Overview Labour entered the election with a large lead over the Conservatives in
opinion polls, and the potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during the campaign period. The
economy,
healthcare,
education, infrastructure development, environment, housing,
energy, and
immigration, and standards in public office were main campaign topics. The Conservative campaign led by
Rishi Sunak focused primarily on attacks towards Labour over alleged tax plans including a – robustly disputed – claim that Labour would cost households £2,000 more in tax.
Keir Starmer used the word "change" as his campaign slogan and offered voters the chance to "turn the page" by voting Labour. The
Liberal Democrat campaign led by
Ed Davey was dominated by his campaign stunts, which were used to bring attention to campaign topics. When asked about these stunts, Davey said: "Politicians need to take the concerns and interests of voters seriously but I'm not sure they need to take themselves seriously all the time and I'm quite happy to have some fun." Party manifesto and fiscal spending plans were independently analysed by the
Institute for Fiscal Studies and their environmental policies were assessed by
Friends of the Earth.
Announcement On the afternoon of 22 May 2024, Sunak announced that he had asked the King to call a general election for 4 July 2024, surprising his own MPs. Though Sunak had the option to wait until December 2024 to call the election, he said that he decided on the date because he believed that the economy was improving, and that "falling inflation and net migration figures would reinforce the
Conservative Party's election message of 'sticking to the plan'". The calling of the election was welcomed by all major parties. Sunak's announcement took place during heavy rain at a lectern outside
10 Downing Street, without the use of any shelter from the downpour. The
D:Ream song "
Things Can Only Get Better" (previously used by the
Labour Party in its successful
1997 general election campaign) was being played loudly in the background by the political activist
Steve Bray as Sunak announced the date of the general election. This led to the song reaching number two on UK's
iTunes Charts.
22–29 May At the beginning of the campaign, Labour had a significant lead in polling over the Conservatives. Polling also showed Labour doing well against the
Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland. When visiting
Windermere, Davey fell off a
paddleboard, while campaigning to highlight the issue of sewage discharges into rivers and lakes. A couple of days later, Davey won media attention when going down a
Slip 'N Slide, while drawing attention to deteriorating mental health among children. Immigration figures were published for 2023 showing immigration remained at historically high levels, but had fallen compared to 2022.
Nigel Farage announced that he would not be standing in the general election, preferring to focus on campaigning for the
2024 United States presidential election instead. However, Farage later announced on 3 June that, contrary to his statement earlier in the campaign, he would
stand for Parliament in
Clacton, and that he had resumed leadership of
Reform UK, taking over from
Richard Tice, who remained the party's chairman. Farage also predicted that Labour would win the election, whilst stating the Conservatives were incapable of being the Official Opposition due to having spent "much of the last five years fighting each other rather than fighting for the interests of this country." Also on 23 May, Davey launched the Liberal Democrat campaign in
Cheltenham in
Gloucestershire. The SNP campaign launch the same day was overshadowed by a dispute around leader
John Swinney's support for embattled MSP
Michael Matheson and developments in
Operation Branchform, the investigation into potential misuse of campaign funds by
Nicola Sturgeon and her husband. Starmer launched the Labour Party campaign in
Gillingham at the
Priestfield Stadium. On 24 May, the Conservatives proposed setting up a
Royal Commission to consider a form of mandatory national service. It would be made up of two streams for 18-year-olds to choose from, either 'community volunteering' by volunteering with organisations such as the NHS, fire service, ambulance, search and rescue, and critical local infrastructure, or 'military training' in areas like logistics and cyber security. Former Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn announced on 24 May he was
standing as an independent in
Islington North against a Labour candidate, and was thus expelled from the party. On 27 May, Starmer made a keynote speech on security and other issues. On 28 May, the Conservatives pledged a "Triple Lock Plus" where the personal income tax allowance for pensioners would always stay higher than the state pension. Davey went
paddleboarding on
Lake Windermere in the marginal constituency of
Westmorland and Lonsdale, highlighting the release of sewage in waterways. He pledged to abolish
Ofwat and introduce a new water regulator to tackle the situation, in addition to proposing a ban on bonuses for chief executives of water companies. Starmer was in
West Sussex and emphasised his small town roots in his first big campaign speech. On 29 May, Labour's
Wes Streeting promised a 18-week NHS waiting target within five years of a Labour government. Labour also pledged to double the number of NHS scanners in England. On the same day Starmer denied that
Diane Abbott had been blocked as a candidate amid differing reports. Abbott had been elected as a Labour MP, but had been suspended from the parliamentary party for a brief period. There was controversy about further Labour Party candidate selections, with several candidates on the left of the party being excluded. Abbott said she had been barred from standing as a Labour Party candidate at the election, but Starmer later said she would be "free" to stand as a Labour candidate.
