General election 2024 - live: Michael Gove joins MPs’ exodus as Sunak hopes for Boris Johnson on campaign

Cabinet minister Michael Gove has become the latest Conservative MPs to stand down at the election, joining another 77 Tories doing so.

The levelling up and housing secretary, who once aspired to become Tory party leader, said: “There comes a moment when you know it’s time to leave. That a new generation should lead.”

Rishi Sunak has confirmed he would welcome former prime minister Boris Johnson to join the Tory campaign and could make an appearance ahead of the general election on 4 July.

But the Conservatives have decided to ban Johnson ally David Frost from standing as a candidate and from applying to stand in any of the constituencies left to nominate.

The Commons has been hit by a wave of more than 100 resignations, leaving the Tories racing to find replacement candidates in some constituencies.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has announced he is standing as an independent candidate at the general election to fight Labour for Islington North, vowing to be “an independent voice for equality, democracy and peace”.

Key Points

• Michael Gove joins exodus from Parliament

• Rishi Sunak: ‘Door is open for Boris Johnson to campaign'

• Lord Frost banned from standing as a Tory

• Jeremy Corbyn confirms he is standing as independent candidate

• Starmer rejects weekly TV debates with Sunak

Tory MP Lucy Allan suspended for endorsing Reform UK candidate

17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Conservative Party spokesman confirmed Telford MP Lucy Allan had been suspended for endorsing a Reform UK candidate.

“Lucy Allan has been suspended from the Party with immediate effect,” the spokesman said.

“The people of Telford now have the chance to vote for a dedicated and hardworking new candidate who will put Telford first.

“A vote for Reform is a vote for Keir Starmer.”

Sunak visits garden centre in Berkhamstead

16:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In his second campaign stop of the day, Rishi Sunak made a fleeting visit to a garden centre in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

There, the Prime Minister met Nigel Gardner, the Conservative candidate for the new constituency of Harpenden and Berkhamsted.

The two stacked plant pots onto shelves together as Mr Gardner remarked about the “huge new constituency” he was standing to represent.

Mr Sunak exited the garden centre, passing by the cashiers and out onto the high street, with shoppers surprised to see the Prime Minister in their midst.

Some members of the public could be heard attempting to heckle him as he walked down the street outside.

Tory peer says ‘all but guaranteed’ majority of party’s MPs will lose their seats

16:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tory peer Zac Goldsmith has said it is “all but guaranteed” that the majority of Tory MPs will “lose their job next month”.

Mr Goldsmith is referring to the snap election which Rishi Sunak called without first consulting his Cabinet.

However, the former minister said the Tory majority is equally to blame for what is happening in Westminster.

He wrote on X: “I understand the anger towards Sunak who has damaged the Party almost beyond repair and all but guaranteed the majority of his MPs will lose their job next month.

“But it’s hard to muster much sympathy given that none of this would have happened without the complicity of a majority of the Party & what is now unfolding was entirely predictable- indeed predicted.”

Labour leader hits back at ‘Sir Sleepy’ jibes

16:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer hit back at accusations he lacked the energy for the General Election campaign, saying he had been smiling since the start of the year at the prospect of a public vote.

Conservatives claimed on Sunday the Labour leader does not have the “stamina” to campaign, saying he had been “resting at home”, although pictures later emerged of Sir Keir meeting voters in Brighton.

Speaking at a campaign event in Lancing, West Sussex, on Monday, Sir Keir dismissed the claims as “desperate”.

Labour leader hits back at ‘Sir Sleepy’ jibes

Tory TikTok launch ‘pathetic’ compared with Labour’s ‘savvier’ approach – expert

16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Conservatives’ launch on TikTok has been branded “pretty pathetic” by an expert who praised Labour’s “savvier” social media team.

Social media has been touted as a key battleground in general elections for many years, but having launched in the UK in August 2018 TikTok was only in its infancy during the last poll in December 2019.

Likely to play a bigger role than ever this election, the Chinese app was banned from Government phones in March 2023 due to data security concerns but both parties launched profiles in recent days.

Tory TikTok launch ‘pathetic’ compared with Labour’s ‘savvier’ approach – expert

Boris Johnson ally warns Tory MPs only have themselves to blame for Sunak’s ‘predictable’ election chaos

15:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Lord Zak Goldsmith, who resigned from Rishi Sunak’s government last year, has hit out at the “complicity” of most Tory MPs in allowing the party to descend in complete chaos less than a week into a general election.

The Tory peer, who is a friend and ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson, posted a comment on X (formerly Twitter) warning that most Conservative MPs will lose their seats but saying “it is hard to feel sorry for them”.

Goldsmith warns Tory MPs only have themselves to blame for Sunak’s election chaos

Minister warned Sunak it was not common sense to have a snap election

15:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak asked King Charles to dissolve Parliament before telling his cabinet that he had called a snap election.

But that final 4pm cabinet meeting on Wednesday before the prime minister made his rain sodden announcement to the nation outside Downing Street, saw very little response,

The Independent understands that only two ministers piped up to tell him he had made a mistake.

Minister warned Sunak it was not common sense to have a snap election

PM distances himself from Tory attacks on Sir Keir over his age

15:04 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from Tory attacks on Sir Keir Starmer over his age.

The 44-year-old Prime Minister said “the substance is what matters” following the comments about his 61-year-old rival.

Mr Sunak told reporters: “I’m interested in getting out and about across the country.

“We’re a few days into this, we’ve been in the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, here in the South East today, talking to people – parents – about the future.

“The substance is what matters at this election, it’s a choice about the future.”

He added: “When it comes to Keir Starmer, that’s the choice that’s on offer – no ideas, no plan and you don’t deliver a better future, you don’t deliver any change, without those things.”

Sunak argues national service plan is ‘right thing to do’

15:01 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak has argued his national service plan is “absolutely the right thing to do”.

The Prime Minister told reporters: “This modern form of national service will mean that young people get the skills and the opportunities that they need which is going to serve them very well in life.

“It’s going to foster a culture of service which is going to be incredibly powerful for making our society more cohesive and in a more uncertain and dangerous world it’s going to strengthen our country’s security and resilience.

“For all these reasons I think this is absolutely the right thing to do. Yes, it is bold, but that’s the kind of leadership I offer.”

Starmer: Trust me to end Tory ‘chaos’ and protect national security

15:00 , Tara Cobham

Sir Keir Starmer has said the General Election amounted to a choice about “whose side are you on” as he promised to stand up for working people and restore trust in British politics.

The Labour leader said 14 years of Conservative “chaos” had led to a “crisis” in the national culture.

In his first major speech of the campaign, he sought to persuade voters that he could be trusted to deliver economic stability and protect national security.

David Hughes reports:

Starmer: Trust me to end Tory ‘chaos’ and protect national security

SNP has ‘ground to cover’ to catch up with Labour in polls, John Swinney says

14:57 , Tara Cobham

SNP leader John Swinney has conceded his party “has a lot of ground to cover” to catch up with rivals Labour in the polls ahead of the General Election.

Mr Swinney, who took over as SNP leader from Humza Yousaf just three weeks ago, said the party was already united behind him and was “very focused on the election campaign”.

However, polls have shown the party, which for years has been the dominant force in Scottish politics, is now trailing behind Labour in the run-up to the July 4 voting day.

Katrine Bussey reports:

SNP has ‘ground to cover’ to catch up with Labour in polls, John Swinney says

Sunak defends national service plan: ‘Right policy at right time'

14:56 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak defended his national service plan, arguing it was the “right policy at the right time”.

He told reporters in Buckinghamshire: “This is the right thing to do because this is how we will deliver a secure future for everyone and our country.

“We are not going to do that without taking bold action and that’s the type of leadership that I offer.”

National Service plan was ‘sprung’ upon Tory candidates, says NI minister

14:45 , Tara Cobham

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker has said the National Service plan was “sprung” upon Tory candidates.

