Endorsements in the United Kingdom general election, 2015

Various newspapers, organisations and individuals endorsed parties or individual candidates for the United Kingdom general election, 2015

Endorsements for parties

Newspapers and magazines

National daily newspapers

Newspaper	Main endorsement		Secondary endorsement(s)		Notes	Link
Daily Express		UK Independence Party		Conservative Party	Endorsed the UK Independence Party.
Daily Mail		Conservative Party		UK Independence Party	Supported a Conservative government. Encouraged anti-Labour tactical voting.
				Liberal Democrats
Daily Mirror		Labour Party		Liberal Democrats	Endorsed a Labour government. Supported tactically voting LibDem against the Conservatives in marginal seats.
Daily Telegraph		Conservative Party		None
Financial Times		Conservative Party		Liberal Democrats	Endorsed a Conservative-led coalition.
The Guardian		Labour Party		Liberal Democrats	Endorsed the Labour Party. Supported Liberal Democrat candidates where they were the main opposition to the Conservatives.
The Independent		Liberal Democrats		Conservative Party	Endorsed a second term of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
Metro		None
Morning Star		Labour Party		Communist Party of Britain	Endorsed the Labour Party in opposition to the Conservative Party.
News Line		Workers Revolutionary Party		Labour	Endorsed a vote for the seven Workers Revolutionary Party candidates, Labour elsewhere.
The Sun		Conservative Party		Liberal Democrats	Supported voting for the Liberal Democrats in 14 Labour/LibDem marginals.
The Times		Conservative Party		Liberal Democrats	Endorsed a second term of Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

National weekly newspapers

Newspaper	Main endorsement		Secondary endorsement(s)		Notes	Link
New Worker		Labour		None
Weekly Worker		Labour		Other minor left-wing parties.	Endorsed 39 left-wing Labour candidates. The paper also supported Left Unity, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Communist Party of Britain, Respect Party, Socialist Labour Party, Socialist Party of Great Britain, Workers Revolutionary Party, Class War Party, Socialist Equality Party, Republican Socialists and Communist League

National monthly newspapers

Newspaper	Main endorsement		Secondary endorsement(s)		Notes	Link
Peace News		Green		Labour	Endorsed left-wing Labour candidates. Supported candidates who commit to the '2050 decarbonisation goal and/or to not replacing Trident'

National Sunday newspapers

Newspaper	Party endorsed		Notes	Link
Independent on Sunday		None	Newspaper stated in an editorial that it was not advising readers how to vote in 2015.
Mail on Sunday		Conservative Party
The Observer		Labour Party
Sunday Express		UK Independence Party
Sunday Mirror		Labour Party
Sunday People		Labour Party
Sunday Telegraph		Conservative Party
Sunday Times		Conservative Party

News magazines

Newspaper	Party endorsed		Notes	Link
Economist		Conservative Party	Endorsed a Conservative-led coalition.
New Statesman		Labour Party
Spectator		Conservative Party

English newspapers

Newspaper	Party endorsed		Notes	Link
City A.M.		Conservative Party
Express & Star		None	Urged voters to vote for the best local MP.
Liverpool Echo		Labour Party
London Evening Standard		Conservative Party	Endorsed the Conservative Party, and selective tactical voting for the Liberal Democrats.
Manchester Evening News		None
Southern Daily Echo		Conservative Party	Urged voters to support the Conservative Party with the exception of those where Liberal Democrats were in lead.
The Yorkshire Post		Conservative Party	Endorsed a continuation of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.
		Liberal Democrats

Northern Irish newspapers

Newspaper	Party endorsed		Notes	Link
Belfast Telegraph		None	Encouraged everyone in Northern Ireland to exercise their voting rights.
Irish News		None
The News Letter		None	Backed unionist candidates.

Scottish newspapers

Newspaper	Party endorsed		Notes	Link
Daily Record		Labour Party
The Herald		None	Endorsed no political parties.
The National		SNP
Scotland on Sunday		None	Urged voters to 'vote for the party that comes closest to what you believe in'.
The Scotsman		None	Warned against tactical voting.
The Scottish Sun		SNP
Sunday Herald		SNP
Sunday Mail		Conservative Party	Praise in 1 article for SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, but otherwise anti-SNP & Tactical for Tories.

