Nigel Farage has criticized Rishi Sunak, claiming he is “not a patriotic leader” after Sunak’s D-Day blunder. The Conservative Party is facing potential electoral wipeout, with a new poll showing Labour set for a majority of 416 seats in the upcoming general election. Sunak’s decision to skip a D-Day memorial has faced backlash, with transport secretary Mark Harper calling it a “mistake” and cabinet colleague Penny Mordaunt condemning it as “completely wrong.” The prime minister is reportedly despondent over the reaction to his absence from the event, with Sunak avoiding media questions after a scheduled press event was canceled during a campaign visit. The Conservatives have pledged welfare reforms to address rising costs and unemployment, with plans to save £12 billion a year by reforming the benefits system. Labour, on the other hand, is promising new powers for police to tackle antisocial behavior, including quickly scrapping noisy off-road bikes causing havoc in neighborhoods. Sinn Fein is facing disappointment in Ireland’s local elections, with early indications suggesting they may not achieve the results they had hoped for. The general election turnout is predicted to be historically low, with many voters feeling politically homeless and uninspired by the main parties.
General election latest: Tories face wipeout in latest poll as second minister criticises Sunak D-Day blunder
Nigel Farage claims Rishi Sunak ‘not a patriotic leader’ after D-Day blunder
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox
Get our free View from Westminster email
The Conservative Party is facing electoral wipeout, the latest poll has revealed, as a second cabinet minister has openly criticised Rishi Sunak’s D-Day blunder.
Labour is set for a majority of 416 at the upcoming general election, leaving the Tories at just 37 seats, according to the new Mail on Sunday poll.
The survey conducted by Deltapoll puts Sir Keir Starmer’s party on 46 per cent compared to the Conservatives on 21 per cent, giving Labour a 25-point lead, with even Rishi Sunak set to lose his Yorkshire seat.
It comes as the prime minister is claimed to be despondent over the furious backlash to his decision to skip a D-Day memorial attended by other world leaders.
Transport secretary Mark Harper described Mr Sunak’s decision to miss the 80th anniversary event in Normandy as a “mistake” on Saturday, after his cabinet colleague Penny Mordaunt condemned it as “completely wrong” in a fiery seven-way BBC debate the previous night.
Later on Saturday, Mr Sunak appeared to dodge being questioned by the media after a scheduled press event with the prime minister was cancelled during a campaign visit to a walled garden at Auckland Castle.
Key Points
Show latest update 1717909200
Conservatives pledge welfare reforms with aim at halting rising costs
The Conservatives have pledged to halt the rising costs of welfare by reforming the benefits system if they win the election.
The latest offer from the Tories would help to save some £12 billion a year by the end of the next parliament, the party has claimed, by ensuring more working age people currently claiming benefits have a job.
The number of working age people who are out of work has risen sharply since the pandemic, and is thought to be driven in part by those who have taken early retirement and those with long-term health conditions waiting for treatment on the NHS.
But the Conservative Party said the 40 per cent increase in economically inactive people from two million to 2.8 million overall since the pandemic is unsustainable.
They have promised to bring this total down, claiming the cost of providing benefits for working age people with health conditions could rise as high as £90 billion by the end of the next parliament.
Among the steps the party would take to do this are several where the early stages have been floated by the Tories in government.
This includes a £700 million investment in NHS mental health treatment, to ensure 500,000 more people can access talking therapies to help with poor mental health.
A pledge to reform the disability benefits system and target it at those most in need is also part of the offer, as is a tightening of the criteria for work capability assessments.
Previously announced plans to pass on the responsibility for issuing sick notes from GPs to specialist work and health professionals are within the Tories’ plans.
The Conservatives also promise to toughen benefit sanction rules, speed up the rollout of universal credit, and clamp down on benefit fraudsters.
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 06:00
1717905600
Police would get powers to scrap noisy off-road bikes under Labour plans
Labour is promising new powers for police to quickly scrap noisy dirt and quad bikes causing havoc in neighbourhoods as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party also wants to hike on-the-spot fines for using off-road bikes or ignoring officers’ instructions to stop, which are currently as low as £100.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that if Labour wins the General Election, police will get the powers to take the bikes that are a “nightmare for communities” off the streets for good.
Under the plans, set out in the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Express, police will be able to dispose of off-road bikes being used antisocially within 48 hours.
