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‘Coconut’ placard of Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman was ‘racial insult’, court hears | UK News

A placard held by a woman at a pro-Palestinian protest depicting former prime minister Rishi Sunak and ex-home secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts was “racially abusive”, a court has heard.

Marieha Hussain, 37, of High Wycombe, pleaded not guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

As the trial began, about 40 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the building.

Westminster Magistrates' Court in Marleybone Road
Pic: iStock
Image:
The trial is taking place at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. Pic: iStock

Prosecutor Jonathan Bryan told the court the term “coconut” was a “well-known racial slur which has a very clear meaning”.

“You may be brown on the outside, but you’re white on the inside. In other words, you’re a race traitor – you’re less brown or black than you should be,” he said.

He argued Hussain had “crossed the line between legitimate political expression” and moved into “racial insult”.

“We say that the placard was abusive, it was racially abusive,” he told the court.

“There were people present who were likely to have been caused harassment, alarm and distress by seeing what was on that placard.”

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An image of the placard, held by Hussain at a pro-Palestinian protest on 11 November, was shown in court.

It showed cut-out pictures of Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman placed alongside coconuts under a tree.

Defending, Rajiv Menon KC, said the placard was a “political criticism” of Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman.

He told the court: “What she is saying is Suella Braverman – then home secretary, sacked two days after – was promoting in different ways a racist political agenda as evidenced by the Rwanda policy, the racist rhetoric she was using around small boats.

“And the prime minister was either quiescing to it or being inactive.

“It was a political criticism of these two particular politicians.”

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Metropolitan Police communications manager Chris Humphreys told the court that images come to the attention of the police service if the force’s social media account is “tagged in the post”.

He added the force “actively monitors” accounts that frequently post protest-related images.

Mr Menon told the court the image of the placard had been posted by an X account with the username Harry’s Place.

He asked Mr Humphreys: “Are you aware that Harry’s Place is a secretive political blog headquartered in Washington DC that has a particular interest in opposing any criticism of the Israeli state?”

Mr Humphreys replied: “I know Harry’s Place is an anonymous political blog.”

The trial continues.

Boris Johnson puts up united front with Rishi Sunak to warn against ‘disaster’ of Labour government | Politics News

Boris Johnson has made his first public appearance in the Conservative election campaign to warn voters against electing a Labour government on 4 July.

The former prime minister told an audience in central London that a potential Labour government led by Sir Keir Starmer would “destroy so much of what we have achieved”.

Mr Johnson, who was rumoured to make an appearance at some point in the campaign, spoke before Rishi Sunak at an event designed to rally supporters in the final hours before polling day.

Alluding to their past disagreements as prime minister and chancellor, Mr Johnson said: “Whatever our differences they are trivial to the disaster we may face.”

He said Westminster was about to go “diametrically in the opposite direction” to the progress the country had achieved over COVID and economic growth.

“None of us can sit back as a Labour government prepares to use a sledgehammer majority to destroy so much of what we have achieved, what you have achieved,” he said.

Election latest: ‘I just want to lose,’ says Tory minister

Mr Johnson, who won the largest Conservative majority in 2019 since the years of Margaret Thatcher, repeated the warnings that have been made by the Tories continuously throughout the campaign that Sir Keir was on course for a “supermajority” that could hamper democratic accountability.

“Is it not therefore the height of insanity, if these polls are right, that we are about to give Labour a supermajority which they will use to make us nothing but the punk of Brussels, taking EU law by dictation with no say on how that law is made?” he asked.

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He accused Labour of “barely” being able to conceal their agenda of tax rises and of being “so complacent”.

“Poor old Starmer is so terrified of disobeying left wing dogma that he’s reluctant to explain the difference between a man and a woman, and he just he just sits there with his mouth opening and shutting like a stunned mullet,” he went on.

“Do we want this kind of madness? Do we want ever higher taxes? Do we want more wokery imposed on our schools? And yet this is coming now.”

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Mr Johnson’s surprise appearance came after a poll by Survation predicted Labour would win a majority of 318 seats, surpassing the 179 achieved by Sir Tony Blair in 1997.

The pollster said Sir Keir would win 484 seats out of the total of 650, while the Tories would crash to 64 seats – just three more than the Liberal Democrats.

