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Rishi Sunak won’t confirm whether he will quit as Conservative Party leader if the Tories lose the general election.
Pressed on whether he would remain Tory leader, Mr Sunak told the BBC: “My priority is focused on this election, right. I love this party dearly and of course I’ll always put myself at the service of it, and the service of my country.”
It came as Sir Keir Starmer has said only the progressives can beat the far-right and blamed the surge on “disaffection among voters” amid popularity of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist party in France.
The Labour leader said people feel the country is “too broken to be mended” and “can’t trust politicians” after 14 years of “Tory chaos”, but added: “Only progressives have the answers of the challenges that are facing us.”
Labour holds a strong 24-point lead in latest polls on voter intentions, with the Tories struggling to close the gap.
Key Points
- Rishi Sunak has not ruled out staying on as Conservative leader
- Labour warns Tories could still ‘sneak through at the end’ to win election
- Starmer: I will work with Marine Le Pen on small boats
- Poll: Tories to be 'all but wiped out’ in London
- Starmer: Only progressives can beat the far-right
Greens promise to abolish Ofsted
The Green Party has pledged to abolish Ofsted and bring in continuous assessments to replace SATs testing, as part of an £8 billion education package.
The party is also proposing to scrap tuition fees, provide free school meals for all children, and have a qualified counsellor in every school and college.
Co-leader Carla Denyer said the Greens are providing an “A-star offering” which is “fully inclusive and costed”.
She said: “To help relieve the stresses in our education system and improve wellbeing, for both teachers and pupils, Greens want to replace high-stakes formal SATs testing in primary and secondary schools with a system of continuous assessment, and abolish Ofsted.
“We also want to see a massive boost in funding for special needs provision in mainstream schools, and for a qualified counsellor in every state school and college.
“No child must be left behind by poverty. Opportunities must be available to all.
Barney Davis2 July 2024 03:00 1719882000In a proud and troubled UK town, voters wonder whether their election choice will make a difference
In a proud and troubled UK town, voters wonder whether their election choice will make a difference
A lot of politicians have promised change to voters in Hartlepool, a wind-whipped port town in northeast England
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 02:00 1719878400Exclusive: Windrush pensioner facing homelessness at 89 as Home Office ‘unable to verify her identity’
Windrush pensioner faces homelessness at 89 as Home Office ‘cannot verify identity’
Exclusive: Thelma Campbell is facing homelessness in the wake of Windrush Day while Haringey Council fails to provide shelter
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 01:00 1719876600Watch: Theresa May leaves doorbell camera message while campaigning for Conservatives
Theresa May leaves doorbell camera message while campaigning for Conservatives
Theresa May left a message on a constituent’s Ring doorbell camera while out canvassing for Perth and Kinross-shire Conservative candidate Luke Graham on Saturday, 29 June. The former prime minister introduced herself before informing the homeowner she was putting a leaflet through their door as they were not in. Ms May’s campaigning was praised online, with Labour councillor Adam Aston declaring the gesture “a lovely little message.” It’s not the first time a former Tory leader has been recorded on a doorbell camera - David Cameron left a video message for a household in Hampshire earlier in June.
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 00:30 1719874800Michael Spicer: Politicians think it’s a joke, but I’m serious about them
Comedian Michael Spicer has said he finds it “very irritating” that the politicians he has “lampooned” follow him on social media, saying “I think they think that it’s just a game”.
Spicer shot to fame during the 2019 general election for his Room Next Door sketches, where he would pretend to act as a political adviser speaking in the ear of a public figure during an interview.
“I just provide entertainment because the evidence of that is the fact that a lot of the people that I’ve lampooned are following me, and I find that very irritating,” he said.
Michael Spicer: Politicians think it’s a joke, but I’m serious about them
‘I’d like to think that I was making some sort of statement about about the Government’s ineptitude’, the satirical comedian said.
Salma Ouaguira2 July 2024 00:00 1719873953Sunak calls on spirit of Three Lions with threat of a Labour ‘supermajority’ looming
Rishi Sunak is set to begin a 48-hour blitz around the country with a desperate final appeal to voters to support him in order to “stop a Labour supermajority”.
