Johnson and Corbyn make late bid to win votes ahead of ‘most important election in a lifetime’
BORIS Johnson has urged voters to secure a brighter future as the General Election enters its final hours of campaigning.
The Prime Minister and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn both issued eve of poll rallying cries to supporters, urging them to vote for their vision.
Mr Johnson reminded the public of his main promises, vowing to “get Brexit done” by January 31, 2020. He still insists there will be “50,000 more nurses”, even though he conceded during the campaign that this pledge only involves recruiting 31,000 new staff.
Mr Johnson also repeated his promise of delivering “40 new hospitals”, a figure challenged over recent weeks.
Mr Corbyn, meanwhile, reiterated his party’s renationalisation plans and its vow to “save our NHS”. He also highlighted a promise to boost the minimum wage for all workers.
Ahead of his final day campaigning, Mr Johnson said: “This election is the most important in a lifetime. The result will define the next decade.
“Will we go forward, grow as a country and unleash our potential? Or will we remain stuck, stood still, unable to make any progress?
“At the ballot box you have the opportunity to tell politicians that you want Brexit done. Tell them that the people of this great country will no longer be ignored.
“Tell them that in this country we believe in and treasure our democracy and that politicians don’t get to choose which votes they respect.
“Tell them that you want them to stop going round in circles and refocus on our schools, our hospitals and keeping our streets safe.
“Tell them that they need to stop squabbling, move the country forward and unleash our potential.
“There’s only one way to tell them that — and that’s by voting Conservative. Whatever else anyone is offering, what you’ll get is more of the same.
“A hung parliament delivering nothing but delay, deadlock and more divisive referendums. A lost decade of division, delay and deadlock. Let’s make 2020 about the people of this country and not its politicians. We have one more day. Make sure you have your voice heard.
“Vote to honour the promises of the past and for a brighter vision of the future.”
Mr Corbyn, meanwhile, made a last-ditch plea to undecided voters to “vote for hope” and back Labour in “the most important election in a generation”.
He will today spell out to supporters in the Labour stronghold of Middlesbrough his party’s pledge to hold a second referendum on a “credible” EU deal.
Labour heads into the election as rank outsider for overall victory, but the party insists Mr Corbyn becoming the next Prime Minister is still on the cards.
To achieve this, or to deprive Mr Johnson’s Conservatives of a majority, they will need to win over those who have still not made up their minds.
In the speech, Mr Corbyn will say: “My message to all those voters who are still undecided is that you can vote for hope in this election. It’s time for a pay rise for 12 million people, for lower fares and bills and for free childcare.
“We will put money in your pocket because you deserve it. The richest and big business will pay for it. We will save our NHS by giving it the money it needs, ending privatisation and by not selling it out to Trump.
“And Labour will get Brexit sorted. We will secure a good deal for working people and give you the final say. This is the most important election in a generation and people have the chance on Thursday to vote for a government for the many, not the few.”
The latest YouGov poll estimates that 13% of voters are still undecided. Around twothirds of those people behind a 3.2-million surge in applications to vote since the election was called were aged under 35.
Labour will hope those younger voters, who tend to be more inclined to vote for the party, will turn out tomorrow and deliver a shock to the Tories.