General election 2024: Tories 'will probably disappear' as Reform 'annihilates' party, Dorries claims (2024)

Thank you for joining The Telegraph’s live coverage of day 15 of the general election campaign.

My colleague Jack Maidment will be back early tomorrow to guide you through the day’s developments.

The Labour Party’s chairman has written to all Tory candidates urging them to reject cash from Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) which she said was “tainted” by donations from Frank Hester.

It emerged earlier on Thursday that the party accepted a third £5 million donation from the businessman after it emerged that he had allegedly told staff in 2019 that Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”.

Anneliese Dodds said in her letters that 50p in every pound raised by the party for the election campaign has been donated by the businessman and urged Rishi Sunak and Richard Holden, the Tory chairman, to return the money.

She wrote: “But if they will not return that money in light of these latest revelations, then you have a decision to make. Will you do the right thing and stand up to them?

“If not, every leaflet you fold and every social media advert you post makes you personally reliant on the money of someone with a proven record of racist remarks. I therefore appeal to you.

“Tell CCHQ you do not want that tainted money, show that Hester has no place in British politics and provide the moral backbone for your party that Sunak and Holden have refused to show.”

The Scottish Conservatives did not take “any professional medical prognosis” before barring a former minister recovering from a spinal illness from standing for re-election and parachuting party leader Douglas Ross in as his replacement, it has been claimed.

David Duguid had been selected by local members for the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat before being blocked by a party committee for being unfit to stand.

“It has been reported and repeated that I am ‘unable to stand’,” he said in a statement on Thursday. “This is simply incorrect. Having been adopted by local members, I was very much looking forward to campaigning – albeit in a different format from normal. It was not my decision not to stand.

“It was the SCU [Scottish Conservative and Unionist] management board that decided not to allow me to be the candidate although none of them had visited me. They apparently took this decision based on two visits from the party director and without receiving any professional medical prognosis.

“Needless to say I am very saddened by the way this whole episode has unfolded and it would be wrong of me to pretend otherwise.”

Rishi Sunak has denied being a “liar” after a row over a Conservative claim that Labour would introduce £2,094 of tax rises for every working family.

In a trailer for his first interview since Tuesday’s debate, where he made the claim repeatedly, Mr Sunak said “no” when asked by ITV News if he was prepared to lie to get re-elected.

He said: “I think it’s pretty desperate stuff and Keir Starmer and the Labour Party are obviously very rattled that we’ve exposed their plans to raise tax on people, and that’s what it demonstrates.”

He added: “There are 27 different policies that go into this number. 21 of them have been costed independently by Treasury officials, they’re all online and people can find them.

“Two of them come direct from the Labour Party, three of them from other public Government sources, and one of them’s from an independent investment bank.”

Shabana Mahmood has said she has “full confidence” in Vaughan Gething despite the Welsh First Minister losing a no confidence vote in the Senedd on Wednesday.

The shadow justice secretary told BBC Two’s Question Time: “Yes I do. I have full confidence in Vaughan Gething. He has not broken any rules. He has said that the surplus that was donated to him will be donated to progressive causes.

“What we saw happen the other night in the Senedd was a political gimmick led by the Tory party, aided and abetted by their friends in Plaid [Cymru], and actually we have full confidence in Vaughan.

“He needs to be able to get on with his job. He’s a democratically elected leader in Wales and he has the full confidence of the Labour Party.”

The Question Time audience groaned when a Labour frontbencher insisted the party’s record in Wales was a “blueprint” for a Sir Keir Starmer-led Government.

Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice scretary, refused to say four times if Welsh Labour was a “blueprint” before saying it was.

“We’re very proud of our record in Wales,” she said. “It is a blueprint for us.”

As the audience groaned, Mark Harper, the transport secretary, interjected: “Why? Why are you? It’s terrible.”

Labour has been in control of Wales since 1999 and has been criticised in recent years over poor school performance, tax hikes for second home owners, the scrapping of road-building projects and a blanket 20mph speed limit in areas which were previously 30mph, which ministers later reversed.

Leaving the European Union (EU) has made Britain a “destination for investment”, Mark Harper has said.

The transport secretary told BBC Two’s Question Time: “It’s the reason why we’ve got the third largest technology sector after only the US and China.

“It’s the reason why we’ve got the largest amount of new investment into Britain on greenfield sites where people are building new factories, [the] third largest after the US and China because this is a destination for investment if you’re going to be where the jobs grow.

“In the new economies of the future, things like artificial intelligence, automated vehicles, we are able to regulate to suit ourselves and put ourselves at the front of that.”

The Labour Party is wrong to claim there is no “magic money tree”, the co-leader of the Green Party has said.

Carla Denyer told BBC Two’s Question Time that the Greens would charge a one per cent wealth tax on assets worth more than £1 billion, hike capital gains tax to the same level as income tax and remove the cap on national insurance.

“Those three changes together would raise over 50 billion pounds by the end of the next parliament,” she said.

