Election latest: Campaign focuses on veterans on Armed Forces Day - as PM hails 'dedication' of servicepeople (2024)

Was this the day the wheels began to come off for Nigel Farage's Reform UK bandwagon? Quite possibly.

It was a day that began with terrible newspaper headlines and ended with a clash about racism in his party with a hostile TV audience.

It may be, of course, that this ugly racism row has come too late to slam the brakes on the Farage juggernaut threatening to crush the Tories.

That's because, firstly, it's estimated that one in four of us will cast a postal vote in this election and many voters will have returned theirs already.

Secondly, Mr Farage relishes controversy and revels in the role of the insurgent battling against the establishment and political convention.

But even by his standards of notoriety the day got off to a bad start, when The Daily Telegraph's front-page headline declared: "Farage is a Putin appeaser, says Sunak".

TV presenter Rylan Clark has said he would "love" to become a politician - and replace the party system with a "Power Rangers of government" model.

The TV personality, 35, joined political editor Beth Rigby and former Scottish Conservative leader Baroness Ruth Davidson for this week's Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast.

Asked if he would ever consider the career change, he said: "If I wasn't in the job that I was in, I would love nothing more."

Rylan, who won Celebrity Big Brother and also appeared on the X Factor, appeared on the podcast in place of Labour candidate Jess Phillips after tweeting his praise for Rigby on the day Rishi Sunak announced the general election.

Sharing a clip of her and Sky presenter Sophy Ridge outside a rainy Downing Street waiting for Mr Sunak to appear at the lectern, he said: "Obsessed with the Rigby."

Speaking to her and Davidson, he said his "obsession" with politics began with Brexit - "as we've seen so many promises which weren't fulfilled" since then.

He added: "I lie there at night sometimes, and I think about [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. He hosted one of the same shows I've hosted in Ukraine."

The TV presenter also shared his idea of abandoning political parties altogether.

Read the full story here:

Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.

With under a week to go, the Tories and Labour have taken a drop, while support for Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats is on the rise.

Read more about the trackerhere.

By Faye Brown, political reporter

A Reform UK canvasser who used a racial slur against Rishi Sunak has called himself a "total fool" and said he has learned his lesson.

Footage from an undercover Channel 4 reporter showed Reform campaigner Andrew Parker using a discriminatory term about the prime minister, as well as saying the army should "just shoot" migrants crossing the Channel.

Police are now assessing the comments to establish if an offence has been committed, while Mr Sunak said the insult directed at him "hurts and it makes me angry".

Mr Parker, who was canvassing in Clacton, where Reform leader Nigel Farage is standing, told Sky News the sting operation had "proper taught me a lesson".

Party leaders will be on the election campaign trail on Armed Forces Day discussing defence and support for veterans.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will hail the "duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice" of servicemen and women and claim his is the only party to meet the Help for Heroes Veterans' Pledge.

The pledge requires parties to commit to keeping the Office for Veterans' Affairs, commissioning an independent review of the medical discharge process and ensuring veterans get the benefits and compensations they deserve.

Mr Sunak said: "It should be the first responsibility of any government to support those who defend us.

"It's why it's so important that we get defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, and also why we must continue our mission to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran."

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to introduce a new armed forces commissioner and lead a "government of service" if Labour is elected.

The commissioner role will aim to champion those who serve by investigating issues such as substandard housing, faulty kit and poor discharge support, the party said.

Sir Keir said: "Labour is deeply proud of our armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families for the contribution they make to our country.

"Theirs is the ultimate public service - and their professionalism and bravery is rightly respected across the world."

And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has reiterated their manifesto pledge to reverse cuts to numbers in the armed forces and their "ambition" to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

Good morning!

Welcome back to the Politics Hub for the last Saturday of the general election campaign.

There is less than a week to go until polls open across the country for voters to select the next government on 4 July.

There's still plenty that could happen between now and next Thursday, however.

