General election latest: Diane Abbott given Labour whip back 'but banned from standing' (2024)

• Nigel Farage said he would have the Royal Marines send small boats back to France if the country “won’t play ball”.
• Sir Ed Davey fell into Lake Windermere five times while paddle boarding with fellow Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, to raise awareness of sewage spills.
• Greater Manchester Police announced that it will take no further action against Angela Rayner over her living arrangements.
• Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have agreed to take part in a head-to-head debate on ITV next week.
• The Prime Minister and Boris Johnson are back in touch after the pair fell out over Partygate.
• One new poll put the Tories just 12 points behind Labour after the general election was called, but they were lagging 20 points behind in others.
• The Labour Party restored the whip to Diane Abbott, but it is reported she will not be allowed to stand as a candidate at the next election

  Our politics team will be bringing you more live updates from 7am tomorrow.

To restore the Labour Party whip to Diane Abbott “only to block” her from standing at the next election would be “outrageous”, Momentum have said.

The grassroots group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn issued a statement in response to reports that the MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington would not be allowed to stand again for the party.

Momentum said on X, formerly Twitter: “Restoring the whip only to block Diane would be outrageous.

“She has had the whip restored. Her local party reselected her unanimously. That should be the end of it.

“Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example.”

Forcing 18-year-olds to take part in military or community service while giving tax breaks to the oldest was unlikely to heal generational divides – but that might not have been the Conservatives’ aim.

The party’s first two major policy announcements both have one thing in common – they are hated by young adults but loved by the over-65s. It is the latter who the Tories have seemingly decided they need to win over in this election.

Read more from Ben Butcher, The Telegraph’s Data Editor, here

Reform UK is “the real opposition to the Labour Party in the North of England”, Richard Tice has said.

The Reform leader addressed a campaign event in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, this evening.

Mr Tice wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after the event: “Spreading the [Reform UK] message at a packed out event tonight in Barnsley.

“Reform UK are the real opposition to the Labour Party in the North of England.

“VOTE Reform, GET Reform,” he added, in an apparent response to Conservative Party politicians who claim that voting for Reform is a vote for Labour.

More people support the Conservatives’ proposal for a compulsory national service than oppose it, a new poll has found.

On Saturday, Rishi Sunak vowed to bring in a new scheme forcing school leavers to complete a 12-month military placement or spend one weekend each month volunteering in their community.

YouGov has found that 47 per cent of adults support the policy, and 45 per cent oppose it.

The polling also found that the proposal was most popular among those over the age of 65, and least popular among 18 to 24-year-olds to whom the policy would apply.

Sir Keir Starmer has ‘serious questions to answer’ over the investigation into Diane Abbott, the Conservative Party chairman has said.

Richard Holden accused the Labour leader of “lying to the British people” over the handling of Ms Abbott’s case.

“On Friday Sir Keir Starmer said that the investigation into Diane Abbott’s conduct was ongoing and ‘not resolved’.

“Now we find out the investigation into Diane Abbott concluded five months ago and Labour have already given her a formal warning. It’s inconceivable Starmer wasn’t told the NEC process had finished and a warning issued.

“No ifs, no buts, Keir Starmer has been lying to the British people and has serious questions to answer.”

Sir Keir Starmer has called for closer ties with the European Union on education, defence and security.

The Labour leader said there was “no case” for rejoining the EU and that the result of the 2016 Brexit vote should stand.

But Sir Keir, who as the shadow Brexit secretary campaigned for a second referendum, said there was “huge scope” for closer work with the bloc on defence, security, education and trade.

Read more on this story here

The letter from 120 business figures backing the Labour Party has “unravelled”, Kemi Badenoch has said.

Published in the Times on Tuesday, the letter from dozens of chief executives and former business leaders said that Labour has changed and “wants to work with business” on long term growth.

The Business Secretary claimed that the signatories were “mainly former business people, lobbyists and, in some cases, bosses of now dormant companies”.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Badenoch said: “The letter supposedly showing support from business has unravelled less than 24 hrs later.

“Signed mainly by *former* business people, lobbyists and, in some cases, bosses of now dormant companies!”

She added: “The signatories claim Labour will bring change. Yes, they will…change for the WORSE!”

Labour would hit the elderly with a “retirement tax”, the Tories have claimed, after Rachel Reeves refused to match their plan to keep the state pension tax-free, Nick Gutteridge reports.

Laura Trott, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said Labour’s stance would mean thousands of retirees being dragged into paying income tax from 2027.

Her remarks came after Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, attacked the Tory pension pledge as a “gimmick” and insisted she would not make unfunded spending commitments.

Read more from The Telegraph’s Chief Political Correspondent here

Whoever is responsible for treatment of Diane Abbott through Labour’s disciplinary process “should hang their head in shame,” Tony Blair’s former director of communications has said.

John McTernan said Ms Abbott reportedly not being allowed to stand as a party candidate at the election, according to The Times, was “no way for a distinguished political career to end”.

He told Times Radio: “It’s not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott’s record from standing for the Labour Party if that’s what she wishes to do.

“I can understand if Diane wants to have the whip restored to her and choose to stand down herself. But this kind of briefing, it’s aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful. It’s just utterly disgraceful.”

He added: “So it’s a process designed just to drag things out and to humiliate Diane Abbott and that is no way for a distinguished political career to end and whoever is responsible for this should hang their head in shame.”

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have agreed to take part in a head-to-head debate on ITV next week, The Telegraph understands.

The Tory and Labour leaders have signed up in principle to the event, with specifics being finalised before an announcement is made.

It comes after the Tories pressed Sir Keir to take part in a record six debates – one a week – during the election campaign. Labour headquarters has indicated instead that Sir Keir will take part in two, matching what Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn did in 2019.

Read more from The Telegraph’s Political Editor here

Angela Rayner has said that the public have “had enough of these desperate tactics” from the Conservatives, following the news that Greater Manchester Police are taking no further action against her.

In a statement, the Labour deputy leader said: “I welcome the conclusion of the police investigation, and confirmation that no further action will be taken.

“We have seen the Conservative Party use this playbook before – reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their dire record.

“The public have had enough of these desperate tactics from a Tory government with nothing else to say after 14 years of failure.

“I am grateful to all those who have stood by and supported me and my family.

“My focus now is squarely on securing the change Britain needs, with the election of a Labour government.”

The Conservatives have said that Angela Rayner “still hasn’t provided an explanation” about her living arrangements, following the news that Greater Manchester Police are taking no further action against her.

They called on Sir Keir Starmer to publish Ms Rayner’s tax advice on Ms Rayner.

A spokesman for the party said: “Greater Manchester Police have said they’ve passed the findings of their investigation into Angela Rayner to HMRC who do not comment on their tax probes.

“As the tax expert and Labour Party member Dan Neidle has said, Rayner still hasn’t provided an explanation. Sir Keir Starmer could easily clear this up by simply reading and then publishing the tax advice Labour claims will exonerate his under-fire Deputy.”

The Tories are just 12 points behind Labour, according to a new poll.

Labour’s lead has narrowed by three points since Rishi Sunak called the general election.

The lead has dropped from 15 points in early May and 18 points in April, JL Partners for The Rest is Politics has revealed.

But other polls released today have the Tories at over 20 points behind, including pollsters Survation and Redfield & Wilton Strategies both putting Labour 23 points ahead.

