Yahoo News General Election 2024 LIVE: Party leaders face Question Time debate showdown
Four party leaders are facing a Question Time BBC debate special.
Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Ed Davey and John Swinney will face the BBC Question Time audience at York University, with Fiona Bruce acting as moderator.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform, has complained about being “shut out” of the debate.
It comes as the pressure mounts on Sunak over the Gambling Commission looking into alleged election-date betting deep inside Tory HQ.
The Conservative Party confirmed this morning that its director of campaigns Tony Lee is now on a leave of absence, as the BBC reported that he too is being looked into for allegedly placing bets, along with his candidate wife and another Tory Commons hopeful.
Both Bristol North West candidate Laura Saunders and outgoing MP Craig Williams, who is the Tory candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, remain officially endorsed by CCHQ despite the probe.
On Thursday evening a statement by Ms Saunders’ solicitors said she would be co-operating with the Gambling Commission.
Met police have arrested and suspended an officer who was serving in the Prime Minister’s personal security unit after he also allegedly bet on the timing of the election, before Mr Sunak made his shock announcement on May 22.
Meanwhile YouGov forecast disastrous results for the Conservatives in London, with the party expected to hold on to only a handful of constituencies on the fringe of the capital.
Follow the latest updates below...
Key Points
Gove concedes General Election victory would be 'a stretch'
Conservative Party director and wife, who is standing to be Tory MP, being looked into by Gambling Commission
Rishi Sunak faces shouts of 'shame' from audience
22:28 , Anthony France
Members of the BBC Question Time special audience shouted “shame” when Rishi Sunak said he would prioritise the UK’s security over the European Convention on Human Rights.
“I believe everything we are doing is compliant with our international obligations,” The Prime Minister said.
Mr Sunak said he was “prepared to do what it takes” to begin sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, adding that the country does not need a “foreign court” to issue instructions on border security.
“I will put our country first,” he added.
Rishi Sunak: Election was right for this country
22:12 , Anthony France
Rishi Sunak said he believed he had chosen the right moment to call the General Election.
He told the BBC Question Time audience: “It was the right moment to call the election, for the reasons that I have outlined.”
Asked if he was glad to have called the election, he added: “I am.”
The Prime Minister compared his current prospects to those he had during the Tory leadership contest of 2022.
Mr Sunak said: “Even though people didn’t want to hear it at the time, I kept going, I kept saying what I thought was right for this country, I kept going until the end and you know what? I was proved right then.
“And that is why you can trust me now when I say that what Keir Starmer is promising you is the same fantasy as Liz Truss did and it is just going to make your taxes go up and that matters to me because I don’t want that to happen.”
Rishi Sunak: Migrants make a contribution to UK
21:59 , Anthony France
Rishi Sunak said that migrants do make a contribution to the UK, but those who come here should be expected to support their dependants.
The Prime Minister said: “Of course migrants can make a contribution to our country and do – like my parents, as you said, like my grandparents – my point is that the levels of migration that we have seen are too high and they need to come down.”
He added: “What we have done is say that people are going to bring family members here, they just need to be able to support them.”
Pressed on whether social care staff should be paid more so they are able to support their families, Mr Sunak replied: “We have a dedicated visa for social care because we know how important it is and we need to make sure that we do get the right workers.”
Rishi Sunak: NHS waiting lists started to come down 'over the last five months'
21:55 , Anthony France
Rishi Sunak said it is time to “make sure we realise all the benefits” of Brexit.
Asked if Brexit had denied young people a future, he said “we had a referendum, it’s time to get on”.
The Prime Minister pointed to the Teesside Freeport as one such benefit.
“I was there recently talking to young apprentices,” he said.
Questioned about NHS waiting lists, Mr Sunak said they had started to come down “over the last five months”.
“I come from an NHS family,” he said.
But Mr Sunak admitted his Government had “not made as much progress as I would have liked”.
Sunak put on the spot about national service
21:48 , Anthony France
Rishi Sunak suggested it would be “politicising the armed forces during an election campaign” to respond to criticism of his national service policy.
Asked about comments from Lord West of Spithead, a former chief of the naval staff and Labour peer, who is reported to have called the policy “bonkers”, Mr Sunak told the BBC Question Time audience: “Well it wouldn’t be appropriate to start politicising the armed forces during an election campaign.”
The Prime Minister insisted the military route was optional, despite the proposed national service scheme being compulsory.
When asked about what sanctions people could face for not taking part, Mr Sunak pointed to “access to finance” among other examples.
