Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Johnson tries to fire up flagging Tory campaign

The former prime minister warned that Keir Starmer would try to “usher in the most left-wing Labour government” since World War II

Johnson tries to fire up flagging Tory campaign

FORMER prime minister Boris Johnson tried to rally the Conservative party faithful as UK politicians on Wednesday spent a final day campaigning ahead of the general election.

The Brexit stalwart, ousted by his own Conservative lawmakers in 2022 after a string of scandals, made a surprise appearance at a party rally in London, urging supporters not to see the result as a "foregone conclusion".


"I know that it is not," he said late Tuesday, adding that opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer would try to "usher in the most left-wing Labour government" since World War II.

His last-minute intervention came after Survation pollsters indicated that Labour was on track to defeat Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Tories on Thursday in a landslide bigger than its 1997 poll victory under Tony Blair.

Labour has enjoyed a consistent 20-point lead in the polls over the past two years with many voters dissatisfied at the Conservatives' handling of a range of issues including the cost of living, public services, immigration and the economy.

Johnson, who won the Tories an 80-seat majority at the last election in 2019, allowing him to take Britain out of the European Union, has been a notable absentee in the campaign.

Sunak - his former finance minister - was one of several who quit in protest at one scandal too many, forcing Johnson to resign, and there is no love lost between the pair.

Landslide

The last day of the campaign sees Starmer crisscross the UK with visits to England, Scotland and Wales while Sunak will end his campaign in the traditionally Conservative supporting heartlands of southeast England.

But even as the Tories prepared to fight for every last vote, one of Sunak's most loyal ministers predicted Labour was on the cusp of a historic victory.

"If you look at the polls, it is pretty clear that Labour at this stage are heading for an extraordinary landslide on a scale that has probably never, ever been seen in this country before," Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told GB News.

Former interior minister Suella Braverman, meanwhile, urged the Conservatives to "read the writing on the wall" and "prepare for the reality and frustration of opposition".

She urged the party to conduct a "searingly honest post-match analysis", adding that it would "decide whether our party continues to exist at all". (AFP)

More For You

Russell brand

Sexual offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005

Getty

Russell Brand faces rape and sexual assault charges involving 4 women

Russell Brand has been formally charged with a series of sexual offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005. The comedian and actor faces allegations from four separate women, with the charges including rape, indecent assault, oral rape and further counts of sexual assault.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that Brand has been informed of the charges. A statement from the force said he is to be charged with one count of rape in the Bournemouth area in 1999, one count of indecent assault in Westminster in 2001, one count of oral rape and an additional sexual assault in Westminster in 2004, and a further count of sexual assault in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Keep ReadingShow less
indian-parliament

In the Rajya Sabha, 128 members voted in favour, and 95 opposed it. In the Lok Sabha, 288 MPs supported the bill, while 232 voted against it.

Gatty images

Indian parliament passes the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill

INDIAN parliament has passed a controversial bill seeking to change the way Muslim charitable properties, known as waqf, are managed.

The bill was cleared after hours of heated debate, with the government saying it would bring transparency and the opposition alleging that it targets the Muslim community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blood donor recruitment event for South Asian community

FILE PHOTO: A nurse prepares a man for a blood donation in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Blood donor recruitment event for South Asian community

THE NHS is holding a blood donor recruitment event at Shepherd's Bush blood donor centre on Saturday (5) to attract South Asian donors to help treat health conditions affecting their community.

South Asian donors are needed to treat thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder which affects people of Mediterranean, south Asian, southeast Asian and Middle Eastern origin. People with thalassemia produce too little or no haemoglobin, causing anaemia, fatigue, breathing issues and other symptoms.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi Yunus

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a regional summit in Thailand. (Photo: X/@ChiefAdviserGoB)

Modi meets Yunus for first talks since Hasina's exit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi held talks with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Bangkok on Friday.

This was their first meeting since former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from office in 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
US tourist arrested for entering North Sentinel Island

Authorities continue to investigate Polyakov’s actions

Youtube/ Neo-Orientalist

US tourist arrested for entering North Sentinel Island, home to Andaman tribe with no outside contact

Indian police have arrested a 24-year-old American tourist, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, for illegally entering North Sentinel Island, one of the most protected and isolated regions in the world. The remote island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is home to the Sentinelese tribe, who reject all contact with outsiders and are safeguarded by Indian law.

Polyakov reportedly attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese by offering a coconut and a can of Diet Coke. He used a motorised inflatable boat to reach North Sentinel Island, where he spent a few minutes onshore before returning to his vessel. Authorities confirmed that he collected sand samples and filmed his brief landing using a GoPro camera.

Keep ReadingShow less