Labour has held a commanding lead over the Conservatives since Liz Truss’ time in No10 in September and October of 2022.

But the results out today raise the question about how significant the Labour lead remains.

It comes after the Tories have unveiled two significant new policies over the last few days, including bringing back a form of national service for 18-year-olds, and the “triple lock plus” for the state pension.

Sir Keir Starmer has said that Angela Rayner has been “vindicated”, after Greater Manchester Police confirmed that they were not taking any further action against the Labour deputy leader regarding her living arrangements.

Police had been investigating whether Ms Rayner wrongly declared her permanent address on the electoral roll, which is a criminal offence. The question of where she was living is crucial to determining whether she owed any tax, and if she committed electoral fraud.

The Labour leader told reporters during a campaign visit to Stevenage: “I’m obviously pleased that they’ve come to a conclusion.

“I never doubted that Angela hadn’t done anything wrong and now she’s been cleared by the police.

“And that means that Angela can be campaigning with us. This is an important moment for the country. This is an election that is all about change, turning our back on 14 years of chaos and division, turning the page and rebuilding our country with Labour.

“So I’m really pleased that Angela has been vindicated. I always had confidence in her.

“And now even more than ever, we are out there on the campaign trail, enjoying taking our argument to the country.”

Rishi Sunak has revealed how he unwinds on the general election campaign trail – by listening to country music and watching Yellowstone, India McTaggart reports.

The Prime Minister has been touring the country since he announced the July 4 snap poll last week in the pouring rain and to the tune of the New Labour anthem, Things Can Only Get Better, which was played by protesters.

Speaking to The Daily T podcast on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said that in the run-up to the announcement, he has been watching the hit US drama Yellowstone, about family and political drama on a ranch, to unwind.

Rishi Sunak has refused to go head-to-head with Nigel Farage in a television debate on immigration.

The Prime Minister spoke out after Farage, the honorary president of Reform, said that a refusal to join a debate with him would prove Sunak ‘can’t stop the boats’.

During an election special appearance on The Daily T podcast, the Prime Minister told hosts Kamal Ahmed and Camilla Tominey: “I’ve got huge respect for him. But at the end of the day, there’s only going to be two people who are going to be Prime Minister after this election. It’s Keir Starmer or me, and it’s him and me who should be having these debates.

“I’ve set out my plan for the country, and you’ll hear more of it over the coming weeks. Keir Starmer should be willing to debate me in front of the British people so they can compare who has got the clearest plan, who’s prepared to take bold action and who’s more likely to deliver a secure future for them”.

Listen to the Daily T podcast here

Sir Keir Starmer was challenged about the lack of preparedness of Britain’s infrastructure for electric vehicles.

“We have got to make the transition to renewables. We have to do that, we have a duty in relation to net zero, but more importantly or equally importantly to that, renewables, whether that’s hydrogen, nuclear is part of our plan, whether it’s onshore or offshore wind, there’s incredible engineering that is taking place...

“There is a race on in the world for the next generation of jobs in renewables and that race, European countries are out in that race, the US is out in that race and Rishi Sunak’s in the changing room.

“If you think about the next generation that come after you, it’s their jobs they’re talking about, the secure jobs of the future. I’m convinced we can do that here.”

Sir Keir added: “The grid is a big problem because it’s taking far too long. If you want to build a wind farm it takes you two years. It’d take you 13 years under this government to get any power out of it... We’ve got to take the tough decisions to cut through that. Planning rules have to change, the grid has to change and at pace. But what we can’t do is simply push the date back.”

Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were asked about freedom of movement with Europe.

Sir Keir said: “Obviously we had freedom of movement when we were a member of the EU, we haven’t got it anymore and we’re not going back.

“There is no case for saying we’ll go back into the EU, we had that referendum back in 2016, we got an outcome for it.”

The Labour leader, who campaigned for a second referendum as shadow Brexit secretary, said there was “huge scope” for closer work with the European Union on defence, security, education and trade.

“We’ve got to take that on, a closer relationship I think not just in trade but also I think in defence, I think there’s huge scope for closer work on defence and security, and also education, by the way, I think we could do a lot closer work on.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The police have now completed their investigation into claims made by the Conservative Party deputy chairman and have concluded that no further action will be taken. Angela cooperated fully with the police investigation throughout.

“Angela has always been clear that she was not liable for capital gains tax on the sale of the home she owned before she was an MP, that she was properly registered to vote, and paid the appropriate council tax. She took expert tax and legal advice which confirms this.

“This draws a line under the matter.”

Rishi Sunak has denied criticism he is a “wet” Tory and insisted that he is a “Thatcherite” following criticism that the Prime Minister is too much of a moderate to appeal to disgruntled Tories who are considering voting for Reform.

Speaking to Camilla Tominey and Kamal Ahmed on The Daily T podcast in his first major interview of the election campaign, he said: “It doesn’t anger me. I mean, it puzzles me. It actually puzzles most of my closest friends in politics. Because when we all arrived in 2015 and we were getting to know each other, I think most of my colleagues and friends who know me politically would tell you, yes, definitely [he’s a Thatcherite].

“One of my proudest moments actually in this job was to have, in your paper, the endorsem*nt of Nigel Lawson when I ran to be leader of our party. Nigel Lawson is one of the titans of Conservative politics, particularly as a chancellor. I’ve always been an enormous admirer of his.

“I believe my approach to economics is squarely Thatcherite: control inflation first, get borrowing under control and then cut taxes. That’s what he did and she did. That’s what I said I would do, and that’s what we’re now delivering.”

Listen to the Daily T podcast here

On Rishi Sunak’s welfare reforms, Sir Keir Starmer said: “On the question of bypassing GPs, I think he’s going down the wrong track. I think there are positive, sensible things we can do to help people.”

He argued there had been “too much self-entitlement” in recent years and said he wanted to “run a Government of service”.

The Labour leader repeated his attack on the national service policy, accusing the Tories of “rummaging around in the toybox”.

Sir Keir said the high churn of Government ministers had been “politically funny” but “really bad for the country” and “really bad for investment”.

Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were asked if they would take a “long, hard look” at failing procurement schemes.

Sir Keir said: “On procurement, I think we can do a lot better... There is too much waste, it’s too slow and we don’t always get value for money. That is something Rachel will bear down on. Just try getting money out of Rachel in a hurry.

“Rachel understands that taxpayers’ money is taxpayers’ money and therefore you should look after it as carefully as you look after your own money. With your own finances you don’t waste money on things that aren’t value for money, nobody does that, and it shouldn’t be any different.”

Ms Reeves added: “One of the things that has angered me most in this Parliament is the billions and billions of pounds handed out during the pandemic to companies that didn’t deliver on the contracts. I bet that when you sign a contract, if you don’t get what you put in that contract, you do everything in your power to get your money back. And that is what governments should be doing for contracts that didn’t deliver in the pandemic.

“We need to look from the bottom up at everything government spends money on and make sure as Keir says we treat public money with respect and get value for money for it.”

Sir Keir Starmer said ahead of his question-and-answer session at Airbus that the upcoming general election was “a big moment... your choice really, really matters that day”.

“The choice is pretty straightforward. We’ve had 14 years now of this Government and there’s been a lot of chaos, a lot of division and lots of things don’t work as well now as they did 14 years ago.

“In my book of politics if you leave the country worse than the way you found it, then you shouldn’t be given another five years and the country should have the chance to say, sorry, let’s stop that chaos, let’s turn the page and let’s rebuild our country with a Labour government.”

