Former Conservative British prime minister Boris Johnson has lent his support to the incumbent prime minister, Rishi Sunak, on the campaign trail.

This is coming as pollsters forecast their party could “win a lower share of the vote than at any past general election.”

At a rally on Tuesday, Mr Sunak hailed the “Conservative family united” after an appearance by his predecessor Mr Johnson and claimed just 130,000 voters could help stem his party’s predicted losses.

He made his speech after Survation pollsters found Labour is on course to win more seats than it did in 1997.

But Labour leader Keir Starmer had previously brushed off claims his party is on for a landslide and said: “Every single vote has to be earned.”

Speaking at the rally, held at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London, Mr Sunak said, “Isn’t it great to have our Conservative family united, my friends?”

Mr Sunak added, “Now, it suits lots of people to say that the result of this election is a foregone conclusion but I know that it is not. Just 130,000 people switching their vote, giving us their support, is what it will take to deny Labour that supermajority they want. Every single vote matters.”

Mr Johnson earlier addressed the crowd of Conservative Party supporters, telling them Mr Starmer would try to “usher in the most left-wing Labour government since the war.”

Making a reference to “other parties” allegedly “full of Kremlin crawlers,” Mr Johnson said, “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,” referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and former hard-left Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He added, “Everybody if you actually want higher taxes next week, this year, if you feel you’ve got a few thousand to spare, then vote Labour on Thursday.

Mr Johnson’s appearance was at one of the Conservative Party’s final campaign events before polling stations open their doors to voters between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (0600-2100 GMT) on Thursday.

(dpa/NAN)