30 May – 5 June On 30 May, both the Conservatives and Labour ruled out any rise in
value-added tax. The SNPs
Màiri McAllan claimed that only the SNP offered Scotland a route back into the
European Union, making
Pro-Europeanism part of the party's campaign. Reform UK proposed an
immigration tax on British firms who employ
foreign workers.
Carla Denyer and
Adrian Ramsay launched the
Green Party of England and Wales campaign in Bristol.
Rhun ap Iorwerth launched the
Plaid Cymru campaign in
Bangor.
George Galloway launched the
Workers Party of Britain campaign in
Ashton-under-Lyne. On 31 May, the Conservatives announced new "pride in places" pledges, including new rules to tackle anti-social behaviour, rolling out the hot-spot policing programme to more areas, and more town regeneration projects. The Conservatives also unveiled plans for fly-tippers to get points on their driving licences and other new measures to protect the environment. On 2 June, Labour pledged to reduce record high
legal immigration to the United Kingdom by improving training for British workers. Net migration to the UK was 685,000 in 2023. Labour also focused on national security, with Starmer reaffirming his commitment to a "nuclear deterrent triple lock", including building four new nuclear submarines. On 4 June, Farage launched his campaign in Clacton. He predicted the previous day that Reform UK would be the
Official Opposition following the election as opposed to the Conservatives, saying that the Conservatives are incapable of being the Opposition due to "spending most of the last five years fighting each other rather than fighting for the interests of this country".
6–12 June On 6 June, the Green Party announced plans to invest an extra £50 billion a year for the NHS by raising taxes on the top 1% of earners. The Conservatives announced a policy on expanding
child benefit for higher-earners. Labour also announced communities will be given powers to transform derelict areas into parks and green spaces. Labour's countryside protection plan would also include the planting new national forests, taskforces for tree-planting and flood resilience, new river pathways, and a commitment to revive nature. Green spaces would be a requirement in the development of new housing and town plans. Both Sunak and Starmer attended D-Day commemorations in Normandy on 6 June, the 80th anniversary of
Operation Neptune. Sunak was widely criticised for leaving events early to do an interview with ITV, including by veterans. Starmer met with
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and
King Charles III during the D-Day commemorations, and said that Sunak "has to answer for his actions". Sunak apologised the next day and apologised again on 10 June. He made a third apology on 12 June. Farage was among those critical of Sunak over his leaving the D-Day events, saying on 7 June that Sunak did not understand "our culture". Conservative and Labour politicians criticised these words as being a racist attack on Sunak, which Farage denied. On 10 June, Labour pledged 100,000 new childcare places and more than 3,000 new nurseries as part of its childcare plan. It also announced its Child Health Action Plan, which included providing every school with a qualified mental health counsellor, boosting preventative mental health services, transforming NHS dentistry, legislating for a progressive ban on smoking (a bill proposed by the Conservative government which had not passed before Parliament was prorogued), banning junk food advertising to children, and banning energy drinks for under 16s. Labour released its plan for small business on 8 June, which included pledges to replace the current business rates system and to tackle the skill shortage by creating a new public body,
Skills England. They also pledged to revitalise Britain's high streets and a new trade strategy. The Liberal Democrat manifesto
For a Fair Deal was released on 10 June, which included commitments on
free personal care in England, investment in the NHS including more
GPs, increased funding for education and childcare (including a tutoring guarantee for children from low-income families), increased funding for public services, tax reforms, reaching
net zero by 2045 (5 years before the current government target of 2050), investing in green infrastructure, innovation, training and skills across the UK to boost economic growth, and removing the two-child limit on
tax and
benefits. The Liberal Democrats also offered a lifelong skills grant, giving adults £5,000 to spend on improving their skills. The party wants electoral reform, and pledged to introduce
