Prime Minister and Starmer on push for ‘every vote’ on last day of elections campaign

The Prime Minister and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are in the final hunt for "every vote" after taking to the campaign trail on the eve of the "super Thursday" polls opening. Johnson said it would be "very tough" for the Conservative Party during the local elections and looked to play down his party's chances of taking the Westminster constituency of Hartlepool in the by-election - despite recent polling putting the Tories 17 points in front of incumbents

Labour. Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, asked about polling suggesting Labour was in danger of losing Hartlepool and seeing control wrestled away from the party in a number of councils across its socalled "red wall" traditional heartlands in the Midlands and North of England, admitted his rebuild would take longer than 12 months.

Yougov local election polling published last week suggested the Tories could take over as the largest party in Bolton and Dudley, while The Guardian reported that Labour sources were predicting the party could lose control of both Sunboris derland and Durham councils for the first time in half a century.

Sir Keir, asked by reporters on a campaign visit to Pontefract in west Yorkshire whether he might have to rethink his leadership approach if the results are poor, said: "Well, look, I took over the Labour Party after the worst general election result since 1935.

"We've got to rebuild into the next general election - that is the task in hand.

"This is the first test and we go into that test fighting for every vote, but I never thought we would climb the mountain we have to climb in just one year - it is going to take longer than that."

Making his second stop of the day in Birmingham in the afternoon, Sir Keir told broadcasters he would be a leader who "carries the can" if Labour fares badly in the elections.

"We've got further work to do whatever the results tomorrow," he added.

With the coronavirus pandemic delaying a host of elections by 12 months, it means there will be two years' worth of polls taking place across Great Britain on a single day on Thursday, making for a bumper crop of results.