“So when Labour’s Rachel Reeves goes out on TV night after night and says there is no magic money tree, we can’t invest in public services, we’re going to carry on the Conservatives’s austerity for the last 14 years, the Greens are the ones that are brave enough to say, ‘I’m sorry, but Rachel Reeves is misleading you’.

“We are in one of the wealthiest economies in the world. The money is there in the economy.”

A Conservative minister has denied that the party’s statement that Labour will introduce £2,094 of tax rises on every working family is “rubbish”.

Asked on BBC Two’s Question Time if they were reliable, Mark Harper said: “Well, yes they are. If I go back to what the prime minister said, of the 27 things in our list of Labour’s suggested spending commitments, they’ve all been signed off – the individual costings by Treasury officials – except for two where we take in Labour’s costings and one which was a costing published by a bank.”

He added: “The individual costings for the individual things have been signed off. We’ve added them up, we’ve divided them by the number of households.

“That’s where you get your £2,094 tax figure for the parliament and by the way, we’ve published all of this information, and we’ve taken commitments that have been made by members of the Labour shadow cabinet whilst they’ve been in the shadow cabinet since last year.

“And we’ve made relatively conservative small-C estimates of the costs, we’ve published it all and is there for people to see. I think it’s very reasonable assumption and if you think Labour is going to win, it’s time to start saving because they’re absolutely going to hit you with high taxes.”

Andy Street has called on the Conservatives to ignore Nigel Farage and focus on “the centre” in a bid to regain popularity.

The former mayor of the West Midlands told Sky News’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge programme: “If you go to a core vote strategy you will cede that middle ground and my message to my party as they plan the next four weeks is, ‘Do not cede that middle ground’ because actually the real battle is with Labour and the Lib Dems over the middle ground.

“We’re all obsessed with what Nigel Farage is doing at the moment but that is just one flank. The real debate is in the centre.”

Labour’s shadow armed forces minister has declined to commit to expanding the size of the British Army.

Luke Pollard told Sky News’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge programme: “That’s why we’re having a defence review on day one of a Labour government because there is certain information that you need to have to be able to have that decision.

“In opposition we don’t get to see the classified briefings, the intelligence briefings and the analysis from our allies that will be required to look at what is the shape of our armed forces.”

Pressed on whether the size of the Army would be increased if the review recommends it, Mr Pollard did not give a direct answer.

Johnny Mercer has admitted that the Conservative Party’s plan for national service is not “perfect”.

“I go visiting my cadets down here and things like that, and I would love them to have more resources and more opportunity, and things like that, and this is backed by new money, so in that respect I was pleased to see it,” he told Sky News’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge.

“I think it should be given a fair wind. You know, is it perfect? Of course it’s not. But it’s an election, right?

“At least it’s a bold promise that defines between two parties that are often accused of basically being the same thing.”

Labour will vow in its manifesto to recognise Palestinian statehood in a bid to shore up support on the Left and among Muslim voters, it has been reported.

The Guardian, The Mirror and i reported that Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to recognise Palestine before the end of any peace process.

The manifesto is expected to be officially launched on Thursday 13 June.

It is also reported to contain a promise to lower the retirement age for ambulance drivers to boost recruitment and retention and to speak of “driving down” net migration without setting an exact target.

Johnny Mercer has denied about-turning on his previous opposition to national service.

The Tory, who was veterans’ minister before the election was called, was asked on Sky News’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge programme about why he had dismissed the idea of national service four days before the election.

“We were conflating there two different issues,” he said.

“So I was very clearly asked about national service in the 50s and 60s and should we bring back that national service, and what’s been talked about now is a kind of voluntary service with a pathway through for a very small number of people who want to do it so there’s no compulsion to it.

“And I think those two things are very different and I think that difference is good. I still don’t think national service 50s or 60s-style is particular something we want to see.

“But anything that kind of binds communities together and gives young people that sense of purpose and that sense of mission that I certainly felt, with a possibility to go into the military if you want to – right, so there’s no compulsion to it – I think is great.”

The statistics watchdog has criticised the Conservative Party for claiming that a Labour government would impose £2,000 of tax rises on every working household.

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) said it was not “for us to say whether the number itself is accurate or not” because it only regulates official Government statistics.

But it added that the average viewer would have assumed that the figure is an annual increase and not a combined figure over a full parliament.

“Without reading the full Conservative Party costing document, someone hearing the claim would have no way of knowing that this is an estimate summed together over four years,” it said.

Rishi Sunak referred to the £2,000 figure throughout the first debate of the general election campaign on Tuesday.

Our Political Correspondent, Dominic Penna, has been busy answering your questions on the general election.

Why is Labour so intent on wiping out the oil and gas industry? How come Nigel Farage gets so much coverage and influence? Will the Conservative Party form a coalition with Reform? Why haven’t the main parties released their full manifestos? Could Reform get more seats than the Tories?