Currently, bikes seized by officers have to be impounded for two weeks before disposal, with the steep costs incentivising forces to auction them off and risk handing them back to offenders.
Labour would also extend closure notices for drug dens from 48 hours to 72 hours, giving police more time to get them shut down at court.
Data-driven hotspot policing would target the most prolific antisocial offenders under the party’s proposals.
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 05:00
1717902000
Watch: Rayner and Mordaunt share laugh minutes after fiery clash at election debate
Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt share laugh minutes after fiery clash at election debate
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 04:00
1717898400
Sinn Fein will ‘dust themselves down’ and ‘learn lessons’ from Irish elections
Sinn Fein are to “dust themselves down” after early indications showed the party has not had the result it had hoped for in Ireland’s local elections.
It comes after the public expenditure minister said the expectation that Sinn Fein would be in the next government has been “shattered” by early indications in the local elections.
Ireland’s main opposition party faces a tough local election battle over the weekend, after government parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael appeared on Saturday to have polled strongly.
Cillian Sherlock reports:
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 03:00
1717894800
Watch: Farage claims Sunak ‘not a patriotic leader’ after D-Day blunder
Nigel Farage claims Rishi Sunak ‘not a patriotic leader’ after D-Day blunder
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 02:00
1717891200
Editorial: This election could see record low voter turnout
Turnout could hit a record low in the general election, many experienced observers tell The Independent. Robert Hayward, the Conservative peer and elections guru, said: “I have felt that we may have a record low turnout because it is clear that a lot of voters look politically homeless.”
Luke Tryl of More in Common, the polling and campaigning organisation, said: “It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if turnout hit a low this year.”
An exclusive opinion poll for The Independent carried out by Techne found that one in five electors has already decided not to vote. Michela Morizzo, Techne’s chief executive, said: “The risk of a low turnout is very high.” One of the causes is the uninspiring choice presented by the two main parties. As Ms Morizzo put it, “there is abstentionism among those who voted Conservative and have lost confidence”, while the Labour alternative has failed to generate much enthusiasm to compensate.
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 01:00
1717887600
‘Huge relief’ to see rescue of four hostages by Israel, Rishi Sunak says
Rishi Sunak said it is a “huge relief” to see the return of hostages who were kidnapped in Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October.
Israeli forces rescued four captives in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, in the largest such recovery since the militants’ assault triggered the conflict.
The Prime Minister said on social media site X: “It is a huge relief to see hostages returned after their unimaginable ordeal and heartwarming to see the pictures of them reunited with their families.
“We will continue to strive towards an end to the fighting as well as safety and security for all.”
Tara Cobham9 June 2024 00:00
1717884042
Labour vows to level playing field for small businesses with overhaul of rates
Labour has promised to level the playing field for small businesses with an overhaul of the business rates system.
Speaking at a brewery in his constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, Sir Keir Starmer criticised the Conservative Government for failing to “fix” the system which he said has caused problems for businesses for a “long time”.
The party is also pledging to accelerate the establishment of banking hubs, stamp out late payments of invoices by forcing large firms to report on their payment practices, and crack down on antisocial behaviour to “revitalise” high streets.
Tara Cobham8 June 2024 23:00
1717880378
Starmer failing to ‘seal the deal’ as poll shows voter turnout could be worst in modern history
Britain is heading for the lowest general election turnout in modern history, pollsters have warned, with the main parties and their leaders leaving many voters “politically homeless”.
The warning of mass apathy follows Techne UK polling this week which suggests that even in the middle of an election campaign with just a month to polling day, 20 per cent of people have already decided not to vote.
David Maddox and Alicja Hagopian have the full report:
Andy Gregory8 June 2024 21:59
1717878796
Labour set for staggering 416 majority, according to new poll
Labour is set for a majority of 416 at the upcoming general election, leaving the Tories at just 37 seats, a new Mail on Sunday poll has revealed.
MailOnline reported the survey conducted by Deltapoll puts the party on 46 per cent compared to the Conservatives on 21 per cent, giving Sir Keir Starmer’s party a 25-point lead, with even Rishi Sunak set to lose his Yorkshire seat. Reform UK was put at 12 per cent.
The company does warn the projection should be treated with caution as it is based on a crude uniform swing.
Tara Cobham8 June 2024 21:33
Read the full story on www.independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-sunak-farage-mordaunt-rayner-latest-news-b2559291.html