proportional representation for electing MPs, and local councillors in England, and cap donations to political parties. Sunak released the Conservative manifesto
Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future. on 11 June, addressing the economy, taxes, welfare, expanding free childcare, education, healthcare, environment, energy, transport, community, and crime. They pledged to lower taxes, increase education and NHS spending, deliver 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors, introduce a new model of
National Service, continue to expand apprenticeships and vocational training, simplify the planning system to speed up infrastructure projects (digital, transport and energy), and to treble Britain's offshore wind capacity and support solar energy. The manifesto includes a pledge to abolish Stamp Duty on homes worth up to £425,000 for first time buyers and expand the
Help to Buy scheme. The Conservatives also pledged a recruitment of 8,000 new police officers and a rollout of
facial recognition technology. Much of what has been proposed is already incorporated in the
2023 and
2024 budget.
Carla Denyer and
Adrian Ramsay released the Green Party's manifesto
Real Hope. Real Change. on 12 June, which pledged more taxes on the highest earners, generating £70 billion a year to help tackle climate change and the NHS. They also pledged increased spending for public services, free personal care in England,
renationalisation of railway, water and energy, a green society, a
wealth tax, a carbon tax, and a windfall tax on the profit of banks. The manifesto promises quicker access to NHS dentistry and GPs and reductions in the hospital waiting list. They would also reach
net zero by 2040 and introduce rent controls. On 12 June Conservative minister
Grant Shapps said in a radio interview that voters should support the Conservatives so as to prevent Labour winning "a super-majority", meaning a large majority (the UK Parliament does not have any formal
supermajority rules). This was interpreted by journalists as a possible and surprising admission of defeat. It paralleled social media advertising by the Conservatives that also focused on urging votes not to give Starmer a large majority.
13–19 June On 13 June, Starmer released the Labour Party manifesto
Change, which focused on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, education, childcare, crime, and strengthening workers' rights. It pledged a new publicly owned energy company (
Great British Energy) and
National Wealth Fund, a "Green Prosperity Plan", rebuilding the NHS and reducing patient waiting times, free breakfast clubs in primary schools, investing in green infrastructure, innovation, training and skills across the UK to boost economic growth, and renationalisation of the
railway network (
Great British Railways). It includes wealth creation and "pro-business and pro-worker" policies. The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16-year olds, reform the
House of Lords, and to tax private schools, with money generated going into improving state education. The party guaranteed giving all areas of England
devolution powers, in areas such as integrated transport, planning, skills, and health. On 17 June, Farage and Tice released the Reform UK manifesto, which they called a "contract" (
Our Contract with You). It pledged to lower taxes, lower immigration, increase funding for public services, reform the NHS and decrease its waiting lists down to zero, bring utilities and critical national infrastructure under 50% public ownership (the other 50% owned by
pension funds), replace the
House of Lords with a more democratic second chamber, and to replace
first-past-the-post voting with a system of
proportional representation. It also pledged to accelerate transport infrastructure in coastal regions, Wales, the North, and the Midlands. The party also wants to freeze non-essential immigration and recruit 40,000 new police officers. Reform UK are the only major party to oppose the current
net zero target made by the government. Instead, it pledged to support the environment with more tree planting, more recycling and less single-use plastics. Farage predicted Labour would win the election, but said he was planning to campaign for the next election. Labour's
Rachel Reeves claimed Labour's green plans would create over 650,000 jobs. The Liberal Democrats offered more cost-of-living help for rural communities. Davey highlighted his manifesto pledge to build 380,000 new homes a year, 150,000 of which would be social homes. On 18 June, Labour pledged hundreds of new banking hubs, to