Here's what you need to know today:

• Party leaders will be on the election campaign trail on Armed Forces Day discussing defence and support for veterans;
  

• Rishi Sunak will hail the "duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice" of servicemen and women and claim his is the only party to meet the Help for Heroes Veterans' Pledge;

• Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to introduce a new armed forces commissioner and lead a "government of service" if Labour is elected;
  

• AndLiberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has reiterated their manifesto pledge to reverse cuts to numbers in the armed forces and their "ambition" to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP;

• And fallout is expected to continue from comments made by campaigners for Reform UK, as party leader Nigel Farage declined to apologise for their actions;
  

• Despite this, a Reform UK canvasser who used a racial slur against Mr Sunak has called himself a "total fool" and said he has learned his lesson.

We'll be discussing all of that and more with:

• Security minister Tom Tugendhat at 7.15am;
• John Healey, shadow defence secretary, at 8.15am.

Follow along for the very latest in the general election campaign.

Thank you for joining us in the Politics Hub for live coverage of today's events in the general election campaign.

Polls open in 5 days and 8 hours - and the politicians will be spending every last moment fighting for your vote.

Scroll down for all of today's developments - and join us from 6am for live coverage of the last weekend of the campaign.

By Faye Brown, political reporter

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has joked about needing a new job next week as she faces being one of the Tories' most high-profile election casualties.

The cabinet minister is projected to lose her Chichester seat in West Sussex to the Lib Dems, who are aiming to smash the so-called "blue wall" in southern England.

During a visit to a school in her constituency, Ms Keegan was asked by pupils what job she would do if she was not an MP.

"I might have to answer that question next Friday", she said.

Ms Keegan later told the PA news agency that the polls were "all over the place" and "I have never taken anything in my whole life for granted".

But her initial answer reflects the defeatist mood of some Tories as multiple polls suggest Britain's political landscape is about to be fundamentally re-drawn, with Labouron course for a historic majority.

Ms Keegan is one of more than a dozen senior figures at risk of having a so-called "Portillo moment" - a reference to Michael Portillo, the Conservative minister who was famously unseated as Tony Blair swept to power in 1997.

Read more here:

We've got six days to go until the election - and today has been slightly quieter than some of the other days on the campaign trail.

Here's everything you need to know this evening:

• Rishi Sunak has said the reported use of the slur "P***" by a Reform UK campaigner to describe him "hurts" and makes him "angry";
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the comments as "racist" - but did not apply that label to Nigel Farage;
• Although the Reform UK leader described the comments as "very prejudiced, very wrong", he claimed that the undercover reporting by Channel 4 was a "stitch up" - something the broadcaster completely rejects;
• The campaigner who made the comment, Andrew Parker,called himself a "total fool" and said he has learned his lesson;
• However, Essex Police said they are "urgently assessing" whether any offences were committed by Mr Parker and another canvasser who made hom*ophobic comments.

• A new MRP pollpredicted the Tories will crash to just 85 seats - with Labour winning a whopping 470 seats and becoming the largest party in Scotland for the first time in over a decade;
• Data from the Electoral Commissionshowed that the unions finally opened their chequebooks to Labour, giving nearly £2m in week three of the campaign (£3.3m in total) - while the Tories raised just £275,000;
• Junior doctors in Waleshave accepted a pay offer from the Welsh administration there;
• Rylan Clark revealed the changes he would make to the political system;
• Education Secretary Gillian Keegan admitted no poll was showing a good outcome for the Conservatives;
• And Conservative candidate and former defence secretary Sir Liam Foxrefused to rule out putting himself forward as caretaker Tory leader after the election if the Tories lose and Rishi Sunak resigns.

Follow along for the very latest from the campaign trail with less than a week until polling day.

Parliament "always has the opportunity" to re-examine the rules on betting for politicians, Rishi Sunak has said, following calls for a ban similar to that for footballers.

The prime minister said gambling on elections was "not something I would do" as he argued the immediate priority was to establish any wrongdoing.

He also repeated his threat to "boot" people out of the Conservative Party found to have broken the rules.

Mr Sunak made his comments in response to the ongoing gambling scandal that has engulfed the Tory campaign and added to his election woes.

Five Conservatives have so far been caught up in the inquiryby the Gambling Commission, although reports suggest the figure could be 15 parliamentary candidates and officials, although the watchdog has not confirmed the numbers involved.

At least seven Metropolitan Police officers are also being investigated.

Read more here: