Why the i paper won’t be endorsing anyone in 2024

It’s never “the i wot won it”.

Only one national newspaper has never supported a political party. That’s why i readers trust us to tell it straight.

Don’t just take my word for it. Earlier this month, Press Gazette analysis showed that i has the most balanced front pages of any national newspaper.

The Telegraph and the Express are most pro-Tory. Unsurprisingly, The Guardian and the Mirror show the biggest Labour bias.

i is unique among British national newspapers in refusing to endorse a party. In an age of “post-truth” politics, when lying has become a competitive sport, we promise honest, impartial reporting. That’s because a healthy democracy relies on the media keeping politicians in check.

Eight million readers expect the i newspaper to hold our leaders to account – whether that’s on the state of the economy, the future of our public services, or national scandals like the sewage illegally dumped in our rivers.

Our job is to give you politics without the spin, expert reporting you can trust, and a real diversity of opinions – so you can make up your own mind.

We made that promise when i launched in 2010 and we’ve kept it ever since, including 2014 (Scottish independence vote), 2015, 2016 (Brexit vote), 2017, 2019, and once again today.

We have only been able to do this because of your support.

No one gets an easy ride. Not the Tories, Labour or Nigel Farage. We are funded by readers, so we are free to investigate anyone we like. We are not in the pocket of any media owner or special interest, so we can tell you what’s really going on. That’s why we have one of the highest trust ratings in UK media.

You know which way other media skew. The Telegraph and Express will endorse the Tories, and the Mail remains sceptical of Keir Starmer. The Guardian and Mirror are guns blazing for Labour. Rupert Murdoch’s titles, The Sun and The Times, are expected to reluctantly back Starmer. Even the Financial Times shows its colours, supporting Kinnock in 1992, Blair in 1997, the Tories in 2010, a second Coalition in 2015 and Theresa May in 2017.

Whoever wins on 4 July, you can be sure that the i paper will hold them to account, without fear or favour.

At i, we also campaign to improve life for people around Britain – inspiring readers to make a difference. During the cost of living crunch you donated £500,000 to buy 1.5 million meals for school breakfast clubs, for hungry children who were trying to learn on an empty stomach. i readers recently gave £275,000 to help children in care. The money raised went towards initiatives like employment coaching and help with university applications, life-changing stuff.

And of course, we don’t only cover UK politics. Our reporting on science, health, education and the environment has the same principles of honesty and accuracy. Our personal finance team offers practical money advice – and our money reporters have won back thousands of pounds for readers.

We have teams in Germany for the Euros, at Glastonbury, at Wimbledon, in Paris for the Olympics – and in America to find out whether Donald Trump is going to prison or the White House. Everywhere our journalists go, we try to bring you the story behind the headlines. The deep insight that you won’t find on free news apps.

This election, join 8 million readers who support intelligent, impartial journalism – at only £1 for a month.

Thank you to all of our readers.

Election 2024

The general election campaign is almost at an end as polling day looms on 4 July. Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and other party leaders have battled to win votes over six weeks, and i‘s election live blog has covered it from the first moment.

Every party’s manifesto is out, with Tories, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK sharing why they should get your vote. Read i‘s manifesto comparison on each of the main party’s pledges on issues such as NHS, education, defence, devolution, tax, spending, HS2 and housing.

You can read the polls, check which constituencies could be deciders, ensure you’re informed about who to vote for, and make sure you’re weather-ready before you head to your polling station on Thursday.