Milkshakes, bungee jumping and betting scandals: Memorable moments of the General Election campaign

From D-Day commemorations to betting scandals, these are the key moments from the 2024 General Election campaign

Words by Sophia Ankel

Since Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a snap General Election in front of Downing Street in the pouring rain, a lot has happened.

And now, with just hours to go until the polls open, all political parties will be making their final pleas to voters.

According to the polls, Labour are poised for a landslide win, while the Tories are braced for a defeat that could see the PM losing his own seat.

But before the country finds out who their new leader will be, ITV News breaks down the most memorable moments of the campaign:

Soaked Sunak

The campaign kicked off when Sunak called a General Election for July 4 in a rain-soaked Downing Street speech - and with the sound of the song Things Can Only Get Better blaring from a boombox in the background.

The song is synonymous with Labour’s 1997 election landslide.

He later joked he avoided catching pneumonia in the rain, adding: "The number of people who have given me an umbrella over the last couple of days..."

Diane Abbott

A row erupted in the Labour Party after it was revealed that Diane Abbott might be "barred" from running in the election.

For days, Starmer declined to say whether Abbot would be defending her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat, as he faced claims of a “purge” of left-wing candidates

He eventually said she is "free to stand" as a Labour candidate, praising the Labour veteran as a "trailblazer".

“The whip has obviously been restored to her now and she is free to go forward as a Labour candidate.

“Diane Abbott was elected in 1987, the first black woman MP. She has carved a path for other people to come into politics and public life,” Starmer added.

D-Day commemorations

Sunak's decision to leave D-Day commemorations early was heavily criticised by many, and was seen as one of the biggest gaffes of his campaign.

While world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, gathered to pay their respects in France, Sunak left Foreign Secretary David Cameron to stand in for him so he could travel back to the UK.

Speaking to reporters about the decision, he later said: "On reflection, that was a mistake and I apologise."

Sunak said his itinerary for the events had been set "weeks ago" and he had attended other events with veterans.

Starmer said Sunak will “have to answer for his own actions” following the controversy, telling broadcasters “for me there was nowhere else I was going to be.”

Farage vs milkshakes

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was doused in a milkshake while visiting Clacton-on-Sea after announcing his bid to run as an MP for the Essex constituency.

It mirrored a similar incident in Newcastle in 2019, where a milkshake was also thrown at him while he was out campaigning.

The new leader of Reform had arrived to chants of "Nigel" in the seaside town, but he had to be rushed back onto a bus by aides following the incident.

A 25-year-old woman was later charged with assault by beating and criminal damage following the incident.

Ed Davey's stunts

From paddle boarding to Zumba dancing and tractor-riding, the Liberal Democrats leader’s campaign was certainly attention-grabbing.

He previously told reporters that whenever he does a stunt, it helps to highlight a serious message - whether it's about the sewage crisis, the GP shortage or children’s mental health.

A more serious moment in the campaign came when Davey told ITV's Tonight programme of how he juggles his job with his responsibilities as a carer to his 16-year-old son, John.

The Lib Dem leader became emotional while speaking about John, who can't walk and has limited speech, and his wife, Emily, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Sky TV comments

Sunak sparked furore after he told ITV's Tonight programme that his parents sacrificed "lots of things" when he was a child, including satellite TV.

Speaking to ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand, the prime minister was asked about his wealth and whether there was one thing he had ever gone without.

"My family emigrated here with very little. I was raised with the values of hard work," he said.

He added: "I went without lots of things because my parents wanted to put everything into our education."

When pressed for an example of something he had gone without, he said: "There are all sorts of things that I wanted as a kid that I couldn't have, famously Sky TV! That was something that we never had growing up."

Betting accusations

A gambling scandal also consumed the election campaign, with a number of people connected to the prime minister accused of placing bets on the date of the election.

At the time of writing, there are five Conservative candidates or officials who are being investigated by the Gambling Commission.

This is alongside one of Rishi Sunak's close protection officers, another six Met Police officers, and reports of many more individuals being looked into.

The Labour Party has also suspended a candidate being investigated for a bet he placed that Conservatives would win in the seat he's contesting.

The drama around betting on the date of the election has also sparked wider concerns around political betting - with a number of candidates in the election disclosing that they have gambled on political matters in the past.

Farage standing for Reform - and the controversies that followed

In a blow to the Conservatives' campaign, Nigel Farage announced that he would stand as the Reform UK candidate for Clacton, and became the party's leader.

But his party quickly came under scrutiny.

Reform had to suspend three candidates after offensive remarks, taking up the total tally to four people who will appear on the ballot paper as Reform UK but are no longer welcome in the party.

Then late last week, Channel 4’s undercover filming apparently showed volunteers making deeply offensive comments.

Among them was a canvasser who labelled Sunak an "f****** p***", and calling for migrants crossing the English Channel to be used as “target practice” and another describing the Pride flag as “degenerate”.

Reacting to the comments, Sunak said: "When my two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an effing p***’, it hurts, and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer."

Farage dismissed the racist comments by the canvasser as part of a "set-up".

Speaking on ITV's Loose Women, the Reform leader said it was all "an act right from the very start", after it emerged Parker is also a part-time actor.

Shortly after, one Reform UK candidate announced he was defecting from the party to back the Conservatives, citing “a significant moral issue within certain elements of the party” and the “failure of the party’s leadership… to fundamentally address it”.

An 11th-hour appearance from Boris Johnson

The former prime minister made his only appearance on the General Election campaign on Tuesday night - fewer than 48 hours before voters head to the polls.

He did not appear with or praise Sunak, and only used the opportunity to take aim at Labour.

“They can achieve nothing in this election except to usher in the most leftwing government since the war with a huge majority, and we must not let it happen," he said about the party.

“Don’t let the Putinistas deliver the Corbynistas. Don’t let Putin’s pet parrots give this entire country psittacosis – which is a disease you get, by the way, from cosying up to pet parrots.

“If you want to protect our democracy and our economy and keep this country strong abroad by spending 2.5% of our GDP on defence, which Labour still refuses to, then you know what to do, don’t you, everybody.”

Have you heard our podcast Talking Politics? Every day in the run-up to the election Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…