Writing on social media, he suggested had it been a government policy, he would have had a say because of the particular sensitives around Northern Ireland.

He said: “Government policy would have been developed by ministers on the advice of officials and collectively agreed. I would have had a say on behalf of NI.

“But this proposal was developed by a political adviser or advisers and sprung on candidates, some of whom are relevant ministers.”

TUV leader rubbishes speculation linking him to East Belfast election contest

14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

TUV leader Jim Allister has dismissed as “nonsense” speculation that he might switch constituencies to challenge the interim leader of the DUP in East Belfast.

The North Antrim MLA said while his party would be running in Gavin Robinson’s Belfast constituency, he said there had never been any consideration that he might be the candidate.

His comments came after Alliance Party leader and Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long confirmed she would run against Mr Robinson in East Belfast.

TUV leader rubbishes speculation linking him to East Belfast election contest

Sunak pledges stipend to 18-year-olds signing up for military section of national service plan

14:24 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak has said 18-year-olds who sign up for the military section of his national service plan would be paid a stipend to help with living costs.

The scheme will cost £2.5 billion a year by 2029-30, according to the Conservatives’ figures.

The Prime Minister, answering questions on TikTok about the Tory policy, said: “As is the case in other countries, we will provide a stipend to help with living costs for those doing the military element alongside their training.

“Meanwhile, on the civic side, we will make sure organisations have funding for training and administration.”

He was answering questions on the Conservatives’ TikTok account.

The party is using the social media site even though security concerns have seen its use banned from Government devices.

Labour MP stands down

14:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Labour MP for Worsley & Eccles South has resigned today.

Barbara Keeley made the announcement in a post on X.

Ex-military chief says Rishi Sunak’s national service plan is ‘bonkers’

13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak’s pledge to enforce national service for 18-year-olds has been described as “bonkers” by a former British military chief.

The policy proposal, announced on Sunday by the prime minister, would see young people would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year volunteering in their community.

It is the Conservatives’ first major policy proposal since Mr Sunak hastily announced the general election in the pouring rain last week, with his party now scrambling to find some 190 candidates amid a post-war record exodus of Tory MPs.

Ex-military chief says Rishi Sunak’s national service plan is ‘bonkers’

Israel condemned as ‘barbaric’ strike on Rafah refugee camp kills at least 50

12:44 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

At least 50 people have been killed and dozens more injured by an Israeli airstrike on tents for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, according to the Gaza health authorities.

The health ministry said that most of those killed and injured in Rafah were women and children, in an area where thousands of people had been instructed to take shelter in the southern region of the besieged enclave. “Numerous others were trapped in flaming debris,” said officials.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza‘s 2.3 million population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.

Israel condemned as ‘barbaric’ strike on Rafah refugee camp kills at least 50

Is Labour trying to rig election system with plans for votes at 16?

12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Keir Starmer says he will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to have the vote, leading to claims by Tory MPs that he wants to ‘rig future elections’. Political editor David Maddox looks into whether the accusation is true or if the Labour leader is just trying to be fair:

Is Labour trying to rig election system with plans for votes at 16?

12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign office minister clashes with Richard Madeley in national service debate

Starmer would tell Netanyahu to ‘stop’ as horrific scenes from Rafah emerge

11:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer has said he was “shocked” by scenes from Rafah overnight and that the Israeli offensive must stop.

Asked what he would tell Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu if he were prime minister, the Labour leader said: “Stop.

“Those scenes, those reports, are horrifying and what makes it worse was this was a safe zone with women and children and families that have already fled a number of times.

“It’s horrifying to see that. I’ve been saying for some time the Rafah offensive should not take place.”

He added: “I was shocked by what I saw overnight, I think any human being would be shocked by what they saw. It’s got to stop.”

11:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tory national service policy like a ‘teenage Dad’s Army’, Starmer says

Senior minister appears to criticise Rishi Sunak’s National Service plan in election statement

11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Support for Rishi Sunak’s plans to force school leavers to do military or voluntary national service appear to have divided his party.

An election address to his constituents in Wycombe, senior minister Steve Baker, whose seat is under threat from Labour, has appeared to criticise the philosophy behind the prime minister’s announcement and distanced himself from it.

Mr Sunak wants 18-year-olds to either join the military for a year or do community service every weekend in a new compulsory scheme.

Minister appears to criticise Sunak’s National Service plan in election statement

‘Who do you hold in your mind’s eye when you are making decisions?’

11:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer said: “Elections are about more than individual changes and policies, but about values, temperament, character and a bigger question: whose side are you on?

“Who do you hold in your mind’s eye when you are making decisions?

“Everything I have fought for has been shaped by my life, every change I have made to this party has been about a cause, the answer to that question, the only answer: The working people of this country delivering on their aspirations, earning their respect, serving their interests.”

Watch: 'Desperate' Tory national service policy like a 'teenage Dad's Army', Starmer says

10:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Analysis: If you think you have this speech before…you have

10:39 , David Maddox

Sir Keir Starmer has clearly decided that he has a winning formula based around his six first steps and his own character to win this election.

Those listening carefully to his speech today in Worthing on the south coast have a sense of deja vu. That is because most of what he is saying was said at the rally in Purfleet less than a week before the election was called.

He even repeated the story about a family in Wolverhampton who decided not to have a second child because of Liz Truss’s mini budget.

It is not that Starmer is trying to be “boring” - something he is often accused of by his detractors - it is that the lines in his speech have been road tested over a long time.

His team knows that this is what people want to hear.

So we will hear a lot of “country first, party second”, “rolling up my sleeves”, “the choice is service against selfishness”, “chaos versus stability”, “together we can rebuild this country”, and, most importantly, “This party has changed.”

There were a few reactive additions to National Service with a quip about “a teenage Dad’s Army.”

He showed a bit more leg about his background and how his parents had to cancel their telephone to pay the bills growing up.

But in the end, Sir Keir will keep banging out the same message until polling day on 4 July in the hope that he will get him into Downing Street.

Starmer calls Sunak’s National Service plans ‘desperate'

10:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir ridiculed Rishi Sunak’s National Service plan, branding it a “sort of teenage dad’s army”.

He said the prime minister has a “new plan every week” and “the spinning around is symbolic of the chaos and instability” of the Tory party.

He added: “You’ve seen that again over the past few days. The desperation of this national service policy, a sort of teenage dad’s army.

“Paid for by cancelling levelling up funding and money from tax avoidance that we would use to invest in our NHS.”

Starmer makes his pitch for security- the ‘bedrock’ of his manifesto

10:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In his pitch for Labour’s stance on security, Sir Keir said: “The very foundation of any good government is economic security, border security, and national security.

“Make no mistake, if the British people give us the opportunity to serve, then this is their core test. It is always their core test.

“And I haven’t worked for four years on this, just to stop now. This is the foundation, the bedrock that our manifesto and our first steps will be built upon.”

10:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Speaking of Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir said: “I’m fed up of listening to the prime minister tell you that we’ve turned the corner.

“It is a form of disrespect in itself.

“Taxes are higher than at any time since the war. Chaos hitting every working family to the tune of £5,000.

“And the prime minister prepared to do it all over again.”

‘Country first, party second'

10:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir said his project is to see a “Britain once more in the service of working people. Country first, party second”.

He added: “My parents always believed in the end, hard work would be rewarded and Britain would be better for their children, for me.

“Working people want to believe in the future.”

Starmer says working class upbringing shaped his politics today

10:11 , Tom Barnes

Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer begins his speech by speaking about his parents and his childhood growing up working class.

He said: “All of that, my background, has stayed with me.”

Sir Keir said his experience has shaped his politics and the way he wants to lead the country.

Starmer begins first major speech of campaign

10:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer is now delivering his first major speech of the campaign in West Sussex. Stay tuned as we keep you updated.

Keir Starmer aims to end questions about his leadership in first major election campaign speech

09:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer will use his first major speech of the general election to make Labour’s campaign personal as he tries to quell concerns expressed about what sort of prime minister he will be.