Read more:
Badenoch and Braverman deny association with Tory leadership campaign websites
Is it possible to ‘ringfence’ family time when you’re prime minister?

Mr Sunak thanked his predecessor for his support, adding: “Boris was right to say now is the time for all Conservatives to come together to deny Labour that super majority that Keir Starmer craves.

“We have 48 hours to save Britain from the danger of a Labour government.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said Mr Johnson’s appearance was an “insult to everyone who made heartbreaking sacrifices during the pandemic”.

“Rishi Sunak has reached a desperate new low, turning to a man who discredited the office of prime minister and lied to the country time after time.

“It is time to boot out this tired and sleaze-ridden Conservative party, and elect Liberal Democrat MPs who will stand up for their communities.”

Just like England at the Euros – Sunak and Starmer’s final TV debate was a draw | UK News

​​​​​​​The final TV clash of the election campaign was an ill-tempered shouting match, at least from Rishi Sunak. Sir Keir was more measured. More prime ministerial, perhaps?

As he had to as the underdog, Mr Sunak went on the attack from the start until the very end and unveiled a new campaign slogan: “Don’t surrender…”

He said it no fewer than 15 times during the 75-minute debate. That’s once every five minutes.

But just like the England-Slovenia Euros match 24 hours earlier, the result was a draw, 50%-50% exactly, according to pollsters YouGov.

Election latest: PM ‘behaved badly’ in debate with Sir Keir

Rishi Sunak during his closing statement
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Mr Sunak unveiled a new campaign slogan

And, some would say, that just like the England game, it was a 0-0 draw really.

At the outset, the PM served notice he wanted to talk about tax, while Sir Keir wanted to talk about politicians gambling. Hardly surprising.

As Mr Sunak read out prepared lines – and appeared to be looking down at notes – it was a smart ad lib from Sir Keir that won the first round of applause.

Read more:
Greenpeace protester climbs on Tory election campaign bus

Where is Liz Truss?

“If you listened to people in the audience more you might not be so out of touch,” he said, in a familiar Labour attack line.

But the PM was strong and came out on top in exchanges on illegal migrants crossing the channel.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Sir Keir was maybe more prime ministerial? Pic: Reuters

“Don’t surrender our borders to the Labour Party,” he urged the audience in the first of many “Don’t surrender…” appeals to voters.

Then he challenged Sir Keir on illegal migrants: “What will you do with them?” And then came a good ad lib – or perhaps prepared line of attack – from the PM.

“Are you going to sit down with the ayatollahs? Are you going to sit down with the Taliban?” he goaded Sir Keir, winning applause this time.

The UK will head to the polls on 4 July.
Image:
The UK will head to the polls on 4 July

The host Mishal Husain had a good line too. When the Labour leader attacked Mr Sunak for saying: “We should unite behind Liz Truss.”

“You know what it’s like to fall in behind the leader of your party!” in a clear reference to Sir Keir’s backing for Jeremy Corbyn, which gave him some uncomfortable moments in earlier TV clashes during the election campaign.

Surprisingly, Mr Sunak didn’t respond to that. On this occasion, a bit like the England football team, he missed an open goal.

Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak during their BBC Head-to-head debate in Nottingham. 
Pic PA
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The political leaders head-to-head in their last TV debate before the vote. Pic: PA

One of the best moments came when a member of the audience, Robert, asked a devastating question.

He said Mr Sunak “was a good chancellor but is a mediocre PM” and “Sir Keir’s strings are being pulled by others in the Labour Party”.

And then came this killer question from Robert: “Are you two really the best we’ve got to be the next prime minister of our great country?”

There were gasps from the audience and applause at the same time. Great question.

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‘Are you two really the best we’ve got to be PM?’

Another good question from the audience came when Judy told how her jazz vinyl records business had lost 90% of its trade with Europe since Brexit. What could be done to get a better trading deal, she asked.

Mr Sunak, however, dodged that question by talking about business rates and other UK taxes.

On Brexit, it seemed, the PM was like a cracked record.

He claimed Sir Keir’s plans for better deals with the EU would mean more migration.

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But Sir Keir said Mr Sunak was the most liberal prime minister on migration. “The numbers have gone through the roof,” he said.