Rishi Sunak has revealed he is back in touch with Boris Johnson after the pair fell out over the Partygate scandal.

The Prime Minister and his predecessor had been on bad terms after Sunak resigned as Chancellor in July 2022, prompting Johnson’s resignation.

During an election special appearance on The Daily T podcast, the Prime Minister told hosts Kamal Ahmed and Camilla Tominey: “I’m very proud of the things we [Boris Johnson and I] did together.

Asked whether Johnson would be on the campaign trail with him, the PM answered: “That’s a question for him. He’s a busy guy as well, but we were in touch literally just the other day, actually, about the risk that Starmer poses to the country’s security and the damage he would do.”

Listen to the Daily T podcast here

Rishi Sunak has said he will auction his soggy election announcement suit for charity.

The dark suit was drenched when he stood outside Downing Street in the pouring rain on May 22 to announce the country would go to the polls on July 4th.

Speaking to Camilla Tominey and Kamal Ahmed on Daily T podcast in his first major interview of the election campaign, the Prime Minister admitted: “I took it off that evening and I haven’t seen it since. I hung it up. I think it’s just about survived, but I’ll be totally honest, I don’t know. So it does need some attention.”

Insisting that his umbrella-free speech gave weather-obsessed Brits “an opportunity to talk about the weather for a whole other day,” he suggested it should be auctioned off.

“Maybe we can auction that suit for charity now. That will hopefully do some good.”

Listen to the Daily T podcast here

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Following allegations about Angela Rayner MP, Greater Manchester Police has completed a thorough, carefully considered and proportionate investigation. We have concluded that no further police action will be taken.

“The investigation originated from complaints made by Mr James Daly MP directly to GMP. Subsequent further contact with GMP by members of the public, and claims made by individuals featured in media reporting, indicated a strong public interest in the need for allegations to be investigated.

“Matters involving council tax and personal tax do not fall into the jurisdiction of policing. GMP has liaised with Stockport Council and information about our investigation has been shared with them. Details of our investigation have also been shared with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).”

A Government minister has said colleagues have to be honest with themselves if they are “not working hard enough” after Tory bosses accused their own MPs of failing to pull their weight on the campaign trail. My colleague Amy Gibbons writes:

A leaked memo, which was accidentally sent to some MPs as an attachment to a general campaign email, sparked outrage by naming and shaming those who were refusing to knock on doors or had taken time off to attend family events.

Mims Davies, the minister for disabled people, health and work, dismissed the leak as a “distraction” and a Westminster “bubble story”, but said “of course, we always have to be honest with ourselves if we’re not working hard enough”.

Asked if she could understand why some MPs might feel angry, she told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme: “Of course in reality we all set our own campaign plans out. We all have different challenges. I’m a single parent, [there are] always different ways that you will be working with your team. And of course, we always have to be honest with ourselves if we’re not working hard enough.

“Look, this is a distraction. It feels like a bubble story for people in the Westminster bubble. For most people, they’ll see their candidates out knocking doors, rain or shine, like I have been - I’ve already burnt my head on Saturday and done my legs in yesterday. That’s what campaigning’s about. We fight for every single vote.

“And these messages, whether it’s around National Service or the triple lock plus, are really cutting through, and that’s what our candidates will be out doing rain or shine.”

Angela Raynerhas been filmed promising that Labour will do everything in its power to end the suffering in Gaza, as the party tries to win back the Muslim vote, my colleague Amy Gibbons reports.

In a video circulating on social media, the deputy Labour leader could be seen pleading for the support of voters who may be frustrated with the party’s stance on the war with Israel:

Labour’s official X account has had a dig at Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland Office minister, who is currently campaigning from Greece.

Mr Baker has defended his decision to still go on his planned holiday, saying: “The Prime Minister told everyone we could go on holiday and then called a snap election. So I’ve chosen to do my campaign work in Greece.”

But ahead of the winner taking it all on July 4, the official opposition could not resist a gag about the Mamma Mia! films, which were filmed on the island of Skopelos:

Sir Keir Starmer has said that he will work “hand in glove” with Sadiq Khan if he gets elected as prime minister, Genevieve Holl-Allen reports.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, the Labour leader pledged to work with the recently re-elected Labour Mayor of London to build more houses “at speed” and ease the pressure on the rental market.

Sir Keir said: “One of the important things if there is an incoming Labour government is that we will have a London mayor and a Labour government working hand in glove...instead of what you have had in recent years which is the national government picking a fight with the mayor of London.

“There will be an end to that. We will work together and be able to build more houses as a result at speed.

“That will have an impact on the rented sector which is acutely pressurised in terms of the rents that people are paying.”

Whenever presenters on the BBC seemingly reveal their bias, people talk about “the mask slipping”, writes Patrick O’Flynn.

So it is today in the case of the BBC News Channel presenter Geeta Guru-Murthy. She commented as follows after the channel cut away from a Nigel Farage election press conference and back to the studio: “Nigel Farage with his…um…customary inflammatory language there.”

Yet since the bias exhibited in such episodes is almost invariably in favour of a Left-wing world view, it is odd that we talk about it being masked at all.

Rather, it is almost always in plain sight if you bother looking out for it, but usually confines itself to phrases that indirectly imply that one view is to be favoured over another. Every now and then, however, the quiet part that underpins it all gets said out loud and a rumpus ensues.

Patrick O’Flynn: There is a systematic bias at the BBC

The BBC has announced that Clive Myrie and Laura Kuenssberg will lead its election night coverage next month.

They replace Huw Edwards, who anchored the broadcaster’s election night coverage in 2019 and took over from David Dimbleby, who had filled the role since 1979.

Kuenssberg, who hosts a weekly Sunday morning politics programme, and Myrie, the Mastermind presenter and BBC newsreader, will also be joined by Chris Mason, the BBC’s political editor.

It is the first time that a duo has been chosen to front the BBC election night coverage.

Genevieve Holl-Allen has the story

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of lying after it emerged that the investigation into Diane Abbott was completed last year.

The Labour leader stripped the whip from the east London MP, who was in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, in April 2023 after suggesting Jewish people did not experience racism “all their lives”.

Her comments came against a backdrop of historical claims of anti-Semitism in the party - a problem Sir Keir has been keen to stamp out since taking the reins as leader.

When asked whether she will be readmitted into the party, Sir Keir has repeatedly insisted that the matter is being dealt with by an independent process which has nothing to do with him.

Read the full story here

Labour’s planned tax raid on private education faces being challenged in the courts if Sir Keir Starmer wins the general election.

Richard Tice, the leader of Reform, is assembling a team of lawyers and KCs to fight the “discriminatory” policy, which would apply VAT on independent school fees, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents more than 1,300 schools in the UK, is also understood to be taking legal advice and is considering whether to launch a challenge of its own.

Sources at the ISC said the organisation was looking at “all options” and had been in contact with legal professionals about launching a prospective court case if Sir Keir were to become prime minister.

Read the full story here

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have agreed to take part in a head-to-head debate on ITV next week, writes Ben Riley-Smith, The Telegraph’s Political Editor.

Both the Tory and Labour leaders have signed up in principle to the event, with specifics being ironed out before an announcement in the near future.

It comes after the Tories pressed Sir Keir to take part in a record six debates during the election campaign, one a week.

