I’m ready to govern, says Sir Keir Starmer as polls predict historic Labour victory

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is ready to govern as the final opinion polls predicted a historic majority for the Labour party at the general election.

Britain will go to vote on Thursday with a string of opinion polls pointing to a Labour majority in the Commons greater even than that won by Sir Tony Blair’s New Labour in 1997.

As campaigning drew to a close on Wednesday night after party leaders had criss-crossed the nation, the Labour leader declared he was “ready for government”.

Sir Keir said: “Nothing is going to be easy, almost everything is in a pretty poor state, but we have to be ready for it and I’m confident we will be.

“So while we have not been getting ahead of ourselves, genuinely, we have been preparing hard on the basis that this needs to be hitting the ground running on day one, which is what we intend to do.”

Labour was predicted to have a House of Commons majority of 210 seats by pollsters More In Common and 238 seats by Focaldata.

The final YouGov poll predicted a majority of 212, which would represent the largest majority won by a party since 1832.

A separate poll by JL Partners predicted a 234-seat Labour majority. In 1997, Sir Tony won a majority of 179.

The final Telegraph-Savanta poll of the campaign indicated a similar result, with Labour on 39 per cent of the vote, the Conservatives on 20 per cent, Reform on 17 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 10 per cent.

Whatever the result, a landmark is expected – either a first Labour general election victory in 19 years or a fifth victory in a row for the Tories, something never done by a political party in the modern era.

Rishi Sunak on Wednesday warned voters not to hand Labour “unchecked power”, claiming his Cabinet had not given up despite Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, all but conceding victory hours earlier, saying Labour appeared to be on course for the biggest majority in history.

Sir Keir dismissed the remarks as an attempt at “voter suppression”.

Mr Sunak insisted he had not given up hope, arguing that the result was not yet a “forgone conclusion”.

‘Don’t give Starmer carte blanche’

In a final message to Telegraph readers, the Prime Minister said there is still time to stop Sir Keir from winning a “super-majority” and having “carte blanche” to change Britain.

Mr Sunak said: “The five years ahead will be the most transformational for a generation. They bring great risks but great opportunities too if we take the bold action to seize them.

“To do that, we need a government with a clear plan to build for a brighter future for the whole country. Despite 14 years to come up with ideas, Labour have no plan for what they’d do with power, beyond hiking taxes.

“The choice at this election is between sleepwalking into a Labour super-majority that would give Keir Starmer unchecked power to raise taxes, raid pension pots and give illegal migrants an amnesty, and the Conservatives who will cut tax, grow the economy and start the flights to stop the boats.

“Telegraph readers know the Conservatives, the party of Margaret Thatcher and Nigel Lawson, will always represent their values.

“We will cut taxes for every generation, make sure work always pays, support families, safeguard drivers’ freedoms, secure our borders, boost our national security and preserve our precious countryside for future generations.

“A vote for any other party is a vote for Labour, no restrictions and zero accountability. With such a majority they would have a blank cheque to raise tax. They would have carte blanche to expose our children to dangerous gender ideology and re-enter the EU by the back door, surrendering our Brexit freedoms and making us a rule-taker from Brussels once more.

“Don’t let anyone tell you the result of this election is a foregone conclusion. As few as 130,000 votes are set to determine the final outcome. So vote Conservative today as the last opportunity we may have to stop Starmer’s super-majority taxes.”

Prime Minister says ‘I’m the underdog’

Mr Sunak also used a closing campaign speech in Southampton to declare: “We have 24 hours to save Britain from a Labour government.”

Acknowledging he is the “underdog” in the election, he told activists: “People do have a hesitation about giving us their support again.

“I’m not blind to that. Tomorrow’s vote is not a by-election, it’s not a referendum about the past, it’s a choice about the future.”

Warning a Labour government would have “severe consequences” for Britain, Mr Sunak added: “They are socialists, they believe your money belongs to them.”

The Prime Minister was joined by Akshata Murty, his wife, and his parents, whom he thanked at the conclusion of his speech.

Sir Keir, meanwhile, issued his own final pitch to the country: “Today, Britain can begin a new chapter. A new age of hope and opportunity after 14 years of chaos and decline.

“This is a great nation, with boundless potential. The British people deserve a government that matches their ambition. Today is the chance to begin the work of rebuilding Britain with Labour.

“The choice today is clear. Between a changed Labour party that stands ready to restore politics to service and rebuild Britain. Or a Tory party that crashed our economy, left public services in ruin, and now wants to give us Liz Truss 2.0 with more unfunded spending promises.

“We cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labour.”Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said his party represented the “silent majority”, adding: “We’re bold, we’ve got a vision for the future. Help us take this first really big step. Vote with your heart.”

Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said at his final campaign stop: “We have the chance to win the change our country desperately needs.”