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A former Tory MP has said he is endorsing Labour at the upcoming general election in a fresh blow for Rishi Sunak.
Mark Logan – who represented Bolton North East for the Tories until Parliament’s dissolution on Thursday – told the BBC that Labour could “bring back optimism into British life”, while he described the Conservatives as “unrecognisable” from the party he joined a decade ago.
Mr Logan, who backed Brexit, is standing down at the 4 July general election – but, asked if there was a possibility he would run for Labour in the future, he said: "I wouldn't rule out coming back into public life."
The Conservative Party hit back at its former Tory MP shortly after the announcement, with a spokesperson accusing Mr Logan of defecting to a party “he can’t even name a single policy of”.
It comes as Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner defied her own party in backing Diane Abbott to stand as a Labour candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington at the general election.
Sir Keir Starmer is being accused of carrying out a wider purge of the left, with candidate Faiza Shaheen barred last night.
Key Points
- Former Tory MP endorses Labour at upcoming general election
- Angela Rayner defies party and defends Diane Abbott
- Rishi Sunak grilled over Partygate by worker whose mother died in pandemic
- Faiza Shaheen to take Labour to court over ‘campaign of prejudice'
- Diane Abbott accuses Starmer of ‘cull’ of left as she vows to fight for her seat
- Starmer denies banning left-wing candidates
Piers Morgan calls for new EU referendum on Brexit
Piers Morgan has called for a new EU referendum on Brexit.
Speaking on BBC’s Question Time tonight, the broadcaster said: “Why don’t we have another referendum about Brexit? Because I seem to remember that when 2016 came around, we were told that there was going to be control of our borders and that it was going to be economically beneficial to this country. And eight years later we have lost complete control of our borders, both legal and illegal immigration - and economically it seems to have been a wilful act of self-harm.”
Mr Morgan then pointed to fellow guest Nigel Farage as “one of the main architects” of Brexit to ask if he had any objections to the fresh referendum proposal after the British public “were sold a complete pack of nonsense”.
Starmer welcomes former Tory MP Mark Logan’s decision to back Labour
Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed former Tory MP Mark Logan’s decision to back Labour in the General Election.
Sir Keir said: “Voters across the country are looking to Labour for change. I am pleased Mark Logan has taken the decision to vote for Labour at this upcoming General Election.
“After 14 years of Tory failure, voters are returning to Labour because they can see that we are a changed party and back in service of working people. It’s time to stop the chaos, turn the page and rebuild Britain.”
Tara Cobham30 May 2024 20:33 1717097434Nigel Farage claims lockdown was ‘one of worst historical mistakes of our lifetime'
Nigel Farage has claimed the second and third lockdowns were “one of the worst historical mistakes of our lifetime”.
He told a BBC Question Time audience tonight his opinion that the two lockdowns were “catastrophic, particularly for the young in this country”.
Tara Cobham30 May 2024 20:30 1717097402Politics explained | Why is this election so divided between Britain’s old and young?
Rishi Sunak targeting core older voters while Labour woos the young is widening the age gap in politics, says Sean O’Grady.
“In this battle for votes, it is often said there isn’t much difference between Labour and the Conservatives, especially on the broad thrust of economic policy,” writes O’Grady.
“But one of the more striking features of the campaign is the very different ways the two main parties are chasing the support of particular generations.”
Read the full article here.
Salma Ouaguira30 May 2024 20:30 1717097092Streeting on Sunak’s National Service plan: Young shouldn't be lectured by PM with ‘abysmal record of failure’
Wes Streeting has said young people should “not be lectured by a prime minister with an abysmal record of failure” when hitting out at Rishi Sunak’s pledge to introduce National Service for 18-year-olds.
When asked about Mr Sunak’s policy proposal on BBC’s Question Time tonight, the shadow health secretary said: “This prime minister and your party are in no position whatsoever to lecture anyone else about service to this country.
“This generation of young people - who I think the prime minister was implying are somehow feckless or in need of opportunities for discipline - this is a generation of young people who have made more of a sacrifice than my generation have ever made.”
Mr Streeting accused the prime minister of “avoiding talking about the core issues facing our country”, the responsibility for which the Conservative Party “bears for all of it”.
Sunak says there’s ‘clear choice’ between two main parties on tax at election
Rishi Sunak said there was a “clear choice” between the two main parties on tax at the election.