The Labour leader’s “presidential” speech comes as the Tories have accused him of threatening to make a £38.5bn black hole in public finances with his spending plans.

Sir Keir has also been accused of being “boring” and lacking charisma as he tries to haul his party from near oblivion in 2019 to retaking Downing Street after 14 years in opposition.

Starmer aims to end questions about his leadership in first major election speech

Farage’s comments are ‘incendiary rhetoric’- shadow education secretary

09:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said Nigel Farage’s claim that a “growing number” of young people “loathe” British values was “incendiary rhetoric”.

Asked whether she agreed with the comments made by Reform UK’s honorary president, she told LBC Radio: “No, this is the kind of incendiary rhetoric and division stoking that we can expect from him.

“What I see when I visit schools, colleges, universities the length and breadth of the country is young people who are really hopeful and optimistic about the future, but also people who will often be making an enormous contribution to their own community - whether that’s through volunteering, young carers, people who are really committed and dedicated individuals.

“I think what we need in this election is a sense of how we bring our country together, how we focus on a more positive and hopeful mission for what our country can be - not this kind of division.”

‘Failure to carry out national service could harm people’s job prospects’

09:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has suggested that failure to carry out national service could harm people’s job prospects.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “This will be encouraged and will become part of the norms.

“Importantly, of course, when you then as a young person apply for a job, there will be a question that employers will want to know how you got involved - either because were able to achieve one of the 30,000 places (in the armed forces) or because you were volunteering in one or other part of your community.”

John Curtice warns Sunak that his National Service plan will not close poll gap with Labour

09:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak’s pledge to reintroduce National Service will not help him close the gap on Labour, leading pollsters have warned.

The Conservatives announced the policy over the weekend in the hope it would move the dial on terrible polling returns which have them trailing by more than 20 points behind Labour.

But while the announcement helped distract from a much criticised start to the election campaign by the prime minister and his inner circle, there are serious question marks over whether it will provide the Tories the poll boost they need.

John Curtice warns Sunak that his National Service plan will not close poll gap

Starmer to aim speech at undecided voters as he insists he 'changed' Labour

08:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In a keynote speech ahead of polling day, Sir Keir Starmer will try to persuade undecided voters to come on board Labour as he will insist his party has “changed”.

Acknowledging that some voters are still unsure of whether Labour could be trusted on national security, he is expected to say some people are “fed up with the failure, chaos and division of the -Tories but they still have questions about us”.

“Has Labour changed enough? Do I trust them with my money, our borders and our security? My answer is yes you can - because I have changed this party. Permanently. This has been my driving mission since day one. I was determined to change Labour so that it could serve the British people.”

Nigel Farage condemned for 'race baiting' after claim Muslims are 'hostile to British values'

08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nigel Farage signalled a return to right-wing shock tactics for his Reform UK party, as he used his first election interview to attack Muslims in the UK for “not sharing British values”.

Speaking to Sir Trevor Phillips on Sky News this morning, Mr Farage accused Rishi Sunak of “not being a leader” and instead being “a follower of focus groups” who is “not willing to tackle the real issues in this country”.

He was dismissive of Tory plans to reintroduce compulsory national service for school leavers, describing the policy as “a joke” but then stunned Sir Trevor by launching into an attack on millions of voters.

Nigel Farage condemned for 'race baiting' over attack on British Muslims

Starmer ‘would do everything’ to ‘keep our country safe’ if he becomes PM- Bridget Phillipson

08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said Sir Keir Starmer “would do everything within his power to keep our country safe” if he becomes prime minister.

She was addressing a report from the Times that a Labour government would bring together MI5, police and Whitehall departments to carry out a 100-day review of all the threats that Britain faces, including from Russia and Iran.

Ms Phillipson told Times Radio the decision was “about demonstrating the priority that we would attach to (security) because if we were to form the next government, we would very rapidly want to undertake a full review of the security risks and national security threats our country is facing at the moment because we know how important it is to the British people to know that we have a government focused on keeping them safe”.

Foreign Office minister says ‘very small proportion’ of British Muslims want to ‘challenge’ UK values

08:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said a “very small proportion” of British Muslims wanted to “challenge” the country’s fundamental values.

She told LBC Radio: “The vast proportion of British Muslims are wonderful, peace-loving, community-minded people, certainly in the North East where I’m based, we have fantastic communities and they are a really important part of our social fabric.

“There are a very small proportion for whom they want to challenge those values that we hold dear in the UK, which are British values, and there we need to continue to work in community to bring those people to this.

“The UK has incredible values of freedom of speech, freedom of choice ... these are incredibly important values, but they have to be nurtured and looked after, and where there are those who would threaten them we need to make sure that we deal with that.”

She was speaking after Reform UK’s honorary president Nigel Farage said there was a “growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values and “loathe much of what we stand for”.

Is the National Service scheme a preparation for war?

07:52 , David Maddox

Foreign Office minister Ann Marie Trevelyan indicated this morning that the plans to introduce National Service for school leavers was to help prepare the UK for war or other disasters.

She told Radio 4’s Today programme: “I am a Foreign Office minister so I spend my life talking to people and visiting around the world. And the world is a very unstable place. Not a reassuring pace at all.

“We need our young people to understand and be part of our communities, our incredible country that is the UK, but also making sure they have the skills and resilience because we need a secure future for our country because the world is not a safe place and freedom does not come for free.

“We need to make sure we have the skills that we need.”

07:33 , Athena Stavrou

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan did not rule out the possibility of parents being liable for fines if their adult children refuse to take part in the national service plan proposed by the Conservatives.

She said that the scheme would be compulsory in the same way as staying in education or training until 18 is.

Asked on Times Radio whether parents would face prosecution if their 18-year-olds refuse to sign up for the military or volunteering activity, she said: “I’m not going to write the detailed policy now. That’s what a royal commission programme of works will be for.”

Rachel Reeves pledges no return to austerity under Labour

07:00 , Holly Evans

Rachel Reeves pledges no return to austerity under Labour

Lib Dems getting best response ‘for a generation, says leader

06:00 , Holly Evans

Sir Ed Davey has said the Liberal Democrats are getting the best response from voters “for a generation” ahead of the General Election.

The party leader also criticised the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and other Conservative MPs for taking their constituents “for granted”.

Speaking at the Lib Dems’ campaign launch in Cambridgeshire, Sir Ed told the PA news agency: “I’m not putting a ceiling on our ambitions.

“All I’m doing is talking to voters with my teams across the country, and the Liberal Democrats are getting a great response – a better response than we’ve had for a generation.

“I was elected back in 1997 and this feels to me quite a bit like that. I don’t worry about the other parties, I’m just excited about our job and excited about change.”

Is Sunak’s election campaign the worst in history?

05:30 , Holly Evans

He is soaked in Downing Street on his launch, drowned out by triumphant Blair’s anthem, his MPs are fleeing the battlefield and he visits a Titanic museum. When you think things cannot get worse for Rishi Sunak, they do. Is this the worst start to an election campaign in history?

Those with a distant memory can recall Michael Foot’s 1983 election campaign for Labour with the manifesto described by the late Gerald Kaufman as “the longest suicide note in history”.

But what went down in folklore as the worst ever election campaign – one which nearly saw the destruction of Labour – may have found its match in catastrophic miscalculations and farce.

Read the full analysis from our political editor David Maddox here:

Is Sunak’s election campaign the worst in history?

Labour and Tories to clash on security after national service announcement

05:00 , Holly Evans

Labour and the Tories will clash over security as campaigning for the General Election enters its first full week after the Conservatives announced plans to introduce national service.

In a keynote speech ahead of polling day, Sir Keir Starmer will say that “economic security, border security, and national security” will form the “bedrock” of the party manifesto.

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak will be hammering his message that the Conservatives will take “bold action” to deliver “a secure future for the next generation”.

The Tories have announced that all 18-year-olds would be made to undertake a form of “mandatory” national service if they are re-elected on July 4.