The debate ended as it began, with Mr Sunak shouting over Sir Keir. It wasn’t a good look.

In the closing speeches, the PM hammered home the Tories‘ £2,000 Labour tax grab charge, yet again. And yet again he said: “Don’t surrender…”

And as the debate ended there was no handshake between the pair, which is unusual for these TV clashes.

At least party leaders pretend to be civilised towards each other usually.

There’s clearly no love lost between these two. It showed. A 50%-50% draw, said YouGov. Just like England at the Euros!

Rishi Sunak says he is not being investigated in betting scandal probe | Politics News

Rishi Sunak has said he is not being investigated by the Gambling Commission as part of its probe into bets placed on the date of the election.

The prime minister also said the Conservatives would conduct their own internal investigation into the allegations that have dogged the latter part of his campaign.

Speaking to reporters in Edinburgh, Mr Sunak said his party “will act” if the Conservatives’ own inquiry into the alleged betting scandal finds wrongdoing.

“The Gambling Commission is independent of government – it’s independent of me,” he said.

“I don’t have the details of their investigation, right? They don’t report to me, I don’t have the details, but what I can tell you is, in parallel we’ve been conducting our own internal inquiries and of course will act on any relevant findings or information from that and pass it on to the Gambling Commission.”

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Home secretary quizzed over betting scandal

When asked whether he had ever bet on politics whilst being an MP, Mr Sunak replied: “No.”

The prime minister, who also ruled out any of his family members’ alleged involvement, is in Scotland to help Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross launch the party’s manifesto.

Speaking before the visit, Mr Sunak said the Scottish Conservatives are “sending the nationalists the strongest message possible that the people of Scotland want to move on from their independence obsession”.

The Conservative campaign has been plunged into crisis over claims several people associated with the party placed bets on the date of the general election.

Read more
Bookies to reveal election bets £20 and above
Another top Tory being investigated

Craig Williams admitted to betting on the election date. Pic: PA
Image:
Craig Williams admitted to betting on the election date. Pic: PA

Laura Saunders is the party’s candidate in Bristol North West.
Pic: Laura Saunders for Bristol North West
Image:
Laura Saunders is the party’s candidate in Bristol North West.
Pic: Laura Saunders for Bristol North West

Craig Williams, Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary and Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, admitted to placing a “flutter” on the date of the election and is facing an investigation.

Tony Lee, the party’s director of campaigns, and his wife Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, are also under investigation.

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Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has rejected calls including from within Tory ranks for those facing an investigation to have the party whip withdrawn while the probe is ongoing.

Sunak claims Starmer could ‘put Brexit in peril’ – as Labour warn voters against election complacency | Politics News

The Conservatives have claimed a Labour government could “put Brexit in peril” in statements and op-eds published on the eighth anniversary of the EU referendum.

Rishi Sunak has made a series of claims about rival Sir Keir Starmer and his intentions if Labour get into government – claiming he “would recommit us to free movement of EU citizens, taking thousands more illegal migrants and binding our businesses again in Brussels red tape”.

“Keir Starmer has never believed we can succeed as a sovereign country and has tried to overturn the result time and time again,” he said. “Now he has committed to years more wrangling the EU and abandoning all our hard-won freedoms like the ability to strike more trade deals and cut more red tape.

“Make no mistake, Brexit would be in peril under Labour.”

General election: Follow the latest updates

Rishi Sunak speaking during a visit to a bathroom supply company near Rhyl, Wales.
Pic: PA
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Sunak and three other Conservatives have launched Brexit-related attacks on Labour. Pic: PA

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has claimed Starmer and Labour “have never believed in Britain’s ability to forge its own path”.

“Instead of using the opportunities, Starmer wants to renegotiate the Brexit deal, taking us back to square one of being a rule-taker from Brussels,” she added.

“Only the Conservatives will continue to take the bold action required to build a secure, independent future for our country.”

What have Labour said about Brexit and the EU?

Sir Keir last month told Sky News he plans to seek “a better [Brexit] deal than the one that we’ve got” if elected in next month’s general election.

“I don’t think many people look at that deal and think it’s working very well,” he said of the current trade arrangements. “We were promised an oven-ready deal and we got something that was, frankly, half-baked.”