Labour headquarters has indicated instead that their leader will take part in two head-to-head debates, matching what Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn did in the 2019 election campaign.

Conservative sources had dubbed the Opposition leader “the knight that won’t fight” and “Sir Fear Starmer” after he failed to sign up to their weekly debate demand.

The event is a coup for ITV which is now expected to be the first broadcaster to announce a debate between the two men best placed to be prime minister once the voting is done.

Rishi Sunak’s plan for national service may have caught his own party by surprise, but it has been months in the making and is far from a shot in the dark, party insiders insist.

Tory strategists first started canvassing the public about it in January, and became convinced it was the sort of idea that would win back voters drifting towards Reform UK.

Unsurprisingly, it was a hit with older generations who have fond memories of post-war conscription, but it also appealed to one of the broadest groups of all: parents.

Feedback from focus groups showed that a modern-day version of national service was a hit with parents who worry that their teenagers are unprepared for the world that awaits them and “think they are all going to make a living as TikTokers”, one party source said.

Gordon Rayner has the inside story

Rishi Sunak may not be a good enough campaigner to narrow Labour’s 20-point lead, a polling expert has warned.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, told the Sun’s web series Never Mind the Ballots: “The polls haven’t moved in 18 months. There’s this assumption that they’re now going to start moving as soon as the election campaign is called.

“But I think what we’ve seen so far in the race is that Rishi Sunak isn’t a great campaigner, frankly. And I think that there’s still this assumption that if the polls move, they will move in one direction, i.e. they will narrow. I don’t think that’s a given at this point.

“I think that Labour have to have an incredibly safe campaign. And I think it doesn’t benefit them to go all guns blazing on policy.”

Rachel Reeves has failed to declare herself a “socialist” in what represents an apparent split with Sir Keir Starmer.

The shadow chancellor, considered to be among Labour’s most centrist MPs, said she considers herself to be a “social democrat” instead.

She also said that people should not “fixate on labels” and instead look at the party’s plans to boost equal opportunities for working people.

Her remarks, following a speech to business leaders at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby, came after Sir Keir said on Monday he described himself as a socialist.

Nick Gutteridge, our Chief Political Correspondent, has the story

The BBC has apologised to Nigel Farage over an impartiality breach after accusing him of using“customary inflammatory language”.

Geeta Guru-Murthy made the remark as the channel cut away from the honorary Reform president’s press conference about migration in Dover.

Two hours later, Ms Guru-Murthy told viewers: “Now, an apology. Earlier today we heard live from Nigel Farage, speaking at that election event we just saw.

“When we came away from his live speech, I used language to describe it which didn’t meet the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality. I’d like to apologise to Mr Farage and viewers for this.”

After calling for an apology from Ms Guru-Murthy in the wake of the remarks, Mr Farage told The Telegraph: “Victory.”

You’d have thought the Tories would be keen to forget the infamous moment Rishi Sunak got drenched on the steps of Downing Street to the tune of the Labour anthem “Things Can Only Get Better”, writes Amy Gibbons.

But it seems Jeremy Hunt has seen the funny side. On a rather soggy day on the campaign trail, the Chancellor posted a picture of him soaking wet in a raincoat with the caption: “Je suis Rishi.”

The resemblance is uncanny. Except, that is, for the fact Mr Hunt was shielded from the elements by his coat, while Mr Sunak was widely ridiculed for braving the rain without an umbrella.

If things can only get wetter, the Chancellor’s come prepared.

Andy Street, the former Tory mayor of the West Midlands, has ruled out running as an MP in a blow to Rishi Sunak’s hopes of attracting high-profile candidates to fill vacant seats.

Mr Street lost the mayoralty at the start of this month after losing to Labour’s Richard Parker by just 1,508 votes.

The Conservatives were said to have needed to fill more than 150 seats at the start of this week amid a record exodus of Tory MPs. There had been speculation Mr Street would run for Parliament and last weekend, his spokesman said he was “considering” his options.

But on Monday night, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Street said: “I have always said that I never wanted to go into Westminster and that the job as mayor of the West Midlands was the right political role for me.

“Ultimately, I have decided against it. Being an MP is a job of great importance, but it has just never been for me.”

Read the full story here

The Starmer strategy is working with brutal efficiency, not just in this corner of Yorkshire but across the country, writes Ben Riley-Smith, our Political Editor.

It has taken the Labour Party from a crushing defeat at the hands of Boris Johnson in 2019 to the cusp of Number 10. Barring Rishi Sunak pulling off what he himself has dubbed the “greatest comeback in political history”, Sir Keir Starmer will be the next prime minister. But what would he do with power?

Over the last two months, The Telegraph has been given access to the Labour leader and his inner circle to try to answer that question. Away from simple policy slogans, where do Sir Keir’s instincts really lie? What type of leader is he? What motivates him? And what about when the cameras are switched off?

After Mr Sunak’s shock general election announcement on Wednesday, time is running out to understand the man who may well be leading the country in just under six weeks.

You can read the full piece here

Rishi Sunak was asked by a former member of the Irish Guards whether he had a plan to look after people when they leave the Armed Forces, writes Neil Johnston.

“I believe for people who work hard all their lives we need to make sure that they have the dignity they deserve.”

He said his new plan for pensions would support this and that Britain was the “best country in the world” to be a veteran.

Rishi Sunak was asked by audience member Dawn about national service.

She said she had two sons “who would definitely have benefited from this”, asking whether the scheme could be broadened to cover ex-prisoners.

“I’m really excited about this,” Mr Sunak said. “I have two young girls, they’re a bit younger than your boys, 11 and 13... I’ve been talking to a lot of people about what we can do to really transform our country.”

Mr Sunak said national service would provide people with “transformative” skills and opportunities. He said people asking about extending it to different groups was a good sign about support for the policy.

Rishi Sunak was asked by an audience member about a skills gap and what he would do to the education system to fill those gaps, writes Neil Johnston.

“I’ve been going on for a while now about the need for our society to prioritise maths,” he said explaining that this would help industries like engineering.

He said he had created a new bursary for teachers who taught STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, insisting Labour was clinging to the idea that the “only way to succeed in life is to go to university”.

Mr Sunak said Britons were living in a more uncertain time than we had in decades and said this “called for a bold plan”, writes Neil Johnson, adding: “That’s what you will get with us.”

He said he had a bold plan to deal with the boats and “across Europe the penny has dropped that our approach is the right approach”.

“Everyone else is realising that. One person doesn’t, that is Keir Starmer,” he added, claiming Labour would turn the UK into a “magnet” for illegal migration.

Speaking in Stoke-on-Trent, Rishi Sunak said that the last few years had been “tough” but “I had your back”, writes Neil Johnston.

He said inflation was down, wages were rising and the economy was growing.

“We really have turned a corner and I hope you can see the plan is working,” he said.

Addressing an audience at the headquarters of Churchill China, the pottery manufacturer, the Prime Minister said that Brexit Britain was now the fourth-largest exporter in the world.

Sir Ed Davey has declined to put a ceiling on the Liberal Democrats’ ambitions in the general election, writes Tim Sigsworth.

Speaking from his paddle board on a campaign visit to Lake Windermere, the Lib Dem leader said: “Earlier this month, we pushed the Tories into third place [in terms of total number of local councillors] and so there is lots of evidence that those sort of lifelong Tories are switching and coming our way.

“They’re absolutely disgusted with the Tories. They can’t believe their incompetence and probably their dishonesty and lack of integrity. So that’s why we’re getting so many votes from the Tories.”

