General Election: Farage rages about Reform's undercover racism row - 'Political set-up!'​

Leave the ECHR to deal with Channel crossing crisis, Farage claims

The UK should leave the ECHR to deal with the Channel crossing crisis, Nigel Farage has claimed.

Farage said: “We have to leave the European Court of Human Rights, get back our own sovereignty, declare that anyone comes by this route will not get refugee status, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll pick them up in the Channel and take them back.”

He added: “Practically, I said, we leave the ECHR. We declare that no one that comes out of this route gets refugee status.

"By the way, we’ve given half a million people refugee status since 2016, we’re very, very generous, and we deport anybody that’s here illegally, as we used to under Labour and Tory Governments.”

Green's concede 'world without borders' not 'realistic' in next Parliament

Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay has appeared to distance himself with a party pledge to see a “world without borders”.

Ramsay claimed it was not “realistic” within the next five years.

He said: “I’m saying it’s not something that we think is realistic in this next five years of this next Parliament.”

​Police 'assess' racist Reform canvasser comments as Farage warns of 'set up'

Essex Police have confirmed it will "assess" comments made by Reform UK activists in Clacton as Nigel Farage warned Andrew Parker's stunt was a "set up".

The force announced the development after Parker was recorded describing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a "P**i".

Other Reform UK campaigners in Clacton were accused of making homophobic remarks and "joking" about overspending ahead of July 4.

In a statement, Essex Police said: "We are aware of comments made during a Channel 4 News programme and we are urgently assessing them to establish if there are any criminal offences."

Despite releasing a lengthy statement yesterday, Farage was keen to point out Parker is also an actor.

Speaking to ITV this morning, Farage said: "I have to tell you, the whole thing is a complete and utter set up. That I have no doubt, whatsoever."

'They're terrified!' Farage fires back against 'Establishment' as scandal-stricken Reform UK push ahead in polls

Nigel Farage has said the "Establishment" is "terrified" of Reform UK as the populist party's leader swats away various scandals.

Farage said in a video on X: “You only start taking flak, as they used to say in Bomber Command in World War Two, when you’re getting near the target and we’re getting near the target.

“The establishment are literally terrified of us, terrified not just of us breaking into Parliament and getting a bridgehead, not just terrified of me being the voice of opposition to a very weak Starmer government, which it will be - and hey, the divided conservatives couldn’t possibly provide anything like that - what they’re really scared of, what I’ve said over the next five years, I intend to build a mass movement of millions across this country for real change.

“They know, they know that I could do it, they know that we could do it and they’re terrified because they know that would have an unstoppable momentum.”

Reform surge continues as populist party trail Labour by 17 per cent

Reform UK's opinion poll surge continues as the populist party extends its lead over the Tories, a survey by Whitestone Insight has revealed.

Nigel Farage's party registered 21 per cent support, three points clear of Rishi Sunak's Tories on 18 per cent.

Labour continues to lead the race, with 38 per cent support.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party registered 11 and seven per cent support respectively.

Such a situation would mean Labour returns 453 MPs, while the Tories collapse to just 50, a user-defined prediction by Electoral Calculus has suggested.

The Liberal Democrats would become the Official Opposition on 74 as Reform UK pick up 29 seats and the Green Party return three MPs.

Electoral Calculus put Reform UK ahead in Ashfield, Barnsley South, Boston & Skegness, Bridlington & the Wolds, Broadland & Fakenham, Burton & Uttoxeter, Cambridgeshire North West, Cannock Chase, Castle Point, Chichester, Clacton, Cotswolds North, Daventry, Fareham & Waterlooville, Gosport, Great Yarmouth, Hornchurch & Upmister, Hull East, Huntingdon, Louth & Horncastle, Norfolk North West, Norfolk South West, Orpington, Plymouth Moor View, Sittingbourne & Sheppey, Skipton & Ripon, South Holland & the Deepings, Suffolk South, and Washington & Gateshead South

Keir Starmer to RESIGN as Labour leader if he loses General Election

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed he will resign as Labour leader if he loses the General Election.

