Most UK national newspapers have voted Labour in the 2024 general election with several previously Conservative-supporting newspapers switching allegiance in their endorsements.
Update: Daily Mail gracious in defeat as Fleet Street reacts to Labour landslide
Previously Conservative-supporting titles, including The Sun, Sunday Times and Financial Times, have backed Labour in their leader columns.
The Daily Star, which has previously remained neutral, also called for change on its election day front page.
As with the 1997 general election (when Labour’s Tony Blair won a landslide) The Times has not endorsed any political party (then it urged readers to vote for candidates who were against further integration with the EU).
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats have received no national newspaper endorsements.
When all the circulations of UK-wide daily and Sunday newspapers are added up and collated according to election endorsements, the results show Fleet Street evenly split between Labour, Conservatives and Neutral/Don’t Know with 1.9 million in terms of newspaper circulation backing each position.
While more national newspapers have voted Labour than Conservative, the support of the top-selling Mail titles plus the Telegraph and Express titles mean in circulation terms the result is a dead heat.
When non UK-wide titles like City AM, the Evening Standard and Daily Record are included the balance is tipped in favour of Labour.
The Labour Party's 2024 general election newspaper (and one magazine) endorsements:
Daily Star: Labour/Count Binface
"It seems nailed on that Labour and Sir Keir Starmer will walk to victory.
"To be honest, all he has had to do is not completely balls things up like his rivals. But what is clear is that it is absolutely time for a change.
"We thought Count Binface was probably the best option but we're willing to give this other fella and his party a chance too."
The Sun: Labour
The day before the general election The Sun teased its election day front page, which declared: "As Britain goes to the polls, it's time for a new manager (and we don't mean sack Southgate)".
The paper also published its leader column laying out its position, saying that although Rishi Sunak "has many policies which we support" the Conservatives "have become a divided rabble, more interested in fighting themselves than running the country...
"Put bluntly, the Tories are exhausted. They need a period in Opposition to unite around a common set of principles."
The Murdoch-owned title rejected Nigel Farage's Reform UK, dubbing it "a one-man band which at best can win only a handful of MPs" despite policies which it said had "struck a chord with millions".
"There are still plenty of concerns about Labour," the paper said, including its plans on immigration and its failure to clarify its tax position, "but, by dragging his party back to the centre ground of British politics for the first time since Tony Blair was in No10, Sir Keir has won the right to take charge.
"We will hold Labour to account, without fear or favour. But we wish them every success."
As with other right-leaning titles, it marks the first time The Sun has endorsed the Labour Party since 2005, the last time the party was led by Tony Blair.
The Evening Standard: Labour
The Evening Standard, which backed the Conservative Party in the 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections, reversed course the day before the 2024 election and endorsed the Labour Party.
The London freesheet said Rishi Sunak "has turned out to be a disappointing Prime Minister" while Keir Starmer had "relentlessly reformed Labour from a party under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over its handling of antisemitism to a plausible alternative government".
The paper sounded a warning over the possibility of a so-called 'supermajority' for Labour, saying the UK "needs a serious, sensible, centre-Right alternative".
But it concluded: "Ultimately, after 14 years in office, the Tories have earned the right to lose. It is clear that this city wants change and that you have probably already made your mind up that Labour can be that change."
The Sunday Times: Labour
Condemning the record of the Conservatives, The Sunday Times said in its leader column: "The period since 2016 has been defined by political chaos that has fatally distracted the political class from those issues that matter most to voters — healthcare, schools and the economy.
"Britain now needs a radical reset. If the Tories are due a period in opposition, that can only mean a Labour government. Starmer should be praised for hauling his party back into the mainstream."
Financial Times: Labour
The Financial Times said in its leader column: "We believe in liberal democracy, free trade and private enterprise, and an open, outward-looking Britain…
"The Labour party of Sir Keir Starmer is better placed today to provide the leadership the country needs…
"Much of the country hankers for a fresh start. Labour should be given the opportunity to provide it."
The Independent
Despite its name, The Independent does go in for election endorsements and this time it has backed Labour.
The online-only title said: "Labour promises change and offers hope. In Rachel Reeves, Sir Keir will have a chancellor seen as sound on the economy, who promises to keep a steady hand on the wheel of the nation’s finances, after the wild lane-changing of the brief – but immensely damaging – tenure of Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng. We hope their mantra will be to be compensatory and not too confiscatory."
The Observer: Labour
The Observer signalled its backing for Labour with a front-page editorial saying voters have "a historic opportunity to evict one of the worst governments this country has ever endured".
The Guardian: Labour
The Guardian has endorsed Labour again, after supporting Jeremy Corbyn through gritted teeth in 2019 while acknowledging his "obdurate handling of the antisemitism crisis".
This time The Guardian's backing was less equivocal. The leader column on Friday 29 June, for publication in its Saturday print edition (the biggest sale of the week), said: "Labour has climbed out of the crater of its 2019 defeat, and it stands on the brink of power with some eye-catching policies.