Asked if this meant taking away people’s bank cards, he laughed, and said: “There’s lot of different models around Europe.”
Rishi Sunak 'incredibly angry' about Tory election date betting scandal
21:43 , Anthony France
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” to learn of allegations about Tory figures betting on the election date, and that they “should face the full force of the law” if found to have broken the rules.Sunak said anyone who is found to have broken the rules will be “booted out of the Conservative Party” amid the election betting scandal.
During BBC’s Question Time special, the Prime Minister said: “These investigations are ongoing, they are widely confidential, one of them is a criminal investigation that’s being conducted by the police.”
Mr Sunak said the “integrity of that process should be respected”, adding: “What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”
Rishi Sunak: Judge me on my 18 months in office
21:39 , Anthony France
The first question to Prime Minster Rishi Sunak: “We’ve had five prime ministers in the last seven years, one of them only lasted six weeks.
“Are you embarrassed as a result we are something of an international laughing stock?”
Sunak replies by saying that he admitted mistakes had been made when he first entered Downing Street.
But he says he also asked the public to “judge me on my 18 months” in office.
Sir Keir Starmer asked about broken promise on university tuition fees
21:33 , Anthony France
Sir Keir Starmer claimed he was a “common sense politician” when asked why he had not kept a promise to abolish university tuition fees.
Asked why he had backtracked on the pledge, the Labour leader told the Question Time audience: “We don’t have the money to do everything we want to do. We do want to change the tuition fees.
“But I have a choice to make, which was of the available money do I use it for getting rid of the tuition fees… or do I use that money to get our waiting lists down? That is a political decision and I took it.
“I am not going to do the tuition fees abolition, because I want to put that money to get our NHS back on its feet.”
Sir Keir also said he chose Labour’s plan for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies over nationalising energy companies, as the latter would require huge amounts of money to “pay off the shareholders”.
The Labour leader said: “I am a common sense politician. I work through the issues and to me it did not make sense to nationalise energy and not get the bills down, so I decided we would go for getting the bills down.”
Sir Keir Starmer: NHS waiting list backlog cleared over Labour's first term
21:29 , Anthony France
Sir Keir Starmer said the NHS waiting list backlog would be cleared over the course of the next parliament under a Labour government, as he accused Rishi Sunak of blaming NHS staff for the rise.
An NHS nurse questioned Sir Keir on how he will be supporting healthcare staff, in response to this the Labour leader said: “The first thing I would say is: we’ll treat you with respect.
“And I say that because we have a Prime Minister who 18 months or so ago said ‘I’m going to get the waiting list down’ and he said ‘hold me personally responsible’, and now he hasn’t got them down, because they’ve gone up, not down, he blames you, he blames the NHS staff.
“We will never do that, because I know how hard you work all the time, in Covid in particular.”
He added: “But we do have to take the pressure off the waiting lists. Now that is an ask of staff, it is an ask of staff, were not going to say otherwise because they will be working evenings and weekends.”
Asked when the public could expect to see waiting lists come down to a reasonable level, Sir Keir replied: “Over the course of the parliament, we’ll get it down and clear the backlog.”
Sir Keir Starmer: Tories have 'completely lost control' of migration
21:24 , Anthony France
Susan Purdies asked Sir Keir Starmer: “Given your criticisms of the Conservatives’ approach on migration do you think it is acceptable for you to not commit to any targets on such a critical topic?”
Starmer says migration is at record levels and the government has “completely lost control”.
Labour would get migration down “significantly”, but wouldn’t put a number on it because politicians have failed every time they’ve done that.
Sir Keir Starmer: NHS is on its knees
21:19 , Anthony France
Sir Keir Starmer has said he would put more money into the NHS “straight away” should he become Prime Minister.
Speaking on the BBC’s Question Time Leaders’ Special, the Labour leader said: “My wife works in the NHS, I say it’s on its knees, my wife says ‘no it isn’t, it’s flat on its face'”.
Asked if a Labour government would put defence spending to one side, he said: “Defence has to be the first priority of any country.”
Sir Keir was asked by host Fiona Bruce to return to the centre of the set where he would be “better lit” after answering a question.
Sir Keir Starmer: NHS 'is an utter disgrace'
21:15 , Anthony France
Next Alastair McCall asks: “How can you increase spending in the NHS, the care system and defence when you have promised not to increase the main streams of taxation?”