Asked during a BBC phone-in programme whether he would resign if Labour lost or lost heavily, Starmer said: "Yes."

Labour is around 20 points ahead of the Tories in most opinion polls, with the party expected to win a majority at the General Election.

Earlier this week, Starmer reiterated his plan to be in power for a decade, in order to "fundamentally change" the UK.

He said: "A decade indicates how long I think it’s going to take for the fundamental change, which we will see a country transformed and years later people will be able to look back and say that was a real game-changing government."

Starmer, who will be 71 in ten years time, was asked about his age. He responded: "I am determined to see this through.

"I'm still playing football every week. I've been playing since I was ten years old, these knees have been through a lot of games."

Farage: People who espoused racist or homophobic views drawn to Reform because BNP no longer exists

Nigel Farage has suggested people who espoused racist or homophobic views had been attracted to Reform UK because the BNP no longer existed.

Asked why such people supported his party, he said: “Ironically, I think because we destroyed the BNP, they haven’t got the BNP to go to any more.”

He added that there were “right across the political spectrum people saying things they jolly well shouldn’t say”, and that “far-left extremists go to the Labour Party”.

Sunak 'hurt and angry' over racial slur used by Reform UK activist

Rishi Sunak has said a racial slur against him by a Reform UK canvasser “hurts and it makes me angry”.

The Prime Minister also said that party leader Nigel Farage “has some questions to answer”.

On a campaign visit to a school in Teesside, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign to Nigel Farage calling me an effing p***. It hurts and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer.

“I don’t repeat those words lightly. I do so deliberately, because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is.”

Reform activist said he regrets making remarks caught on camera by undercover reporter 

Reform UK activist Andrew Parker, who works as an actor, has said he regrets making the remarks which were caught on camera by an undercover reporter.

Parker told the PA news agency he had made the comments in “the heat of the moment” because he was being “goaded on”.

He told PA: “Of course I regret what I said. Christ, I’m not a racist. I’ve had Muslim girlfriends. It was typical chaps-down-the-pub talk.”

Asked whether he would like to apologise, he said: “Of course I’m sorry. They were off-the-cuff things that everyone says.”

He said he had “a lot of Pakistani friends” and “Muslim friends”, and that he was “sick to death” of being asked about the footage.

Mr Parker confirmed he is an actor but said he had got involved with Reform UK by contacting the party himself and volunteering to do leafletting because he believes in its message, and had not mentioned that he was an actor

Comments about Bangladeshi community were 'clumsy', admits Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has accepted his comments about the Bangladeshi community were “clumsy”.

During a phone-in on BBC Radio 5 Live, one caller asked the Labour leader “how can we differentiate you with Nigel Farage” after “recent, racist” remarks about migrants.

It comes after Sir Keir said “people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed” from the UK currently during the Sun’s election debate on Monday.

“I spent yesterday making clear that I didn’t intend to cause any upset or offence. I’m genuinely, genuinely concerned if that’s the case,” the Labour leader said.

Asked whether the comments had been clumsy, Sir Keir said: “Clumsy would be a good word, and I didn’t mean to offend anyone, I was simply answering the question.”

Labour Party sets up faux 'Rishi's mega mortgages' shopfront

The Labour Party has set up a faux “Rishi’s mega mortgages” shopfront on the campaign trail in south London.

The tagline on the bright blue shop front, which includes pictures of Rishi Sunak’s floating head with a wheeler-dealer style glinting tooth, reads in bright yellow “Every deal will leave you worse off!”

The number “£4,800” was featured in the biggest font, emblazoned across the front, with one window for each digit.

“Here’s my deal of the day. Your mortgage up £4,800”, it reads underneath.

The signage also said “Rishi’s latest raw deals” and “you should be grateful”.