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‘We need a better Brexit deal’

The Labour manifesto makes one mention of Brexit. It reads: “With Labour, Britain will stay outside of the EU. But to seize the opportunities ahead, we must make Brexit work.”

“We will reset the relationship and seek to deepen ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies,” it continues. “That does not mean reopening the divisions of the past.

“There will be no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement.

“Instead, Labour will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU, by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.”

More from Sky News:
Farage ‘playing into Putin’s hands’, says PM
How Starmer ‘set a trap’ for Boris Johnson

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Meanwhile, Home Secretary James Cleverly has claimed Labour will “open the door to 100,000 illegal migrants” in a piece for the Sunday Telegraph – which a Labour spokesperson has already labelled “desperate lies from a party that has totally failed to control our borders or manage the asylum system”.

And in The Times, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has said in a new interview: “I think one of the biggest question marks over Labour is what they would do in terms of relations with the EU because it is on the record that Starmer did everything he could to frustrate a Brexit deal and to secure a second referendum.

“I was in the room with him when we were trying to negotiate an agreement between Labour and the Conservatives under Theresa [May] to secure a Brexit deal.”

Meanwhile, as polls continue to predict Labour are heading for a comfortable majority, their national campaign co-ordinator has reminded the public: “Change will only happen if you vote for it.”

Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden wrote in the Observer: “There is a danger that the debate in this election becomes consumed by polls and specifically by the idea that the outcome is somehow pre-determined… No way is this election a done deal.

“The headlines about the clutch of MRP polls disguise a huge level of uncertainty.”

Rishi Sunak says Nigel Farage ‘playing into hands of Putin’ with ‘completely wrong’ comments on Ukraine war | Politics News

Rishi Sunak has said Nigel Farage’s comments about the West provoking Vladimir Putin were “completely wrong” and play into the Russian dictator’s hands.

The Reform UK leader is facing a backlash from across the political spectrum for saying that the expansion of NATO and the EU “provoked” Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Follow the latest updates on the general election campaign

Mr Sunak told reporters: “What he said was completely wrong and only plays into Putin’s hands.

“This is a man who deployed nerve agents on the streets of Britain, is doing deals with countries like North Korea

“And this kind of appeasement is dangerous for Britain’s security, the security of our allies that rely on us and only emboldens Putin further.”

In an interview with BBC Panorama, Mr Farage said he had been warning since the fall of the Berlin Wall that there would be a war in Ukraine due to the “ever-eastward expansion of NATO and the European Union”.

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Farage: NATO expansion ‘provoked’ Ukraine war

He said this was giving Mr Putin a reason to tell the Russian people “they’re coming for us again” and go to war.

The Reform leader confirmed his belief the West “provoked” the conflict – but said it was “of course” the Russian president’s “fault”.

Asked about comments he made in 2014 stating that Mr Putin was the statesman he most admired, Mr Farage said: “I said I disliked him as a person, but I admired him as a political operator because he’s managed to take control of running Russia.”

Mr Putin has served continuously as either Russian president or prime minister since 1999, with elections which have been described as “rigged”.

Mr Sunak is the latest Conservative figure to condemn the comments, after Home Secretary James Cleverly said Mr Farage was “echoing Putin’s vile justification for the brutal invasion of Ukraine”.

Meanwhile, former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace branded the Reform UK leader a “pub bore…who often says if ‘I was running the country’ and presents very simplistic answers to actually I am afraid in the 21st century complex problems”.

Read more:
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Who are Reform UK?
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Farage called out over comments

Mr Farage has so far enjoyed a relatively smooth campaign, with his party’s popularity increasing and even overtaking the Conservatives in some polls.

Senior Tories, some of whom want Mr Farage to join them to counter the threat of Reform UK, have until now refrained from the sort of personal attacks they have launched at Sir Keir Starmer.

The most that cabinet ministers have said against him up to now is that a vote for him is a vote to put Labour in Downing Street with a “super-majority”.

Starmer: Farage remarks ‘disgraceful’

Sir Keir also condemned Mr Farage’s remarks, calling them “disgraceful”.

“I’ve always been clear that Putin bears responsibility, sole responsibility for the Russian aggression in Ukraine”, he said.