Individuals

Animal Welfare Party

• Piers Morgan, journalist and television personality^[1]

Conservative Party

• Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician^[2]
• Sol Campbell, footballer^[3]
• Tom Conti, actor^[4]
• Bob Dudley, American businessman^[5]
• Ron Dennis, businessman^[6]
• Charles Dunstone, businessman^[6]
• George Iacobescu, businessman^[7]
• Stuart Rose, businessman^[7]
• Tidjane Thiam, French-Ivorian businessman and former politician^[5]
• Paul S. Walsh, businessman^[7]
• Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer^[8]

Green Party of England and Wales

• George Monbiot, writer and environmentalist^[9]
• Jack Monroe, writer and social activist^[10]
• Grace Petrie. activist and singer-songwriter^[11]
• Peter Tatchell, political campaigner and journalist^[12]
• Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer

Labour Party

• Duncan Bannatyne, businessman and author^[13]
• Trevor Beattie, advertising executive^[14]
• Jo Brand, comedian, writer, actress and former nurse^[15]
• Russell Brand (in England and Wales, except Brighton), comedian, activist^[16]
• Michelle Collins, actress^[17]
• Steve Coogan, actor and comedian^[18]
• Peter Duncan, actor^[14]
• Ben Elton, comedian^[19]
• Martin Freeman, actor^[20]
• Stephen Fry, comedian, writer, actor and presenter^[21]
• Stephen Hawking, professor, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author^[22]
• Wayne Hemingway, fashion designer and businessman^[14]
• Mathew Horne, actor^[17]
• Jason Isaacs, actor^[17]
• Eddie Izzard, comedian, actor and writer^[23]
• Owen Jones, author, newspaper columnist and commentator^[24]
• Kathy Lette, author^[21]
• David Morrissey, actor, director, producer and screenwriter^[21]
• Susie Orbach, writer and social critic^[14]
• Paul O'Grady, broadcaster^[17]
• Ronnie O'Sullivan, professional snooker player^[25]
• Grayson Perry, artist^[21]
• Will Self, author, journalist, broadcaster^[26]
• Delia Smith, cook, author and television presenter^[27]
• Ellie Goulding, singer and songwriter
• Patrick Stewart, actor^[21]
• Harry Styles, singer of One Direction^[28]
• David Tennant, actor^[20]
• Polly Toynbee, journalist, author^[29]
• Dale Vince, entrepreneur^[14]
• Robert Webb, comedian^[30]

Liberal Democrats

• John Cleese, actor and comedian^[31]

Scottish National Party

• Dennis Canavan, former Scottish Labour Party and independent politician^[32]
• Martin Compston, former footballer and actor^[33]
• Brian Cox, actor^[34]
• Ian McElhinney, actor^[35]
• Tommy Sheridan, former Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow. Co-leader of Solidarity^[36]
• Elaine C. Smith, actress and comedian^[34]

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

• Jawad Ahmad, singer, musician and activist^[37]

UKIP

• Richard Desmond, publisher, adult industry businessman^[38]
• Nick Griffin, former leader of the British National Party, former MEP^[39]
• Tommy Robinson, former leader and founder of the English Defence League, founder of the European Defence League, former Vice-Chairman of British Freedom Party^[40]
• Paul Sykes, businessman, philanthropist^[41]

Organisations

Conservative Party

• Young Republicans International Committee, youth wing of US Republican Party^[42]

Labour Party

• Australian Labor Party, abroad^[43]
• Fire Brigades Union, trade union
• Socialist Environment and Resources Association, environmental activist group^[44]
• Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, trade union^[45]
• UNISON, trade union^[46]
• USDAW, trade union^[47]

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

• National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, trade union^[48][49]

UKIP

• Britain First, far-right 'street-defence' organisation^[50]

Parties

Some parties which only contest elections in certain parts of the United Kingdom have endorsed political parties in areas they don't contest

• The Labour Party (Great Britain) endorsed the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland.
• Plaid Cymru (Wales) endorsed the Green Party in England^[51] and the Scottish National Party in Scotland.
• The SNP (Scotland) endorsed the Green Party in England, and Plaid Cymru in Wales.
• The DUP and UUP (Northern Ireland) formed a unionist pact in four seats, with DUP candidates standing in Belfast East and Belfast North, and UUP candidates standing in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and Newry and Armagh.^[52]
• The 3 Green Parties in the United Kingdom, the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland, endorsed each other in their respective areas.