Teenagers would choose between taking a 12-month placement in the armed forces or “volunteer” work in their community one weekend a month for a year under the proposals.

Wes Streeting’s three-word formula for how Labour will govern

04:30 , Holly Evans

Wes Streeting has set out a three-word vision of the guiding philosophy of a Labour government if, as expected, it wins power on 4 July.

The shadow health secretary had echoes of Tony Blair’s New Labour when he promised that his party would be “compensatory, not confiscatory”.

Mr Streeting was in discussion with The Independent’s editor-in-chief Geordie Greig in front of an audience at the Hay Festival, discussing the election, politics and his book One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up.

Read the full article here from our political editor David Maddox here:

Wes Streeting’s three-word formula for how Labour will govern

Is Labour trying to rig election system with plans for votes at 16?

04:00 , Holly Evans

While much of the election debate is around the personalities of Rishi Sunak versus Keir Starmer or their economic plans or even their proposals to tackle the migration crisis, there are some other serious underlying issues at stake.

One of these is electoral and political reform which is being pushed by Starmer.

The Labour leader has previously spoken of his desire to replace the House of Lords with an elected chamber but rowed back on this. The one policy he has made clear he is committed to as this election gets underway is to give the vote to 16-year-olds. He has also discussed giving it to EU citizens who have not taken British nationality.

Read the full analysis here from our political editor David Maddox:

Is Labour trying to rig election system with plans for votes at 16?

‘No return to austerity’ under Labour government, Reeves claims

03:30 , Holly Evans

Minister said there were ‘no plans’ for national service policy three days ago

03:00 , Holly Evans

A Tory minister rejected the prospect of national service just two days before Rishi Sunak announced his party would introduce it for teenagers if they win the general election.

Responding to a written parliamentary question, defence minister Andrew Murrison said there were “no plans” to introduce the controversial policy.

The MP, who represents South West Wiltshire, added that it could damage morale if “potentially unwilling” recruits were forced to serve alongside armed forces personnel.

Read the full article here:

Minister said there were ‘no plans’ for national service policy three days ago

Nigel Farage condemned for 'race baiting' after claim Muslims are 'hostile to British values'

02:30 , Holly Evans

Nigel Farage signalled a return to right-wing shock tactics for his Reform UK party, as he used his first election interview to attack Muslims in the UK for “not sharing British values”.

Speaking to Sir Trevor Phillips on Sky News this morning, Mr Farage accused Rishi Sunak of “not being a leader” and instead being “a follower of focus groups” who is “not willing to tackle the real issues in this country”.

He was dismissive of Tory plans to reintroduce compulsory national service for school leavers, describing the policy as “a joke” but then stunned Sir Trevor by launching into an attack on millions of voters.

Read the full article here:

Nigel Farage condemned for 'race baiting' over attack on British Muslims

What is mandatory National Service and how would it work as Rishi Sunak announces scheme

02:00 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak has announced that 18-year-olds would be made to do national service if the Tories win the general election.

It is the Conservatives’ first major policy proposal since Mr Sunak hastily announced the general election in the pouring rain on Wednesday afternoon, with his party now scrambling to find some 190 candidates amid a post-war record exodus of Tory MPs.

The prime minister insisted on that his plans for mandatory national service would help unite society in an “increasingly uncertain world” and give young people a “shared sense of purpose”. In an apparent pitch to older voters, Mr Sunak said that volunteering could include helping local fire, police and NHS services, as well as charities tackling loneliness and supporting elderly and isolated people.

Read the full article here:

What is National Service and how would it work as Sunak announces mandatory scheme

Letters: Starmer shouldn’t shy away from another EU referendum

01:30 , Holly Evans

I read Andrew Grice’s recent column, regarding Keir Starmer’s “secret agenda” to forge closer links with the EU, with a song in my heart. Well, it was probably more like a muted hum – but if the signs are there for a more proactive rapprochement with the EU, then bring it on.

I appreciate that Starmer is keen not to alienate Leave voters, but a lot of time has passed, and surely even ardent voters have now realised they were misled and manipulated on an industrial scale.

Pro-Europeans such as myself will welcome any changes, and I would surmise that the EU wouldn’t be against a better relationship.

Read letters from our readers regarding the election here:

Starmer shouldn’t shy away from another EU referendum

Defence minister ruled out national service over morale fears day after Rishi Sunak called election

01:00 , Holly Evans

A Tory defence minister warned on the first day of the general election campaign that Rishi Sunak’s plan to reintroduce national service would “damage morale” in the military.

Andrew Murrison signed off a written answer to fellow Tory MP Mark Pritchard which was published less than 24 hours after the prime minister had dramatically called a snap election.

The response from a seasoned minister has been highlighted after there was a furious backlash to the Tory plan revealed overnight to reintroduce national service for school leavers.

Read the full article here:

Minister ruled out National Service over morale fears day after Sunak called election

SNP can kick Tories out of every seat in Scotland, Swinney to declare

Monday 27 May 2024 00:30 , Holly Evans

John Swinney will say the SNP can kick the Conservatives out of “every seat in Scotland” as he campaigns ahead of the General Election.

The First Minister will on Monday campaign for votes in Dumfries, which is part of Scottish Secretary Alister Jack’s Dumfries and Galloway seat.

Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats will be launching their Scottish campaign.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross will be in Falkirk, the constituency represented by former Scottish health secretary Michael Matheson at Holyrood.

Mr Swinney said: “In every seat the Tories currently hold, the SNP is the challenger and the only party who can defeat them – that is why I am urging people in Scotland to unite by voting SNP, meaning we cannot just remove the Tories from Downing Street, but kick them out of every seat in Scotland.”

Rishi Sunak justifies introducing National Service: 'Democratic values are under threat'

Monday 27 May 2024 00:00 , Holly Evans

Is military service really the answer that Rishi Sunak (and Sweden) think it is?

Sunday 26 May 2024 23:30 , Holly Evans

When Emmy Vilander turned 18 she, like everyone her age in Sweden, was sent an official email by the Swedish government. It asked her whether she’d consider conscription into the country’s military under Sweden’s “total defence” service and asked her how fit she was, if she had any health issues and what her motivation would be.

“I thought it might be a good thing [to do],” recalls Vilander – and so she duly filled in the form. Not long after that, she found herself in Sweden’s far north learning how to strip down a rifle, shoot a gun and build a shelter (as well as the “basic stuff like how to keep a tidy locker and how to make your bed”.)

By the end of her 10-month military service, Vilander could also drive a tank in a variety of terrains. “You learn a lot about yourself – that you can do more than you think you can do,” she tells me. “I thought it was going to be so hard – and it was – but it was also fun.”

Read the full article here:

What Sweden tells us about how military service might work here

Keir Starmer aims to end questions about his leadership in first major election campaign speech

Sunday 26 May 2024 23:27 , Holly Evans

Sir Keir Starmer will use his first major speech of the general election to make Labour’s campaign personal - as he tries to quell concerns expressed about what sort of prime minister he will be.

The Labour leader’s “presidential” speech comes as the Tories have accused him of threatening to make a £38.5billion black hole in public finances with his spending plans.

This latest attack comes after Sir Keir has suffered months of questions about his leadership style and the number of times he has U-turned on issues.

Read the full article here:

Lib Dems to launch Scottish election campaign with dentistry focus

Sunday 26 May 2024 23:00 , Holly Evans

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will launch the party’s Scottish General Election campaign on Monday, with a focus on NHS dentistry.

He will join Scottish party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, with their message saying dentistry has been neglected by SNP and Conservative governments.

At the last Westminster election in 2019, the Lib Dems won four of the 59 Scottish seats, although with boundary changes there are now only 57 constituencies north of the border.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “People are resorting to DIY dentistry and buying tools off Amazon to do the job themselves because they can’t get an NHS dentist.

