✕
Close
Labour will pledge to officially recognise the Palestinian state “as part of the peace process” in the party’s upcoming general election manifesto, details leaked to The Independent show.
Taking aim at Israel, Sir Keir Starmer’s party will say that “neighbours should not be able to veto” recognition of Palestine, in a bold new move aimed at resolving deep splits within Labour over its position on the war in the Middle East.
The revelation comes ahead of the BBC’s first election debate of the campaign so far on Friday night, in which Reform’s Nigel Farage, Labour’s Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt of the Tories will be among the seven candidates set to take part.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Tory candidate Sam Trask quit the race in Bridgend, Wales, after lurid comments were revealed in which he had once boasted his favourite bra size measuring technique was “hand sizing them by feel”. Confronted over the remarks, he apologised and said he had “decided to withdraw as a candidate”.
Key Points
- Exclusive: Leaked Labour manifesto reveals Starmer’s new stance on Israel-Palestine
- Rayner, Mordaunt and Farage to battle it out in first BBC debate
- Tory candidate quits after lurid sexual comments exposed
- Douglas Ross selection: ‘Day of shame for Tories'
- Sunak branded ‘man with no integrity’ over Hester donation
- Hunt to Starmer: pledge not to raise taxes on property
- Tories say Reform not winning any seats despite two-point gap
Richard Holden denies Basildon selection stitched up in his favour
The Conservative party chair has been selected to run for Basildon and Billericay, which has been dubbed as a safe Tory seat.
Salma Ouaguira7 June 2024 01:00 1717714800 Salma Ouaguira7 June 2024 00:00 1717711255Essex Tories had ‘gun to head’ to accept ‘unwanted’ party chair as their candidate
Essex Tories had ‘gun to head’ to accept ‘unwanted’ party chair as their candidate
Details are emerging of how senior Conservative members in Basildon and Billericay were forced to accept party chair Richard Holden as their candidate on Wednesday night
Salma Ouaguira6 June 2024 23:00 1717709414General Election BBC debate line up
Political parties are getting ready for the big night tomorrow to face off in the second debate of the general election campaign trail.
The BBC will host political figures from all min parties to get quizzed over key issues affecting voters.
Here’s the full line up:
- Conservative party: Commons leader Penny Mordaunt
- Labour: Deputy leader Angela Rayner
- Liberal Democrats: Deputy leader Daisy Cooper
- Scottish National Party: Stephen Flynn
- Green party: Co-leader Carla Denyer
- Plaid Cymru: Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth
- Reform UK: Nigel Farage
You can watch the full debate on BBC from 7.30pm to 9pm.
Salma Ouaguira6 June 2024 22:30 1717708375Rayner, Mordaunt and Farage to battle it out in first BBC debate
The BBC’s first debate of the general election campaign will take place on Friday evening – featuring candidates from each of the seven major parties.
Labour’s Angela Rayner, Conservative Penny Mordaunt, Reform’s Nigel Farage, Stephen Flynn of the SNP, the Lib Dems’ Daisy Cooper, and Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth will each take part in the debate.
The 90-minute debate will be broadcast from 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC News, and will see the audience and members of the public given the opportunity to put their questions to the seven politicians.
Andy Gregory6 June 2024 22:12 1717707655Fury at ‘sordid’ deselection of sick Tory MP
The leader of the Scottish Tories, Douglas Ross, has announced that he intends to run for Westminster after previously planning to concentrate on the Scottish parliament, David Maddox reports.
But the U-turn has come with huge controversy, after neighbouring Scottish Tory MP David Duguid was ruthlessly deselected by the Scottish Conservative management board at the last minute to make way for Mr Ross in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.
Mr Duguid, who was the MP for Banff and Buchan before the boundary changes, had recently had spinal surgery but was on course to make a full recovery. He had been readopted by his local party and told by doctors that he could campaign as long as he did not go door-knocking.
The saga is the latest in a series of selection-related rows that have affected both the Tories and Labour. Yesterday, Tory members in the constituency of Basildon and Billericay were outraged at party chair Richard Holden being foisted on them on a one-man shortlist.
Last night it emerged that Mr Duguid had been informed that he was no longer the candidate for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East and had been ditched by the party’s Scottish leadership at the final minute.
Welsh First Minister called to quit
Vaughan Gething is facing increasing calls to quit after he lost a no-confidence vote.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said his party would consider tabling a motion of no-confidence in the Welsh Government as a whole.
“Yesterday was a solemn day and we’ve only ever had one other vote of no-confidence in a First Minister and that was back in 2000 (with) Alun Michael,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“This has been damaging to democracy in Wales and when you do have a vote of no-confidence it sends a very clear and democratic message that the only honourable response would be a resignation.”
But Mr Gething has vowed to carry on leading the Senedd despite losing 29-27.
Salma Ouaguira6 June 2024 21:30 1717704051Greens scrap pledge to reduce childbirth interventions
The Green’s pledge to reduce childbirth interventions is now deleted from the party website.
It stated that some caesarean sections are “expensive and not medically required”.
“We will work to reduce the number of interventions in childbirth and change the culture,” it read.
Quizzed about the U-turn, deputy party leader Zach Polanski said that “pregnancy can be really traumatic for people, and this is a really sensitive subject”.
“Ultimately this will not be in our manifesto, which will be launching next Wednesday,” he added.
But he claimed: “It’s not that we have changed our minds.”
Elections are won from centre ground, Jeremy Hunt warns
Elections are won from the centre ground, Jeremy Hunt has said, amid Tory concerns that Reform UK will take voters from the right of the party.
Mr Hunt’s warning against a move to the right comes after Nigel Farage announced he would be standing as a Reform candidate in the General Election.
In an interview with the Guardian, the Chancellor admitted it would be “very difficult” for the Conservatives to win on July 4.
He told the newspaper: “The evidence of Britain is that elections are always won from the centre ground and I think in a two-party system that will always be the case.”
He added that the Conservative Party will “always be a broad church” which is “a good thing”.
You can read The Independent full story here
Tories say Reform not winning any seats
Mel Stride has said Reform UK will not win any seats at the general election at it “simply won’t happen”.
The Work and Pensions Secretary told Sky News: “A vote for Reform is a vote for the Labour Party. Any viewer listening needs to know that Reform are not going to be winning seats in the first past the post electoral system.
“It simply won’t happen. This is, I think, the eighth time that Nigel Farage for example has been standing for parliament and each time he has not succeeded.”
Disclaimer: 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.
