Nigel Farage has declared his intention to stand for UK prime minister by 2029 as Reform UK launches its “contract” manifesto in South Wales. Despite trailing in the polls, Farage’s party is projected to win seven seats, with a poll suggesting he would narrowly win Clacton over the defending Conservative. Tory minister Suella Braverman expressed willingness to invite Farage back into the party, but Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron disagreed, calling Farage “incredibly divisive” and accusing him of trying to “destroy” the Conservative Party. Farage, in an interview with BBC Radio 4, vowed to offer a “proper voice of opposition” and emphasized the disconnect between the Westminster-based parties and the country’s ordinary people.
General election latest: Farage to launch Reform manifesto as Labour plot major changes to Brexit deal
Tory minister rules out doing deal with Reform despite trailing to them in polls
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Nigel Farage has declared he would “absolutely” stand to be the UK’s prime minister by 2029 on the day Reform UK launches its “contract” manifesto to voters in South Wales.
The party’s release of its plans comes on the same day Labour’s Rachel Reeves indicated her party would try to improve elements of the UK’s trade deal with the EU, which was set up after Brexit.
At the weekend, a poll for the Sunday Times projected Farage would win Clacton narrowly by 31 per cent over Giles Watling, the defending Conservative. The survey of 22,000 people also forecast Reform UK to win seven seats.
And on Monday morning, Mr Farage vowed his party would offer a “proper voice of opposition” in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
And he was asked if he would stand to be prime minister at an election in 2029, Mr Farage replied: “Yes, absolutely. I think the disconnect between the Labour and Conservative Westminster-based parties and the country – the thoughts, hopes and aspirations of ordinary people – are so far apart from where our politics is.”
At the weekend, Suella Braverman said she would invite Mr Farage back into the party. However, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron disagreed. He said Mr Farage was “incredibly divisive” and trying to “destroy” the Conservative Party.
Key Points
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Shapps asked on Nigel Farage being elected
On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was asked if he can envisage Reform UK’s Nigel Farage being elected and then crossing the floor to the Conservatives and being elected leader.
He said: “Anyone is welcome to be a Conservative, but you can’t be Conservative if you belong to another party, and if indeed you stand against the party, so that’s how Conservative membership and indeed membership for all parties works.”
He added: “If you want to renounce your own party and cross the floor, then of course we look at those cases on an individual basis. But, to be clear, there is only one outcome of people voting Reform in this election, to give (Labour leader Sir) Keir Starmer a supermajority.”
Alex Ross17 June 2024 11:00
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‘We are pro-business’ – Rachel Reeves tells business leaders
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has told business leaders that holding a global investment summit in the first 100 days of entering government would show Labour is “pro-business”.
Discussing the party’s commitment to holding the summit, Ms Reeves said: “That is an opportunity to show that, with Labour, we are pro-business, we are pro-investment, and we are determined to seize for the UK the investment that we know is out there.”
At a meeting on Monday morning of an infrastructure council set up last year by Labour, Ms Reeves said the group of UK-based and international investment firms is something the party wants “to take into government”.
Racehl Reeves speaking to business leaders at M&G Investments in central London on Monday (Lucy North/PA Wire)
Alex Ross17 June 2024 10:45
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I have a marginal seat – Grant Shapps
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said he has “always accepted” he has a marginal seat, when asked if he feels vulnerable in his constituency ahead of the election.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well, I’ve always accepted, actually, that I have a marginal seat, and I always have done.
“I’ve fought this seat and not won it in the past, so I’m in that unusual position of having already experienced that before.”
Asked how he thinks the election campaign is going more generally, he said: “There are a lot of people out there who still say that they are undecided.”
Alex Ross17 June 2024 10:29
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UK trade deals under Brexit could be amended – Labour
Trade deals set up in the wake of Brexit could be improved, says Labour’s Rachel Reeves, who claims financial services companies says the agreements have not created good opportunity for businesses.
Labour has said it will not make any major changes to Brexit.
