Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak rally supporters in London as election campaign enters its 'final furlong'
SIR Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak headed back to the capital for the last weekend of campaigning before Thursday’s poll.
Both men addressed supporters in London with the Labour leader saying he wanted a “clear mandate” from the voters to become Prime Minister as he unveiled a line-up of celebrity backers from Sir Elton John to Game of Thrones star Kit Harington.
Sir Keir told a Labour rally in Westminster the campaign was in its “final furlong”.
He said: “This is the final mile, the last push, and it’s the hardest mile as well.”
He added: “British people want change, but the hope has almost been kicked out. They need to be convinced that change is possible, most of all they need to be convinced to vote for it.”
Sir Elton John appeared sitting next to his husband David Furnish in a video message that was almost drowned out by applause during the meeting and said it was “heartbreaking” to see “Britain’s next generation of creative talent downtrodden and destroyed by bureaucracy and red tape”.
He said: “The rich cultural exchange and education that informed my early years and paved the way for my career and success is drying up and in danger of dying out completely.”
The singer said post-Brexit red tape stopped young talent “from thriving and contributing to this country’s future success”.
Mr Furnish said the “highly successful” creative industries had been treated “with such disdain”.
The rally came as a Savanta poll for the Sunday Telegraph put Labour on 38%, down four points and the party’s lowest share with the pollster since Mr Sunak entered No 10.
But it is still a 17-point lead over the Conservatives, who were unchanged in 21%, and indicates a landslide majority for Labour.
The poll put Reform UK unchanged on 14%, the Liberal Democrats up one point on 11%, the Green Party up one point on 6%, the SNP down one point on 2% and others up one on 7%.
Mr Sunak spoke to supporters during a visit to a Hindu temple in Neasden in north London where he made reference to the racist slur a Reform UK campaigner used about him, telling the crowd despite “the events of the last few days” it was important to remember the UK was a successful multi-ethnic democracy, adding he was proud to be the first British Asian Prime Minister and he was glad it was not a “big deal”.
After addressing worshippers, Mr Sunak walked through the crowd, shaking people’s hands, giving high fives to children and touching the feet of elderly men and women, a gesture of respect.