Asked if he would consider a “triple lock” on taxes when the income tax threshold freeze ends in 2028, the Prime Minister said: “When it comes to taxes, it’s a clear choice at the election. With the Conservatives you’ve got an economic plan that is working, that is allowing us to cut people’s taxes.
“The average worker is getting a tax cut worth £900 this year as a result of our plan, and that’s because I believe hard work should always be rewarded, and we are crystal clear, the Chancellor and I, that we will keep cutting national insurance when it’s responsible to do so, so everyone’s hard work can be rewarded.”
Mr Sunak then turned to criticising his opponent, adding: “On Monday, Keir Starmer was asked multiple times and refused to rule out raising VAT. Last night, in a panic he suddenly did.
“We know there are lots of things he’s not telling the country and they really should be straight about what taxes they are going to raise, because we know they’ve got a £2,000 for every working family black hole in their plan.
“That’s £2,000 worth of tax rises that are coming. We know that there will be a retirement tax under the next Labour government if they are elected because they refuse to match our triple lock plus. So what other taxes are they going to raise?”
Tara Cobham30 May 2024 20:02 1717095675The Beatles ‘would not have existed’ if fab four had been forced to do National Service
Rishi Sunak’s controversial plan to reintroduce National Service for school leavers has hit more criticisms after it was revealed it was out of tune with some of Britain’s greatest cultural successes, Labour has claimed.
It has emerged that both The Beatles and Rolling Stones, who transformed music around the world in the 1960s, probably would never have started up if Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Mick Jagger and others had been forced to National Service.
The revelation has raised questions about whether Mr Sunak’s plans could hurt the UK’s future young music stars’ opportunities.
Political editor David Maddox reports:
Beatles ‘would not have existed’ if fab four had been forced to do National Service
Rishi Sunak says his favourite band of all time were The Beatles - but they only existed because National Service had been scrapped
Tara Cobham30 May 2024 20:01 1717095602Partygate haunts Rishi Sunak during campaign trail
Rishi Sunak was asked how he could be trusted by a worker whose mother died during the pandemic as lockdown-busting parties were happening in Downing Street, Archie Mitchell reports.
The man told the Prime Minister his mother died in 2020, a month after Mr Sunak attended a gathering for which he got a police fine.
“How can anyone trust you or the party after things like this?” the worker asked during a staff Q&A at Niftylift, a cherry picker manufacturer near Milton Keynes.
Mr Sunak replied: “Well, I’m really sorry that you lost your mum, and particularly in those circumstances, because it wasn’t easy for so many people during the pandemic, the impact it had on everyone’s life.
“I can’t imagine what it must have been for you not to be able to be with her at that time. It’s really tough.
“I’m sorry for what was going on in Downing Street. For my part, I apologise that I showed up to a meeting earlier.
“As you know, I was working on things to help you and your business, and many other families like that.
“In fact, it was probably in that same period of time that you got to know me as chancellor. Most of you didn’t know who I was before then and I popped up on your TV screens, announced the furlough scheme... hopefully some of you here benefited from some of the support that we put in place.”
Responding to Rishi Sunak defending his involvement in Partygate, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “Rishi Sunak will go down in history as the Partygate Chancellor. People up and down the country won’t forget Sunak’s involvement in Boris Johnson’s lying and lawbreaking government. His weasel words will come as cold comfort to bereaved families who struggled during the pandemic.”
Nigel Farage accuses young Muslims of being attracted to extremism
The Reform UK president claimed there is a “growing number” of young Muslims that are being attracted to extremist ideologies.
Speaking at a campaign rally, the right-wing politician said: “I raise that not because I want to see division, that division is being felt I think with the Jewish community in our country already.
“I raise that because I think we ought to have a debate about it. But, you know, of course I get called all the names under the sun for daring to raise the issue. That’s why when pollsters or anybody else ask people whether they support Reform, they’re shy about it. They’re shy of getting abuse.”
It came as Mr Farage was called out for islamophobia after he accused Muslims of “not sharing British values”.
Exclusive latest polls: Tories recover 2 per cent from post-election shock
Labour is maintaining 45 per cent of voting intention, according to today’s polls from Techne UK, with a 24-point lead over the Conservatives.
The Tories have clawed back 2 per cent in the polls, after Rishi Sunak’s shock election announcement caused a dip in support last week.
The Lib Dems and Reform UK have been neck-and-neck across the UK for the month of May, currently at 11 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.
Data correspondent Alicja Hagopian30 May 2024 19:10 Newer1 / 7OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