Asked how many MPs his party would win, he said: “You know we never put a number on it. I’ll tell you what we are doing, we are seeing some fantastic responses so I don’t want to put a ceiling on our ambitions.”

Rishi Sunak is being urged to include the return of grammar schools in the Tory manifesto as senior figures in his party argued it would be “wrong” to keep the ban.

Nadhim Zahawi, a former education secretary who is standing down as an MP at the election on July 4, led calls for the Prime Minister to lift the current ban on new free schools being selective.

Mr Sunak said “yes” when asked whether he supported the return of grammar schools at a hustings event in the 2022 Tory leadership campaign, insisting on the need to “reform the [education] system to get better outcomes”.

But his team later clarified that his comment had been about expanding existing institutions.

He later decided to keep the ban on new grammar schools once in office, to the disappointment of Tory backbenchers.

Read the full story here

Sir Ed Davey and Tim Farron have been joined by Mr Farron’s daughter, Gracie, reports Tim Sigsworth, as Sir Ed and Mr Farron visit the lake to highlight sewage issues in Britain’s waterways.

Mr Farron has fallen into the water once, whereas Sir Ed has lost his balance and taken a tumble into the lake no fewer than five times.

Rachel Reeves has effectively ruled out a snap Budget if Labour wins, writes Ben Riley-Smith, our Political Editor.

After repeated pressing just now, she said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) needs 10 weeks before a Budget.

So that means September at the earliest.

“If 3,800 boats and 125,000 boats isn’t a sort of slow motion D-Day in reverse, I don’t know what is,” Nigel Farage said.

“But if you don’t like the term, fine, but I predicted an invasion and I think we’ve seen one.

“Sometimes in politics and national debate you’ve got to use words that make people stop and think. All that I’ve ever tried to do is on Europe or this subject or debanking or whatever it is, the thing I’ve been good at is to get people to debate things and to make their own minds up.”

Nigel Farage said the world was “a much better, safer place with Donald Trump in the White House than it has been with Joe Biden”.

“I wouldn’t become an official Trump adviser if he was elected. Unofficially... look, he’s a friend of mine. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pro-British president in the White House rather than one who absolutely loathes us?”

Asked what he meant by British values, Mr Farage replied: “If you see the victory celebrations for the local councillors from Burnley to Bradford to elsewhere, no women. This is a new form... The idea that I’m saying this is all British Muslims is absolute nonsense.

“I think the most concerned group, the most worried group, about what’s going on with this new form of sectarianism is British Muslims who are working, paying their taxes, wanting their kids to do well. It’s them that are perhaps going to be the worst affected by this if this current unpleasant trend continues.

“Of course there are social conservatives, but perhaps not quite to the same degree... When 23 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds say they support the concept of jihad, I put it to you that that’s not exactly a British value. It’s obvious to everyone that since Oct 7 there has been increased radicalisation in this country. I never thought I’d speak to some friends who’ve got a Jewish girl at a British university...

“She’s getting real abuse to the point of ‘do I really want to be part of this?’ So I think there are some pretty disturbing trends. I’m very concerned about sectarian politics. We saw it in Northern Ireland, we’re starting to see it here.”

Asked if he cared more about electing Donald Trump in America or the Reform Party in the UK, Nigel Farage said: “I stood for Ukip many, many times which was a pressure group, and if we saved our deposit that was enough for an all-night party.

“I’ve only stood once for Parliament seriously and what happened? Third-party campaign groups spent unbelievable sums of money putting negativity through people’s doors, the likes of which you can’t believe.

“The Conservatives cheated to such an extent that one of the agents got a nine-month prison sentence for such overspending... For me to win any constituency I’m going to need a lot of time and a lot of data. But I’m very, very happy to support the campaign.”

Asked why he thought he could get a better deal with France, Nigel Farage replied: “One thing I think the French will respect is firmness and I don’t think we’ve had very much of that.

“The escorting by the French navy is aiding and abetting criminal trafficking and if the French won’t cooperate, well, we may have to use the Royal Marines and send some people back to the beaches of France.

“I hope it never gets to that but it may have to come to that. We’ve given them a vast sum of money, it is not working, and the French navy should not be doing what it’s doing.”

He added: “Not a declaration of war, we don’t intend to have that... We have to persuade the French that what their navy is doing is absolutely plain wrong.”

Nigel Farage said the Conservatives were “absolutely hopeless” on the small boats crisis.

“They’re going to lose anyway. Quite honestly I don’t think, whether it’s the Channel, whether it’s legal migration, there’s any difference between the Labour and Conservative parties whatsoever.”

Mr Farage said the French navy should not be escorting migrants and if it got “serious” migrants would be deterred from jumping into the water from their boats.

“I understand saving lives at sea. I tell you what, more people will die if we continue to allow more people to cross the Channel than if we intervene and intercept and make sure that it won’t be allowed. And this is above all the responsibility of the French.”

Nigel Farage said he changed the Brexit Party’s name to Reform because it is a “six-year plan”.

“This is not about a quick hit in a few weeks’ time, this is all about building a base from which we go on and launch a serious assault at the next general election in 2028 or 2029 or whenever it may be... I hope and pray we get a cohort of MPs in Westminster so we can be the opposition.”

Asked about joining the Conservatives, Mr Farage said: “It’s more likely that you finish up with a Canada type situation of 30 years ago where a party coincidentally called Reform became the new party of the centre-Right in Canadian politics and Steven Harper who was first elected as a Reform MP became ultimately the premier of a brand new conservative movement. And I think that’s where we see ourselves, that’s how we see ourselves looking ahead.”

“It’s not easy under first-past-the-post, I’ve never pretended it is... But that’s the plan.”

Asked if he was seeking to join or destroy the Conservative Party, Nigel Farage replied: “They’ve destroyed themselves already, they don’t need my help. What Conservative Party? Is there a Conservative Party? I haven’t spotted it.

“All I can see is two big social democrat parties. If you look at economies and many, many other areas, the policies are virtually identical. Yeah, sure, there’s VAT on school fees and there are one or two things. But I can’t think there’s ever been less of a choice, I can’t think there’s ever been such a lack of debate, genuine debate.”

Mr Farage said Red Wall voters felt “totally betrayed, totally let down... it’s not just immigration, it’s self-employed, small business owners, feeling like Brexit should have brought some easing of the rules and in some case the rules have actually got worse”.

Of Reform voters, he said: “Even if we packed up tomorrow, they wouldn’t go back to the Conservatives... They’ve wrecked it for themselves. They’ll come out with the same argument, they’ll say that a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour. But when the public realise this election is a foregone conclusion, Labour are going to win and they’re going to win quite big, you can argue actually that a vote for the Conservative Party is a wasted vote.

“And given you know Labour are going to win, why not vote for something you actually believe in? The Conservatives will be in opposition but they won’t be an opposition. They’re too divided, too ineffective.”

Nigel Farage said leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) was a “massive political issue” he had been “ahead of the curve on”.

“No one was talking about it then, but you’re all talking about it now.”

The Lib Dems want to put Feargal Sharkey on the board of a water company to hold bosses accountable for sewage spills, Tim Sigsworth writes.

Tim Farron, its environment spokesman, told BBC Radio 4’s Today the party would scrap regular Ofwat and put locals and campaigners on water company boards.