“Anybody who wants to stand to be a representative in our Parliament should be really clear that whether it’s Russian aggression on the battlefield or online, that we stand against that aggression.”

Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey said: “It is Putin and Russia who are to blame for this, no one else.”

He added: :”I don’t share any values with Nigel Farage.”

Following the backlash, the former Brexit party leader posted a late-night tweet appearing to clarify his comments.

He wrote: “I am one of the few figures that have been consistent & honest about the war with Russia. Putin was wrong to invade a sovereign nation, and the EU was wrong to expand eastward.

“The sooner we realise this, the closer we will be to ending the war and delivering peace.”

Rishi Sunak ‘incredibly angry’ over ‘really serious’ election date betting allegations | Politics News

Rishi Sunak has said he is “incredibly angry” to learn of allegations that Tory candidates placed bets on the election date, calling it a “really serious matter”.

The prime minister told the BBC Question Time leader’s special that “it’s right they’re being investigated by relevant law enforcement” and he is “crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules they should face [the] full force of the law”.

Asked why those under suspicion haven’t been suspended, Mr Sunak said an investigation had to take place first – but anyone guilty would be “booted out” of the party.

Election latest: Audience shouts ‘shame’ in latest TV showdown

Two Tory party candidates are being investigated by the Gambling Commission over alleged wagers placed on the date of the 4 July contest.

Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West, has worked for the party since 2015 and is married to its director of campaigns, Tony Lee.

Ms Saunders earlier said she “will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission” probe, while her husband “took a leave of absence” from his role on Wednesday night, a Conservative Party spokesman told Sky News.

The revelation came a week after the prime minister’s close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, admitted to putting a “flutter” on the election, saying this has resulted in “some routine inquiries” which he was co-operating with “fully”.

Mr Sunak’s close protection officer has also been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the election.

A gambling industry source told Sky News that “more names” are being looked at, though police “are not involved” in those cases.

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

The prime minister was asked by an audience member, to a round of applause, if the allegations are “the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics that we have had to tolerate from the Conservative party for years and years”.

He replied: “I was incredibly angry to learn of these allegations. It is a really serious matter.”

“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”

Quizzed over why the candidates have not been suspended while the investigations take place, Mr Sunak said the “integrity of that process should be respected”.

He added: “What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”

Calls to suspend Tory candidates

Labour Party campaign sources told Sky News they noticed the odds on a July election narrow the day before Mr Sunak announced it on 22 May.

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Gove: Alleged betting ‘unacceptable’

Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for Ms Saunders to be suspended and said it is “very telling” Mr Sunak has not already done so.

“If it was one of my candidates, they’d be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor,” Sir Keir added.

Mr Sunak faced many questions about trust during the BBC grilling, with the first audience member asking if he would “confess to [a] small amount of embarrassment” after having five Tory prime ministers in the last seven years and the UK becoming something of an “international laughingstock”.

The Tory leader said that “very clearly mistakes had been made” and asked the public to judge him on the last 18 months in office.

He faced shouts of “shame” when he launched an attack on the “foreign court” – the European Court of Human Rights – and also insisted he was glad he called the election when he did despite his standing in the polls plummeting further since then.

Having named the date of the election amid a 20-point deficit, the prime minister has failed to make up ground in a campaign dominated by political gaffes – notably his early exit from a D-day event.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking during a BBC Question Time Leaders' Special in York. Picture date: Thursday June 20, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Election. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Image:
Starmer faced questions over his policy U-turns. Pic: PA

The gambling scandal was the latest blow, after multiple projections of a historic Labour landslide and a number of big figures – from a former Tory donor to a former Tory minister – announcing they would back Sir Keir for the first time ever when polling day comes around.

Responding to Mr Sunak’s BBC performance, Lib Dem Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson said the prime minister “has gone from ducking D-Day to blundering on betting”.

“If he was truly angry about this scandal these Conservative candidates would have been suspended,” she said.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, said Mr Sunak’s “performance tonight was an abject failure”.

The Tories hit back: “It was clear from the debate tonight that Keir Starmer will say just what he thinks you want to hear.”