Sir Keir Starmer says he’s not going to raise income tax, National Insurance or VAT because the tax burden is so high and due to the cost-of-living crisis.
The Labour leader says his wife, mother and sister all work in the NHS and to see it in the state it is, after 14 years of the Tories, “is an utter disgrace”.
Sir Keir Starmer: Labour has changed
21:09 , Anthony France
Emma Mitchell asks Sir Keir Starmer : “You criticised the Tory manifesto as ‘Jeremy-Corbyn like, anything you want can go in it, nothing is costed’ - why did you back his original manifesto in 2019?”
Starmer said he campaigned for Labour but he did not think the party would win in 2019 under Corbyn.
Labour has changed and its policies now are “fully costed, fully funded”, Sir Keir claims.
SNP leader John Swinney: Party has had 'difficulties'
21:00 , Anthony France
Speaking on BBC’s Question Time Leaders’ Special, SNP leader John Swinney said his party had had “difficulties” but said his party had tasked him with rebuilding trust with the electorate, and to provide the direction necessary “to improve lives for people in Scotland”.
He said his party was delivering this through its programme of eradicating child poverty, the transition to net zero, strengthening the economy and improving public services.
He added the party had to earn the trust of the Scottish people “on an ongoing basis”.
Sir Ed Davey: I understand why people no longer trust Lib Dems
20:35 , Anthony France
Sir Ed Davey said he understands why people no longer trust the Liberal Democrats after they abandoned their pledge to scrap tuition fees in the coalition years, but said his party has learned lessons.
During the BBC’s Question Time special, the Liberal Democrat leader said: “I understand why your generation lost faith in us. It was a difficult government to be in.”
He added: “The thing I learned from that process – the whole process, fees, but other things too – was you shouldn’t promise what you can’t deliver, and I think we did in 2010.”
Asked if he’s making promises he can’t commit to in the current election campaign, Sir Ed replied: “Absolutely not. It was the big lesson I learned.”
He later added that the coalition years were “very scarring”.
Sir Ed Davey challenged on Post Office minister role
20:34 , Anthony France
Frantz Gregory asks: “Are you proud of your conduct when you were the Post Office minister?”
Davey claims he made “two big mistakes” during his time in the role.
But officials gave a “categorical assurance” points raised by campaigner Alan Bates were making were not true.
Davey says: “I wish I’d seen through the lies. I felt sorry for not seeing through those lies.”
Davey claimed it was difficult governing alongside the Conservative Party during the coalition years, but said he fought against things he did not agree with inside government.
Asked about the coalition years, the Lib Dem leader said: “It was very difficult governing with the Conservatives, you couldn’t get everything you wanted. But we were faced with a choice as a minister, you either had to stay in and fight inside, or leave.
“I think the easy choice for me would have been to leave the Government, vote against it, tour the media studios.
“The hard choice was to stay in, roll my sleeves up, and really fight.”
He later said he was “not proud” of some of the votes he had to take part in.
Sir Ed Davey 'realistic' about chances of being PM
20:24 , Anthony France
Sir Ed Davey admitted he was “realistic” about the Liberal Democrats’ chances in the election when asked if he was hoping to become prime minister.
The Liberal Democrat leader was accused by one audience member of having an “unrealistic manifesto”.
Asked if he was attempting to persuade the public to make him prime minister, Sir Ed said: “I am realistic about our chances. We have had three very bad elections, everybody knows that and when I became leader I said my top priority was to defeat as many Conservative MPs as possible.”
Pressed on this point, he added: “It would be challenging given the polls.”
Davey: falling off a paddleboard was 'to grab attention'
20:17 , Anthony France
Linda Hancox asks: “Britain desperately needs a leader who we can respect and trust.
“Your media profile has mainly consisted of horseplay on TV. Is this prime ministerial?”
Davey responds politicians shouldn't take themselves too seriously.
Falling off a paddleboard in Lake Windermere was “to grab attention”, he admits saying he wanted to raise awareness about sewage and water pollution.
Nigel Farage: Reform UK would reward those on benefits to get back to work
20:10 , Anthony France
Reform UK’s policies would incentivise those on benefits to get back to work, Nigel Farage said.
The party leader told a campaign event in Blackpool: “Those on benefits are not all idlers that smoke dope all day. Some are. Some are, and we must deal with them.
“But many on benefits are genuine people who are trapped. They’re trapped because if they go back to work more than 16 hours a week, they lose their benefits and they’re worse off in work than they would be on benefits. That’s wrong. It’s wrong on every level.
