London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Johnson and Corbyn make last pitches of campaign

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are focusing on Brexit and public services in their final hours of campaigning.

In their last interviews with the BBC ahead of Thursday's poll, Mr Johnson repeated his main pledges, saying: "Only if you get Brexit done [can you] move the country forward."

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn said there was a "greater understanding" from the public that the country "cannot go on with underfunded public services".

The polls will open at 07:00 GMT.

Both leaders held their final rallies in London on Wednesday night.

Other party leaders also travelled the country on the last day before the election to win support from undecided voters.

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson said votes for her party could stop Brexit, adding: "Our country can be better than what Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are trying to say is the only way forward."

The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon said a vote for her party was a vote to stop further cuts to public services and to "stop Scotland being dragged out of the EU against its will".

Nigel Farage warned against Mr Johnson's deal to leave the EU, calling for voters in Leave seats to back his Brexit Party.

And Green Party co-leaders Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley urged voters to make it a moment of political reckoning on the climate, saying their party would make sure proper action was taken to meet carbon emission targets.


'Amazing agenda'

Talking to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Johnson said he thought the election result would be "very close", and that "every vote counts".

Asked if he deserved to win, he said: "I do think that we have the best programme for the country, we have an amazing agenda. We want to unite and level up across the country."

Mr Johnson said the Conservatives' plans - including a law to ensure extra funding for the NHS every year and 20,000 new police offices - were "fantastically ambitious".

He added: "We can achieve all of these things. But we can't if our politics is paralysed by Brexit. We have to move it forward."

Asked about his reaction to the photo of a sick boy who had to sleep on the floor of a hospital due to a lack of beds, Mr Johnson said: "Obviously I think that anybody who experiences a bad time in the NHS has my full, full sympathies.

"We've all been there and anybody who has had a bad experience in A&E will know exactly how that family feels, and that is why I want to concentrate on getting cash into the NHS, taking the country forward."

But he reiterated that "only if you get Brexit done [can you] move the country forward".

Speaking at his final rally in London, Mr Johnson there was "24 hours to break the deadlock".

He said the Conservative government would "make sure we give our children and grandchildren the future they deserve in this country".

Mr Johnson ended by saying: "Let's get Brexit done and take this incredible country forwards together."


'Incredible message'

Also speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Corbyn said he had a "hunch" that the polling experts - who have predicted a solid leader for the Conservatives over Labour - "may just have got it wrong".

"We have travelled all round the country and the enthusiasm of our party's supporters working together to get out there with our message is incredible - and I think that message is getting through," he said.

"I think the support is growing and there is a greater understanding that we cannot go on with underfunded public services and a government that has not been straightforward with us on Brexit or the trade talks with the USA."

Asked about candidates who have expressed concerns about negative feedback on the doorsteps - including a leaked recording of shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth casting doubts on Labour's chances in the poll - Mr Corbyn said: "You show me a candidate at any election that isn't worried from any party.

"Being a candidate means you get worried. But I tell you what, we are going to win this thing."

If there is a Labour government on Friday morning, Mr Corbyn said the first thing he would do was "deal with the worst levels of poverty in Britain" - namely the homeless - saying: "Something must be done very quickly, very urgently and that is what we are going to do."

Also holding his final rally in London, Mr Corbyn said the country was "literally at a fork in the road".

He told supporters there had "never been a clearer choice" in British history than at this election, and that his party would redistribute wealth and power "in a way that's never been seen before".

Mr Corbyn concluded with a poem, saying: "My guitar is not for the rich. No, nothing like that. My song is of the ladder we are building to reach the stars."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×