Tories rue too little too late from Sunak as Starmer tip toes to Downing Street

At the end of Wednesday night’s final leader’s TV debate, Rishi Sunak pleaded with the country not to “surrender” themselves to a Labour government and the supposed tax rises that will follow.

The comment was then followed on Thursday with a political advert from the Conservatives shared on social media showing three people, including a child, holding their arms in the air in submission.

It revealed that with six days to go until the country goes to the ballot box, the Tories have nothing to lose in their attempt to avoid handing Labour a landslide victory, come 4 July.

The Prime Minister’s pugnacious performance in his final clash with Sir Keir Starmer was seen as his strongest showing yet during the campaign, with the head-to-head format providing the Tory leader a chance to pin his rival down on a range of issues from immigration to NHS waiting lists.

Tory strategists have lamented the fact that the election race only gave Sunak two opportunities to meet Starmer face to face to challenge him on his plans for government.

“It’s no wonder that Labour only wanted to do two of these while we wanted as many as possible,” a senior Tory source said. “Voters will have come away thinking that they don’t know what Starmer actually wants to do in office, whereas Rishi very clearly has ideas.”

The Prime Minister put in a pugnacious performance in Wednesday’s debate (Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images)

The fact that Conservative strategists are already ruing missed opportunities speaks volumes of the mood within the camp, as minor moments of success have been too often overshadowed by self-inflicted errors.

Despite the party’s best efforts to keep their careering campaign on the rails, the polls have not budged with Labour’s maintaining a dominant 20-point lead over the Tories with less than a week to go.

But while CCHQ has shifted its focus to a hyper-defensive strategy to stem its losses come polling day, Conservatives in the field are refusing to give in and are now praying for a miracle that the polls are wrong.

“I know everyone is saying that it doesn’t feel as bad on the doors – but it really doesn’t feel as bad on the doors,” a Tory source said.

“There’s obviously a lot of voters who are undecided and there’s every chance they could break for the Tories. The question is, can we actually get them to leave their house and put an X in the box on 4 July?”

If the polls are to be believed, then voters who have yet to make up their minds are more likely to vote Labour than Conservative.

Much of this is down to the various gaffes and scandals that have blown up the Tory campaign over the past five weeks, from Sunak’s D-Day blunder to the highly damaging betting debacle that has implicated members of the Prime Minister’s inner circle.

But Tory candidates are adamant that there is no love for Starmer and his offer to the country, which is giving them hope to cling onto.

“Obviously, people are annoyed with us for various things, but they’re annoyed with Labour as well,” a Tory candidate said.

“There’s no massive rush to go and vote for Labour, it’s sort of a reluctant vote. It’s clear that a lot of people are pissed off with us, but a lot of people are pissed off but fear Labour more so they say they’ll vote Conservative.”

Others have taken a more dramatic stance. “When the chips are down, this is when the strong fight,” one candidate said. “I feel like I am fighting for the soul of my country in this election and people need to stand with me!”

The candidate is expected to lose their seat.

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The Tory mood stands in stark contrast with Labour, which is desperately trying to maintain discipline as the election race enters the final straight and victory looms into view.

Having conducted an uber-cautious campaign from the start, the party is tip-toeing towards the finishing line in the hope of avoiding any last-minute mistakes, while quietly preparing itself for the daunting task of taking power.

“The mood fluctuates from being buoyant that we’re on course for a possible victory, to fear of the prospect that we’re actually going to be governing and everything that comes with that,” one Labour insider said.

Talks between Labour figures and the civil servants have been continuing for some time as Whitehall prepares for a potential change of government, with Starmer and his top team expected to be thrust straight into foreign diplomacy from the get go.

Just days after the election, Starmer, his shadow Defence Secretary John Healy and shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy will jet off to Washington for a Nato summit on 9 July.

The moment will immediately give the Labour leader a much-needed opportunity to show he is prime ministerial and statesman-like, rubbing shoulders with world leaders.

i understands that Labour is already considering keeping the incumbent Karen Pierce as the UK ambassador to the US, after the Tories attempted to replace her with former Brexit sherpa Sir Tim Barrow only for the plans to fall through with the decision to call the election.

Party insiders are keen to avoid creating unnecessary instability in the US, and believe Pierce could even be kept on beyond the end of her tenure next year if she remains willing.

A week later, the UK will host the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace, but the agenda is already said to be set in stone, with little chance of Labour altering the running order.

Talks with Brussels are already said to be off to a good start, with one European diplomat describing relations with Labour as being like “honey on toast” compared with the Conservatives. Although there remain concerns within Labour over the rise of the right in France, with the party facing challenges opening lines of communication with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party.

While the challenging foreign policy arena may occupy the immediate focus of a future Starmer government, it is the tough domestic front that is a cause of greater concern.

In particular, the tight spending regime that he has allowed himself is prompting fears that the public could soon turn against the new Labour government if the “change” that has been promised does not come about soon enough.

Glimpses of this emerged on Thursday when the Labour leader said social care reforms will take five years to deliver, prompting anger from care campaigners.

A former Labour adviser told i: “Starmer has boxed himself into a position that is all about tactics for the election and not really about governing the country and I think that is a problem.

“He is not going to have a particularly good honeymoon period because people are fed up of politics generally – and I think unless things do start improving he is going to come under a lot of pressure very quickly.”

Concerns within Labour that Starmer’s lack of political agility, and instinct, will mean time is wasted having to deal with rows that more decisive leaders seek to snuff out before they blow up.

“My fear is he has not got a clear view of where he is going to make the tough choices and can be a bit brittle and flat-footed – partly because he is not that political – as seen in how its taken him too long to address problems in the past – for example Diane Abbott or Gaza,” the former adviser said.

But for now the immediate job for Starmer is to steer his party to victory and into power for the first time in 14 years.

As one Labour activist confessed: “It’s only in the last day or two I’ve started to hope. But it’s the hope that kills you!”

Election 2024

Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and other party leaders are on the campaign trail, and i‘s election live blog is the go-to place for everything on the general election.

Reform has been under fire after Andrew Parker, a canvasser, was caught using a racial slur about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Nigel Farage has expressed ‘dismay’ at this.

Meanwhile, i has compiled the main parties’ pledges on key issues – read our breakdown of NHS, education, and defence. You can also read each party’s key manifesto pledges in our party breakdowns of the Tories, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.