“Rishi Sunak will today accuse Labour of “virtue signalling to eco zealots” instead of protecting North Sea oil and gas jobs. The Prime Minister will visit Edinburgh on Monday to launch the Scottish Tory manifesto and will claim that Sir Keir Starmer would tax the vital UK energy sector “into oblivion” while attacking Labour’s “ideological” plans to ban new licences. In contrast, he is to pledge that a Tory government would introduce new legislation to guarantee that there would be further annual oil and gas licensing rounds and promise to maintain tax breaks for investment by energy companies… “We are committed to new licences, more investment in infrastructure and skills, and energy security for our country,” Mr Sunak is expected to say.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The gambling watchdog’s investigation into the Conservative Party betting ring has been widened to look into hundreds of suspicious bets…A dossier containing details of all bets that stood to win more than £199 has been passed to the Gambling Commission by betting companies. Investigators are sifting through a spreadsheet of hundreds of names to identify gamblers who were employed by the Conservative party — or had ties to someone who was. It marks an escalation in the scandal, which has overshadowed the Tory election campaign and attracted unfavourable comparisons with the Downing Street parties. Betting companies became suspicious when there was a spike in activity shortly before Rishi Sunak made the surprise announcement of an early election.” – The Times
“The Conservatives have lost up to a third of voters who planned to back the party just four months ago, according to an Ipsos poll for the Financial Times that points to high levels of volatility ahead of the UK election on July 4. The survey, conducted on the same cohort of almost 16,000 voters at the end of January and at the start of June, found that 32 per cent of people who initially said they would vote Conservative had since changed their minds. Rightwing party Reform UK attracted 8 per cent of the Tory voters polled, 6 per cent switched to Labour, 7 per cent said they were now undecided and 9 per cent said they were less likely to vote at all. Despite the high rate of switching, the poll showed little change in the overall support for each of the main political parties…” – The Financial Times
>Today:
“James Cleverly has claimed his parliamentary aide was making a “counterintuitive statement” for dramatic effect when he described the Rwanda removal scheme as “crap”. The home secretary said James Sunderland was supportive of the policy and its deterrent effect but had tried to make a point to grab the attention of his audience. The comments have caused fresh embarrassment for the Conservative party less than a fortnight before the general election, and just as the number of migrants who have arrived by small boat since Rishi Sunak became prime minister is about to hit 50,000. Latest Home Office figures suggest 49,707 people have made the crossing since Sunak became prime minister. Sunderland was heard on a leaked recording…” – The Times
>Yesterday:
“Ministers should have resolved the junior doctors’ strike to reduce NHS waiting lists more quickly, said Penny Mordaunt. The Commons leader argued the only way to end the walkout by medics was “getting round the table and discussing pay”. She made the comments at a hustings event, a recording of which was passed on to The Times. Mordaunt, who is seen as a future Tory leadership candidate if she keeps her Portsmouth North seat at the general election, was responding to a question about NHS strikes… Mordaunt expressed frustration with the failure to reach a deal with striking junior doctors, who are due to walk out again from 27 June to 2 July…“I wish we had resolved that, because it would have made a big difference to waiting lists,” said Mordaunt.” – The Times
“Sir Keir Starmer will ‘unpick Brexit’ if he is handed a landslide majority, Kemi Badenoch warns today. Writing in the Daily Mail, the Business Secretary says the Labour leader – who campaigned for a second referendum – has shown a ‘total lack of belief’ in Britain’s ability to thrive outside the EU. Ms Badenoch appeals to those who backed Brexit in 2016 to rally behind the Tories – or risk being dragged back into Brussels’ orbit. She warns disaffected Tories that a vote for Reform will ‘split the vote against Labour, enabling a strengthened Starmer to unpick Brexit’. Her intervention comes as senior Tories step up warnings about Labour’s intentions on Brexit. As Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir led Labour’s opposition to leaving the EU and pressed for a second referendum.” – The Daily Mail
“Boris Johnson should be allowed on the campaign trail, Robert Jenrick has said, describing the former prime minister as a “star” of the Conservative movement. The former immigration minister said that Mr Johnson had paid a “heavy price for what happened in the past” and that he should be brought back into the fold. Appearing on Sky…he said: “Boris is one of the stars of the Conservative movement. “He’s a brilliant campaigner, a superb Conservative politician and I think at this moment the whole Conservative family needs to unite. We need to rally together.”… The former prime minister has produced a series of video endorsements for Tories standing for re-election, and has offered support from any former Tory MP standing who wants it.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Western leaders should hold peace talks with President Putin to break the “stalemate” in Ukraine, Nigel Farage has said. The Reform UK leader has courted criticism from across the political spectrum after claiming that the West provoked Russia into war by expanding the European Union and Nato further east. In remarks likely to intensify the backlash, Farage has said in an interview with Tonight on ITV that it would be “better” to hold peace negotiations with the Russian leader… Before the interview, James Cleverly, the home secretary, became the latest political figure to criticise Farage, accusing him of “echoing Putin”. Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have also condemned his comments… Speaking to ITV, Farage said he supported Britain giving support and munitions to Ukraine…” – The Times
“Labour will make it easier for people to legally transition by removing the need for them to prove they have lived as their preferred gender for two years. Under existing rules, transgender people wishing to have their new gender legally recognised must obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC). They are required to submit proof that they have changed genders, which can include official documents such as utility bills or passports, or even library cards or supermarket loyalty cards. Officials insist on two years’ worth of documentation to ensure the person is prepared for a permanent change… Instead, transgender people will be required to undergo an effective cooling-off period for two years after their application for a GRC is submitted.” – The Times
>Today:
“Sir Keir Starmer is set to appoint dozens of new peers within weeks of taking office in an attempt to push through his policies. Senior figures, led by Sue Gray, the Labour leader’s chief of staff, have drawn up a list of candidates to fill the party benches and ensure it would be able to implement its legislative programme if it were to win on July 4… The Tories have 104 more peers than Labour, and without such an adjustment it could make it harder for Sir Keir to get his policies through. The party also wants to increase the representation of women in the upper chamber, where fewer than one-third of members are female. There are now 171 Labour peers, of whom about 130 reliably turn up to vote on a day-to-day basis.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Labour’s claims that higher growth will boost government revenues and bolster the public finances have been called into question by economists who warn that the budgetary outlook is already founded on overly optimistic forecasts. The UK would need GDP growth rates of about 2 per cent a year for much of the next parliament to generate enough extra tax revenue to avoid steep real-terms cuts to the budgets of unprotected government departments, according to estimates by Capital Economics. That would exceed the Office for Budget Responsibility’s projections at a time when many analysts say the watchdog is already too optimistic about the UK’s potential growth outlook… Cara Pacitti…said a downgrade to the OBR’s outlook…appeared more likely.” – The Financial Times
“Lord Mandelson has urged the public to ignore the polls and turn up to vote as the election is not “in the bag” – in a repeat of Tony Blair’s strategy in 1997. In the days before his massive majority 27 years ago, the former Labour prime minister described “complacency” as the “absolute danger” of the party. He used every opportunity to remind voters that nothing could be taken for granted, amid fears the polls were overestimating Labour support, or that many Labour voters would stay at home because they felt a win was assured. With polls showing Sir Keir Starmer is now around 20 points clear of the Conservatives, the party is now trying a similar approach… Sir Tony was haunted by the result of the 1992 election, when the polls predicted a Labour victory…” – The Daily Telegraph
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