Conservative predictions of a Labour 'supermajority' are an attempt at 'voter suppression', Keir Starmer says

3 July 2024, 12:34 | Updated: 3 July 2024, 15:53

The Conservatives describing a Labour landslide in Thursday's General Election as "likely" is an attempt at "voter suppression", according to Sir Keir Starmer.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC this morning, the Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said there would “almost certainly” be the “largest landslide in the electoral history of our country”.

This comes after the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of a Labour "supermajority" and former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman declared that the General Election is "over" for the Tories.

When asked about Mr Stride's comments this morning, the Labour leader said: "It's really voter suppression."

Mr Stride was "trying to get people to stay home rather than go out and vote," Sir Keir said.

While campaigning in Carmarthenshire in Wales, he added: "If you want change you have to vote for it. I know there are very close constituencies across the country, I don’t take anything for granted.

"I respect the voters, and I know that we have to earn every vote until 10 o’clock tomorrow night.”

When asked by Sky News what his biggest fear is, Mr Starmer said: "My fear at the moment is that people will not feel the necessity to go out and vote for change. 

"This is not a done deal, we need to fight all the way through to 10pm tomorrow night."

Watch Again: Nick Ferrari speaks to Mel Stride | 03/07

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Mr Stride has often been the cabinet member to face the media throughout the six-week campaign and while he has largely remained positive, he appears to have resigned to the prospect of defeat.

He said: “Tomorrow is the big day… This is a result that will almost certainly, if the polls are to be believed and I think they are to be believed, is going to see the largest landslide that any political party has achieved in the electoral history of our country.

“I think the polls have been consistently where they are for some time and it is likely now that we are going to be heading towards - tomorrow - the largest landslide in the history of this country.”

The latest polling has Labour with 40% of the votes - 19 points ahead of the Conservatives. This deficit is largely unchanged from when Mr Sunak called the election on 22 May.

However, support for Reform UK has gathered momentum throughout the campaign with polls suggesting Nigel Farage’s party is just five points behind the Tories.

While Mr Stride has all but accepted defeat, he has urged voters that are undecided between Reform and the Tories to vote Conservative to avoid a “Labour supermajority” that would give Sir Keir Starmer’s party “untrammelled power”.

He said there could be a “huge Labour supermajority unless enough people go out there and vote Conservative so that we have a viable opposition to that party in parliament to hold them to account”.

He added: “We are less than 24 hours from the polling stations actually opening so we are where we are. I still want us to fight for every single vote but I'm really worried about an untrammelled Labour party in power.”

On the threat of Reform to the effectiveness of the Tories in opposition, Mr Stride said: “Reform cannot, under our first past the post system, secure more than a small handful of seats at an absolute maximum.

“But what they can do is, by drawing away support from people that would otherwise vote conservative, is hand this landslide to Labour.”

Ms Braverman also highlighted the threat of Reform, saying the Tories were “haemorrhaging votes” to Mr Farage’s party” after moving too close to the centre.

Read more: ‘It’s over’: Braverman concedes defeat in election as she says Tories need to prepare for ‘reality of opposition’

Read more: Boris Johnson makes surprise appearance at Tory campaign event - as he calls for voters to stop 'Starmergeddon'

She admitted that the rise of Reform, not far behind the Tories in the polls, was “entirely our own fault”.

She wrote: “We failed to cut immigration or tax, or to deal with the net zero and the woke policies we have presided over for 14 years.

“I don’t agree with Mr Farage on everything, but we Tories need to reflect honestly and with humility to ask ourselves how a start-up party, with very little infrastructure, has galvanised the electorate and lured so many of our life-long supporters.

“Millions of traditional Tory voters simply aren’t wrong. In house after house, lifelong Conservatives are furious with our party. At worst, they feel betrayed and politically homeless.

“We may lose hundreds of excellent MPs because of our abject inability to have foreseen this inevitability months ago – that our failure to unite the Right would destroy us.”