Read more:
Has Sunak blundered by opting for long, six-week election campaign?
Tory voters say gambling scandal won’t make a difference

Starmer grilled on U-turns

Mr Sunak faced questions after Sir Keir took to the stage for a grilling that mainly centred around his previous support for Jeremy Corbyn and multiple policy U-turns.

The Labour leader ducked a volley of questions over whether he truly believed his predecessor would make a “great” prime minister, but said he would have been better than Boris Johnson – who went on to win in 2019.

On his U-turns, such as rowing back on a promise to abolish university tuition fees and nationalise energy, Sir Keir said he was a “common sense politician” and those pledges were no longer financially viable after the damage the Tories had done to the economy.

Davey confronted over-coalition years

The event also heard from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who faced difficult questions about his record in the coalition years and as postal affairs minister during the Horizon scandal.

Challenged by a student over his party abandoning their pledge to scrap tuition fees in the coalition era, he said: “I understand why your generation lost faith in us. It was a difficult government to be in.”

On his time as postal affairs minister, and whether he was proud of that role, he said he made “two big mistakes”, including failing to initially meet campaigner Alan Bates and not seeing through assurances given to him by the Post Office that there was nothing wrong with the faulty IT system that led to hundreds of wrongful convictions.

Meanwhile, SNP leader John Swinney, when asked whether he was going to carry on with calling for independence “until you get the answer you want”, stressed his belief that Scotland would be better as an independent country.

“I want Scotland to be like Denmark, or Ireland, or Sweden as an independent country. And when you look at those countries, they are more prosperous, they are more equal, they are fairer than Scotland and the United Kingdom,” he said.

General election campaign midpoint: Lonely Sunak fights battle on three fronts | UK News

This week the leaders were selling their visions to voters as they launched their manifestos, and Sunak and Starmer went head to head in Grimbsy at the Sky News live election special The Battle For Number 10.

Watch their journeys in the latest week in our animated map below.

This campaign is being fought on new electoral boundaries, with many constituencies undergoing significant changes since 2019.

For the purposes of this analysis, we use notional results based on calculations by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, Honorary Professors at the University of Exeter, which estimate the 2019 election seat results if they had taken place on the new constituency boundaries.

Manifesto week

We’re now more than halfway through the general election campaign and voting will soon be under way as postal ballots start to arrive through letterboxes.

In the final pushes to persuade the electorate, this week the parties have been releasing their manifestos.

The choices they’ve made about where to launch them reveal a narrative of safety.

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The prime minister chose Northamptonshire South in the East Midlands to launch the Conservative manifesto, where they have a 42.4% majority.

This is Andrea Leadsom’s old seat, one of the safer Conservative constituencies in that region. Boundaries have changed over time, but none of its predecessors have been Labour.

But it’s starting to look like there are no safe Tory seats. Recent Sky News/YouGov MRP polling suggests they could lose it, placing this seat as a “toss-up” Conservative hold, i.e. too close to call. If Labour won here, the required swing of 21.2 means they’d be well into decisive majority territory.

On Thursday Sir Keir Starmer chose Manchester Central as the launching pad for Labour’s manifesto. This is Lucy Powell’s seat and her majority is 44.4%.

This is home turf, and a rare venture into Labour heartlands for Starmer, who so far has only visited seats his party already hold three times in his 23 constituency tally – a safe choice for a safety first manifesto.

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Both location choices are key areas of support for the main parties. The Greens did the same in choosing to launch in Hove, the home of their first and only seat in the House of Commons, Brighton Pavilion.

Sir Ed Davey, who has been keeping everyone guessing throughout his campaign, made the curious choice of Hackney South & Shoreditch, a seat that has been Labour since its creation, represented by chair of The Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier since 2005.

But he was soon back on the attack in Tory territory, following up with a visit to ride a rollercoaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey.

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Ultimate guide to the election

Where are the troops?

The prime minister has cut a lone figure on the campaign trail, rarely seen with senior members of his party or indeed visiting their seats.

As Sky News revealed earlier this week, his image and Conservative Party branding have often been absent on much of their campaign material. One man who did make an appearance on Andrea Jenkyns’ leaflets for Leeds South West was Reform leader Nigel Farage, and that’s indicative of Sunak’s problem.