The prime minister will kick off a final push on the last two days of a dramatic general election campaign, with a speech claiming that just 130,000 voters could make the difference.
He told demoralised supporters and party activists to remember the spirit of the England football team pulling level in the 95th minute on Sunday, saying: “It’s not over until it’s over.”
Sunak in last-ditch rally of Tory voters with threat of a Labour ‘supermajority’
Rishi Sunak insists he has not given up, with final 48-hour push for votes to ‘stop a Labour supermajority’ – as leading pollster argues polls have been wrong
Barney Davis1 July 2024 23:45 1719873041University chancellor says she is an ‘accidental trailblazer’ for women in Stem
The new chancellor of a Scottish university, who describes herself as an “accidental trailblazer”, has said she will fulfil the role for the common good.
Anne-Marie Imafidon has spent her career helping young women break into the largely male-dominated science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem).
Recognised around the world for founding Stemettes, a social enterprise which encourages girls and young women to enter the field, Dr Imafidon will be officially installed as chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) on July 2.
She will be replacing singer and campaigner Annie Lennox, the university’s previous chancellor.
University chancellor says she is an ‘accidental trailblazer’ for women in Stem
Anne-Marie Imafidon is taking up the role at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Salma Ouaguira1 July 2024 23:30 1719872528Ed Davey urges voters to take ‘leap of faith’ after bungee jump
Sir Ed Davey has urged the public to “vote for historic change” by choosing the Liberal Democrats and getting rid of the Conservatives.
This comes after the party leader took part in a bungee jump before asking voters to take a similar “leap of faith” on polling day.
Sir Ed said: “On Thursday, millions of people have a chance to vote for historic change.
“This will be a once-in-a-century election.
“From former Conservative heartlands like Tunbridge Wells to communities across the West Country such as St Ives and Yeovil, people must vote Liberal Democrat if they want to kick this Conservative Government out of office for good.
“From Honiton to Harrogate, people are switching to the Liberal Democrats after years of failure and neglect under this Conservative Government.
“Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to beat Conservative MPs in scores of seats, save our NHS, end the sewage scandal and elect a strong local champion.”
The party said it is in second place to the Tories in 80 seats across the UK.
Starmer says victory for Marine Le Pen wouldn’t damage Labour’s goals
Sir Keir Starmer said a victory for France’s National Rally would not damage Labour’s goal of negotiating a “better deal” with the European Union.
Pressed on Marine Le Pen’s preference for bilateral deals over EU-wide ones, Sir Keir said: “I’ve always supported bilaterals as well as EU-wide agreements. They’re not mutually exclusive.
“And some of the agreements we’ve got with France are bilateral in any event. I think they need to be stronger and better and deeper, particularly in relation to smashing the gangs that are running the vile trade of putting people into boats.
“But there are also EU measures. The security agreement we want with the EU when it comes to dealing with smuggling gangs is really important.”
Asked whether he was concerned a Eurosceptic French government could make his aim of closer economic ties more difficult to achieve, he said: “I genuinely don’t want to get ahead of myself. Firstly, we haven’t seen the final outcome in France. We’ve also got a big outcome of our own on Thursday.
“I don’t think it affects the overall intention we have, which is to negotiate a better deal with the EU. I think the deal we’ve got is botched. I think that anybody who’s trading with the EU feels that it’s botched, and we can do better than that across not just trade, but actually research and development, also on the security front.”
Watch: James Cleverly criticises Banksy migrant boat stunt at Glastonbury
Cleverly says Banksy’s Glastonbury migrant boat was ‘celebration of loss of life’
James Cleverly criticised Banksy's small boat released into the crowd at Glastonbury, describing the piece as “a celebration of the loss of life in the channel”. A small boat filled with migrant dummies in orange life jackets was hoisted into the crowd during Idles' performance on the Other Stage on Friday, 28 June. The artist later claimed responsibility for the work, posting footage of the performance on Instagram. Speaking to Sky News on Monday, the home secretary said: "There are a bunch of people there joking and celebrating about criminal actions which costs lives, people die... This is not funny. It is vile."
Salma Ouaguira1 July 2024 22:30 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.
