United Kingdom General Election: July 4, 2024

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Some historical lows for the Tories in the Commons:

1754: 106/558 MPs
1761: 112/558 (the subsequent election, and with the same leader. What happened?)
1832/1833: 175/658, vote share of 29.2%
1906: 156/670, vote share of 43.4%. 131/670 excluding the 25 Liberal Unionists, although their party merged with the Conservatives a few years later

The Conservatives will probably get a lower vote share than ever before. In terms of seats, 123 or less would, proportionally, be the worst result in all incarnations of the Conservative Party’s history (starting in 1678).

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/ChrisMasonBBC/status/1803689400070480360

[WD]

Feels like the wheels on the bus are starting to fall off, as they say.

[Pericles]

He has to say this, but I can't help laughing.
Michael Gove says the Tories still have time to pull off a comeback win

Speaking to Sky News on Thursday morning, the levelling up secretary said: “There are opinion polls, as I’ve acknowledged and as we both know, that are not great, but it’s not the 90th minute, we’re not in ‘Fergie time’ yet.”

The reference is to the reputation of Manchester United under its former manager Alex Ferguson for staging dramatic wins deep into injury time. During the team’s success in the 1990s and early 2000s, rival fans became convinced that referees were allowing United more stoppage time to score unlikely winners or equalisers.

Gove said: “There is still an opportunity for us to make these arguments and as we make these arguments … my experience is that when you do talk to voters, outline some of the tax dangers, outline some of Labour’s plans for the future, then people do think twice and people do recognise that by voting Conservative you are both ensuring that there is a strong Conservative voice in parliament, but also you are doing everything you can to prevent a series of tax increases that won’t just hit pensioners and first-time buyers, but also will hit the economy in the guts.”

He added: “I’m a Scotland fan, so you wait until the final whistle. Sometimes it looks as though the odds are against you, but you keep on fighting.”

'Not great' is the understatement of the century too, wow.

[Coldstream]

Sunak has 100% placed a bet on Labour to win.

I was more right than I knew.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/TimesRadio/status/1803712411825750475

[Filuwaúrdjan]

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Anyway, some polls yesterday that may have been missed: Norstat Lab 40, Con 20, Ref 19, LDem 12, Green 5, SNP 3; Verian Lab 39, Con 21, Ref 13, LDem 13, Green 7, SNP 3, Lord Ashcroft Lab 43, Con 18, Ref 18, LDem 9, Green 7, SNP 3.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Tory party.

[GenerationTerrorist]

The truth is, these are not very smart people and things got out of hand.

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/ChrisMasonBBC/status/1803689400070480360

Rishi Sunak, 25th October 2022:

"This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned. And I will earn yours."

[All Along The Watchtower]

Er….

https://twitter.com/conservatives/status/1803734430206284139?s=46

Definitely not desperation!

[GenerationTerrorist]

That is bloody awful 

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

Er….

https://x.com/conservatives/status/1803734430206284139?s=46
Definitely not desperation!

I'm almost surprised they don't actually literally just show 50 starving brown people, unshaven and dressed in rags, with missing teeth, grinning as they climb out of a small overburdened dinghy and crawling onto the red carpet.

[Cassius]

https://twitter.com/ChrisMasonBBC/status/1803689400070480360

As per the Dear Leader: ”This candidate should be suspended, and it’s very telling that Rishi Sunak has not already done that. If it was one of my candidates, their feet would not have touched the floor.”

Starmer to bring back the rope?

[WD]

https://twitter.com/RedfieldWilton/status/1803812553069383879

[soundchaser]

I’ve been wishcasting the Tories coming third in seat count, but heck, let’s go for broke and make it third in vote share too!

[CumbrianLefty]

Meanwhile the latest YouGov has Labour on just 36%. Even their latest MRP - which uses the same sort of methodology as "predictive" pollsters like Opinium and MIC - had them on 39%.

[GoTfan]

Just when you think Ianucci can't write anymore banger episodes.

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

http://www.twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1803733321697956018

http://www.twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1803733321697956018

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

I’ve been wishcasting the Tories coming third in seat count, but heck, let’s go for broke and make it third in vote share too!

It's time to up your game.

Wish for Tories 4th in seat count, behind both the Lib Dems and Reform, and 3rd in vote share (behind Reform).

Although tbh I don't think we really should wish for that, because a rising far right is really not a good thing aside from its (temporary) electoral benefits.

[oldtimer]

I’ve been wishcasting the Tories coming third in seat count, but heck, let’s go for broke and make it third in vote share too!

4th is still possible given the trajectory and the constant bad news for them.

[Pouring Rain and Blairing Music]

I’ve been wishcasting the Tories coming third in seat count, but heck, let’s go for broke and make it third in vote share too!

4th is still possible given the trajectory and the constant bad news for them.

For all that the Brexiteers might lament Eastern Europeans taking jobs, the Tories are doing an excellent job at plumbing new depths.

[oldtimer]

Sunak has 100% placed a bet on Labour to win.

I was more right than I knew.

I'll add Theory No.3 on why Sunak called an early election :

Sunak's is a corporate raider that plans to profit from liquidating his Party.

[oldtimer]

If they have thrown the towel on seats with a 20k majority what's left ?

https://twitter.com/christiancalgie/status/1803798644862095815

https://twitter.com/alexwickham/status/1803701032112755049