“So our policy, would incentivise people on benefits to get back to work, and that wouldn’t just make them better off financially, it would make them better off psychologically, as well.”
BBC Question Time viewer: Are Lib Dems going to bankrupt the country?
20:07 , Anthony France
Alison Rogan asks the first question to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey: “The Liberal Democrats are planning to spend five times as much as the Labour Party in increased spending. Aren’t you going to bankrupt the country?”
Davey says his party has shown how it will pay for everything, including getting large corporates and oil and gas giants to pay more.
Nigel Farage accuses Tories of being 'corrupt' amid election betting scandal
20:00 , Anthony France
Nigel Farage has accused the Conservatives of being “corrupt” amid the election betting scandal which is plaguing the party.
The Reform UK leader said: “It would appear that the modern day Conservative Party is even more corrupt than we thought that it was.”
He added: “It tells us everything we need to know, everything we need to know about this rotten political class. It’s as if they’re literally stealing the light bulbs on the way out of the building. It is a scandal. It is a disgrace.”
Speaking at a campaign event in Blackpool, he continued: “They have betrayed our trust. They have betrayed the country. They are corrupt. They’ve had more MPs suspended. They talk about our candidates, saying a few dodgy things, but how many perverts have they had to kick out over the course of the last five years?”
During the event, Mr Farage pretended to fall asleep when he mentioned Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, adding: “God isn’t he boring?”
Farage accuses the Tories of 'corruption'
19:55 , Tom Davidson
Nigel Farage has accused the Conservatives of being “corrupt” amid the election betting scandal which is plaguing the party.
The Reform UK leader said: “It would appear that the modern day Conservative Party is even more corrupt than we thought that it was.”
He added: “It tells us everything we need to know, everything we need to know about this rotten political class. It’s as if they’re literally stealing the light bulbs on the way out of the building. It is a scandal. It is a disgrace.”
Speaking at a campaign event in Blackpool, he continued: “They have betrayed our trust. They have betrayed the country. They are corrupt. They’ve had more MPs suspended. They talk about our candidates, saying a few dodgy things, but how many perverts have they had to kick out over the course of the last five years?”
During the event, Mr Farage pretended to fall asleep when he mentioned Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, adding: “God isn’t he boring?”
Farage hits out at May at campaign event
19:45 , Tom Davidson
Nigel Farage has dubbed Theresa May “possibly the worst prime minister in British history” as he hit out at the Tories.
Speaking at a campaign event in Blackpool, the Reform UK leader said: “So I came back out of retirement to set up the Brexit Party, and we smashed it in those European elections.
“Within six weeks we got double the number of votes of the nearest party, and we got the resignation of possibly the worst prime minister in British history, though there’s been some competition since.
“Not wrong, is it? So, we got the resignation of Theresa May, that was great news. And in came bouncy, Boris.
“Bouncy Boris. Amazing really, isn’t it, to think that we could have had a prime minister who refused to say in public how many children he had, because he simply didn’t know.”
Skidmore to vote for Labour
19:32 , Tom Davidson
Former Tory minister Chris Skidmore has said he will vote Labour for the first time because of Rishi Sunak’s decision to “side with climate deniers and to deliberately politicise the energy transition”.
Writing in the Guardian, the ex-net zero tsar said: “For the first time, I cannot vote for a party that has boasted of new oil and gas licences in its manifesto or that now argues that net zero is a burden and not a benefit.
“Instead, like many others who know that we have neither choice nor any more time, and need to tackle the climate crisis now, I have decided that the Labour Party is best placed to achieve economic growth and the green industrial revolution.
“Net zero is one of its five key priorities, and for this reason I will be voting Labour at this election.”
The Question Time debate draws closer
19:27 , Tom Davidson
A little over half an hour until the leaders of the four main parties; Sunak, Starmer, Davey and Swinney, square off with the BBC Question Time audience.
Nigel Farage has complained about being ‘shut out’ of the debate, with his party, Reform, polling ahead of the Tories, according to some.
Tory candidate alleged to have bet on election date 'considering legal action'
17:37 , Tom Davidson
Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate alleged to have bet on the date of the General Election, has said she is co-operating with the Gambling Commission and considering legal action against the BBC.
A statement released by her solicitors said: “As the Conservative Party has already stated, investigations are ongoing.
“Ms Saunders will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission and has nothing further to add.
“It is inappropriate to conduct any investigation of this kind via the media, and doing so risks jeopardising the work of the Gambling Commission and the integrity of its investigation.
