Johnson and Corbyn in Final Push as Poll Gap Narrows: U.K. Votes
YouGov MRP House of Commons seat forecast: Conservatives 339, Labour 231, Scottish National Party 41, Liberal Democrats 15.
(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn began a whistle-stop tour of key districts, after a major opinion poll showed the Conservative Party’s lead has narrowed ahead of Thursday’s U.K. election.
The YouGov survey of more than 100,000 voters put Johnson on course to win a majority of 28 seats, but that’s down from 68 in a similar projection two weeks earlier -- and the pollster did not rule out a hung parliament. The pound fell.
Key Developments:
- YouGov MRP House of Commons seat forecast: Conservatives 339, Labour 231, Scottish National Party 41, Liberal Democrats 15
- Johnson campaigns in northern and eastern England, while Corbyn travels to Scotland, northeastern England and the Midlands before ending the day in London
- European Union officials privately say they want Johnson’s Tories to win, to end the Brexit limbo
- Sterling fell as much as 0.3% against the dollar on Wednesday before erasing losses
- Bets on the pound weakening in the options market are at the highest since the 2016 Brexit referendum
Corbyn Returns to NHS at Rally in North East (1:15 p.m.)
Jeremy Corbyn held an outdoor rally in Middlesbrough, one of the marginal seats his Labour Party must regain or hold to deny Boris Johnson a majority. He cheered his chilly supporters by joking “I’ve not come here to deliver milk or to hide in a fridge” – a jibe at Johnson (see 11:15 a.m.). “I’m here to bring a message of hope,” Corbyn said.
Speaking without notes, the Labour leader came back to the National Health Service multiple times. When he was questioning the truth of Johnson’s pledge to build new hospitals, a member of the crowd shouted “liar” about the prime minister. “Now, now we don’t use bad language,” Corbyn admonished her with a smile. He accused Johnson of “gutter” politics saying the Conservatives’ use of fake news and dissembling had led to a “vague mirage” of facts.
His supporters also changed the words to their habitual chant. Instead of “Oh Jeremy Corbyn,” they sang “Prime Minister Corbyn,” as the party seeks a last-minute push to deprive Johnson of a victory on Thursday. “A government for the many, not the few,” Corbyn concluded.
Johnson Criticized Over Ducking Questions (11:15 a.m.)
Boris Johnson was criticized by Labour after he dodged questions from a reporter during an early morning photocall (see earlier). John McDonnell, the opposition party’s economy spokesman, tweeted that the prime minister’s behavior was “cowardly, undignified and pathetic” and “he is not fit to be prime minister.”
During the campaign Johnson has been dogged by claims he is ducking scrutiny by being the only party leader to refuse to be interviewed by Andrew Neil, one of the BBC’s most forensic questioners. A reporter from the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror was barred from the Tory battle-bus and Johnson’s team have also kept him away from ITV’s Good Morning Britain, whose host Piers Morgan delights in being a controversialist.
During Wednesday’s live broadcast of the ITV breakfast show, an aide to Johnson seemed to swear live on air when approached by the show’s reporter who pressed the Tory leader on whether he would appear on the program. Johnson, who was joining a morning delivery round, made for a walk-in fridge to avoid the reporter’s questions.
Sturgeon, Swinson Turn Fire on Tories (11 a.m.)
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon urged Labour supporters to vote for her party so Boris Johnson’s Conservatives don’t benefit from a split in support for remaining in the European Union.
“A Tory victory can be stopped and that means voting SNP,” Sturgeon told reporters in Edinburgh. “The SNP is the main challenger to the Tories. Voting for other parties risks helping the Tories.”
Jo Swinson, leader of the Liberal Democrats, also launched an attack on the prime minister, saying the Tory leader has “run away from scrutiny.” At a rally in Esher, southwest of London, she highlighted how Johnson tried to avoid looking at a photograph of a child receiving treatment on a hospital floor, instead pocketing the phone of the reporter who’d shown him the picture.
“He doesn’t care about anyone other than himself, we have seen that time and time again,” she said. Esher and Walton is currently held by Tory Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab – a key Brexiter – and on the Liberal Democrats’ target list.
Farage Says Johnson Will ‘Sell Out’ Brexit (10:30 a.m.)
Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party, complained about “real nastiness” in British politics. Speaking at a rally in Doncaster, he said he doesn’t trust Boris Johnson to deliver a proper split from the European Union.
“I don’t want Brexit sold out, and I fear that Boris Johnson, if he gets a majority, that’s what he’ll do,” Farage said.
The Brexit Party leader also said he expects turn out to be low on Thursday as disenchanted voters switch off from politics. he called for “fundamental” reform of the U.K.’s political system.
McDonnell: ‘Good Chance of Small Labour Majority’ (9:30 a.m.)
Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said that just as in the 2017 general election, opinion polls have underestimated voters’ shift toward Labour and that the party could still spring a surprise on Thursday.
“The trend has been toward Labour throughout this campaign,” McDonnell told Bloomberg TV, referring to the YouGov poll published on Tuesday. “I actually think there’s a good chance of a small Labour majority.”
McDonnell reiterated that Labour would not do deals with other parties or enter into a coalition in the event of a hung parliament, saying instead the party would seek to form a minority government. He also ruled out Labour jettisoning leader Jeremy Corbyn as leader to win the backing of other parties.
Recriminations Dog Last Day of Campaigning (Earlier)
As party leaders embark on a tour of key marginal districts, politicians’ morning broadcast rounds were dominated by recriminations over how the parties’ have conducted their campaigns.
“I just wish we have had the Conservatives being honest with us,” Labour’s economy spokesman John McDonnell told BBC Radio. “I just wish we hadn’t been having this gutter politics, fake websites, lies and smears.”
Adam Price, leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, published a new draft law which would make lying by politicians a criminal offense.
Boris Johnson’s Tories -- and the other main parties -- have been accused of using tactics to mislead voters, but Cabinet minister Michael Gove insisted he was proud of the of the campaign his party has run. “I certainly think everyone should tell the truth, yes,” he told BBC TV. “Whether or not we need a law, I don’t know.”
Johnson: ‘Real Risk’ of a Hung Parliament (Earlier)
Boris Johnson began the final day of campaigning with a customary photo op at a workplace, this time loading milk onto a delivery vehicle in West Yorkshire.
“I just say to everybody the risk is very real that we could tomorrow be going into another hung parliament,” Johnson told broadcasters. “That’s more drift, more dither, more delay, more paralysis for this country.”
Asked about the Conservatives’ lead narrowing ahead of the vote, Johnson said the election “could not be more critical, it could not be tighter.”
Earlier:
--With assistance from Anna Edwards, Robert Hutton and Thomas Penny.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Andrew Atkinson
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