The country has made up its mind. This election is like 1906, 1945 and 1997 - a collective repudiation of a long period of Tory misgovernance and a mass desire for change. 2010-24 has torched their reputation, perhaps for a generation. For non-Tories, This Time No Mistakes!

If elected, Keir Starmer would be the first PM since the War to have completed his first degree at an English university other than Oxford (Leeds). The son of a toolmaker and nurse, he's unusual in having strong working-class credentials. Analysis of PMs: blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities/2…

This is one of the slightest, daffiest columns Matthew Parris has ever written. He puts aside the last 14 years, including the fiasco of the last 72 hours, to fall back on tribal loyalty. It’s beneath him. It’s marginal, but I know who I’m voting for

thetimes.co.uk/article/f3d29a…

Two poor pieces this morning from two leading columnists. The Mail’s Johnson says Starmer is a dangerous leftist: the Guardian’s Chakrabortty that he is a Sunak clone. Both cannot be right: neither is. Starmer straddles Attlee and Blair: much more interesting - and significant

Important statement from the head of the ESRC. No constraint on dissemination of social science research during the election. Strong and unequivocal. Good for him and the ESRC .

Starmer may lead a great reforming government to general surprise. My blog for the LSE. Can Starmer avoid the mistakes of the past? | British Politics and Policy at LSE blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpol…

Here’s ALASTAIR CAMPBELL and I going head to head. You can listen to our full conversation for free when you download the audiobook of This Time No Mistakes. LINK: shorturl.at/goUOa

67 million of us will have long held plans changed, suspended or wholly upended by Sunak’s surprise decision. The lost parliamentary bills are the tip of an iceberg of mass cancellations and rearranging. All to give the incumbents party advantage. We need fixed term parliaments

Brilliant article on how so much contemporary work is useless non-work - especially the impositions forced on any benefit claimant. What a waste of time — the real productivity crisis via Financial Times
on.ft.com/44T1DFK

Sunak’s election announcement today - soaked to the deafening sounds of things can only get better - will enter the annals as the worst ever communications exercise in the history of British politics. Everyone is laughing. The man is a loser. As is his hapless fractured party.

#Sunak being drowned out by the song “Things can only get Better” while announcing the General Election. Priceless.

#GeneralElection2024

Forced to work in the rain unnecessarily?

Join a union.

After a decade at the top, the Ed Miliband sandwich shot has finally been dethroned. #generalelection

rain , partially drowned out by sounds off , it was symbolic of desperation. Tory assets like overseas postal voting ( now very hard) and months of aggressive right wing media hammering at Labour have been torched. I am amazed at the amateurishness. Its surrender.

From the Tory point of view this is a fiasco. Announced in the pouring

This election is primarily about shafting Reform and Farage, so limiting losses and offering a platform for possible Tory recovery rather than certain decimation. It is trying to salvage something from the collapse of Toryism as a coherent political party and philosophy.

4 influences on Sunak’s election call . It will pre-empt Farage and Reform who are not ready. Pre-empts campaign alerting voters to need for voter ID. No scope for more tax cuts without risking Truss effect. The party can’t hold together longer. I’m sceptical- but there is a case

Gavin Esler nails it..

So glad that everyone associated with Newsnight now and way back ( me in the 1980s !! ) paying tribute to the great Mark Urban. Personifies all the programme tried to do - and did do.

Looking back to 1996/7 John Major and Ken Clarke could have been partisan shits in the run-up to the election. They left that to their successors - Sunak and Hunt - who have no fiscal morals. IMF tells UK not to cut taxes as it warns over £30bn fiscal hole theguardian.com/business/artic…