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UK General Election 2024

Now that we are in the final throes of the campaign, who will you be voting for?

  • Labour

    Votes: 104 49.5%
  • Conservative

    Votes: 8 3.8%
  • Reform

    Votes: 18 8.6%
  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 57 27.1%
  • Green Party

    Votes: 15 7.1%
  • SNP

    Votes: 4 1.9%
  • Plaid Cymru

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Independent

    Votes: 3 1.4%

  • Total voters
    210
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Statto

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Mr Largan's website shows 'Conservative' in a corner.
His entry on the Hose of Commons website shows him as having a government role as Assistant Whip.
Is he a Conservative parliamentary candidate and/or a charlatan?
He appears to have no shame and to have a passing relationship with ethical behaviour.

Largan has previous for it


An MP has been accused of trying to con the public by distributing a "fake" newspaper.
Conservative Robert Largan has been issuing a newsletter called High Peak Reporter in his Derbyshire constituency.
But the owner of a former independent title of the same name said the MP's publication was misleading voters.
The High Peak MP's office has apologised, insisting it had made a genuine mistake choosing the name.

Chris Bird said problem of politicians mimicking newspapers was escalating
The High Peak Reporter circulated in Derbyshire from 1887 to 1998, but the brand is still owned by local news publisher Quest Media Network.
Quest's owner Chris Bird told BBC Radio Derby he was concerned the MP's newsletter was part of a growing trend of politicians mimicking genuine news titles.
He said: "It's one of those things, you have a little smile to yourself but then you see they are using your brand, your name, to pass off their message.
"We're an independent newspaper group, we've been going 167 years and our readership trusts in what we say.
"It's not right to pass off a political leaflet in association with a known independent newspaper."

A copy of Mr Largan's newsletter
Mr Bird added: "It's escalated. We have seen it from Brexit to how Trump got to power in America - the fake news and the alternative truths that get spouted about.
"What the government, and councillors and MPs of all colours and denominations, have to understand is that if you want to be believed, taken seriously, and get your points across, you have to be authentic.
"You have to be truthful and have the courage of your conviction to stand by whatever colour you support - whether you are blue, red, yellow or green.
"You cannot con the public into thinking you are getting endorsed - or into thinking you are somebody else."

'Genuine error'​

A spokesman for the MP's office said the newsletter complied with electoral rules and regulations.
He added: "However, in this instance we were unaware that there had previously been a publication in circulation with the name 'High Peak Reporter' or that this title is a current trade name.
"This was a genuine error on our part, with no intention to deliberately mislead or infringe upon another publication of this title.
"We have apologised for any confusion this may have caused and will ensure that we do not use the name 'High Peak Reporter' in material going forward."
 
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bspahh

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Largan has previous for it
It looks like he has been reported to the police
Derbyshire Police @DerbysPolice
We wish to confirm that we have received a number of messages in relation to claims of election fraud, raised due to concerns around marketing material. An incident has been created and will be reviewed.
10:11 PM · Jun 1, 2024
 

YorkRailFan

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The Conservatives have promised to build 100 new GP surgeries in England and boost the number of available appointments by allowing more treatments in the community if they win the election.

The party says it would also expand the number of treatments pharmacies can offer without people seeing their GP first.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the plan would make it easier for patients to get the care they need and help relieve pressure on hospitals.

Labour said the announcement was the "latest empty promise" from the Tories on health.

The Tories said they wanted to expand the Pharmacy First scheme, which was launched in January and allows people in England to go to their local pharmacy for seven common conditions, rather than their GP, as well as get a prescription for the oral contraceptive pill.

Under the party's plans for the next parliament, pharmacies would also be able to offer contraceptive patches and injections, as well as treatment for more conditions, including acne and chest infections.

It said this would free up 20 million GP appointments once fully rolled out.

The party has also pledged to build 50 new Community Diagnostic Centres, which it said would deliver a further 2.5 million tests a year once scaled up.

The Tories said its plans - expected to costs £1bn per annum - would be paid for by cutting the number of NHS managers to pre-pandemic levels and halving management consultancy spend across government.

It said an overhaul of planning guidance would also help pay for 100 new GP surgeries and 150 surgery modernisations, by ensuring health gets a bigger proportion of contributions from housing developers.

Mr Sunak said: “As part of our clear plan we are investing in community services making it quicker, easier and more convenient for patients to receive the care they need and help to relieve pressure on hospital services."

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Pharmacies, GPs and Community Diagnostic Centres are the backbone of our NHS. Because of bold action we have taken, they are more accessible in more places for more people."The National Pharmacy Association said the plan to extend the pharmacy scheme was an "affordable way to cut waiting times".