“Some Ukrainians have even travelled back to Kyiv for dental care because the air-raid sirens, drone strikes and cruise missiles are less daunting than the waits in Scotland’s NHS.

“The SNP promised to scrap dental charges, but instead they have introduced new charges and doubled the price of some procedures.

“Dentists are being driven away from the NHS because working with this SNP government is harder than pulling teeth.

“No matter how much pain you are in, seeing an NHS dentist in Scotland is harder than ever before.

“It’s a stark reminder of how the SNP make empty promises and can’t get the basics right.”

Royal children would not be exempt from national service plans

Sunday 26 May 2024 22:36 , Holly Evans

Young royals would be among those having to spend a year in the military or volunteer in the community under Rishi Sunak’s plans to reintroduce national service.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

The Telegraph have reported that the Conservative Party told them this did not exclude royal children.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie also have young children as does Zara Tindall, as well as Prince Edward’s son, the Earl of Wessex, who is 16.

Labour and Tories to clash on security after national service announcement

Sunday 26 May 2024 22:30 , Holly Evans

Labour and the Tories will clash over security as campaigning for the General Election enters its first full week after the Conservatives announced plans to introduce national service.

In a keynote speech ahead of polling day, Sir Keir Starmer will say that “economic security, border security, and national security” will form the “bedrock” of the party manifesto.

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak will be hammering his message that the Conservatives will take “bold action” to deliver “a secure future for the next generation”.

The Tories have announced that all 18-year-olds would be made to undertake a form of “mandatory” national service if they are re-elected on July 4.

Teenagers would choose between taking a 12-month placement in the armed forces or “volunteer” work in their community one weekend a month for a year under the proposals.

Rachel Reeves pledges no return to austerity under Labour

Sunday 26 May 2024 22:00 , Holly Evans

Rachel Reeves pledges no return to austerity under Labour

Bringing back national service? Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Sunak?

Sunday 26 May 2024 21:35 , Holly Evans

There’s nothing sadder when a relationship deteriorates to the point that one party has to start promising the moon. That trip to Paris we’ve been putting off? I can find the money. Your parents hate me? I can be more charming. Suddenly you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.

It’s a bad way to fix a relationship, and it’s a disastrous way to try and fix a country. Yet it seems to be the prime minister’s current strategy for holding on to office – and it’s going about as well as you’d expect.

Yes, we’re only a couple of days into Rishi Sunak’s re-election campaign and he’s already promising to bring back national service for 18-year-olds if he wins in July. Teens will be given the choice to either join the military full time, or volunteer one weekend every month carrying out community service.

Read the full article from Ryan Coogan here:

Compulsory national service? Who do you think you’re kidding, Mr Sunak?

Finally some good news for Rishi Sunak after his football team Southampton secures promotion

Sunday 26 May 2024 21:15 , Holly Evans

It has been a rollercoaster of a couple of years to be a Southampton fan - from the lows of regulation last season, to a thrilling rise up the Championship this season.

But Rishi Sunak’s beloved Saints won a dramatic play-off final on Sunday to secure promotion to the Premier League.

It finally marks some good news for the prime minister after his own rollercoaster start to his general election campaign, which saw him drenched in rain when announcing the July 4 date and a mass exodus of MPs has left his party scrambling for candidates.

Read the full article here:

Finally good news for Sunak after his football team Southampton secures promotion

Ben Wallace’s favourite defence blogger exposes real cost of Sunak’s National Service plan

Sunday 26 May 2024 20:50 , Holly Evans

A former army reservist whose blog has been praised by ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace has ripped apart Rishi Sunak’s plans to reintroduce National Service.

The author of the Thinpinstripe blog is a former civil servant at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and writes under the pseudonym “Sir Humphry”.

His analysis of the Tory pledge to add 30,000 teenagers to the armed forces ranks every year has raised serious questions about the costs of the project.

Read the full article from political editor David Maddox here:

Ben Wallace’s favourite defence blogger questions Sunak’s National Service plan

Labour could take up to 25 Scottish seats at Westminster

Sunday 26 May 2024 20:35 , Holly Evans

Scottish Labour is on course to win up to 25 UK parliamentary seats in the General Election, according to a poll.

The survey by More In Common showed the Labour Party started the election campaign with a five-point lead over the SNP.

Labour polled at 35%, with the SNP at 30%, the Conservatives at 17%, the Liberal Democrats at 10%, Reform UK at 4% and the Greens at 3%.

More in Common polled a nationally representative sample of 1,016 Scottish voters between May 22 and 24.

The survey found voters north of the border are more likely than Britain overall to say it is time for a change in leadership.

Nigel Farage confirms plans to stand as future candidate after General Election

Sunday 26 May 2024 20:10 , Holly Evans

Nigel Farage has insisted he still has “one more big card to play” and confirmed plans to stand as a future MP candidate, despite feeling “extremely disappointed” by Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a General Election on July 4.

The Reform UK honorary president said he could not campaign both nationally and for one constituency in the six-week timeframe, and suggested the Prime Minister had used “first mover advantage” with the announcement.

Mr Farage announced in a statement on Thursday that he would not stand as a party candidate in the election, but would “do my bit to help” in the UK campaign.

Read the full article here:

Nigel Farage confirms plans to stand as future candidate after General Election

Rachel Reeves refuses to put timetable on defence spending

Sunday 26 May 2024 19:50 , Holly Evans

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, asked when Labour would increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “We’re not going to put a timetable on that”.

“We’ve committed to do in government a strategic defence review to make sure that we’re getting value for money for all of our spending, including on defence where some of the procurement costs of purchasing new equipment have, frankly, got out of control under this Government.”

On whether Labour would scrap the two-child benefit cap, Ms Reeves said: “We’re not going to be able to put everything right that the Conservatives have done straight away, and our priority is reducing those NHS waiting lists.”

Refusal to mention EU makes this election most dishonest in modern times, warns Heseltine

Sunday 26 May 2024 19:30 , Holly Evans

Lord Heseltine has warned that the 2024 general election campaign “will be the most dishonest in modern times” because of the refusal of the main parties to debate the consequences of Brexit.

The former deputy prime minister, who fell out with the Conservatives over leaving the European Union, has written exclusively for The Independent explaining how the big issues in this general election – the economy, immigration and defence – all need to be debated in the context of the UK’s relationship with the EU.

But he claimed that Labour and the Tories are too scared to discuss Brexit because of the potential impact on their voter bases.

Read the full article from our political editor here:

Heseltine: This is the most dishonest election of modern times

Can Euro 2024 really give Rishi Sunak a football bounce in the polls?

Sunday 26 May 2024 19:10 , Holly Evans

As Rishi Sunak stood in Downing Street last Wednesday, his voice barely audible over the music being blasted by protesters, and rain trickling down his face, it was no surprise that political commentators were left scratching their heads at what on earth had prompted the PM to call an election.

Some faintly positive economic news seemed an obvious, if scant, justification. Alternatively, some speculated that Rishi’s decision was prompted by his realisation that his plan to “stop the boats” by flying all of Europe’s dinghies to Rwanda was not going to work any time soon. Better, in that case, to cut his losses and go to the country before that failure became all too obvious.

Even more cynical observers wondered if a July election defeat might enable the PM to offer a speedy resignation and relocate to Silicon Valley in time for the new school term in America, in August. That all sounded a bit Meta to me.

Read the full article here:

Can Euro 2024 really give Rishi Sunak a football bounce in the polls?

Labour and Tories accuse each other of hiding from campaign trail

Sunday 26 May 2024 18:50 , Holly Evans

Labour and the Tories have accused each other of not appearing on the campaign trail.

On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer’s party said Rishi Sunak was “hiding away in his mansion” after he returned to his constituency to meet local veterans.

On Sunday, the Conservatives made a counter-accusation after shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, rather than Sir Keir, headed out to give a stump speech to Labour party members.

A senior Tory campaign source: “Yesterday the PM hit the campaign trail two hours before Sir Keir surfaced. Today there is no sign of Starmer whatsoever and we are just four days into the campaign.