In the first two weeks he was fighting on two fronts, but now it seems the new Reform leader has just opened a third. Sunak’s woeful week ended with a YouGov poll suggesting his party could have now even dropped into third place.

So which cabinet ministers in trouble have had a visit from Sunak to boost their chances?

This week, none of them, and since the start of the campaign, just two of them.

Those were Work an Pensions Secretary Mel Stride’s Devon Central in the first week of campaigning, and Michelle Donelan, Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary in Melksham & Devizes in the second week.

He has visited four other ministerial seats, all of which polling has suggested could be at risk. Those were Justin Tomlinson in Swindon North, Jacob Young in Redcar, David Johnston in Didcot & Wantage, and David Rutley in Macclesfield.

So far no visit from the PM to the likes of Penny Mordaunt, Johnny Mercer and Grant Shapps, all of whom are said to be in a close fight for their parliamentary careers.

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Highlights from Sky’s leaders’ event

Sir Keir Starmer has also spent little time in shadow cabinet constituencies, instead taking many of them on the road with him to seats he’s targeting from the Tories.

Some have also been deployed in key areas where they’re popular, like deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner who has been spending time in the north of England seats that Labour lost to the Conservatives in recent elections. She’s also been hitting “true blue” northern areas like Macclesfield and Altrincham & Sale West, which have never been represented by a Labour MP.

Battle is in the areas that take Labour to a large majority

At Sky’s event on Wednesday, Starmer let slip that he’s expecting to be in government.

A national uniform swing of 8.3 points from the Conservatives would make Labour the largest party, one of 12.7 would deliver them a majority. If Labour uses its vote more efficiently than in the past and gains extra seats in Scotland then it reduces the overall swing required.

So far, Starmer has visited nine target constituencies which require swings of less 8.3 points vs 11 which require a greater vote swing. One of those which he visited this this week was Redcar, where Sunak went last week.

Labour’s candidate Anna Turley is trying to win it back after losing to the Conservatives in 2019. Last week we outlined its importance for each party’s campaign.

He has only visited five places where the swing required is more than 12.7, such as Nuneaton, a Brexit voting constituency in the West Midlands held by Labour in the early Blair years but Conservative since Cameron. The required swing to gain for Labour is 14.5 points.

Twenty-one of the 34 seats that Sunak has visited are Con-Lab battles that he defends. Seven have swings of less than 8.3 for it to be a Labour gain, while eight require swings bigger than 12.7.

Then there is the final front on which Sunak is defending: against the Lib Dems. Sunak has been to 11 seats where he’s fighting them off, such as Horsham in West Sussex this week where the Lib Dems need a swing of 15.5.

All bar two of Davey’s 27 visits have been to targets the Tories defend, where the average swing needed is 22.4 points.


Dr Hannah Bunting is a Sky News elections analyst and Co-director of The Elections Centre at the University of Exeter.


The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

Rishi Sunak says voting for Reform would hand Labour ‘blank cheque’ as he responds to poll crossover | Politics News

Rishi Sunak has responded to a poll showing Nigel Farage’s Reform party ahead of the Conservatives – saying a vote for the party would “give a blank cheque to Labour”.

Speaking to journalists at the G7 summit in Italy, the prime minister said: “We are only halfway through this election, so I’m still fighting very hard for every vote.

“And what that poll shows is – the only poll that matters is the one on 4 July – but if that poll was replicated on 4 July, it would be handing Labour a blank cheque to tax everyone, tax their home their pension their car, their family, and I’ll be fighting very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Election latest: Reform overtakes Tories for first time

Mr Sunak batted away the suggestion from Mr Farage that his party now represents the opposition to Labour – after a poll by YouGov put Reform on 19% and the Conservatives on just 18%.

The prime minister said: “Actually, when I’ve been out and about talking to people, they do understand that a vote for anyone who is not a Conservative candidate is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in Number 10.

“So if you want action on lower taxes, lower migration, protected pensions or a sensible approach to net zero you’re only going to get that by voting Conservative.

“And when people are thinking about the substance of what they want to see from a future government, if you’re someone who wants to see control over borders, you’re going to get that from us.”

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He went on: “You’re not going to get that from Labour – they’re going to cancel the Rwanda scheme, they’re not going to put in place a legal migration cap… a sensible approach to net zero.

