Labour and Conservative battle buses hit the road, but ‘lonely figure’ Sunak seems like a solo traveller

Keir Starmer launched his campaign bus on Saturday with his senior shadow cabinet members, but Tory big beasts' appeared to have deserted the PM in Redcar

We may be in an era when elections are fought with TikTok memes and Instagram reels, but one thing has stubbornly refused to give way in the digital age: the good old battle of the campaign buses. On Saturday, Rishi Sunak unveiled the Conservatives' bus that will tour the country during the 2024 election, emblazoned with the slogan: Clear plan. Bold action. Secure future."

It is - arguably - a slightly snappier version of John Major's bus in 1997, which bore the words: You can only be sure with the Conservatives."