“Campaigns are tough, tiring things and it’s understandable that he may be weary. But being Prime Minister is a 24/7 job which requires stamina.”

Lib Dems getting ‘best response for a generation’, claims Sir Ed Davey

Sunday 26 May 2024 18:30 , Andy Gregory

The Lib Dems are getting the best response from voters “for a generation” ahead of the general election, Sir Ed Davey has claimed.

Speaking at the Lib Dems’ campaign launch in Cambridgeshire, Sir Ed told the PA news agency: “I’m not putting a ceiling on our ambitions. All I’m doing is talking to voters with my teams across the country, and the Liberal Democrats are getting a great response – a better response than we’ve had for a generation.

“I was elected back in 1997 and this feels to me quite a bit like that. I don’t worry about the other parties, I’m just excited about our job and excited about change.”

The Lib Dems are targeting traditionally Conservative heartlands in the so-called blue wall in southern England. Asked about Mr Hunt’s Godalming and Ash constituency, Sir Ed said he was “looking forward to that campaign” because the party had heard from many lifelong Tory voters.

He added: “I feel people like Jeremy Hunt have let them down, taken them for granted, assumed they’ll always vote Conservative.”

Defence minister ruled out National Service over morale fears day after Rishi Sunak called election

Sunday 26 May 2024 18:29 , Holly Evans

A Tory defence minister warned on the first day of the general election campaign that Rishi Sunak’s plan to reintroduce National Service would “damage morale” in the military.

Andrew Murrison signed off a written answer to fellow Tory MP Mark Pritchard which was published less than 24 hours after the prime minister had dramatically called a snap election.

The response from a seasoned minister has been highlighted after there was a furious backlash to the Tory plan revealed overnight to reintroduce National Service for school leavers.

Read the full article from our political editor David Maddox here:

Minister ruled out National Service over morale fears day after Sunak called election

Lib Dems back lowering voting age to 16 and hit out at ‘distraction’ of Tory national service policy

Sunday 26 May 2024 18:11 , Andy Gregory

Sir Ed Davey said the Liberal Democrats agreed with allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote and described Tory plans for mandatory national service as a “distraction”.

The party leader told the PA news agency: “The Liberal Democrats have long supported votes from 16 and I’m glad other parties are now catching up with us. All I’d say is as political reforms go, it’s an important one but it’s quite small. We need to transform our politics.

“As for this distraction of a policy by the Conservatives on national service, the hypocrisy is just breath-taking. What we need is full-time, professional, highly trained troops. We’ve got the best army in the world and we should be backing it.”

Revealed: Starmer’s secret EU agenda he’s keeping quiet to avoid upsetting Red Wall voters

Sunday 26 May 2024 17:48 , Andy Gregory

Labour has radical plans to overhaul the EU relationship, but doesn’t want to talk about them for fear of alienating Leave voters, notably in the red wall, reports The Independent’s political commentator Andrew Grice.

Although Labour performed well among Leave voters in this month’s local elections, Starmer will reject pleas from his party’s frustrated pro-Europeans to be more open about his intentions during the election campaign. The ever-cautious Starmer will hide behind his defensive shield: no return to the single market, customs union or free movement of people.

Yet talking to shadow ministers, it’s clear to me Starmer would lead from the front in transforming the relationship – without technically crossing his red lines.

In a first five-year term, at least; Labour Europhiles hope the customs union or single market might be revisited during a second term. No one is talking about rejoining, even in private. That’s for another generation.

Labour’s vehicle would no longer be the review of Johnson’s threadbare trade deal in 2025-26, as the party originally envisaged. Instead, it wants to extend a proposed UK-EU security pact beyond defence, policing and justice to economic security, to break down trade barriers. This could include cooperation on climate, energy, supply chains, critical raw materials, aligning with EU rules on a sector-by-sector basis and a mobility scheme for 18- to 30-year-olds – even though Starmer rejected the European Commission’s proposal for one.

Starmer’s secret EU agenda he’s keeping quiet to avoid upsetting Red Wall voters

Is military service really the answer that Rishi Sunak thinks it is?

Sunday 26 May 2024 17:29 , Andy Gregory

The Conservative party’s proposals come after comments made last year by the head of the British army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, reports Lucy Denyer.

“As the pre-war generation, we must similarly prepare,” said Gen Sanders. “That is a whole-of-nation undertaking.” And, in words that have sent flurries of anxiety up and down the land, he also referred to the need for an army “designed to expand rapidly… to train and equip the citizen army that must follow”.

But what would a citizen army entail? Would we all be called up to fight? Would our daughters, our sons?

Similarly, military planners in Germany are discussing three potential plans for preparedness for war, two of which also involve a compulsory military year for all men once they turn 18. It is understood that officials are in the final stages of discussions with German defence minister Boris Pistorius expected to go public with official plans soon, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

In those countries that have held votes on whether to retain the draft, the answer has generally been a yes: Switzerland voted 73 per cent in favour of conscription in 2013, and Austria’s referendum in the same year resulted in a 59.8 per cent vote in favour. Support for Finnish mandatory military service stands at a record high of 82 per cent.

It’s not quite the same story here in Britain. A YouGov poll last September asked what sort of national service – if any – Britons would support; the results were lacklustre, to say the least.

What Sweden tells us about how military service might work here

‘Can you imagine how offensive that is?’: Sky News host clashes with Nigel Farage

Sunday 26 May 2024 17:12 , Andy Gregory

Which political leader has the stamina for the fight?

Sunday 26 May 2024 16:51 , David Maddox, Political Editor

It took just three days for the personal insults about the two main political leaders vying to be prime minister on 5 July to emerge.

On day three, Labour started briefing that the prime minister had gone missing after a catastrophic first 48 hours of gaffes and Titanic miscalculations in the campaign.

The Tories denied that Rishi Sunak had gone to ground but by today as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer appeared to take a rest, they came out with their own briefing.

A Tory campaign source said: “Yesterday the PM hit the campaign trail two hours before Sir Keir surfaced. Today there is no sign of Starmer whatsoever and we are just four days into the campaign. Campaigns are tough, tiring things and it's understandable that he may be weary. But being Prime Minister is a 24/7 job which requires stamina.”

Not to be outdone, Labour was swift to hit back with colourful details of what Mr Sunak’s top team has been up to including his currently seatless party chairman Richard Holden.

The Labour spokesperson said: “Keir and the Labour Party are working round the clock, enjoying taking our message of change to the country. We were out speaking with voters across the country within half an hour of the election being called. Meanwhile the PM has been holed up with his aides at his house, the Tory party chair spent yesterday afternoon at a pub in Westminster and the Cabinet appear to have completely disappeared.”

How has National Service worked before?

Sunday 26 May 2024 16:33 , Andy Gregory

David Cameron introduced a similar scheme dubbed the National Citizen Service when he was prime minister. That scheme had no military component to it, instead encouraging youngsters to take part in activities such as outdoor education-style courses as part of his “Big Society” initiative.

However its budget was slashed by two-thirds in a 2022 review of government youth funding when Rishi Sunak was chancellor, after an investigation in The Independent found the scheme had consistently failed to meet government targets or deliver value for money, with one former board member calling it little more than “a holiday camp for mostly middle-class kids”.

Prior to that, Britain enforced mandatory 24-month national service in one of the armed forces for all physically fit males between the ages of 17 and 21, in a post-war scheme which ran from 1949 to 1960.

They then remained on the reserve list for another four years, during which time they were liable to be called to serve with their units but on no more than three occasions, for a maximum of 20 days. Over that decade, national servicemen took part in military operations in Malaya, Korea, Cyprus and Kenya.

Students and apprentices were allowed to defer their national service until they completed studies or training, while conscientious objectors were subjected to the same tribunal tests as in wartime.

Young Britons did fair share of national service during pandemic, think-tank director says

Sunday 26 May 2024 16:17 , Andy Gregory

Here is more reaction to Rishi Sunak’s national service announcement.