“The publication of the BBC’s story is premature and is a clear infringement of Ms Saunders’ privacy rights.
“She is considering legal action against the BBC and any other publishers who infringe her privacy rights.”
Tory campaign director takes leave of absence amid election betting ‘scandal’
17:13 , Tom Davidson
Rishi Sunak’s election campaign was thrown into fresh turmoil over allegations of betting on the date of the General Election.
With just two weeks until polling day, the Conservatives’ director of campaigning Tony Lee took a leave of absence amid reports both he and his would-be MP wife Laura Saunders are being investigated by the Gambling Commission.
Ms Saunders and Mr Lee are the latest people with links to the Tory party or No 10 caught up in allegations about betting on the date of the July 4 contest.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove admitted the situation “doesn’t look great” for the Conservatives.
Is this the worst political campaign in UK history?
16:46 , Tom Davidson
Rishi Sunak announced the election on the steps of No10 Downing Street in the pouring rain... and things haven’t got much better since then.
Now mired in a betting scandal and facing an electoral wipeout (if not total oblivion), the Standard asks:
Is this the worst political campaign in history?
Austerity wiped nearly 6 months off average life expectancy, claims new study
16:39 , Tom Davidson
The Government’s austerity spending cuts cost the average person in the UK nearly half a year in life expectancy between 2010 and 2019, a new study has claimed.
In a new paper published on Wednesday, researchers at the London School of Economics (LSE) said that life expectancy dropped by an average of five months for women and three months for men during the period – the equivalent of around 190,000 excess deaths.
Factors responsible for these deaths include “deaths of despair”, which refers to deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide that tend to occur more frequently in deprived communities.
Latest opinion polls put Labour far ahead
15:08 , Jacob Phillips
Two opinion polls have been published in the past 24 hours, both of which show Labour maintaining a large lead but show contrasting fortunes for the Conservatives and Reform.
A poll by Norstat, carried out online from June 17-19 among 2,059 adults in Britain, puts Labour 20 percentage points ahead of the Tories.
The figures are Labour 40 per cent, Conservative 20 per cent, Reform 19 per cent, Liberal Democrats 12 per cent, Green five per cent, SNP three per cent, Plaid Cymru one per cent and other parties one per cent.
A poll by People Polling, carried out online on June 18 among 1,228 adults in Britain, also gives Labour a 20-point lead, but has both parties at much lower levels of support.
The figures are Labour 35 per cent, Reform 24 per cent, Conservative 15 per cent, Lib Dems 12 per cent, Green 8 per cent, SNP three per cent and other parties two per cent.
Michael Gove 'lost for words' over betting allegations
14:27 , Jacob Phillips
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has said he was “almost lost for words” after the BBC reported that Tony Lee, the director of campaigns for the Conservative Party, was also facing a Gambling Commission investigation.
He said the Tories will have to wait for the investigations to conclude but told Sky News: "You shouldn't be using inside information to try to make a few hundred quid on the side.
"That is just not acceptable."
It's "terrible", he said - adding he was "disappointed" as the "future of this election really matters to me and my children".
Tories delete tweet telling them not to 'bet on Labour'
14:14 , Jacob Phillips
The Conservatives have deleted a post on X after it was revealed two candidates and the party’s director are being looked into over betting allegations.
Reeves hopes CEOs see 'fingerprints all over' Labour manifesto
13:54 , Jacob Phillips
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has said some of Labour's reforms were shaped by issues raised at a "smoked salmon and scrambled eggs breakfast" as she told business chiefs she hoped their fingerprints could be seen all over the party's manifesto.
Labour has sought to push its business and economic credentials since the beginning of the General Election campaign, focusing its manifesto on "growth", limiting specific tax rises, and this week announcing that a billionaire former Tory donor would be giving Labour his vote.
But the party has clashed with its union backers and the traditional left, who criticised a weakening of Labour's package for workers, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said its promised public service spending increases are "tiny, going on trivial".
Taking aim: Nigel Farage poses with gun on election shoot
13:22 , Josh Salisbury
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has taken up a gun as his election campaign continues.
The politician met supporters at Catton Hall in Frodsham, Cheshire, before trying out some clay pigeon shooting at the outdoor activity centre.
He hit four of the clay pigeon targets before being asked to pose for photos.
He refused to point a gun at photographers, saying: "Never point a gun, even in jest."