“If Feargal Sharkey wants to be on a water board, we’d love him to be so,” Mr Farron said of the environmental campaigner.

The former Lib Dem leader also ruled out nationalising water companies because the money spent would not be used to expand and modernise infrastructure.

He was speaking ahead of a visit by Sir Ed Davey to Lake Windermere, where in February the BBC uncovered that millions of litres of raw sewage had been pumped into the lake by United Utilities.

Nigel Farage said the Labour immigration policy was “a joke”, adding Sir Keir Starmer’s party “haven’t got a policy”.

“There’s no way just going for the gangs is going to make a difference. He’s even talking about joining up with an EU scheme that might finish up with us taking more people than we are at this moment in time. Neither side has any credible policy at all.”

He added: “To Brexit voters, what happened in the English Channel is a serious affront and they see frankly us allowing it to continue as being a betrayal of what they voted for in the referendum and what they trusted the Conservatives with in the general election and that massive 80-seat majority in 2019.

“And I have to say I feel that too... We stood aside in 319 seats to give the Conservatives a clear run. We didn’t want a Corbyn-Lib Dem-SNP coalition. We must leave the ECHR if we want to have sovereignty over our borders. It’s just as simple as that.”

Nigel Farage said he was “absolutely convinced” that the reason for Rishi Sunak called an early election was that planes would not take off for Rwanda in July.

“They’re not going to go, Rishi can’t stop the boats, and he can’t stop the boats for the very same reason that the first aeroplane that was on the tarmac was stopped by a judgment from a single so-called judge, and he knows that it won’t happen.

“He knows despite everything they put in the legislation that disapplies Articles 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act, he knows that an international treaty goes over above and beyond that.”

Nigel Farage said there is a “small but worryingly large growing number of predominantly young men in this country, adopting radical views - views that are not just un-British but views that are frankly increasingly anti-British”.

“You might have noticed that Angela Rayner yesterday was campaigning in her constituency begging, begging a group of Muslim leaders to please vote Labour. You’ll have noticed not a single woman in the room.

“So we’re moving into an age in our inner cities and towns I’m worried to say of sectarian politics, with women completely excluded.”

Nigel Farage said of the illegal Channel crossings: “Frankly, I think this is very dangerous.

“You only have to look at what’s happened in Sweden in cities like Malmo to see that a large influx of young males coming from an entirely different culture, and certainly coming from a culture in which women are not even regarded as second-class citizens, has had frankly disastrous social effects.

“But since the events of Oct 7 and what has happened in Gaza, and increased radicalisation in the Middle East, this is even more of a problem. You see, these young men that come, and I’ve actually filmed this, people throwing their iPhones into the sea, throwing their passports into the sea, doing everything they can so we can’t track and identify them...

“I think this is a national security issue. Now if you think I’m being over the top let’s think about our friend Donald Tusk... Very much an EU luvvie, now of course the prime minister of Poland. He has talked about the wave of, and I’m using his words not mine, aggressive young males that are coming into Poland having crossed the Mediterranean and he has said that it’s a matter of national security for Poland.

“What we ought to be doing here is declaring a national security emergency, and this is an emergency.”

Nigel Farage said he was “called all the names under the sun” for referring to an “invasion”.

“But 3,800 boats later, 125,000 people later, you can use whatever words you want. I happen to think ‘invasion’ frankly was pretty appropriate. So I’ve campaigned hard on this issue over a four year period... I was right. And that’s what I’ve done in my career, I’m an issues campaigner above all.

“Nobody was talking about it when I started but everyone is talking about it now.”

Mr Farage noted the vast majority of Channel migrants are under the age of 40 and male, adding: “People see the unfairness of it. They say how can it be that we’re on social housing waiting lists for a year, perhaps two years, when these people who come are put into four-star hotels or private accommodation?

“I think the fact the hotels alone are costing £7m a day makes people pretty upset. Those who come into the country legally aren’t very happy about it either because they went through costs, time and hoops to go through it the right way.”

Nigel Farage said Dover is “the frontline of the great national debate on immigration, both illegal and legal”.

“I don’t know about you, but I feel like this election campaign has got off to the dullest start I can ever remember in my entire life.

“Two men with the appearance and enthusiasm of middle managers vying to become our national leader. Indeed I do my best to listen to Keir Starmer when he’s being interviewed or giving a speech and I find myself zoning out halfway through. There’s no energy, there’s no enthusiasm, there’s no real substantive policy.

“As for the Prime Minister, I have to laugh, the word ‘bold’ is the word they keep using. But actually when asked a question by somebody, he looks more like a frightened rabbit than someone who is bold.

“I am of course very disappointed, I did have a six-month plan that would have helped me find a seat and campaign around the country. I felt in six weeks I can’t do both.”

Mr Farage said he was among the first to point out that the “trickle” of illegal migrants had now become a “flood”.

Scots can end the SNP’s push for independence by inflicting a “once-in-a-generation” defeat in the general election, Douglas Ross has said ahead of launching the Scottish Tory campaign in John Swinney’s “backyard”.

The Scottish Tory leader will travel on Tuesday morning to Perth to formally kickstart his party’s bid, arguing the election was the chance to “finally end their independence demands for good”.

Senior SNP figures including Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond said at the time of the 2014 independence referendum that it was a “once-in-a-generation event”.

But Mr Ross said that, following their defeat, the SNP has instead “focused only on independence at the expense of everything else”.

Simon Johnson, our Scottish Political Editor, has more

John Swinney has urged Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer to commit to recognising the state of Palestine, branding their response to the conflict in Gaza as “disgraceful”.

In a letter to both leaders, Scotland’s First Minister referred to Ireland, Norway and Spain’s decision to recognise Palestine as a state last week, adding that the UK should “do the same”.

Mr Swinney wrote: “The humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing unfold in Gaza is the greatest moral issue of our time – and thus far the response of the UK Government and the official opposition has been disgraceful. I urge you both to belatedly do the right thing and pledge to immediately recognise Palestine as a state in its own right.”

He added: “If you will not immediately commit to doing so, I can confirm the SNP MPs will bring forward a binding vote in the House of Commons at the first opportunity after the General Election”.

Sir Ed Davey and Tim Farron will take to Lake Windermere for a spot of campaign paddleboarding later this morning, my colleague Tim Sigsworth reports.

The senior Lib Dem politicians are heading to England’s largest lake on day two of the party’s battle bus tour of key seats it wants to defend and win on July 4.

But in the last few months, Sir Ed and Mr Farron have both campaigned strongly against sewage spills in England’s rivers, lakes and seas — including Lake Windermere.

The Lib Dems have even called for prosecutions against water company bosses responsible for sewage overflows.

But it appears Sir Ed and Mr Farron are willing to take the plunge themselves, suggesting the water quality in Windermere is not as unhealthy as their campaigns would suggest.

Nigel Farage has said he would send small boats back to France unless Emmanuel Macron’s country “plays ball”.

Mr Farage said he would “make clear that nobody that comes via this route will ever be granted settled status in our country”.

He told Good Morning Britain: “I’d say to the French navy: ‘We will not accept your navy escorting dinghies to our 12-mile line and then handing them over to our authorities’.”

Asked how this would be enforced, Mr Farage replied: “Well, if the French won’t play ball, then the Royal Marines will have to take people back to France. It’s just as simple as that.”