But the association's chief executive, Paul Rees, said community pharmacies were currently "chronically underfunded" and more investment to was needed to prevent closures and the system being "irreparably damaged”.

The Conservatives said 98% of pharmacies had signed up to the scheme and those already involved were receiving more funding.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused the Conservatives of breaking their last manifesto promise to recruit more GPs.

He said: “Labour will train thousands more GPs and cut the red tape that ties up GPs time, so we can bring back the family doctor.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have pledged to tackle a "ticking time bomb" for the NHS with a funding boost for health checks.

The party's manifesto will include a commitment to increase the Public Health Grant, which it says will help fund health checks for 40-74-year-olds, health visits for infants and their mothers, and wider access to blood pressure tests.

The grant provides funding to local authorities to spend on preventative services to improve public health.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the policy would reverse the "scandalous" cuts made by the Conservatives since 2015.

"It is time to recognise that it is far cheaper to prevent ill health than to treat it," she said.

The party said £1bn of investment in the grants per year would be funded through a crackdown on tax evasion.

The Lib Dems have already announced plans to boost GP numbers by 8,000 and give people the legal right to see a GP within seven days.

Coming the same day as those hospitals they promised in 2019?
 

Stephen42

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That doesn't really matter.
It's one of the key requirements to have the name and address of the promoter on campaign materials. There isn't a requirement not to mislead voters or even be honest in campaign materials, the only thing off limits is false statements of fact about the personal conduct or character of a candidate.

There isn't a factual claim to be another parties candidate and the accompanying text makes much clearer he's appealing to those voters rather than saying he's representing that party. The requirements only get stricter for the nomination and ballot papers around political party representation or description on ballot paper, but it's incredibly unlikely anyone would try anything at that stage with the current regulations.
 

dosxuk

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2,435
Oh dear.

This is clearly an attempt to fool voters for what I can see.

"Labour for Largan", indeed.
What are the chances we'll see a similar response to that article above...

A spokesman for the MP's office said the newsletter complied with electoral rules and regulations.
He added: "However, in this instance we were unaware that there had previously been a political party in circulation with the name 'Labour' or 'Reform' and that either parties were active.
"This was a genuine error on our part, with no intention to deliberately mislead or infringe upon another party of this name.
"We have apologised for any confusion this may have caused and will ensure that we do not use the name 'Labour' or 'Reform' in material going forward."
 

SuspectUsual

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Largan’s website is excellent. Barely mentions the c-word, and when it does it includes ‘When asked in an interview why he was a Conservative, he responded that they were the “least worst option.”’

...Robert describes himself as an “independent minded moderate” and is a member of the One Nation Caucus of Conservative MPs. When asked in an interview why he was a Conservative, he responded that they were the “least worst option.”

He previously served as a member of the Transport Select Committee, having contributed to inquiries into various issues, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the aviation sector and the rollout and safety of smart motorways...
 
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nw1

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Maybe to be fairer on Largan it appears that, perhaps, these posters were aimed at "Labour voters who want to keep him as their local MP", hence "Labour [voters] for Largan".

Even still people might not read the detail and just flash past the big advert, so they are still deceiving. I can see where Largan's defence might come from, though, and how the incident could be deemed not worthy of investigation.

...Robert Largan, put out a social media post on Saturday in red Labour colours saying "Labour for Largan".

He also put out a social media post, using the colours of Reform UK, with the slogan "Reform for Robert".

The Conservative Party said: “The materials clearly carry imprints, as required by electoral law."...
 
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takno

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Maybe to be fairer on Largan it appears that, perhaps, these posters were aimed at "Labour voters who want to keep him as their local MP", hence "Labour [voters] for Largan".

Even still people might not read the detail and just flash past the big advert, so they are still deceiving. I can see where Largan's defence might come from, though, and how the incident could be deemed not worthy of investigation.

If they want to keep the Conservative candidate as their local MP it seems a tiny bit disingenuous to describe them as Labour voters. I don't think there's even the semblance of a justification there.
 

Snow1964

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I was referring to Sarah Olney who first became an MP in 2016 at the Richmond Park by-election. She lost the seat in 2017 but regained it in 2019.
Lost it by 45 votes

From memory her losing 28,543 votes was double what some Labour MPs were elected with, which just shows how unfair first past the post is.

At least in 2024 have fairer constituency size (within 5% of 73,393) rather than lots of different size ones.
 

Gloster

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One thing that will be interesting to see will be the number of lost deposits. In 2019 the Conservatives lost 4, Labour 12, the Liberal-Democrats 136, Brexit 164 (and UKIP all 44), Green 465 (ouch!), SNP none and Plaid 10. I wonder if we will see a hardening of the anti-Conservative vote in many seats, so that if one of the other parties looks like being the clear main challenger, the other parties’ voters will abandon their usual habits and vote for that party. This might mean a substantial fall in the vote for what would have been, and may still be, the third and fourth placed parties.
 