"On the environment, workers’ rights and housebuilding, it signals a break with the past, and a very welcome desire to save capitalism from its failures and excesses. Its most popular policies are interventionist: banning junk food and creating a publicly owned green energy company. How refreshing to hear that government programmes and stronger trade unions make economies more productive and equitable."
The Economist: Labour
The Economist endorsed the Labour Party on Thursday 27 June, marking its first endorsement of the party since 2005.
The magazine said Labour "is right in its diagnosis that nothing matters more than solving Britain’s stagnant productivity" and that Keir Starmer "deserves credit" for breaking with the policies of predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, but criticised the leader for running "a maddeningly cautious campaign".
It likened making a case for the Conservative Party's virtues to "a teacher struggling to say something nice about the class troublemaker", claiming: "Rishi Sunak is a better prime minister than Liz Truss, though if praise came any fainter it would be invisible."
On the Liberal Democrats, the magazine said "the logic that led us to endorse them in 2019 no longer holds". In 2019, it argued, the Lib Dems were the better option compared with "Boris Johnson's Brexit-obsessed Tories and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, a hard-left charisma vacuum".
The Economist endorsed the Lib Dems in both the 2017 and 2019 elections and David Cameron's Tories in 2010 and (as a coalition with the Lib Dems) in 2015. It endorsed Tony Blair's Labour in 2001 and 2005 — but not 1997, when he won his first, landslide victory.
Daily Record: Labour
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 said readers should vote tactically in some areas though: "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."
Daily Mirror: Labour
The Daily Mirror declared itself early for Labour, writing in a "Voice of the Mirror" editorial published 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".
Sunday Mirror: Labour
The Sunday Mirror said: "Britain deserves change after 14 years of chaotic Tory rule."
The Conservative Party's 2024 general election newspaper endorsements
Daily Telegraph: Conservative
The Telegraph's endorsement of the Conservatives was published online less than three hours after Sunak announced the election date on Wednesday 22 May.
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
Mail on Sunday: Conservative
The Mail on Sunday has given the Tories its full-throated support. Its last pre-election front page led with the headline: "Rishi warning: Starmer will wreck Britain in just 100 days".
In a full-page leader column, the title admitted the current Conservative government has been an "unsatisfactory and disappointing administration" but it said Labour would be "much worse" and so urged its readers to "vote Conservative on Thursday".
Sunday Express: Conservative
The Sunday Express led on Rishi Sunak's claim: "Starmer to 'wreck Britain in 100 days". Despite its previous strong back for Brexit, the title warned readers against voting Reform in a full-page leader column because "you will be helping Labour candidates".
It warned that a big majority for Keir Starmer would give him a "free rein to transform Britain into a socialist state, with higher taxes, more regulations and closer links to the European Union".
It said: "If you have any doubt he is the right person, the only sensible option is to vote Conservative"
Sunday Telegraph: Conservative
The Sunday Telegraph also gave its last pre-election front page to the Conservatives with the headline: Labour will bankrupt every generation, warns Sunak".
Its leader column focused on Labour's shortcomings, rather than Conservative achievements noting its "vindictive assault on private education", adding: "Labour is the party of cancellation, culture wars and decolonisation". It urged its readers to vote Conservative because Labour would be "dramatically worse" than the Tories.
Daily Express: Conservative
On election day the Daily Express published a full-throttle front-page (and online) backing of the Conservatives.
It said: "Today is a day of reckoning. The Conservative Party faces a punishing pounding at the ballot box. We believe Labour's unchecked power would diminish this great country of ours. Your frustration that not enough has been done to protect traditional Tory values is understandable. And it is, of course, your inalienable right to use your vote as a protest though the price might be very high. That is why we will continue carrying the torch of Conservatism until it is burning bright again. In the nation's interest we urge you to... vote Tory."
Other 2024 election endorsements
City AM: Anyone but the Conservatives
City AM said in its leader column: "...for now, it is hard to conclude anything other than this: this government is out of energy, out of ideas, and should, therefore, be out of office.
"Does this mean a full-throated endorsement of Keir Starmer’s Labour? That is, unfortunately, beyond us."
The Times: Don't know
In a leader article published just in time for the election, The Times said: "This newspaper wants the next government to succeed, and it will not be ungenerous in praise if that is the case. But Labour has yet to earn the trust of the British people."
Metro: Neutral
Metro's front page on 4 July was thoroughly neutral, with a graphic stating "Britain goes to the polls" and headline that "the nation decides" although the sub-head added: "But top Tory admits Labour 'likely to win'."
The website also played it straight although it had an ad takeover on election day from the Labour Party urging people to "vote Labour today".
The i: Neutral
DMGT-owned the i's front page on polling day made its neutrality clear, telling readers it is "over to you".
It said: "Only one UK national newspaper has never supported a political party - and never will. The i paper = politics without the spin."
And editor Oly Duff told readers: "No one gets an easy ride. Not the Tories, Labour or Nigel Farage. We are funded by readers [through subscriptions and newsstand sales], so we are free to investigate anyone we like. We are not in the pocket of any media owner or special interest, so we can tell you what’s really going on. That’s why we have one of the highest trust ratings in UK media."
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