Sam Bidwell, director of the Next Generation Centre at the right-wing Adam Smith Institute think-tank said: “Young Britons have already done their fair share of national service, sacrificing the best years of their lives to protect the elderly from Covid. That’s not to mention our broken economy.”

Andy Westwood, a professor of government practice at the University of Manchester, was among those who attacked the plans to raid a key levelling up fund brought in to replace lost EU structural funding in order to pay for national service.

Historian Glen O’Hara similarly accused Mr Sunak of abandoning levelling up with the policy announcement:

Fact-checkers dispute Rachel Reeves claim tax burden ‘is at 70-year high’

Sunday 26 May 2024 15:58 , Andy Gregory

Full Fact have given some more context around the claim by shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves this morning that “the tax burden is at a 70-year high”.

The fact-checking service said: “As we explained when Ms Reeves made a similar claim earlier this month, that was the case in 2022/23.

“The so-called ‘tax burden’—which refers to tax revenues as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)—has since fallen slightly, but is forecast to rise over the next five years to a near-record level.”

George Osborne not planning to help Sunak’s campaign, friend says

Sunday 26 May 2024 15:44 , Andy Gregory

A friend of Tory former chancellor George Osborne has poured cold water on rumours he could help Rishi Sunak’s campaign.

They were quoted as telling The Times: “George thinks Rishi is hopeless. He’s always thought he doesn’t have a big political brain and that Rishi has made two big calls in his career — backing Brexit and backing Boris — and that those are the two most catastrophic things to happen to this country in the last decade.”

What is mandatory National Service and how would it work as Rishi Sunak announces scheme

Sunday 26 May 2024 15:20 , Andy Gregory

Much of the detail remains unclear, with the Tories saying they would set up a royal commission bringing in expertise from across the military and civil society to establish how the scheme would work in practice.

This commission would be tasked with bringing forward a proposal for how to ensure the first pilot is open for applications in September 2025, and the Tories would then seek to introduce a new “National Service Act” to make the measures compulsory by the end of the next parliament.

But broadly, the party said that young people would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year “volunteering,” in their community.

Teenagers who choose to sign up for a placement in the forces would “learn and take part in logistics, cyber security, procurement or civil response operations”, the Tories said.

What is National Service and how would it work as Sunak announces mandatory scheme

Watch: 'No return to austerity' under Labour government, Rachel Reeves claims

Sunday 26 May 2024 15:06 , Andy Gregory

Sunak’s government argued on Thursday against national service

Sunday 26 May 2024 14:43 , Andy Gregory

Labour MP Richard Burgon notes that, only this week, Rishi Sunak’s government was arguing against its new policy of national service on the grounds that it “could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources”.

Defence minister Andrew Murrison told Tory MP Mark Pritchard in a parliamentary response on Thursday – the day after Rishi Sunak called the general election – that: “The government has no current plans to reintroduce National Service.

“Since 1963, when the last national servicemen were discharged, it has been the policy of successive Governments that the best way of providing for the defence of our country is by maintaining professional Armed Forces staffed by volunteers.

“The demanding, increasingly technical, nature of defence today is such that we require highly trained, professional men and women in our Regular and Reserve Armed Forces, fully committed to giving their best in defending our country and its allies.

“If potentially unwilling National Service recruits were to be obliged to serve alongside the professional men and women of our Armed Forces, it could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources.

“If, on the other hand, National Service recruits were kept in separate units, it would be difficult to find a proper and meaningful role for them, potentially harming motivation and discipline. For all these reasons, there are no current plans for the restoration of any form of National Service.”

Lib Dems mock Sunak’s plans for National Service

Sunday 26 May 2024 14:30 , David Maddox, Political Editor

The Liberal Democrats responded quickly to Rishi Sunak’s plan to reintroduce National Service for school leavers with a campaign ad mocking the prime minister.

With the hope of knocking down “the Tory blue wall” in the south of England, the Lib Dems posted on social media and emailed supporters a picture of General Kitchener’s famous First World War poster saying: “Your country needs you!”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey noted: “I never thought I’d be writing this. I agree with Rishi Sunak: we need millions of people to do national service.”

He added: “We need millions of people to commit to serving their country in its time of need - by voting this Government out of office. I need you, Jack, to be part of our national service.

“This is your moment. This is your time to sign up and to commit to a better future for our country.”

Cleverly defends Sunak’s sodden election announcement

Sunday 26 May 2024 14:01 , Andy Gregory

The Tories would have been criticised regardless of how they responded to the downpour that left Rishi Sunak sodden as he announced the general election, James Cleverly insisted this morning.

The home secretary told Sky News: “Whatever way that we had responded to the rain, whether we’d moved the announcement, whether we had someone with an umbrella, you guys would have criticised us.”

He added: “When people are going to the ballot box are they going to ask ‘was it raining when he made the announcement?’

“Or are they going to ask ‘who was the person that was instrumental in the furlough programme that kept a roof over my head during Covid? Who was the person that got a grip of inflation ... who was the person that started reducing the national insurance contribution’?”

Sunak to miss Southampton’s Championship play-off

Sunday 26 May 2024 13:42 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak will not attend Southampton's Championship play-off final against Leeds at Wembley Stadium on Sunday because he is meeting voters in the South East, it is understood.

The Prime Minister is unable to go to the game because he is campaigning, but will be keeping a close eye on the score from afar this afternoon, sources said.

Wes Streeting’s three-word formula for how Labour will govern

Sunday 26 May 2024 13:24 , David Maddox, Political Editor

Wes Streeting has set out a three word vision of the guiding philosophy of a Labour government if, as expected, it wins power on 4 July.

The shadow health secretary had echoes of Tony Blair’s new Labour when he promised that his party would be “compensatory not confiscatory”.

Mr Streeting was in discussion with The Independent’s editor Geordie Greig in front of an audience at the Hay Festival discussing the election, politics and his book One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up.

Wes Streeting’s three-word formula for how Labour will govern

Sunak to use key ‘levelling up’ post-EU funds to pay for national service

Sunday 26 May 2024 13:05 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak’s team have published “five things you need to know” on his X/Twitter account about his national service plans – which he says will partly be funded by money previously brought in to replace EU structural funding as a major part of the government’s levelling up agenda.

The posts state: “Every 18-year-old will get the choice of how they do their National Service. Deciding to either serve their country in the Armed Forces or serve their community by volunteering”.

This “bold new model will open up a world of opportunity” and “make sure young people in the UK get the same chance in life as their peers in allies like Sweden, Norway, Denmark and France”, he claims.

He added: “Everyone will get the life-changing chance to learn from the best of the best – from the men and women of our Armed Forces, our inspirational NHS staff or the fire service. Gaining skills for life in everything from cyber to leadership.”

Sunak’s national service scheme would be ‘enormous burden’ on military, veteran warns

Sunday 26 May 2024 12:35 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak’s national service plans are “ill-thought through” and would be an “enormous potential burden” on Britain’s military, a military veteran of 25 years has warned.

“From the military point of view, this is an enormous potential burden,” Justin Crump told Sky News. “It’s certainly not the solution to the military’s problems and I think everyone I’ve spoken to this morning still has their head in their hands slightly in the same way.

“I think the aspiration is meritous around the fragmentation of society and the role of service within that and duty, which of course everyone in the armed forces ardently supports.

“I think though the scheme, the idea of putting people towards the military for just a year, and the way it’s been described, is very ill-thought through. It would provide a huge distraction of what the military needs to do at the moment and doesn’t address its core funding needs – in fact it makes it worse.

“So it’s very close to the sort of thing people might like to see, but I just think the military component of it feels very ill-thought through by comparison. And particularly, the very stark difference between spending a year in the military or spending two weekends a month closer to home.

“Those are the big areas that have us scratching our heads a little bit at this point.”

