WORLD BRIEFING: July 4, 2024

Keir Starmer has hailed a “new age of hope and opportunity” as millions of people prepare to vote in a general election that could deliver the biggest shake-up of British politics in a generation. The Labour leader said he was “ready for government” and that his intended cabinet would “hit the ground running” if it wins Thursday’s election. With Rishi Sunak’s closest allies appearing to concede defeat for the Conservatives, and the final opinion polls predicting an unprecedented Labour victory, Starmer said he hoped Britain was about to enter a new chapter. On the last day of a fractious six-week campaign, the Guardian was told Sunak had confided to members of his inner circle that he was fearful of losing his own seat, and a new YouGov poll predicted 16 cabinet ministers would lose their seats – potentially handing Starmer the biggest majority for any single party since 1832. Speaking at a campaign stop in Scotland, which will be one of the key battlegrounds on Thursday, Starmer told his activists they were “on the final few yards towards the start of a historic day…This is a great nation, with boundless potential. The British people deserve a government that matches their ambition. Today is the chance to begin the work of rebuilding Britain with Labour.” He promised a flurry of activity should he enter No 10, saying he would push back the parliamentary recess to get his legislative programme under way. Starmer said he had told his shadow cabinet they will not be forgiven if did not show results immediately. He said he had told them: “I don’t want you having a phone call or a meeting the day after the election that you could have had six months before the election.” - The Guardian

A reporter was reprimanded by a colleague and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday for quipping that President Joe Biden might be able to address the media “if he’s awake.” The journalist’s crack came after Kelly O’Donnell, a political reporter for NBC News who also serves as the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, asked Jean-Pierre about Biden’s intention to remain in the race. “You’re saying he’s absolutely running?” O’Donnell asked. After Jean-Pierre confirmed it, O’Donnell said she “would invite the president to come here and tell us that directly”—only for an off-camera voice to interject, “If he’s awake.” Pointing over her shoulder without turning around, O’Donnell said, “That’s inappropriate.” Jean-Pierre then jumped in: “As you heard from your colleague, the president of the WHCA, that’s inappropriate.” The journalist was identified by RNC Research, an X account run by Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, as James Rosen, the right-wing channel Newsmax’s chief White House correspondent.

Vice President Kamala Harris is “the future of the Democratic Party,” the White House declared Wednesday as leading Democrats and their allies position themselves to replace President Biden as the party’s nominee if the 81-year-old president steps aside. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pronounced Harris as Biden’s political heir, at one point referring to her as “president,” when asked about his 2020 campaign remark that he would be a “transitional” candidate. “One of the reasons why he picked the vice president, President [sic] Kamala Harris, is because she is indeed the future of the party,” Jean-Pierre said at her regular briefing. - NY Post

Military officials in the Ukrainian capital say they intercepted fresh "waves" of Russian drones targeting Kyiv around dawn on July 4 that did not appear to inflict injuries or major damage, as locals in a major city hundreds of kilometers to the east mourned the dead and wounded from a third attack there in less than a week. The head of Kyiv's military administration, Serhiy Popko, said via Telegram that the drones came "from different directions" but that "not a single drone reached Kyiv itself." Explosions could be heard from the city following a 4 a.m. air alert but, Popko said, life in the city was not otherwise disrupted. Ukraine's military said it had downed 21 of 22 Russian attack drones in all over central and northern regions overnight on July 3-4. Meanwhile, the head of the military administration in the central city of Dnipro said the death toll had risen to six -- with more than 30 others injured -- from a Russian bombardment of that city early on July 3. Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov declared July 4 a day of mourning after the third attack in just five days on Dnipro, a city with a prewar population of around 1 million people. - RFE/RL