The Sunday Times supports the Labor Party

The Sunday Times has endorsed the Labor Party in the upcoming general election.

An editorial in the paper said the Conservatives had “effectively lost their right to govern” and that the time was “right for Labor to be entrusted with restoring the government’s competence”.

The paper is owned by Rupert Murdoch News UK and has supported the Conservative Party in every election since 2005.

While newspaper circulations have declined, endorsements are still seen as important indicators of the breadth of a party’s appeal.

The editorial accused both Labor and the Conservatives of “avoiding meaningful debate” and not being honest with the public about the state of public finances during this election campaign.

He also praised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt for restoring stability following Liz Truss’ premiership, but added that “in the end they have not even been able to repair the damage to the electoral fortunes of the conservatives, nor to unite their disappeared colleagues”.

“Britain now needs a radical reset,” it said.

“We believe now is the right time for Labor to be entrusted with restoring government competence. Britain must do better – as a place to live, work and do business.

“The scale of the challenge is immense. Exhausted conservatives are neither up to it nor ready for it. There comes a time when change is the only option.”

The Sunday Times is part of the media empire owned by Rupert Murdoch, whose support Tony Blair’s New Labor sought before the 1997 election.

The paper stuck with the Conservatives that year, although it backed Labor in 2001, before switching back to the Conservatives in 2005.

Murdoch’s most widely read newspaper, The Sun, has yet to announce its endorsement, although in past elections the paper has often backed the winning party.

Other newspapers which have so far backed Labor include the Daily Mirror, the Guardian and the Independent, while the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph have both backed the Tories.