Reeves sells planning reform to business leaders
12:48 , Josh Salisbury
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has said Labour's planning reforms came from a "smoked salmon and scrambled egg breakfast" as she told business chiefs she hoped their "fingerprints" could be seen all over the party's manifesto.
She told The Times CEO Summit: "My mission is to make Britain the best place in the world to invest or to start and grow a business, and that's why I hope when you read our manifesto, or see our priorities, that you see your fingerprints all over them.
"So, the reforms about planning, that's not something that we came up with in our office, that's something that was probably first mentioned to me at the first smoked salmon and scrambled eggs breakfast that I had three-and-a-bit years ago where that was raised as an issue, and then raised countless times."
'One rule for Tories and another for everyone else' says McFadden
12:31 , Jacob Phillips
Labour’s national campaign coordinator has written to the Prime Minister about the “growing number of individuals accused of making bets to try to profit from their inside knowledge” of the General Election announcement.
Pat McFadden wrote: “Can I ask you very simply why you think that a serving police officer should be suspended from his role, because of allegations that homemade a bet based on inside information, while the two colleagues of yours who so far stand accused of the same offence… are still being allowed to stand as Tory candidates in the election on July 4?”
Mr McFadden added that it appeared that “there is one rule for members of the Tory party, and another rule for everyone else.”
He continued: “No one is above the law and it is essential that the taint of corruption now surrounding the behaviour of some who may have known about the election date is properly investigated and punished.”
My letter to Rishi Sunak on the gambling scandal engulfing the Tory Party.
How far does it go? What will he do to those involved? And what does it say about today’s Tory party that once again their first instinct was to fill their boots? pic.twitter.com/WgJcPSg9Ro— Pat McFadden (@patmcfaddenmp) June 20, 2024
Betting allegations 'immoral and illegal' says Sir Ed Davey
11:42 , Jacob Phillips
The Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey has labelled allegations about betting on the General Election date are “awful”.
Sir Ed told Sky News “The idea that you bet on something when you know the result - that is immoral. It is illegal and I can’t believe people at the top of the Conservative party are doing this and have allowed this to happen.
“This is corruption frankly and it needs to have a heavy hand from the top.”
The Liberal Democrat added that there should be a cabinet office inquiry into the incident.
He added: “I hope they come down heavy on those people who look like, I haven’t seen the details, they have acted illegally and immorally.”
Conservative Party director being looked into by Gambling Commission
11:30 , Jacob Phillips
Conservative Party director of campaigning Tony Lee is being looked into by the Gambling Commission, the BBC has reported.
Mr Lee took a leave of absence from his role on Wednesday.
According to the broadcaster, the investigation is over an alleged bet related to the timing of the General Election.
He is married to the party's candidate in Bristol North West, Laura Saunders, who is also being looked into by the betting watchdog.
Starmer calls for Tory candidate to be suspended after bet allegations
11:29 , Jacob Phillips
If a Labour candidate had used inside information to place a bet on the election, "their feet would not have touched the floor" on the way out, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Asked about allegations Conservative candidate Laura Saunders had placed a bet on the date of the General Election, Sir Keir said: "This candidate should be suspended and it's very telling that Rishi Sunak has not already done that.
"If it was one of my candidates, they'd be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor.
"There's a wider point here that you touched on, which is we've now had 14 years of chaos, of division, of politics being about self-entitlement, and politics needs to be about service, about public service.
"That is one of the choices now going into this election - more of this, or turn the page, rebuild the country and return politics to service, and that's what I will do as Labour leader."
Gove concedes General Election victory would be 'a stretch'
11:18 , Jacob Phillips
Michael Gove has admitted a Conservative General Election victory would be "a stretch" in the latest blow to Rishi Sunak’s chances.
Asked by broadcasters whether he thought his party could win the vote, the Levelling Up Secretary said: "Yes. I mean, it's a stretch, but yes."
He added: "We are absolutely the underdogs. It's incredibly tough, we're up against it. But it is possible and you've got to believe that in order to ensure that you do the electorate a service.”
It comes after Defence Secretary Grant Shapps pleaded with voters last week not to give Sir Keir Starmer a “super-majority” in comments which may be seen as effectively conceding that the Tories will lose the general election.
Mr Gove pointed to polls which had previously indicated an incorrect winner, including Brexit polling in 2016, and added: "It's like in any contest, as the minutes tick down to the final whistle, then the scale of the challenge - the mountain - looks bigger.
“The difference between a sporting contest and an electoral one is, of course, some votes have been cast as postal ballots, but there are still people who are making up their mind.”