Snow1964

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Seems Labour are worried about some of their safer seats with largely Muslim population (exact number varies, but seems to be 16-20 constituencies), Bradford, Slough, Blackburn, Luton etc

It is all because of the apparent stance on Gaza situation

More than a dozen Labour-held seats with a significant number of Muslim voters have been described by the party’s website as “battleground areas”, LabourList can reveal, with activists told to stay put amid apparent fears of bleeding support over Gaza –including seats held by shadow cabinet members with huge majorities.

One MP told LabourList it showed the party “recognises that we have got work to do” rebuilding trust, while one think tank leader said Labour was right to worry about the “by-elections on home turf” it faces against a string of independent candidates.
 
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Statto

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Sunak with another comedy own goal

I have absolutely no idea why this stuff keeps happening. If he had any friends, they’d surely stage an intervention. Anyway, back on air tomorrow. Not a lot to talk about but them’s the breaks…

(Video shows Sunak showing a flipchart purporting to show "Labour's policy for our country's future", which is a blank sheet)
How Labour responded


Thanks for the plug, Rishi

(Video shows the same flipchart with the following list:
1 Deliver economic stability
2 Cut NHS waiting times
3 Launch a new border security command
4 Set up Great British Energy
5 Crack down on antisocial behaviour
6 Recruit 6,500 new teachers)
:E
 
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najaB

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Seems Labour are worried about some of their safer seats with largely Muslim population (exact number varies, but seems to be 16-20 constituencies), Bradford, Slough, Blackburn, Luton etc

It is all because of the apparent stance on Gaza situation
Are they worrying too much about this - which of the major parties have an unambiguously pro-Palestinian platform?
 

bspahh

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Any chance you could quote the text of these? All I'm seeing is blank "X" boxes

In the Sunak video, he says:
Right. Here we go again. Today I'm going to do an explainer on Labour's policy for our country's future. <lifts cover on flip chart to reveal a blank page>. <walks off>

In the Labour video, they have overlaid an image on the flip chart with:
Keir Starmer's first steps for change
1. Deliver economic stability
2. Cut NHS waiting times
3. Launch a new Border Security Command
4. Set up Great British Energy
5. Crack down on antisocial behaviour
6. Recruit 6,500 new teachers
 

nw1

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Seems Labour are worried about some of their safer seats with largely Muslim population (exact number varies, but seems to be 16-20 constituencies), Bradford, Slough, Blackburn, Luton etc

It is all because of the apparent stance on Gaza situation


The solution there is to take a more unambiguously condemnatory tone on the bombing in Gaza, of course.
 

Class 466

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I see that Reform/Farage are going to make an 'Emergency General Election Announcement' at 4pm today - what could it be?

Obviously not that emergency if it can wait until 4 :D
 

birchesgreen

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I wonder if Farage is going to stand as an MP after all now he thinks his Trump meal ticket is fading away.
 

telstarbox

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Using the Betfair market (of £80k so fairly small at this stage) for number of Conservative seats:
The shortest odds are for the 100 - 149 bracket
The implied probability of being under 150 seats is 60%
The implied probability of being under 300 seats is 98%.
This has shifted today to:
The shorted odds are now for the 50-99 seats bracket, just ahead of the 100-149 bracket
The implied probaility of being under 150 seats is 72%
The implied probability of being under 300 seats is over 99%

For Labour
The shortest odds are for 450-499 seats
The implied probability of 300+ seats is 98%
The implied probability of 350+ seats is 97%
 

Energy

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My ongoing fear is that they'll do a deal with the Tories.
What would the deal be? A coalition only combines the seats they win separately so it wouldn't make much change for the Tories. I would be surprised if Reform stood down.
 

DarloRich

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Are they worrying too much about this - which of the major parties have an unambiguously pro-Palestinian platform?
It is Galloway and his crank party/ego booster they are worried about.

I see that Reform/Farage are going to make an 'Emergency General Election Announcement' at 4pm today - what could it be?
It is one of:
  • Farage WILL stand probably in Clacton or Thannet. ( deploy the Dolphin)
  • They have done a deal with the Tories ( withdraw fully/stand down where Reform will split Tory vote/enter into government with them in the future)
  • They are floating the Company
  • Another crank Tory has joined them
  • Nothing, just hype to get the media dancing to his tune
 

Thirteen

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Rochdale I fully expect to go back to Labour, mostly because Galloway is a chancer.
 
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