However, in an interview with the Financial Times, the party’s shadow chancellor said Labour could change areas to support businesses, with less need for regulatory divergence.
She said: “I don’t think anyone voted leave because they were not happy that chemicals regulations were the same across Europe. When my constituency voted leave it was purely because of immigration.”
Alex Ross17 June 2024 10:06
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Sunak top of tactical voting list from Best for Britain campaign
Other prominant targets on the list are leadership hopefuls Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and Penny Mordaunt with home secretary James Cleverly and Priti Patel also under threat.
It comes after MRP polling over the weekend suggested the Conservatives could end up with a historic low number seats with a mere 72.
Best for Britain is proposing tactical voting in 452 seats recommending 371 for Labour, 69 for the Lib Dems, seven for the SNP, three for the Greens and two for Plaid Cymru.
Alex Ross17 June 2024 09:46
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Launch more person attacks against Sir Keir Starmer, Sunak told
Alex Ross17 June 2024 09:35
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Tory election victory ‘unlikely but possible’ – Grant Shapps
It’s been a difficult campaign so far for the Tory party, and so in almost every interview of late with a Conservative candidate, the question is asked: “Can the Tories really still win?”
This was put to Defence Secretary Grant Shapps this morning by Times Radio, just a day after analysis by Survation found Labour could win a 262-seat majority on 4 July.
Mr Shapps said: “Yes, it is possible to win the election. Do I accept it is not the most likely outcome? Yes, I accept that, I am a realist.
“But I also think that when people start to narrow down on this focus, in particular I have noticed this with talking to people on the doorstep where they have been perhaps toying voting in another direction and then realising that just gives Starmer more power.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said he was ‘a realist’ when asked about the election outcome (PA Wire)
Alex Ross17 June 2024 09:23
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All parties are having problems with candidates – Nigel Farage
During his interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Nigel Farage is asked over the resignation of Reform UK candidate Grant StClair-Armstrong after previously calling on people to vote for the British National Party (BNP).
Mr Farage said: “This particular case is a chap in his 70s, who 20 years ago said he was thinking of voting BNP as a protest vote, he was never a member of the BNP.
“However, we don’t find that acceptable. Now, we did put in place – with quite a well-known political figure, who runs a professional vetting company – we put in place something, we spent a great deal of money on getting that vetting done, it wasn’t done, and I’ll talk more about that over the next couple of days.
“With a short general election every party is having problems with candidates, but effectively when you vote … the choices are not so much the candidates in the constituencies – we’ve almost got a presidential style now. People are voting for or against Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Ed Davey or me. They’re the names that are really on the ballot paper.”
Grant StClair-Armstrong has resigned as Reform UK candidate (Reform Party)
Alex Ross17 June 2024 09:00
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Nigel Farage says he will ‘absolutely’ be standing for PM in 2029
Speaking to the Today programme, Mr Farage said: “Our plan is to establish that bridgehead in Parliament and to build that voice to build a big national campaigning movement around the country across the next course of the five years for genuine change.”
Asked by presenter Justin Webb if he would be vying to be prime minister at the next general election, potentially in 2029.
He said: “Yes, absolutely, I think the disconnect between the Labour and the Conservatives, Westminister-based parties and the country.,The thoughts, hopes and aspirations of the country are so far apart from where our politics is, and the funny thing is, they show no signs of changing.”
He said the more Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt debated in the seven-way debates last week, “the more they sounded the same”.
“Yes, we are aiming to be a big party,” he added.
Alex Ross17 June 2024 08:50
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Tory vote collapse so bad Labour argue only they can beat Farage in Clacton
Labour have claimed the collapse in Tory support is now so bad that only they can stop Nigel Farage winning Clacton if the last remaining Conservatives vote tactically for their candidate.
In 2019 Tory MP and former actor Giles Watling won Clacton with 72.3 per cent of the vote and a majority of 24,702, with Labour a very distant third on just 15.5 per cent.
Matt Mathers17 June 2024 08:45
Read the full story on www.independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-2024-sunak-starmer-farage-reform-news-b2563733.html