Gambling Commission investigation 'doesn't look great' says Gove
11:05 , Jacob Phillips
Michael Gove has conceded it "doesn't look great" for a parliamentary candidate and wife of the Tory director of campaigning to be facing a Gambling Commission investigation over an alleged bet on the General Election date.
Bristol North West candidate Laura Saunders, who is married to Tory campaign chief Tony Lee, is being investigated by the gambling regulator.
On the Tory campaign battle bus in London, Mr Gove told broadcasters: "Obviously, it doesn't look great. And, obviously, the conclusions lots of people are drawing are not at all great.
"But I don't know all the facts at the moment. I'd be loath to condemn without there being an investigation that's been concluded."
Rishi Sunak's parliamentary aide Craig Williams, who is standing in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, is also under investigation over a bet.
Mr Gove said: "The Gambling Commission are looking at Craig and also looking at Laura, and we'll see what the conclusions are."
Junior doctors offer Rishi Sunak 'final chance' to avoid fresh wave of strikes
10:49 , Jacob Phillips
Junior doctors have offered Rishi Sunak a "final chance" to avoid a fresh wave of strikes in their long-running dispute over pay.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said that with a week until walkouts begin in England, the Prime Minister "only need make a commitment" in writing to a path to pay restoration that could be implemented should he form the next government.
The association said more money has been spent on strikes than resolving the dispute, describing the Prime Minister's attitude as making "zero financial sense".
Conservatives face tough fight to hang on in the capital
10:41 , Jacob Phillips
London is one of the few areas of the country where Labour is already in a very strong position, holding more than two-thirds of seats in the capital, and the election could see the party advance even further to make a string of gains.
A redrawing of boundaries means London now has 75 constituencies, up from 73 in 2019, and had the last election been fought on these new boundaries it is calculated the Labour would have won 52 seats, the Conservatives 20 and the Liberal Democrats three.
Notional results for the 2019 election based on the 2024 boundaries have also been calculated, in order to determine the scale of the challenge facing candidates this time, and it is these notional majorities that are used below.
The Evening Standard has published an interactive map of all the key battleground seats in the capital.
Find out more about the Tories chances in London here.
Tory director of campaigning took leave of absence on Wednesday
10:36 , Jacob Phillips
The Conservative Party has confirmed its director of campaigning Tony Lee took a leave of absence on Wednesday.
His wife, Laura Saunders, is being investigated by the Gambling Commission over an alleged bet on the election date.
A Conservative spokesman said: "The director of campaigning took a leave of absence from CCHQ yesterday."
'I have a lot of respect for Rachel Reeves' says Hunt
10:28 , Jacob Phillips
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he has “a lot of respect for Rachel Reeves”.
He said: “I like her as a person and I think what is the big difference between her approach if she becomes chancellor and my approach? It does boil down to tax."
The Chancellor added: "The Labour perspective is that they believe taxation is broadly a force for good, they believe that for social justice reasons, and they are content with tax levels as they are, in fact the Labour manifesto is actually planning to increase taxes by about £8 billion a year.
"If we're going to bring down taxes, and I'm speaking as the Chancellor who put them up and put them up significantly, it is a lot of hard work. It is a lot of discipline. But I think that is very, very important for our economic future."
Asked about the possibility of a Labour "supermajority", Mr Hunt said: "I think one of the challenges if Labour do win is going to be on tax and spend because all the pressure from the Labour Party, the labour movement, the unions is going to be to spend more.
"And in the end, increasing economic growth is a good medium, a long-term way to create more money for public services, but it's not going to make a difference in the next year or so, and so I think that may well end up, if that happens, with higher taxes."
He added: "I think there is also a concern that if Labour use that majority to give the vote to 16-year-olds, they could then create a situation in which they have a much larger inbuilt majority for a much longer period of time and I don't think that'll be helpful."
Hunt thought call to be Chancellor from Liz Truss was a 'hoax'
09:53 , Jacob Phillips
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and his opposite number Rachel Reeves will both appear at the Times CEO summit in London on Thursday.Jeremy Hunt has already told the summit it is not "fair" to claim there is "sustained economic scarring" from Liz Truss's mini-budget.
The Chancellor told the Times CEO Summit: "It was one of the - well it was the most - dramatic week in my life in terms of decisions I had to take when I got that rather unexpected call from Liz Truss asking me to be Chancellor.