• Nigel Farage will be making a speech as he galvanises public support for Reform UK
• Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chancellor, will be speaking at the same time (10am)
• Rishi Sunak is set to campaign late morning at a question-and-answer event with workers
• Sir Keir Starmer will also deliver remarks, although we can expect to hear from him later this afternoon

Tory bosses have accused their own MPs of failing to pull their weight on the campaign trail.

A leaked memo, which was accidentally sent to some MPs as an attachment to a general campaign email, named and shamed those who were refusing to knock on doors or had taken time off to attend family events.

It prompted fury amongst MPs, many of whom are already incensed that Rishi Sunak called a snap election despite trailing in the polls.

In response, the Prime Minister said he took personal responsibility for his party’s lacklustre opening to the campaign, which has been criticised.

The memo, which was leaked to The Times, listed a number of Tory candidates by name and identified their failure to “get behind” the party’s re-election efforts as a “key theme”.

Nick Gutteridge, our Chief Political Correspondent, has more here

Pensioners would be protected from paying income tax on the state pension under the Conservatives’ “Triple Lock Plus” policy.

This would bring the personal allowance – the level at which tax starts being payable – to just above the state pension and would rise alongside it.

For non-pensioners, the tax threshold, which has been frozen since 2021, would stay the same.

The number of pensioners liable for tax has doubled since 2010, rising to more than nine million.

Madeline Ross, our Money Reporter, has more here

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the Government had to “freeze some thresholds” on pensions to cover the cost of energy bill support.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is a tax cut because in the absence of doing this, people will be paying more tax so we will be cutting their tax. We have an existing set of tax arrangements, that’s not unusual, it happens through time.

“Because we’ve got the economy going, because we’ve got growth going, because we’ve got inflation down, because we’ve taken the bold and difficult decisions to achieve those things, we are now able to cut taxes.”

Challenged on whether Diane Abbott would stand as a Labour candidate, the shadow business secretary said: “We’ve had a general election that only the Prime Minister seemed to know about, we are almost completing our candidate selection. I can’t talk about specific cases.”

Asked again, Jonathan Reynolds told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The process we have in the Labour Party is frankly not one that any politician in the Labour Party decides. So I can’t give you an answer on that.

“We want that situation resolved, we all want to see that resolved. I genuinely don’t know the circ*mstances that you’re describing. I think in any disciplinary matter you need both sides to engage in it, I genuinely have no additional information other than that but we are all keen to see every situation like this resolved as soon as possible.”

On the difference between Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer, Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “They will want to know how people describe their own politics, the values they have got, but they’ll also want to know what they want to do, that’s what people judge any politician on.

“And when it comes to the economy, if you look at who’s offering the stability economic growth comes from, the industrial strategy we need, ambition on net zero, making the Brexit relationship work better with the European Union, doing planning reform to get things built in the UK, the apprenticeship levy, that is what Labour is offering.

“That is why Labour has changed to offer a platform like that and that is why business is endorsing Labour today... It is testament to our plans for the future.”

Mr Reynolds said BBC Radio 4’s description of “capitalist-flavoured socialism” sounded like “a university seminar”.

“I would call myself a Christian socialist, a progressive. I think the best traditions of government delivered in the UK, whether it’s the National Parks or the NHS, have come from a similar background to mine, but I could also point to the fact that the economy has tended to grow more strongly under those kinds of politicians because people have been at the heart of their plans, good jobs, good work, the kind of jobs you can raise your families around... That’s the kind of the economy that I want and that’s the kind of economy a lot of people want.”

Asked if he was a socialist, Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Yes, I would describe myself as a Christian socialist in the best traditions of that because that’s about putting people first. And of course to do that you’ve got to have a set of proposals, a set of policy that will deliver for people.

“And if you look at what the UK needs right now it is an economy that grows more strongly, that gives people higher living standards... I want a better society, a fairer society, but that requires working in partnership with business, with unions, to give the UK the kind of economy it needs.”

Challenged on how Sir Keir Starmer describing himself as a socialist differed from Jeremy Corbyn being a socialist, Mr Reynolds replied: “That feels a bit academic as a debate.”

When it was put to him Sir Keir was Mr Corbyn’s “right-hand man”, Mr Reynolds said: “Well I don’t think that is correct but look sometimes in a political party you’ve got to serve. I did a job as shadow economic secretary which was about the City and finances, we were facing a no-deal Brexit, we needed people in Parliament to make sure we had the right thing in place. Sometimes in politics you’ve got to serve and you don’t get to pick exactly how you’d like that configuration to be but that’s about public service.”

Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, welcomed the endorsem*nt of 120 business leaders for Sir Keir Starmer’s plans.

Asked whether he was now “hand in glove” with business, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s absolutely what is required for the economy to grow more strongly than it has done for the last 14 years.

“If you look at what business figures are saying, it’s that it’s time for change and only Labour has a plan to grow the economy... This is about what will benefit working people and a big part of our package is our proposals to make work pay.

“Unless any future government gets business investment up because it’s the lowest in the G7, gets better productivity, gets better growth... Stagnation will only continue and that’s what we’ve got to break out of.”

On what role Boris Johnson would play in the general election, Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “I have no idea but I know that he’s a very solid, vigorous Conservative and I would expect him to be fully supportive of a Conservative victory on July 4.

“I don’t know what his plans are, sorry... I have no idea. I don’t know. This isn’t about one particular former prime minister. These are big issues that we’re looking at in this election, we are looking at a party that has brought us through some of the most difficult times for this country since the Second World War, has reached a turning point for the economy, has got real wages growing, has got growth going.

“We have some time to go before the general election. But that is why we are fighting so hard to make this point and that’s why Keir Starmer should step up to those debates and tell us what he really stands for.”

Asked about ‘Sir Sleepy’ briefings by Tory Party sources, Mr Stride replied: “It’s not a term that I have used or would use. I think whatever age you are in life, I think people have a huge amount to contribute. I’m in the same bracket so I should declare an interest. But equally what does matter is what you stand for.

“He’s trying to keep as low a profile as possible, not telling us what [Labour] stands for, having no plan and expecting to just drift over the line and that is not good enough and that is why Sir Keir Starmer should step up to the plate and debate with our Prime Minister every week. Every week we should be applying that scrutiny so we can actually find out what No Idea Keir is all about.”

Mel Stride said millions of pensioners would receive a tax cut over time through the party’s new plan.

Mr Stride told Sky News: “On the basic state pension, if that is your form of income, then under our plans we will make sure that you are covered by the personal allowance, in other words you’re in that no-tax band.

“By 2027 if you don’t do that, as Labour propose, you will see millions of pensioners paying tax for the first time with all of the red tape, all of the paperwork that goes with it.”

He added: “Clearly if you’re earning hundreds of thousands of pounds for example elsewhere, you’re going to pay tax on it. But if you’re on the basic state pension and that is your income, then you will be protected from paying tax because we will make sure that the personal tax allowance rises by the triple lock uprating, which is why we call it the triple lock plus.”

Mel Stride said the Government was making “huge progress” on the economy.

“The polls are where the polls are at the moment. The only poll that matters is the one on election day... It may make you chuckle. We’ve got a long way to go,” he told Sky News.

On Steve Baker campaigning from his holiday in Greece, Mr Stride added: “I can’t comment on what Steve [Baker] is doing or where he is or what he’s up to, he may be designing his literature, he may be making telephone calls.

