The Telegraph became the first out of the gates with its endorsement for the 2024 general election just hours after Rishi Sunak announced when the UK would be going to the polls.
The Telegraph called the Conservatives “by far the better option for Britain”.
The endorsement continues its track record of being the only newspaper to have endorsed the Conservatives at every general election since 1945.
The Mirror has since followed by confirming its support for Labour, maintaining an equivalent record.
Related
Conversely the Daily Record’s endorsement of Labour is more of a surprise, having not explicitly backed any single party in 14 years.
We will update this page as more endorsements come in. If we miss any, please get in touch at charlotte.tobitt@pressgazette.co.uk.
Content from our partners
Daily Record: Labour endorsement
Scotland’s Daily Record has announced it is asking its readers to vote Labour after not explicitly backing any single party at a general election since 2010 (when it also endorsed Labour).
It said in a major front page splash on Tuesday 25 June: “This election is not about independence. It’s about poverty, spiralling mortgages, soaring bills, the cost of living crisis, a crashed economy, dodgy contracts, broken public services, a failed Brexit, Partygate. It’s about kicking this vile and corrupt Conservative government out of office.”
In a leader column, the Reach-owned Record described the 4 July election as “the most important” one since 1945 as it eviscerated the legacies of David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak one by one.
But it added that its “endorsement of Labour and Starmer is not solely based on our loathing of what the Tories have done to the UK.
“Labour in the past failed to live up to its age-old values of decency and fairness.
“It put forward candidates for PM who were not good enough and advanced policies that did not meet the credibility test.
“But Starmer is in a different league to some of his second-rate predecessors. He has fundamentally changed Labour and put his party back on the same page as voters.
“He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and knows what it is like to grow up in a family that struggles financially. We are confident he will be a champion for ordinary people and we urge Scots to give him a chance to turn the UK around. The exceptions are the seats in the north-east and south of Scotland where the Tories and the SNP are in a two-horse race.
“Labour is not strong in these regions and a vote for the SNP is the best way to topple the Tories.
“This is particularly true in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat where we hope the SNP candidate defeats Douglas Ross.
“But ultimately this General Election is not about the SNP. Many Scots continue to support independence but the election on July 4 will not deliver this political outcome.”
The Telegraph: Conservative endorsement
The Telegraph’s endorsement of the Conservatives was published online less than three hours after Sunak announced the election date on Wednesday.
The newspaper said: “The unarguable truth facing voters is that they face a straight choice between Sir Keir and Mr Sunak. It is similarly unarguable that a Labour government might well bring change, but it will not be of the good kind.
“Labour would tax more, regulate more, be weaker in defence of the national interest and be far more relaxed about mass migration and the excesses of green ideologues.
“The Tories can hardly claim that their own record is unblemished in any of these areas. But the party must now pull together behind the Prime Minister and hammer home the message that the situation will be much worse if Sir Keir enters No 10.”
Although The Daily Telegraph’s print front page the day after the announcement splashed on the pun “Things can only get wetter” in reference to Sunak’s speech in the rain with the New Labour anthem “Things Can Only Get Better” blaring in the background, the front page analysis nonetheless maintained his “message came across loud and clear”.
Election night 2024: How broadcasters plan to report results
Daily Mirror: Labour endorsement
The Daily Mirror followed The Telegraph’s Conservative endorsement by declaring itself for Labour, writing in a “Voice of the Mirror” editorial published late on Friday 24 May that “the new generation needs a Labour government more than ever”.
The editorial, which accompanied an interview with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner in Saturday’s Mirror, said that “there are many reasons why we need Labour to win on July 4 but chief among them must be the chance to secure a better future for our children.
“As Angela Rayner tells the Mirror, most young people have only known life under the Tories. They deserved so much better. The Conservatives have stood by as more and more children are brought up in poverty.
“They didn’t recruit enough teachers and cut funds for one-to-one tuition and music lessons. Tens of thousands are being taught in buildings which are falling apart because they cancelled Labour’s rebuilding programme.
“And when Covid struck, Rishi Sunak refused funds to help kids catch up on lost learning. The Tories have robbed too many children of the chance to fulfil their potential. That’s why this generation needs a Labour government more than ever.”
The Mirror is an avowedly Labour-leaning newspaper, disclosing on its website that it “has backed the Labour Party in every election since 1945”.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