Endorsements for individual candidates

Danny Alexander, Liberal Democrat candidate for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey

• Hugh Grant, actor^[53]

Ed Balls, Labour Party candidate for Morley and Outwood

• PinkNews^[54]

Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat candidate for Sheffield Hallam

• The Times^[55]

Oliver Coppard, Labour Party candidate for Sheffield Hallam

• Ronnie O'Sullivan, professional snooker player^[56]

Andrew Dismore, Labour Party candidate for Hendon

• PinkNews^[54]

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat candidate for Hornsey and Wood Green

• PinkNews^[54]

Mike Freer, Conservative Party candidate for Finchley and Golders Green

• PinkNews^[54]

Andrew George, Liberal Democrat candidate for St Ives

• Brian May, Guitarist of Queen^[57]

Naomi Long, Alliance Party candidate for Belfast East

• PinkNews^[54]

Caroline Lucas, Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion

• Julia Chanteray, President of the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce^[58]
• Tom Burke, environmentalist, former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth^[59]
• Tony Juniper, activist, writer, environmentalist^[59]
• Charles Secrett, author, environmentalist broadcaster^[59]
• Russell Brand, comedian, activist^[60]
• David Attenborough, naturalist and broadcaster
• Lily Cole, model and actress
• Joanna Lumley, actress and author
• Thom Yorke, musician and songwriter; member of Radiohead
• Brian May, musician, astrophysicist and animal welfare campaigner; member of Queen
• Billy Bragg, singer-songwriter
• Rory Bremner, impressionist and satirist
• Stephen Frears, film director
• Katharine Hamnett, fashion designer
• Jeremy Irons, actor
• Diana Quick, actress
• Bianca Jagger, human rights activist
• Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs presenter
• Alistair McGowan, actor and impressionist
• Cornelia Parker, sculptor and installation artist
• Tracy Worcester, former actress and animal welfare campaigner
• Mark Constantine, founder of Lush cosmetics
• Joseph Corré, co-founder, Agent Provocateur
• John Ashton, former special representative for climate change at the Foreign Office
• Prof. Tim Jackson, sustainable development, University of Surrey
• Jane Goodall, primatologist and UN messenger of peace
• Satish Kumar, former monk and peace activist
• Jeremy Leggett, green energy entrepreneur
• Jonathon Porritt, environmentalist and broadcaster
• Chris Rapley, former director of the Science Museum and the British Antarctic Survey
• Gordon Roddick, founder of 38 Degrees and co-founder, The Big Issue and The Body Shop
• Charles Secrett, former head of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder
• Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project
• George Monbiot, journalist and author
• Michael Morpurgo, children's author, poet, playwright
• Mark Steel, writer and comedian
• Mark Thomas, comedian and journalist^[61]
• PinkNews^[54]

Maajid Nawaz, Liberal Democrat candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn

• David Aaronovitch, journalist^[62]
• Richard Dawkins, scientist and writer^[63]

Derek Wall, Green candidate for Windsor

• Democratic Union Party, Syrian Kurdish political party^[64]

Tom Watson, Labour candidate for West Bromwich East

• Hugh Grant, actor^[65]

Hywel Williams, Plaid Cymru candidate for Arfon

• Caroline Lucas, Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion^[66]

See also

• Newspaper endorsements in the United Kingdom general election, 2010
• United Kingdom general election, 2010 (Endorsements)

References

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2. Michael Bloomberg. "Let David Cameron Finish the Job". Bloomberg.
3. Guardian sport. "Sol Campbell ready 'to have a conversation' with Conservative Party". the Guardian.
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10. Jack Monroe. "I didn't leave the Labour party – it left me". the Guardian.
11. "ELECTIONS, TOURS, AND NAILING YOUR COLOURS TO THE MAST". Grace Petrie.
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49. [Support TUSC in the Local and General Elections http://www.rmtlondoncalling.org.uk/node/5536], www.rmtlondoncalling.org.uk, 16 April 2015.
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62. thetim.es/1IhiClp
63. "Endorse Maajid Nawaz". Maajid Nawaz.
64. "Press Release: Windsor General Election candidate endorsed by Syrian Political Party « Peace in Kurdistan". Peaceinkurdistancampaign.com. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
65. "Election Live – 4 May – BBC News". bbc.co.uk.
66. Williamson, David (20 April 2015). "Green icon Caroline Lucas urges Welsh supporters to support Plaid Cymru in seats where her party has no candidate". Walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2015.