Starmer says he will resign as Labour leader if party loses election

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed he will resign as Labour leader if he loses the General Election.

Asked during a BBC phone-in programme whether he would resign if Labour lost or lost heavily, Starmer said: "Yes."

Labour is around 20 points ahead of the Tories in most opinion polls, with the party expected to win a majority at the General Election.

Earlier this week, Starmer reiterated his plan to be in power for a decade, in order to "fundamentally change" the UK.

Nigel Farage is facing a 'test of leadership', warns Starmer

Revelations of “racist” comments by Reform UK canvassers are a “test of leadership” for Nigel Farage, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader told BBC Breakfast he was “shocked by what I heard in the report, clearly racist, and I think this is a test of leadership”.

When it was put to him that Mr Farage had “distanced himself” from the comments, Sir Keir added: “Well he has, but you have to ask the question why so many people who are supporting Reform seem to be exposed in this particular way.

“It’s for a leader to change his or her party, to make sure the culture is right, and the standards are understood by everybody within the party.

“That’s why I’ve changed the Labour Party, that’s why I’ve put it to a party that says: ‘Country first, party second’.”

Nigel farage has no answers to the big questions facing the country, says Sir Keir Starmer

Nigel Farage has “rhetoric” but no answers to the big questions facing the country, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader told BBC Breakfast: “Of course he is having an impact, we can see in the polls… some of the result, but what he doesn’t have is the answers to the huge challenges we are facing as a country, both in the UK itself and of course globally where there’s probably more tension and conflict than there’s been in very recent years.

“He doesn’t have answers to the big questions. He’s got rhetoric, for sure, but he doesn’t have answers to the question.

“And I’ve always approached politics on the basis that politics should be about service, it should be about taking your country forward and therefore you have an obligation to understand what are the challenges, what are the ways in which we meet those challenges and put in place a viable plan to take our country forward.”

Shadow Treasury minister: Labour has 'no plans' to raise any taxes if it wins election

Labour has “no plans” to raise any taxes should it win the election, the shadow Treasury minister has said.

Speaking to GB News, Darren Jones criticised the Government for being wasteful with public finances during the Covid pandemic.

He said: “Procurement rules need to be followed even during a pandemic. It would not have happened under Labour.”

Mr Jones said Labour would raise funds by closing tax loopholes.

“We have no plans to raise any other taxes because we don’t need to,” he added.

'We're still fighting for every vote', says Tory frontbencher

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, asked how she thinks the Conservative Party election campaign has gone so far, told Sky News: “Well, it’s still going and we’re still fighting for every vote.”

Ms Keegan said the opinion polls have produced a “whole range of different views”, adding: “None of them looking like the best outcome for our party.

“But I think what is actually happening – and of course we’re all out knocking on doors every single day – is there’s a lot of undecided voters who previously have voted Conservative, who are frustrated for one reason or another, and there can be very many different reasons, but they haven’t gone to another party, and that is actually the story of the doorsteps.”

Bridget Phillipson refuses eight times to say which toilet trans women should use 

Bridget Phillipson refused eight times to say which loo she thinks a trans woman with a penis should use.

She was asked to clarify her stance on women's bathrooms, after suggesting earlier this week that trans women should be able to use them.
But this morning, she was unwilling to say.

Asked for the first time on LBC, she said: "I believe that single-sex spaces are important... My background before I became a politician was managing a women’s refuge.

"So I understand how important it is that women have access to single-sex spaces, have that safety, that dignity, that opportunity to speak openly about traumatic events in their lives."

She was then presented with a specific scenario about a trans woman with a penis needing to use a public lavatory in a restaurant, to which she said that businesses should provide “a range of different options" - even when the presenter specified that the hypothetical restaurant only had male and female bathrooms.

Philippson repeatedly emphasised the need for "common sense solutions" and "being practical".

She added: "I wouldn’t want that person to feel at risk, Equally, I wouldn’t want biological women to feel intimidated."