General election – live: Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak join millions voting across UK today
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have visited their polling stations, as has former PM Boris Johnson
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Millions of people across the country are heading to polling stations to vote in a general election that could deliver a major shake-up of British politics and end 14 years of Conservative government.
The prime minister was up early to cast his ballot alongside his wife Akshata Murty in his North Yorkshire constituency and Keir Starmer, who appeared all smiles, cast his ballot accompanied by his wife Victoria in London.
Former Boris Johnson made an appearance in his constituency, where he urged supporters to vote against “nightmare” wokery and tax rises he claims would come with a future Labour government.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pleaded with voters to re-elect him as he cast his ballot in Godalming and Ash, where he is fighting to defend his seat against the Lib Dems.
A major poll for The Independent yesterday suggested Rishi Sunak would lead the Conservatives to the worst defeat in history with only 82 seats.
If the forecast is accurate, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and defence secretary Grant Shapps are among the veteran Conservatives set to be ousted.
Sir Keir could enter the doors of Number 10 triumphant, with an unprecedented 272-seat majority behind him, polls suggest.
Polling day: What can you expect?
Each voter is assigned a polling station that is close to their registered address and they have to go to that place to vote. At most 2,250 voters are allocated to each polling station.
They are open between 7am and 10pm on polling day. Those in the queue outside the polling station at 10pm will still be allowed to vote.
It is not permitted to take photos inside the polling station.
Candidates are allowed to enter polling stations, but must not canvass voters. They can appoint polling agents who can enter the stations and observe the voting, although only one polling agent per candidate can enter the polling station at a time.
After the last person has voted the presiding officer seals the ballot box. Candidates, election agents or polling agents may add their own seal to the box as well.
After paperwork has been completed the ballot boxes are then transported to the count centre to be counted.
Horses spotted at polling stations
After dogs and birds were spotted at polling stations, horses have made their own appearance.
The wipeout of the Blue Wall: Tories set to suffer total annihilation
Rishi Sunak is on the verge of leading the Conservative Party to the worst defeat in its 346-year history, according to a new poll for The Independent.
The Techne survey, released on the eve of the general election, put Labour on course for a 272-seat majority, with Sir Keir Starmer winning 461 seats.
After a day of Tory infighting over the potential outcome of the election, with one of Mr Sunak’s closest allies conceding that Labour will win in a record-breaking landslide, four polls predicted how many seats each party would gain.
While there was a range of results, the worst outcome put the Tories on course to drop below 100 seats, while the best-case scenario saw them winning just 126. This would far exceed the defeat faced by John Major in 1997, when the number of Conservative seats fell to 165.
All outcomes would beat the Tories’ worst election result in history, which came in 1906 when the party won just 156 seats and Arthur Balfour, who had quit as prime minister a month earlier, lost in his own constituency.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell ad data correspondent Alicja Hagopian have more:
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Tories heading for armageddon as poll suggests Rishi Sunak will win just 82 seats
Exclusive: A major survey for The Independent on the eve of the general election puts Labour on course for a 272-seat majority with Keir Starmer winning 461 seats
Jeremy Hunt pleads to be re-elected as ‘strong local voice'
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has urged voters to re-elect him as a “strong local voice” as he desperately fights to protect his seat.
The Godalming and Ash candidate could be at risk of being hit by a huge Tory wipeout in his race against the Liberal Democrats
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Hunt said: “[I’m] your strong local voice for Godalming Ash... After six weeks of campaigning, that big moment has arrived.”
Mordaunt is up for the fight
Penny Mordaunt, who is seen as a potential Tory leadership candidate, cast her vote in Portsmouth.
The leader of the Commons has been campaigning hard for the last six weeks to protect her constituency.
Ms Mordaunt was spotted driving around neighbourhood with a branded campaign car that says “vote Penny to save your Pennies”.
‘Nothing works’: Nigel Farage’s last-ditch plea to encourage Reform voters
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‘Nothing works’: Nigel Farage’s last-ditch plea to encourage Reform voters
Nigel Farage has this morning (4 July) sent out a last-minute video message to followers encouraging them to vote for Reform UK in this year’s general election. Explaining why he’d come out of retirement to back the party, he said: “Britain is broken and Britain needs Reform. “Nothing works anymore...the health service, travelling anywhere, trying to get your kids or grandkids to get a house.” Reform UK’s proposed policies include ending non-essential migration, banning transgender ideology, and increasing the income tax threshold.
Emma Raducanu says she didn't know election was today
Emma Raducanu revealed she did not know the general election was happening on Thursday and admitted she will be focusing her tennis over going to vote, Michael Jones reports.
The 21-year-old Brit impressed on Centre Court on Wednesday with a wonderful display to defeat Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-1 6-2 in straight sets and progress into the third round at Wimbledon where she will next face No.9 seed Maria Sakkari.
Speaking after her win, Raducanu was asked if she would vote before heading to practise on Thursday to which she replied: “No. I think I’ll have a lie-in, then I’ll come to practise.
“I didn’t even know it was tomorrow, to be honest! Thanks for letting me know.”
Raducanu became the latest British player to prioritise their tennis over the general election as both Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart acknowledged that they may not get a chance to vote ahead of their second round clash on Thursday.
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Voters concerned about environment and climate change
While experts remind us of the existential threat posed by climate change, polls suggest the issue is only an important priority for about one in five voters, Jonathan Bunn reports.
However, that is still a significant number of voters and the environment is an issue that concerns people across the political spectrum.
Despite progress in the UK on cutting emissions, the Conservatives will likely have angered many of a green persuasion by introducing new oil and gas licences.
Last year the watchdog the Climate Change Committee described efforts to scale up climate action as “worryingly slow”, with Government decisions undermining the UK’s leadership on the issue.
Labour has also faced challenges on the environment.
The decision to slash its green prosperity plan from £28 billion a year to £15 billion was heavily criticised by environmental groups and unions.
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Watch: Government expert explains how to vote even if you have lost your ID
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Government expert explains how to vote even if you have lost your ID
An elections expert has explained how you can still vote in the general election even if you have lost your ID. This election is the first time in the UK that everyone wanting to vote in person will have to show a correct form of photo ID before casting a ballot – this includes a passport, driving licence and blue badge. However, if you have lost your identification, you can apply for an emergency proxy vote until 5pm on Thursday 4 July (polling day). Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, explained the process for applying during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.
Tory Steve Baker could watch his seat fall
Steve Baker was appointed minister of state at the Northern Ireland Office on 7 September 2022. He was elected as Conservative MP for Wycombe in 2010, Alexander Butler reports.
He was previously parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union from June 2017 to 9 July 2018.
Under the new poll, Mr Baker is set to lose his seat, which he was campaigning for while on holiday on Greece, to Labour.
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