“We are fighting for absolutely vote. Now I know we’re behind in the polls and that is why we are working so hard now to try and get across the line because it really matters to the future of our country and I’ve described the progress that we’ve made. We’ve come through a really tough time where we had Covid, we had the war in Ukraine...

“We are at an inflection point, we have turned the corner. And my message would be let’s not blow that to a party under Keir Starmer where we don’t even know what he stands for. We have a clear plan that’s working.”

Mel Stride dismissed a letter to The Times by 120 business leaders endorsing Labour’s plan for the economy.

Asked what it said about the Conservatives, the Work and Pensions Secretary told Sky News: “It says they’ve got a letter together with 200 names on it. There are no names on it I think in the FTSE 100, one of the biggest businesses in the country.”

Mr Stride recalled support from 200 business leaders for the Tory policy of ‘full expensing’.

“What really matters here is who’s going to be the party who’s got the right plan and can get growth going... [Inflation] very much has a Government component because you have to get your spending right in order to control inflation, what they call the right fiscal policy, so resisting pay demands and things like that....

“We are turning a corner now. We are at an inflection point for the UK economy and things are going to improve going forward, we don’t want to go back to square one.”

Asked whether business leaders endorsing Labour was “inconsequential”, he replied: “I didn’t say inconsequential... There are not the kind of businesses that supported the biggest tax cut for business, full expensing, in modern times.”

The state pension will never be taxed under the Conservatives, Rishi Sunak will declare today.

The Prime Minister will announce plans to give retirees “peace of mind and security” by automatically raising the threshold at which they start paying income tax each year so that it stays ahead of the state pension.

Labour failed to match the pledge – dubbed the quadruple lock – on Monday with the Tories warning that Sir Keir Starmer was lining up a huge tax raid on the elderly.

It comes after criticism of the Tories for freezing income tax thresholds, which pulled people into higher tax bands, or into paying income tax for the first time through fiscal drag.

Downing Street said its proposalswould mean eight million pensioners would save £100 in tax from next year and almost £300 a year by the end of the decade.

Nick Gutteridge, our Chief Political Correspondent, has this front page story

Private school parents looking to escape Labour’s VAT raid have been warned there are very few state school places available, Hayley Dixon reports.

One mother who contacted her local council about the possibility of moving her child from private to state education ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s proposed 20 per cent hike in fees was told that secondary schools are so oversubscribed that students are on a waiting list and if “any” places become available they will be “extremely limited”.

The message from officials at Newcastle city council is echoed across the country, with at least eight authorities warning that there are few to no places available and one stating that there is “no guarantee” of an immediate space.

It comes amid fears of a pupil exodus from private to state schools after Sir Keir promised that he would initiate the tax raid on “day one” of a Labour government.

Those seeking to escape Labour raid told few to no spaces available

Labour’s internal investigation into Diane Abbott concluded at the end of last year, it has emerged.

The panel of Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) completed its work in December following Ms Abbott’s suspension from the party eight months previously, BBC Newsnight reported.

At this point, Ms Abbott was asked to complete a two hour online anti-Semitism awareness training course, which she did in February.

The matter was subsequently passed to Sir Alan Campbell, the opposition chief whip, but Ms Abbott has not heard anything since a meeting with Sir Alan.

Ms Abbott, who was in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, was stripped of the whip last year and has been subject to an internal investigation. She was kicked out as a Labour MP after penning a letter to the Observer that suggested Jewish people did not experience racism “all their lives”.

Scotland has a chance to “stop the chaos”, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he attempts to gain support north of the border.

Writing for the Daily Record, the Labour leader accused both the SNP and the Conservatives of “playing on the fears of working people”. The first Scottish poll of the election campaign showed his party five points ahead of the SNP.

Sir Keir said: “The government I lead will be dedicated to restoring the ordinary hope important to working Scots.

“That means smashing the class ceiling. Creating opportunities for all. Delivering the high-skill, high-pay jobs of the future that Scotland needs.

“Because after 17 years of SNP failure and 14 years of Tory chaos, Scotland is crying out for change.”

Support for Sir Keir Starmer is overestimated and it is possible for the Conservatives to overturn Labour’s lead, a leading pollster has suggested.

Lord Hayward, who coined the term “shy Tories” in 1992 after his party’s unexpected general election victory, said he was worried fellow election experts were “getting it wrong” in trying to project the result on July 4.

The Telegraph’s poll of polls shows Labour has an average lead of around 20 percentage points across major pollsters, suggesting Rishi Sunak has a mountain to climb if his party is to secure a historic fifth term in Downing Street.

But speaking to the Guardian, Lord Hayward said: “About 33 years on, I am yet again convinced that a statistical bias exists in the polls.”

Read the full story here

Does Theresa May get PTSD whenever an election is called? writes Jasper Rees.

Seven confusing and largely horrible years ago she went out on the stump with a lordly lead in the polls and returned to a hung parliament. “I made some mistakes during the election campaign,” she forced herself to concede in Theresa May: The Accidental Prime Minister (ITV1).

What those mistakes were, and how they might have been avoided, are not things she was forced to contemplate in this profile, rushed into the schedule before May leaves the House of Commons for the last time. We do know that Chris Wilkins, her head of strategy, is “still angry” at the tone-deafness of her U-turn over the policy dubbed the dementia tax.

“I think that drove a coach and horses through her brand,” he simmered. It’s never quite clear from this portrait what May’s brand is or was, beyond a belief in probity and a commitment to service, plus a large collection of cookbooks.

Review: ITV draws May on the naughtiest thing she’s ever done

Sir Keir Starmer has described himself as a socialist who “always puts the country first and party second”.

Asked if he would use that word to describe himself, Sir Keir told the BBC: “Yes, I would describe myself as a socialist. I describe myself as a progressive. I’d describe myself as somebody who always puts the country first and party second.”

Sir Keir, widely viewed as a centrist,joined the Labour Party Young Socialists in East Surrey when he was a teenager and helped found the radical magazine Socialist Alternatives after graduating from Leeds University.

He went on to describe himself as a socialist during the 2020 leadership campaign.

However, the Labour leader has since been accused of a purge of the Labour Left, including figures such as his Left-wing predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, who is now planning to run against hisold party as an independent on July 4.

Amy Gibbons, our Political Correspondent, has more here

Labour has said Rishi Sunak is “splurging” billions of pounds on new spending commitments without any plan of how to fund them if he wins the election, writes our Chief Political Correspondent Nick Gutteridge.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, warned voters would “pay the price in the end” as he branded the Tories’ election campaign “desperate”.

He attacked the Prime Minister’s proposals to bring back national service, costing £2.5bn, and to permanently exempt the state pension from tax at a cost of £2.4bn a year.

Speaking at the launch of Labour’s election battle bus, he said: “Day after day the Tories are making billions of pounds worth of commitments out of desperation.

“They are splurging out desperate commitments with no explanation of where the money is coming from. This is typical Tories - chaotic with the public finances and it is the British people who pay the price in the end.”

The Tories have said the national service plan would be funded with cash previously earmarked for levelling up, whilst the pensions play would be paid for with the proceeds from a £6bn crackdown on tax avoidance.

Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through day six of the general election campaign along with my colleagues in the Telegraph Lobby team.

Nigel Farage has declared July 4 represents the “immigration election” ahead of his first major campaign intervention.

The Reform honorary life president will make a speech in Dover this morning after announcing he would not stand as an MP for Richard Tice’s party but instead appear around the country to boost support for Reform.