"Which I thought was a hoax and refused to take the call and could not imagine any situation ever where Liz Truss would actually ask me to be Chancellor, so that was a bit surreal, and then in that first week literally I'm picking the entire mini-budget.
"But I don't think it's fair to say that there was a sustained economic scarring from that. I think if you look at us now with lower inflation, higher growth than most major economies we're actually doing very well."
Lib Dems call for Sunak to suspend candidate under investigation
09:27 , Jacob Phillips
The Liberal Democrats have called on Rishi Sunak to suspend Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate in Bristol North West, after she was put under investigation by the Gambling Commission for a bet relating to the timing of the General Election.
The party’s deputy leader Daisy Cooper has said “it would be an utter disgrace if Conservative politicians were shown to be more focused on turning a quick buck rather than the needs of the country”.
Ms Cooper added: "Rishi Sunak must find his backbone and suspend Laura Saunders from the Conservative party whilst this investigation is ongoing.”
She continued: “The Conservative party has proven itself utterly unfit for office. Voters are sick to the back teeth of this endless carousel of chaos, sleaze and scandal.
"People across the country are crying out for change and that is why in many areas they are backing the Liberal Democrats to get a strong local champion that will take their issues right to the heart of Parliament and not take them for granted any longer."
'Pattern of cronyism' under Tories, says Labour frontbencher
09:17 , Jacob Phillips
A Labour frontbencher has described a "pattern of cronyism" under the Conservatives, following news a second Tory candidate is being investigated by the Gambling Commission.
Commenting on the reports, shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook told Sky News: "I think it does chip away at trust and confidence in the Government but in politics more widely, and we've had too much of that over the last 14 years.
"I sort of hesitate slightly but this appears with each one of these new allegations to be looking like a pattern of cronyism, if you like, with people benefiting directly potentially from information maybe passed on.
"I think it's really damaging to politics generally. We've got to have a different way of doing politics with integrity at its heart."
Asked how he would feel if a member of his team had placed such a bet, he said: "I think very angry. I don't think disappointment quite covers it."
Tory candidate being investigated over election betting married to party's campaign director
08:54 , Jacob Phillips
A Conservative candidate being investigated by the Gambling Commission over a bet relating to the timing of the General Election is married to the party’s Director of Campaigns.
The BBC has revealed that Laura Saunders, the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, is being looked into over an alleged bet.
It is not known when the bet was placed or for how much money.
The broadcaster has now revealed that the candidate is married to Tony Lee, who is the Conservative Party’s Director of Campaigns.
Saunders has not replied to the BBC’s request for comment.
A Conservative Party spokesman told the BBC: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”
'We're not in Fergie time yet' says Gove
08:41 , Jacob Phillips
Michael Gove has insisted there was still time for the Conservatives to defy the polls, saying: "We're not in 'Fergie time' yet."
The Cabinet minister told Sky News: "There are opinion polls, as I've acknowledged and as we both know, that are not great, but it's not the 90th minute, we're not in 'Fergie time' yet.
"There is still an opportunity for us to make these arguments and as we make these arguments my experience - and I know it's just me and a range of seats, not every seat in the country - my experience is that when you do talk to voters, outline some of the tax dangers, outline some of Labour's plans for the future, then people do think twice and people do recognise that by voting Conservatives you are both ensuring that there is a strong Conservative voice in Parliament, but also you are doing everything you can to prevent a series of tax increases that won't just hit pensioners and first-time buyers, but also will hit the economy in the guts."
He added: "I'm a Scotland fan, so you wait until the final whistle.
"Sometimes it looks as though the odds are against you, but you keep on fighting."
Sunak under pressure to launch inquiry after alleged bets on General Election timing
08:33 , Jacob Phillips
Rishi Sunak has faced calls to launch an inquiry after one of his protection officers was arrested over alleged bets on the timing of the General Election.
The Metropolitan Police said it was informed by the Gambling Commission that a police constable from the force's Royalty and Specialist Protection Command was being investigated over the alleged bets.
The Gambling Commission is leading an investigation into alleged betting offences, which has reportedly been extended to include a second Conservative candidate.
Senior Tory Michael Gove has said it would be "reprehensible" for someone to use inside information to bet on the date of the General Election.
Asked about reports the Gambling Commission was investigating a second Conservative candidate for placing a bet on the date of the election, Mr Gove told the BBC: "If people have used inside information to place bets, that is deeply wrong.
"What I can't do is sort of get too much into the detail of the case while an investigation is going on.
"But I can talk about the broad principle and you're absolutely right, it's reprehensible."
