The Catch-up: Thousands denied vote in European elections

What happened?

Thousands of EU citizens living in the UK have been turned away from polling booths and prevented from voting in the European elections. Soon after polls opened at 7am this morning, Europeans started tweeting about being blocked from casting their ballots. The problem appears to be voters not being informed about a second form EU citizens are required to fill out. Many said they had not been made aware they had to complete the document. Others complained councils did not process their forms in time, preventing them from voting.

What can we expect from the results?

The EU elections are often treated by voters as a chance to make their anger against the establishment known, and this year looks set to be even worse than usual for the two main parties. The Conservatives and Labour are both braced for humiliation, with the Brexit Party and Lib Dems predicted to hoover up the deserting voters. Latest polling from YouGov put Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party on 37% - nearly double the second placed Lib Dems on 19%. Labour are sitting in third place on 13%, while the Tories are languishing in fifth place, with 7% of the vote - putting them behind the Greens on 12%.

An abject failure for the Conservatives will make things even more difficult for an already put-upon Theresa May as Tories clamour for her resignation. Many predict she will finally hand in her notice on Monday after the results of the election come in.

Read more:

What time do polling stations close? (Evening Standard)

Thousands of EU citizens denied their vote (Yahoo News UK)

Extra police deployed amid fears of violent clashes (The Independent)

Theresa May’s heavily criticised Brexit deal has been pulled amid speculation she is on the verge of quitting. Downing Street had insisted the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill would go before MPs in the week beginning June 3, but the PM has now backtracked. She is due to meet backbench Tories tomorrow when they are expected to call for her to announce a date for when she will step down. With Mrs May’s time seemingly up, does she need to tell the country when she plans to go? Read the full story (Guardian) and have your say below:

Judith Kerr, author of ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’ dies, aged 95

The children’s book author and illustrator Judith Kerr has died at the age of 95. Kerr, who wrote and illustrated a number of enduring children’s books including ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’, died at home on Wednesday following a short illness. The Tiger Who Came To Tea has sold more than five million copies since it was first published in 1968, and it has never been out of print. Kerr’s other works include ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’ and the Mog the Cat series of books. Read the full story here (Yahoo Celebrity UK)

Sir Philip Green ‘touched women’s breasts’

Topshop boss Sir Philip Green grabbed women’s breasts, slapped their bottoms and grabbed their thighs in the workplace, a peer has claimed. Hundreds of grievance cases against the retail tycoon were raised by staff, the House of Lords was told. The allegations were revealed by Lord Hain, who last year used parliamentary privilege to identify Green as the person behind a legal injunction preventing the Daily Telegraph from publishing allegations of sexual harassment and racial abuse. Sir Philip previously “categorically and wholly” denied the claims. Read the full story here (Yahoo Finance UK)

Dramatic footage has been released by the Los Angeles police of dogs escaping from a stolen motorhome during a police chase. One dog managed to leap out of the vehicle, but as the second one went to jump, the owner dragged it back inside.

5

The number of points stripped from the UK’s Eurovision Contest entry after organisers made an error while calculating the totals. Organisers said Michael Rice’s song ‘Bigger Than Us’ - which finished last - picked up 11 points from Saturday’s finale, rather than 16. The error came about when an incorrect calculation was used to create a substitute score after the Belarusian jury was dismissed. Read the full story here (The Guardian)