vote however. A high turnout is believed to be one of the factors that could cause an upset for today’s election.
A total of 650 parliamentary constituencies are being contested in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world – and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda – try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
