Yahoo Finance Election 2024: Labour could win 212-seat majority, YouGov poll suggests
Labour could be on course for a 212-seat majority – the biggest for any single party since 1832 – a YouGov poll has projected with just hours to go until the country votes.
Sir Keir Starmer could be set to win 431 seats, YouGov’s findings suggested, higher than the 419 seats won by Tony Blair in 1997 and more than double Jeremy Cornyn’s 202 in 2019.
It came as Labour scored a major pre-election coup, winning the endorsement of the Sun newspaper, in a nod from the Murdoch-owned News UK which the party has been seeking.
The move – which saw the Sun brand the Tories “exhausted” and declare “it is time for a change” – was welcomed by shadow health secretary Wes Streeting who commented: “The Sun is shining on Labour.”
According to this YouGov research – produced with Sky News as its final MRP poll of the campaign – the Conservatives could end up with just 102 seats, down from the 365 they won in 2019, when Boris Johnson achieved his 80-seat majority, and their worst-ever result.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also reportedly told allies he fears he could lose his own seat, Richmond and Northallerton, according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats, led by Sir Ed Davey, YouGov suggests, could be set to win 72 seats, overtaking the Scottish National Party (SNP) which would drop to the fourth largest party on 18.
The Green Party could win two seats, Brighton Pavilion and Bristol Central, with Reform UK on three – including Nigel Farage in Clacton-on-Sea – and Wales’ Plaid Cymru, also on three.
YouGov’s projections suggest a number of senior Tories could lose their seats on Thursday, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in Godalming and Ash; Penny Mordaunt in Portsmouth North; Grant Shapps, in Welwyn Hatfield; and Greg Hands, in Chelsea and Fulham.
