Political parties have taken to the road this weekend as the General Election battle bus tours get underway.
Saturday morning started in West London, where Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner launched her 5,000-mile UK tour, with help from party leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The trio was in Uxbridge, where voters went to the polls in July last year. Following the departure of former prime minister Boris Johnson, the Conservatives held on to the seat at a by-election by 495 votes.
Labour’s bus is a brand-new, 73-reg Yutong coach – and it’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) compliant, so did not incur a charge in Uxbridge. The word “Change” – the party’s General Election slogan – appears on the bright red bus more than 30 times.
“I’m reliably told it has got a fridge in the back of it, so check that Boris Johnson isn’t in there,” Sir Keir said at its launch. Mr Johnson hid in a fridge to avoid a TV interview in the run-up to the 2019 election.
“It’s rather like Tory defectors. You wait for ages and then three come along in a row.”
The party will use its bus to champion its “power up” agenda, which could become a successor to the Conservatives’ flagship “levelling up” thread if Labour is able to form a government next month.
Ms Reeves said “powering up” means “wherever you come from, whatever your start in life, you have the very best opportunities and potential, and powering up too so that our economy can fulfil its potential”.
Conservative incumbent Jacob Young will go up against former Labour MP Anna Turley in Redcar.
The Mercedes-Benz Tourismo features the party’s General Election slogan – “clear plan, bold action, secure future”.
Once the transport for Oxford United, before the football team’s promotion to the EFL Championship, the vehicle is also Ulez-compliant.
In his Teesside speech, Mr Sunak took aim at his Labour rivals.
“And it’s clear that Angela Rayner is in charge of the Labour Party and not him.”
The Liberal Democrats’ yellow coach has been rolling on the roads throughout the first full week of General Election campaigning.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey unveiled Yellow Hammer 1 in Whittlesford, near Cambridge – a Van Hool emblazoned with the words “Liberal Democrats for a fair deal”.
He told supporters: “I’m not putting a ceiling on our ambitions.”
Reform UK began its campaign tour on an open-top bus this week.
We all love a few Brexit Club Classics on a Saturday morning. ? pic.twitter.com/5MjFmnAKJz
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 1, 2024
Honorary president Nigel Farage was aboard in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, on Saturday with candidate and former Conservative MP Lee Anderson.
