Published: 16:00, 29 December 2024 | Updated: 16:02, 29 December 2024
Photographers from the PA news agency captured a whole host of incredible images during the 2024 general election campaign.
And perhaps the most memorable of all came at the very start when then prime minister Rishi Sunak, drenched in rain, announced from a wet Downing Street that the UK would go to the polls on July 4.
Rishi Sunak chose to announce the general election outside Downing Street with no umbrella despite the rain (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Mr Sunak’s announcement fired the starting gun for a series of carefully staged set pieces as political leaders traversed the UK in the hope of winning the public’s votes.
Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Kingsbury, London (Stefan Rousseau/PA)Reform UK leader Nigel Farage participated in some in clay pigeon shooting at Catton Hall in Frodsham, Cheshire (Dominic Lipinski/PA)Rishi Sunak tried to bowl voters over during a visit to Nuneaton Cricket Club (Jonathan Brady/PA)Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater during the party’s general election manifesto launch in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA)SNP leader John Swinney followed in the footsteps of countless politicians before him when he posed for a photo with an ice cream while out campaigning (Lesley Martin/PA)
Without question though, it was Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey who was the master of the political stunt during the 2024 campaign.
Sir Ed Davey threw himself into the general election campaign in more ways than one (Peter Byrne/PA)Sir Ed attempted a whole range of action-packed stunts designed to get the voting public’s attention (Jacob King/PA)The Lib Dem leader took part in a bungee jump during a visit to Eastbourne Borough Football Club in East Sussex (Gareth Fuller/PA)The Lib Dems even cheekily tried to photobomb Rishi Sunak while he was talking to members of a rowing club (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Sir Ed wasn’t the only one having fun, however, as the following images show.
Labour’s Angela Rayner attempting to marshal in a new government during a visit to Stansted Airport (Joe Giddens/PA)Sir Keir Starmer shares a joke with potter Keith Brymer Jones (Stefan Rousseau/PA)Rishi Sunak went fishing for votes during a visit to North Devon (Leon Neal/PA)
But, despite best efforts, things didn’t always go to plan for the party leaders.
Nigel Farage had a drink thrown over him after launching his general election campaign in Clacton (James Manning/PA)Sir Keir Starmer was heckled by a protester during his party’s manifesto launch (Stefan Rousseau/PA)Even the most meticulous planning can’t prevent some silly photos from slipping through the net, however (Aaron Chown/PA)
