Celebrating Great Journalism - 4 July General Election special

Reach is home to a rich and diverse range of titles, spanning most political views across many parts of the UK, Ireland and the USA. During the General Election campaign, our UK titles have shared one common goal: to be a trusted source of information for voters and providing a platform for readers’ voices to be heard.

Keeping readers informed on a historic night

At 5.08am today, as it was confirmed that Sir Keir Starmer had secured enough seats to form a government, the Mirror unveiled a special digital front page across its social media platforms, marking the end of 14 years of Conservative rule and ushering in a change era to be led by the new Labour Prime Minister.

Readers of Reach titles around the country were kept up to date with live blog coverage relevant to their area or interests. 

Our journalists witnessed political history being made around the country last night. It began in the North East, where ChronicleLive reported on the first results coming in at Sunderland, Newcastle and parts of Northumberland, pointing to a much better showing for Reform than many expected.

That success translated into a win in Clacton for Nigel Farage, as reported by EssexLive, before Reform candidate Lee Anderson’s success in Nottinghamshire was covered by NottinghamLive.

Surprise Labour successes were being chalked up across the country - but the party didn’t get its own way everywhere. LancsLive reported on Blackburn switching from Labour for the first time in seven decades after a pro-Gaza independent candidate triumphed.

BirminghamLive was on hand to witness Labour lose its Perry Barr seat - held for over 50 years - to an independent candidate, while prominent Labour MP Jess Phillips only narrowly avoided defeat to the Workers Party, which campaigned on a pro-Gaza ticket.

In Greater Manchester, the M.E.N. reported on George Galloway failing to retake his seat in Rochdale - a result he likely knew was coming given he didn’t turn up at the count. 

BristolLive watched as Labour’s shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire lost her seat to the Green Party in Bristol Central. MyLondon covered every seat in the capital, including why Jeremy Corbyn, standing as an independent, had won in Islington North.

High-profile Conservative candidates fell around the country. Plymouth Live watched as Veterans Minister Jonny Mercer lost his seat in the city. SurreyLive did provide some good news for the Conservatives, as chancellor Jeremy Hunt narrowly held on to his seat in the county.

In Yorkshire, a bad night got worse for Rishi Sunak. Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons reported from the PM’s constituency as the results came in for Mr Sunak, who won locally while being heavily defeated nationally.

The Mirror, Express and Daily Record all published special 5am editions which captured much of the drama of the night.

Playing our part in democracy

Earlier in the day, many of our titles worked hard to encourage people to vote. At the Express, Leo McKinstry urged Conservative voters to turn out and prevent a Labour super majority.

The political leanings of the Express and Mirror are well-known and they sit at the heart of the respective values of both brands. But this election campaign saw the Daily Record take the unusual step of backing Labour, arguing that it was the only way to get the change Scotland needed, and that this was not an election about independence north of the border.

It’s even more unusual for a local newspaper to overtly support one party or another, but the Liverpool Echo broke with tradition to back Labour. Describing itself as a ‘political newspaper but not a party political newspaper,’ the Echo urged people to vote Labour to ensure the city got the change it needs. 

5000 Voices project

The election period also saw Reach journalists embark on a number of ‘firsts’, including the 5000 Voices project. This involved journalists from across Reach vox-popping 5,000 members of the public right across the country on a range of issues, which were then published in our local and national titles. 

We also launched The Division Bell, a podcast which brings together the political editors of the Express and Mirror - Sam Lister and John Stevens - to debate what’s been going on. Its success means it will continue as the new parliamentary session gets under way.

And the Mirror’s Kevin Maguire added depth to the Mirror’s coverage with nightly livestreams with influential guests on Poll Position, reflecting on what was going on during the election campaign.

Throughout the campaign, titles have worked tirelessly to stand up for their readers - perhaps best summed up by the work of the Western Morning News’ editor Charlie Elder, who secured exclusive op-ed pieces for the paper from the three main party leaders, providing important balance and insight for readers. 

Charlie said: “We have had plenty of Westcountry election campaign visits from leading politicians, but the personal messages direct from Sunak, Davey and Starmer have provided strong local angles, featuring on fronts and inside pages.”

Coverage will continue throughout the weekend on our titles national, regional and local, ensuring readers have the most reliable, up to date information available, wherever they choose to view it.

Thanks for reading our election special, we'll be back with more highlights next week.