The voters have done their bit – now for the meme makers. Labour’s general election landslide, and the Conservatives’ wipeout, is being marked across social media in the now time-honoured way.
Yes, it was a curiously serious election compared with ones past, but that doesn’t mean there was no space for levity. Here are some of the best memes from election day and its aftermath, as well as a few from the campaign.
Sunak out of office
The PoliticsJoe account on X with the obligatory Ricky Gervais meme, as the prime minister is turned into David Brent.
Rishi Sunak right about now pic.twitter.com/JNyIvYY6XO
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) July 4, 2024
Phoenix Bites
Brian Potter, the working men’s club owner played by Peter Kay in Phoenix Nights, doesn’t bother with individual farewells to deposed Tories of note.
Jonathan Gullis, Michael Fabricant, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liz Truss, Grant Shapps, Johnny Mercer, Penny Mourdant… pic.twitter.com/FFsJVAePKV
— Alfie (@alfie_t8) July 5, 2024
Mick sync: RMT boss sees off key Tories
PoliticsJoe put together footage to make it look as if the head of the RMT union was singing “another one bites the dust” to every senior Tory losing their seat. There are, inevitably, a lot of these clips, cluttering up its account as a consequence. But here’s the Jacob Rees-Mogg post.
JACOB REES-MOGG IS GONE pic.twitter.com/BiG7PtCZK8
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) July 5, 2024
They know it’s all over
Memes flew shortly after the 10pm exit poll findings, including a clip of this emotional outburst from Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016.
Tories are finally officially over #Election2024 #GeneralElection2024 pic.twitter.com/mKiV09SjKC
— Jawad (@JawadMS13) July 4, 2024
Exit poll? Don’t hold my beer
A merging of politics and football fandom just after 10pm.
Labour 410 seats, majority of 170 projected landslide. #GeneralElection2024 #exitpoll pic.twitter.com/gILyR88CtR
— Jamie Frier (@thefuffa) July 4, 2024
The full (uncle) Monty
The relentlessly quotable Withnail and I is trotted out with a tweak to one of its timeless lines.
We’ve lost over 250 seats by mistake#generalection2024 pic.twitter.com/qJE1Ryxonl
— Keri Warbis (@KeriWarbis) July 5, 2024
Starmergeddon
Sometimes a simple gif is enough to sum up what happened on Thursday.
So, er... what the hell just happened? #generalection2024 pic.twitter.com/WTVv6uhIz9
— Glen O'Hara (@gsoh31) July 5, 2024
Mixed feelings
The inability to get excited by a Keir Starmer government, despite a Conservative wipeout, has also transferred from the doorstep to the screen.
General election feels: pic.twitter.com/QdJC46yXjR
— jAy, Ph.D. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@jayrotoole) July 2, 2024
From the frying pan …
The lack of a 1997 vibe is summarised here.
UK General Election 2024, colourised.#GE24 #GeneralElection2024 pic.twitter.com/BlL5LsYAFF
— Helen Dale (not on your team, but always fair) (@_HelenDale) July 5, 2024
Labour, and Cilla Black, react to national service
Social media gives savvier members of party comms teams a chance to launch quickfire responses to policies. Here was Labour’s take on Rishi Sunak announcing the return of national service.
Sunak and sewage
The state of Britain’s sewage-filled waterways has been a symbol of the Conservative government’s failings, so the prime minister’s rain-sodden election announcement provided an unmissable opportunity for Cold War Steve.
— Cold War Steve (@coldwarsteve) May 22, 2024
End of an era
The Conservatives led the country for 14 years. Even if you’ve been following only casually in that time, it’s the end of one storyline and the beginning of a whole new one
Air taxi for Sunak?
Ryanair, which is very strong on digital bantz as well as low fares, was quick to offer Sunak its services.
don't worry @RishiSunak we've got a seat for you pic.twitter.com/5JsrTxCqlp
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) July 4, 2024
Get in the bin
The king of political meme culture, Cold War Steve, marked the moment with a bittersweet take that probably captures the mood.
— Cold War Steve (@coldwarsteve) July 5, 2024