breathe life into high streets. Labour also promised a large increase of renewable energy jobs, backed by new green apprenticeships. On 19 June, both the SNP and Sinn Féin released their manifestos. Swinney said a vote for his party would "intensify" the pressure to secure a
second Scottish independence referendum, with other pledges in the SNP manifesto including boosting NHS funding, scrapping the two-child limit on benefits, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, scrapping the
Trident defence programme, re-joining the European Union, transitioning to a green economy attracting more foreign migrants, tackling drug deaths and
devolving broadcasting powers. The Sinn Féin manifesto called for greater
devolution to Northern Ireland and for the UK and Irish governments to set a date for a referendum on the
unification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. Galloway released the Workers Party manifesto, with promises to improve "poverty pay" and provide more social housing. It pledged the renationalisation of utility companies, free school meals for all children without means testing, free adult education, and to hold a referendum on the continued existence of the monarchy and proportional representation for elections.
David T. C. Davies, the
Secretary of State for Wales, told a BBC interview the polls were "clearly pointing at a large Labour majority", but added that he believed there was "no great optimism" from voters. A potentially large Labour majority was also acknowledged by
Jeremy Hunt, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and
Mel Stride, the
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Alison McGarry, the Labour chair of Islington North, resigned from the Labour Party after being spotted campaigning for Corbyn; she resigned rather than face expulsion for breaking the party's rules on campaigning for a rival candidate.
20–26 June On 20 June, the parties focused on housing. Labour pledged action to protect renters with new legal protections for tenants. It would immediately ban
Section 21 "no-fault" evictions, as part of plans to reform the private rented sector in England. Labour also pledged to reform
planning laws and build 1.5 million homes to spread homeownership. They would also ensure new housing is supported by new local infrastructure (public transport, healthcare, schools), and pledged to build more housing near railway stations and on the 'grey belt' (disused car parks or industrial estates). The Conservatives offered stronger legal protections for tenants, including banning Section 21 "no-fault" evictions. They said they would build 1.6 million new homes (including social housing) with new local infrastructure, prioritising
brownfield development, while protecting the countryside. The Liberal Democrats offered more protections for tenants, additional social housing, and more
garden cities. Also on 20 June, the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland launched their manifesto. Its core policies include reforming the political institutions, dedicated funding for
integrated education, a Green New Deal to decarbonise Northern Ireland's economy, childcare reforms, and lowering the voting age to 16. On 21 June, in an interview, Farage repeated comments he had made previously stating that the West and NATO provoked
Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was criticised for this by Sunak and Starmer. He also stated that Reform UK would lower the tax burden to encourage people into work. Farage stated in another interview that he would remove university tuition fees if he won power for those studying science, technology, engineering, medicine or maths. Reform UK have already pledged to scrap interest on student loans and to extend the loan capital repayment periods to 45 years. Farage also declared his ambition for Reform UK to replace the Conservatives as the biggest right-wing party in Parliament. The Conservatives pledged a review of licensing laws and planning rules aimed at boosting pubs, restaurants and music venues. Labour framed its 10-year science and
R&D budget plans as part of its industrial strategy, with an aim of boosting workforce and regional development. Labour and the Liberal Democrats also focused on water pollution and improving England's water quality. Labour pledged to put failing water companies who do not meet
high environmental standards under
special measures, give regulators new powers to block the payment of bonuses to executives who pollute waterways, and criminal charges against persistent law breakers. They also ensured independent monitoring of every outlet. On 24 June, Labour focused on NHS dentistry and health, pledged to hold a knife crime summit every year and halve incidents within a decade. The Greens pledged to end 'dental deserts' with £3 billion for new NHS contracts. The Liberal Democrats launched a mini-manifesto for
