General election latest: Starmer urges Sunak to meet Royal Mail bosses ‘in next hour’ to sort postal vote chaos
With just hours before polling day, voters in some constituencies could be unable to fill out their ballots on time
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
Parties have begun a 48-hour blitz in constituencies across the country as they make their final appeals to voters ahead of polling day.
Rishi Sunak began Tuesday visiting businesses in Oxfordshire, insisting predictions of a heavy Tory defeat were not going to stop him from continuing his fight to remain in No 10.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is campaigning across the Midlands. The Labour leader has urged Mr Sunak to meet Royal Mail bosses “in the next hour or two” to fix the ongoing postal vote chaos.
It comes as Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake announced the delays to postal vote delivery are being “urgently investigated” and criticised Royal Mail for failing to deliver ballot packs on time.
But Royal Mail, who is also conducting sweeps of their delivery system on polling day, said there is “no backlog” and blamed stakeholders instead.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn warned some Scots could be “disenfranchised” if their postal votes cannot be filled out and returned on time.
What to expect on the General Election campaign trail on Tuesday
Sunak in last-ditch attempt to rally Conservative voters with threat of a Labour ‘supermajority’
Is Starmer right to stop work for his family at 6pm on Fridays? Join The Independent Debate
Is there real reason to fear a Labour ‘supermajority’?
Tories attack Starmer over his desire to spend Friday nights with family
Flynn ‘massively concerned’ at postal vote delays
Stephen Flynn has said he is “massively concerned” about many Scottish people not receiving their postal votes in time for the general election.
The SNP Westminster leader said many voters reported not receiving their ballot papers.
Local councils are responsible for sending postal ballot forms to voters. Completed postal votes must have reached councils by 10pm on polling day, July 4.
But the Electoral Management Board for Scotland said there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
Mr Flynn hit out at Rishi Sunak for choosing the election date during Scotland’s school holidays and said voters now feel “disenfranchised” from the election.
Backlash as Tories attack Starmer for saying he wants to spend time with his family after 6pm on Fridays
Tories attack Starmer for wanting to spend time with his family after 6pm on Fridays
Conservative Party facing criticism over attack on Starmer, and for apparently ignoring that his family observe Jewish Shabbat dinner on Fridays
Flynn: ‘There is a conspiracy of silence on £18billion cuts'
SNP’s Stephen Flynn has repeated an IFS’s warning that parties were not transparent enough about post-election cuts.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Flynn said: “We know whether it is the Conservative Party or the Labour Party, there is a conspiracy of silence on £18billion cuts coming down the line.
“That’s not a statement, that’s the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies saying that.”
He added: “We need to see a return to the European Single Market, increased migration to boost our public services, we need to see investment, Scotland’s right to choose, a ceasefire in Gaza and the recognition of the Palestinian state. These are the values we believe in.”
IFS director Paul Johnson previously said both the Conservatives and Labour are engaged in a “conspiracy of silence” about public spending after the election.
The think tank head said the prospective cuts are required to ensure the Government meets its fiscal rule to have debt falling in five years’ time, and involve cutting spending on unprotected departments – including courts, prisons and local councils – by around £20 billion, and cutting public investment by £18 billion a year in real terms.
University chancellor says she is an ‘accidental trailblazer’ for women in Stem
University chancellor says she is an ‘accidental trailblazer’ for women in Stem
Anne-Marie Imafidon is taking up the role at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Parties prepare to wrap up the general election campaign
As the general election campaign comes to an end, parties are sharpening their key messages in the hopes of convincing the last few undecided voters before 4 July.
- Rishi Sunak will be speaking from Oxfordshire where he will urge wavering Tory voters to stick with his party to ensure a swing away from a Labour “supermajority”.
- Sir Keir Starmer is expected to spend one of the final days on the campaign trail making multiple visits across England. The Labour will then head to London to deliver a speech tonight.
- Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will be in the south west revisiting one of the party’s key priorities: ending the “sewage scandal”.
- First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney is set to visit a distillery as he calls on Scotland to reject Westminster austerity cuts from the next Labour government.
Litvinenko’s widow ‘disgusted’ by Farage praise for Putin
Litvinenko’s widow ‘disgusted’ by Farage and Reform UK candidate’s praise for Putin
Russian dissidents and a British ex-military official formerly stationed in Moscow say the party represents a threat to Britain’s national security
Inside the constituencies thrown into disarray by the betting scandal
Inside the constituency races thrown into disarray by the betting scandal
The Tories and Labour both withdrew support for candidates being investigated by the Gambling Commission – The Independent speaks to local party supporters who had been campaigning for them, and to voters
Exclusive: Tory MP who used Nigel Farage on campaign leaflet falls out spectacularly with Reform
A Brexiteer Tory MP who used a picture of Nigel Farage on her campaign leaflet has fallen out spectacularly with his party Reform UK, our Political editor David Maddox reports.
Andrea Jenkyns claimed she was wooed by a pro-Brexit businessman acting on behalf of Reform who she says offered her jobs to defect.
The MP has described a number of meetings with Arron Banks - including going to Nigel Farage’s birthday party as his plus 1 - as Reform under Richard Tice’s leadership tried to pressure her to switch parties ahead of the election.
But the meetings prompted fevered speculation before the election that Ms Jenkyns might defect to Reform and led to revelations of her efforts to strike a deal between them and the Tories.
Ms Jenkyn’s allegations have been denied by Reform and Mr Banks, but the row has echoes of claims made by Lee Anderson, denied by Tice and Reform, that he was offered £80,000 a year to defect before he was suspended by the Tories. Another Tory MP has made the same allegation but does not want to be named.
Join The Independent’s WhatsApp Community
The Independent has launched a brand new WhatsApp Community, bringing you the latest news on the General Election as the campaign unfolds.
Never miss a big story as our dedicated politics team will keep you informed on the latest breaking news, exclusive features, gripping interviews and must-watch videos.
You can expect breaking news alerts, exclusive poll results and campaign updates, cutting-edge opinion from our commentators and Premium news analysis from our award-winning journalists.
To sign up to our free service all you need to do is click here.
For more details on how your data is used, our privacy policy, community guidelines and more, click here.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments