U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to deliver Brexit and a budget within 100 days if he wins the Dec. 12 election, and contrasted that with the “gridlock and uncertainty” that would result from the “very real possibility” of a hung Parliament.
With a week to go until the vote, the Tories said their first 100 days would include a defense review, more funding for schools and a new immigration law. Labour pointed to nearly 3,500 “days of failure” under the Tories, and said more of the same won't work.
Must read: The Key Election Task for U.K. Tories Is to Tame Boris Johnson
ELEC for more on the U.K. election
Coming up:
- Johnson will be campaigning in the Midlands in the afternoon.
- Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn will also be in the Midlands, where he will address a rally in the evening.
- Labour is touting a plan to improve education standards, including 20,000 new teachers, a cap of 30 pupils per class and 7 billion pounds ($9.2 billion) for school buildings.
- Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson will campaign in Edinburgh.
- Liberal Democrat business spokesman Sam Gyimah announces party's plan for business at 6:30 p.m., including pledge of 17 billion-pound research and development funding over 5 years.
- The Scottish National Party is launching a bus tour with the message that voters have 7 days to stop Brexit.
The Polls:
- Telegraph/Savanta ComRes poll gives Tories 10-point lead over Labour. The Tories are on 42%, Labour on 32%, Liberal Democrats on 12%.
- An Ipsos Mori poll found that 63% of Britons think the Conservatives will be the biggest party after the election, with 34% expecting them to get an outright majority. It also found that while 33% of voters have a favorable impression of Johnson and 47% have an unfavorable one, his net score of minus 14% is better than the other party leaders. Corbyn fared the worst on minus 38%. The dominant issues on which people said they're voting are health care (59%) and Brexit (54%).
- Here's a summary of recent polls.
Catching Up:
- Swinson says in a BBC interview that the Lib Dems wouldn't help Corbyn come to power, but hinted she could back either the Tories or Labour under a different leader
- Johnson vows to tax internet giants “properly”
- Johnson avoids mentioning Trump during NATO meeting
- U.K. economy on course for contraction as services falter
- Johnson hints at Huawei restrictions
The Markets:
- The pound on Wednesday hit its highest against the euro since 2017 as investors bet on a Tory victory.
- There is now a 73% chance of a Conservative majority, according to Betfair. That's up from 69% a day earlier.
--With assistance from Peter Flanagan.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Emma Ross-Thomas
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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