“I’ve already announced that; Labour would reverse those reforms and put everyone’s bills up with net zero costs.

“And if you want your pension protected, we’re the only ones offering the triple lock plus, so actually, you know, when people sit down especially now this week when everyone can see very clearly the difference in approach from the two parties… will crystallise people’s minds on polling day.”

Ed Conway analyses manifestos:
Labour relying heavily on economic growth
Deep question marks buried in Conservative plan

Both parties are in fantasy land on tax

General Election poll tracker

Asked if the Tory party faced an “existential” threat, Mr Sunak said the publication of the two manifestos showed “there’s a massive difference on tax” between the Conservatives and Labour.

“We want to cut your taxes at every stage of your life in work, setting up a business, buying your first home, when you’re retired, you’re a pensioner or if you have a family – cutting taxes for everybody,” he said.

“The Labour Party consistently can’t tell you which taxes they’re going to put up, but they are going to put them up and as we saw yesterday, they’re going to raise the tax burden to the highest level in this country’s history. And that’s the choice for everyone at the election.”

Reform UK overtakes Conservatives in new poll in fresh blow for Rishi Sunak | Politics News

Nigel Farage has declared Reform UK “the opposition to Labour” after his party overtook the Tories for the first time in a new poll.

In a fresh blow to embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a survey by YouGov put Reform UK at 19%, compared to the Conservatives at 18%.

The results came out moments before an ITV debate between senior figures in the seven main parties.

Mr Farage wasted no time in gloating about the poll, saying in his opening statement: “Just before we came on air we overtook the Conservatives in the national opinion polls

“We are now the opposition to Labour.”

The poll was carried out after Mr Sunak unveiled a £17bn package of tax cuts in the Conservative manifesto earlier this week.

It shows Reform up two points, with Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens all down one.

The full results are:

Labour: 37% (-1)
Reform: 19% (+2)
Conservatives: 18% (nc)
Lib Dems: 14% (-1)
Green Party: 7% (-1)
SNP: 3% (+1)
Plaid Cymru: 1% (nc)
Other: 2% (+1)

Farage wastes no time in gloating at poll breakthrough

Jon Craig - Chief political correspondent

Jon Craig

Chief political correspondent

@joncraig

The opening statements in the ITV leaders’ debate may have been extremely brief, but they spoke volumes.

Predictably, Nigel Farage wasted no time in gloating about the shock opinion poll minutes before the start which put Reform UK ahead of the Conservatives.

“We are now the opposition to Labour,” he declared, in a boast that he has been wanting to trumpet at full volume for weeks as support for his party has risen gradually during the campaign.

And Penny Mordaunt served notice that she will go on the attack against Labour on tax in the debate, claiming she’ll talk about the Tories cutting taxes and Labour raising them.

Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Will Jennings, Sky polling analyst, said the YouGov survey “represents a moment of huge danger to the Conservatives”.

“Because of the geography of their support, Reform are not projected to win many seats, but they could still cost the Conservatives wins in narrowly contested seats across the country,” he said.

“In many places this will make the difference between a constituency returning a Conservative or Labour MP.”

After announcing his shock return to frontline politics last week, Mr Farage made clear his plans to replace the Tories as the official opposition if Labour win the landslide the current polls are predicting.

He has ruled out striking a pact with the Conservatives after senior Tory Suella Braverman said her party should embrace the former UKIP leader on the grounds there was “not much difference really between him and many of the policies that we stand for”.

The poll is more bad news for Mr Sunak, who has struggled to make a come back from his D-day gaffe last week.

Read more from Sky News:
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Who are Reform UK?

Despite repeatedly apologising for skipping an international ceremony attended by the likes of US President Joe Biden to mark the allied landings, the prime minister has continued to face a backlash from rivals, veterans and some from within his own party.

Such was the extent of the furore that he was forced to quash rumours he could resign and acknowledge “people are frustrated with me” during the launch of his manifesto.

The policy document contained promises to make another 2p cut to national insurance (NI), a new tax break for pensioners and the abolishment of NI altogether for the self-employed.

But it has failed to shift the dial for Mr Sunak, who was already 20 points behind Labour when he made the surprise decision to call the election for 4 July.

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