National service plans condemned as ‘ageist'

Sunday 26 May 2024 12:21 , Andy Gregory

The head of the Best for Britain campaign group has condemned Rishi Sunkak’s plans for national service, warning that “any serious party” who “genuinely cared” would be seeking to address the litany of impacts of severe generational inequality afflicting young Britons.

“It is ageist,” Naomi Smith told LBC. “What are we asking older people to do? What are we asking the over-65s to do? Are we asking them – many of them owning their own home outright without a mortgage – to be taxed at a far higher asset class taxation rate in order to fund the new building of homes for young people?

“Are we offering these young people anything in return if they were to complete this mandatory – yet somehow voluntary – [scheme]? Mandatory volunteering if they don’t take the military route? That seems odd. Are we offering them subsidised rents in good quality homes?

“Would they get an exemption on tuition fees if they completed their national service? It’s not offering them anything. If anything, it’s asking them to do something that perhaps they don’t want to do,” she added, questioning whether we “want the military to be stuffed full of people who don’t want to be there”.

Labour would ‘make it less likely that young people will smoke than vote Tory’, shadow minister says

Sunday 26 May 2024 12:09 , Andy Gregory

Labour would revive Rishi Sunak’s plans to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke after they failed to become law ahead of the General Election, a shadow minister has said.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was not included in the legislation that was rushed through by MPs ahead of Parliament being prorogued on Friday, during a period known as “wash-up.”

Asked if Labour would reintroduce it, shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said: “If we’re elected we will make that happen and make it less likely that young people will smoke than vote Tory.”

Labour vows no rise in income tax or national insurance

Sunday 26 May 2024 11:52 , Andy Gregory

A Labour government would not increase income tax or national insurance, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted.

“There’s nothing that will be in our manifesto that we haven’t said where the money is going to come from,” Ms Reeves told the BBC.

“We’ve made those commitments so VAT and business rates on private schools, private equity bosses being taxed properly on their bonuses, an extension of the windfall tax so the energy profits are properly taxed, ensuring non-doms pay their fair share of tax in the country they live in, and also cracking down on tax avoidance - which is costing our economy billions of pounds every year.”

She added: “Beyond that, we have to grow the economy”, before being pressed further on taxes.

Ms Reeves said: “What I want and Keir (Starmer) wants is taxes on working people to be lower and we certainly won’t be increasing income tax or national insurance if we win at the election.”

She added: “We opposed the increases to national insurance when Rishi Sunak put those forward as chancellor. We would like taxes on working people to be lower but unlike the Conservatives, who have already racked up £64 billion of unfunded tax cuts in just three days of this campaign, I will never play fast and loose with the public finances, I will never put forward unfunded proposals.”

National service plans would threaten funding for Scotland, warns SNP

Sunday 26 May 2024 11:34 , Andy Gregory

The Tories’ plan to introduce national service would threaten funding for Scotland, the SNP has warned, claiming the proposals are “completely out of touch with families and young people”.

The SNP highlighted that funding for the plan appears to come from the UK shared prospertiy fund – a replacement for EU structural funds.

Amy Callaghan, candidate for Mid Dunbartonshire, said: “The SNP will stand firm against Tory plans to slash Scotland’s funding and impose mandatory national service on young people – showing why it’s essential to vote SNP to get rid of the Tory government and put Scotland first.

“It’s shameful Keir Starmer also claims mandatory national service is ‘needed’ and won’t rule out imposing it on Scottish families – these plans from a bygone era are completely out of touch with families and young people in Scotland – and deeply damaging to Scotland’s communities.

“Only the SNP can be trusted to fight Scotland’s corner and protect Scotland’s interests. It’s bad enough the Tories and Labour Party are wedded to imposing Brexit but to slash Scotland’s EU replacement funding by millions of pounds is a national scandal.”

Refusal to mention EU makes this election most dishonest in modern times, warns Heseltine

Sunday 26 May 2024 11:20 , David Maddox, Political Editor

Lord Heseltine has warned that the 2024 general election campaign “will be the most dishonest in modern times” because of the refusal of the main parties to debate the consequences of Brexit.

The former deputy prime minister who fell out with the Conservatives over leaving the European Union, has written exclusively for The Independent explaining how the big issues in this general election – the economy, immigration and defence – all need to be debated in the context of the UK’s relationship with the EU.

But he claimed that Labour and the Tories are too scared to discuss Brexit because of the potential impact on their voter bases.

He wrote: “Both major parties are afraid of losing votes to the hard right. Labour needs to rebuild its Red Wall while the Conservatives run scared of Reform.”

Heseltine: This is the most dishonest election of modern times

Nigel Farage condemned for 'race baiting' after claim Muslims are 'hostile to British values'

Sunday 26 May 2024 10:35 , Andy Gregory

Nigel Farage signalled a return to rightwing shock tactics for his Reform UK party as he used his first election interview to attacking Muslims in the UK for “not sharing British values”.

His words on Muslims and immigration to Sir Trevor Phillips on Sky News shocked the studio guests including Labour peer Baroness Ayesha Hazarika who said: “This reveals his true colours as a nasty race baiting character.”

Commentator Lord Daniel Finkelstein said the remarks had made him pleased that Farage was not running for parliament, and questioned why Mr Farage claims to “speak for real people as if those who disagree with him are somehow not real”.

Our political editor David Maddox has the full report:

Nigel Farage condemned for 'race baiting' over attack on British Muslims

Labour ‘not going to put a timetable’ on defence spending increase

Sunday 26 May 2024 10:31 , Andy Gregory

Asked when Labour would increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has told the BBC: “We’re not going to put a timetable on that”.

“We’ve committed to do in government a strategic defence review to make sure that we’re getting value for money for all of our spending, including on defence where some of the procurement costs of purchasing new equipment have, frankly, got out of control under this Government,” Ms Reeves said.

And asked whether Labour would scrap the two-child benefit cap, Ms Reeves said: “We’re not going to be able to put everything right that the Conservatives have done straight away, and our priority is reducing those NHS waiting lists.”

Rachel Reeves defends workers rights package after union criticism

Sunday 26 May 2024 10:15 , Andy Gregory

Rachel Reeves has insisted Labour “will end fire and rehire” – after a union criticised the party for excluding an outright ban on the practice in the final version of its workers’ rights package.

The shadow chancellor said she is “sorry that Sharon feels like that” – after Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the plans now have “more holes than Swiss cheese” – but defended the pledges.

“We will end fire and rehire which has seen companies ... sack all their staff and then try and bring them back on worse contracts. That is deplorable and we will not allow that to happen,” Ms Reeves told the BBC.

When it was put to her that Ms Graham did not back the package, Ms Reeves said: “I’m sorry that Sharon feels like that but we do have the support of our trade union colleagues and I believe that this is the biggest-ever extension of workplace rights that’s ever been introduced if we have that opportunity to do so.”

Labour will not bring return to austerity, Rachel Reeves insists

Sunday 26 May 2024 10:13 , Andy Gregory

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted there is “not going to be a return to austerity” as she was pressed to rule out public sector cuts under a Labour government.

Ms Reeves told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “There’s not going to be a return to austerity under a Labour government. We had austerity for five years and that is part of the reason why our economy and our public services are in a mess today.

“There is no spending review, the government hasn’t done a spending review, so there’s no allocations for departments. I would have to do that if I became chancellor in a few weeks’ time and I’ll set out those plans.”

Pressed on whether she would rule out cuts in some areas of public spending, Ms Reeves repeated: “We’re not going to be bringing back austerity but we have got that immediate injection of cash into our frontline public services - that’s a down payment on the changes that we want to make.

“But in the end we have to grow the economy, we have to turnaround this dire economic performance ... I don’t want to make any cuts to public spending which is why we’ve announced the immediate injection of cash into public services.

“So that money for our NHS, the additional police – 13,000 additional police and community officers – and the 6,500 additional teachers in our schools, they are all fully costed and fully funded promises because unless things are fully costed and fully funded, frankly, you can’t believe they’re going to happen.”

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