It's Award Season!

Best Gaffe – poor little Rishi

Our best gaffe award goes to Rishi Sunak for his heartfelt yet out of touch confession in an ITV interview about not having Sky TV when growing up. A revelation swiftly overshadowed by his decision to skip the D-Day commemorations, which ignited a fury among Tory candidates, ministers, and activists, despite the delight it brought to Labour, Reform, and the Lib Dem’s.

Honourable mentions go Rishi’s own goal at a brewery in Barry, South Wales, where he asked locals about "all the football" this summer, blissfully unaware that Wales didn’t qualify for the Euros. Along with Nigel Farage, who was left red-faced after being outsmarted mid-rally by the political campaign group Led By Donkeys.

Best stunt – Ed Davey’s water-sports

The crown for best election stunt can only go to the one and only Sir Ed Davey. The Liberal Democrat leader has made it his mission to entertain the nation with wild and wonderful media antics over the last six weeks, falling off pretty much any location that would have him.

How to pick a winner? There was the early paddle board. The mountain bike down a hill. But Field’s view on Davey’s top stunt? His live Sky News interview on the Somerset water slide.

Honourable mentions go to his fashion show on This Morning and his daredevil bungee jump which kicked off polling week.

Best TV moment – ring ring, it’s Grant Shapps calling

Our best TV moment award goes to Grant Shapps for his on-air attempt to get the inside scoop from Sky's Sam Coates about his electoral prospects, moments after the first YouGov megapoll dropped. Not one to miss an exclusive, Coates answered the call live, bluntly declaring to Shapps he was set to lose his seat according to YouGov projections and could he give Sky his exclusive response? Left with nowhere to go Shapps hung up. We doubt Shapps will be ringing for poll updates come Thursday!

Honourable mentions go to Sky’s Beth Rigby, who hasn’t held back this campaign, especially when she boldly told Keir Starmer, “You could be the most unpopular Labour leader to become Prime Minister to enter Number 10.”

Best social media – ‘It’s got a fridge!’

Social media has taken over this election, providing us with memorable moments and an endless stream of iconic tweets to share with colleagues and friends and so our best social media award goes to Angela Rayner with her viral video showcasing Labour’s battle bus and her delivery of the unforgettable line, “It’s got a fridge!”

Honourable mentions go to Rishi’s love of a flip chart (much as it’s a gift for the meme artists) and Dawn Butlers debut as a rap star. If you haven’t seen it, you can view here.

Rising Star – Carla Denyer (Green)

We give our Rising Star Award to Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party. Her assured performances across the campaign and particularly during the multi-party election debates in which she took part have made her a national figure to succeed Caroline Lucas, regardless of whether she can seize Bristol Central from Labour tomorrow. Denyer has outshone her co-leader Adam Ramsey across the whole campaign.

Honourable mentions go to both Daisy Cooper from the Lib Dems for her media round performances and Nigel Farage whose dramatic entrance half way through the campaign has meant his star is back on the rise (for the thousandth time) in one last bid to destroy the Tories.

Best dressed – Jovan Owusu-Nepaul (Labour)

Our Best Dressed award goes to the Labour candidate in Clacton, Jovan Owusu-Nepaul. Going up against Farage is no easy task, but Jovan’s stylish outfits, purchased from charity shops and inspired by his Ghanaian and Jamaican heritage, have attracted the attention of fashion magazines such as GQ and the fashion desks of the regular press. While he won’t win the seat, his outfits of colourful ties and knitwear have ensured “campaigning chic” has been a highlight of this campaign. 

Boring Snoring Award – The Labour election campaign

While Starmer will probably walk up Downing Street on Friday, we give our Boring Snoring Award to Labour’s election campaign. The “Ming Vase” strategy designed to protect Labour’s huge lead in the polls has meant the party has done little to thrill. While we are of course deeply focused on the issues at Field, would it have really hurt Labour to inject a bit more life into the campaign?