carers. It pledged to establish an independent living taskforce to help people live independently in their own homes, a new care worker's minimum wage to raise their pay by £2 an hour, and a new National Care Agency. Sunak released the Scottish Conservatives' manifesto. Starmer discussed a proposed Football Governance Bill, which will establish the new Independent Football Regulator. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have also committed to introducing an Independent Football Regulator. The Liberal Democrats pledged to establish a series of "creative enterprise zones" across the UK to regenerate cultural output. On 26 June,
Alex Salmond released the
Alba Party manifesto. It pledged to increase funding for public services, increase NHS staffing, provide an annual £500 payment to households receiving the council tax reduction at a cost of £250 million, increase the Scottish Child Payment, reducing fuel bills, a new Scottish clean energy public company, and Scottish Independence. Starmer pledged GP reforms, including the training of thousands more GPs, updating the NHS App, and bringing back the '
family doctor'. Labour would also trial new "neighbourhood health centres". The
Social Democratic and Labour Party also launched their manifesto on 26 June in Northern Ireland. It pledged a 'Marshall Plan' to tackle health, institutional reform, stronger environmental protection with an independent Environmental Protection Agency, and improving NI's financial settlement.
27 June – 4 July On 27 June, Labour pledged to reform careers advice and work experience in schools for one million pupils, committing to deliver two weeks' worth of quality work experience for every young person, and recruit more than thousands of new careers advisers. This is part of the party's wider plan to establish a "youth guarantee" of access to training, an apprenticeship or support to find work for all 18 to 21-year-olds. On 27 June, an undercover
Channel 4 journalist secretly recorded members of Farage's campaign team using offensive racial, Islamophobic and homophobic language, also suggesting
refugees should be used as "target practice". In a statement, Farage said that he was "dismayed" at the "reprehensible" language. Tice said that racist comments were "inappropriate". Regarding other members of his campaign team, Farage stated that the individuals in question had "watched England play football, they were in the pub, they were drunk, it was crass." On 29 June, the Liberal Democrats called for an 'emergency NHS budget' to hire more GPs. Starmer hosted a major campaign rally, and stated in
The Guardian "if you vote Labour on Thursday, the work of change begins. We will launch a new national mission to create wealth in every community. We'll get to work on repairing our public services with an immediate cash injection, alongside urgent reforms. And we will break with recent years by always putting country before party". The Greens announced a 'Charter for Small Business', which pledged £2 billion per year in grant funding for local authorities, regional mutual banks for investment in decarbonisation and local economic sustainability, and increasing annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10 billion. They also pledged free bus travel for under-18s. The
Northern Ireland Conservatives also launched their manifesto. On 30 June, the Liberal Democrats pledged to double funding for
Bereavement Support Payments, and to spend £440 million a year on support for bereaved families. On 2 July, the Greens announced its £8 billion education package would include scrapping tuition fees, providing free school meals for all children, a qualified
counsellor in every school and college, and new special needs provision. They also want to end formal testing in primary and secondary schools with a system of
continuous assessment. Former prime minister
Boris Johnson campaigned for the Conservatives. On 3 July, the political parties made their closing arguments on the last day of campaigning, with Sunak stating he would "take full responsibility" for the result. At the end of the campaign, Labour maintained their significant lead in polling over the Conservatives, and had
endorsements from celebrities, including
Elton John. On 4 July, less than an hour before polls closed, Sunak's government announced the
2024 Dissolution Honours, with
life peerages being given to 19 people, including former prime minister
Theresa May and
Cass Review author
Hilary Cass. == Betting scandal ==