LUTON, England - Badly lagging in the race to win Britain's election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak went hunting for votes among whirling robots in a retail distribution centre on Tuesday, kicking off his first campaign stop of the day before 5 a.m. (0400 GMT).

Sunak, who has often looked exhausted as he crisscrossed the country during a six-week campaign, started the penultimate day before Thursday's vote in a vast Ocado warehouse in Luton, north of London, watching robots pick items for delivery.

He then donned a neon yellow, high-vis jacket to help staff pick avocados and other salad items at Ocado, one of Britain's most successful technology businesses. He also met with staff over a cup of tea.

The prime minister later surprised people at a motorway service station when he joined a queue in McDonald's to buy breakfast for journalists following his campaign.

Sunak shocked many in his party and the country when he called an election several months earlier than expected.

His campaign then got off to an inauspicious start when he announced the election date under a downpour in Downing Street, competing to be heard over Labour supporters blaring a pop song associated with their party's crushing 1997 election victory.

Sunak, a former investment banker, has since travelled across the country, giving speeches and attending several hustings a day. He spoke at a rally late on Monday evening and is scheduled to attend events through Tuesday and into the evening.

Despite the effort the polls have hardly budged, with Keir Starmer's opposition Labour Party holding an around 20 point lead and many voters saying they want change 14 years in power for Sunak's Conservatives.

  - Reuters