Read the answers to all of these and many more here, and send any questions you may have in the comment section or in an email to politicsnl@telegraph.co.uk.

The SNP has been accused of “unforgivable waste” after experts confirmed the loss of at least £134 million of funding because ministers failed to spend it, Scottish Correspondent Daniel Sanderson reports.

Far more EU cash could be squandered due to missed deadlines to allocate funds, analysis from independent Holyrood researchers confirmed.

The SNP had denied reports the Scottish Government was set to hand back £450 million to Brussels, allocated before Brexit to boost the economy or reduce inequality.

It was claimed that Scotland would lose a far higher proportion than England, Wales and Northern Ireland would forfeit from the same pot.

Read the full story here.

Labour has said that 32 boarding schools will be exempt from its VAT raid following an outcry from headmasters, The Telegraph can reveal.

State boarding schools, which cost around £12,000 a year, will not be subject to the levy, a Labour source confirmed after the party was forced to clarify the terms of the planned tax raid.

It comes as headteachers warned dozens of comprehensives would become “collateral damage” from Sir Keir Starmer’s tax raid on private schools.

The State Boarding Forum (SBF), which represents the sector, said it was repeatedly ignored after writing to Labour in December and again last month over concerns state school pupils would see fees rise under the tax plans.

Read the full story from Money Reporter Noah Eastwood here.

Nadine Dorries has said the Conservative Party will “probably disappear” at the general election.

“What we’re seeing right now is possibly the annihilation of the Conservative Party,” she told The News Agents.

“It’s probably going to disappear and, you know, certainly if Reform take over, given tactical voting which is taking place already in many constituencies and given the uprising in Reform’s votes and support since Nigel Farage decided he would stand as leader, I think you could see the disappearance of the Conservative Party.”

Rishi Sunak fears widespread losses in the Conservative Party’s traditional heartlands, George Osborne has said.

The former Chancellor told his Political Currency podcast that Mr Sunak’s campaign visits have been concentrated in Tory-held seats, with 21 of the 24 he has visited are being defended by Conservatives.

“If you look at where Rishi Sunak has actually been over the last couple of weeks, that is the clearest indication of where the Conservatives think the battleground is,” Mr Osborne said.

“So first of all, he is hardly visiting any seats that are not held by the Conservatives, so he’s not even pretending there are going to be some Labour seats the Conservatives are going to be winning.”

He added that the places Mr Sunak has visited, including Harpenden in Hertfordshire and Macclesfield, Cheshire, “are traditionally safe, Conservative cities that I don’t think a Conservative leader would have visited in the general election in my lifetime”.

A third poll has showed a Reform UK bounce since Nigel Farage became party leader on Monday.

The survey by BMG Research for the i newspaper put the party on 16 per cent, up five points from 11 per cent last week.

Labour’s clear is down by one point to 42 per cent, while the Conservatives are down four points from 27 per cent to 23 per cent.

The 19-point lead is the largest recorded by the pollster since Liz Truss was prime minister.

The poll was conducted on Tuesday evening and Wednesday and follows polls released earlier on Thursday by Redfield & Wilton and Survation which also recorded an increase in the Reform vote.

Reform UK’s vote share has almost doubled since Nigel Farage became leader, a new poll has suggested.

A Survation survey of 1,056 adults conducted on Thursday and Friday found 15 per cent plan to vote Reform, up seven points from 27 May when the polling company put the party on eight per cent of the vote.

It is the highest return ever recorded by Reform in a Survation poll. The party is third behind Labour on 43 points and the Conservatives on 23.

Mr Farage became Reform’s leader on Monday, taking over from Richard Tice who is now party chairman.

Nadine Dorries has branded Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden “disgusting” for standing in a safe seat in Essex at the general election.

Mr Holden has denied a “stitch up” selection after he was the only name shortlisted for the Basildon and Billericay constituency, where the Tories won a majority of more than 20,000 votes in 2019.

“I think it’s disgusting, actually, what he’s done,” Ms Dorries, the former culture secretary, told The News Agents.

“I still, myself and others are still kind of, like, reeling from the shock of it, the audacity, just the sheer audaciousness of what’s taken place.”

The police arrested two Liberal Democrat members on suspicion of election offences after the party wrongly claimed the Green Party had stood down in Harrogate.

An election leaflet circulated in March before a North Yorkshire Council by-election in the market town’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone ward falsely said “the Green’s (sic) have stood down this election”.

The by-election was won in April by Lib Dem Andrew Timothy with 1,094 votes, ahead of Tory candidate John Ennis on 768 votes and the Greens’ Gilly Charters on 376 votes.

North Yorkshire Police said it arrested a man in his 60s and another in his 20s on Tuesday before later releasing them.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: “This relates to a printing mistake during a local council by-election early this year, which we explained at the time.”

More men will vote for Reform UK at the general election than for the Conservatives, a poll has suggested.

Redfield & Wilton surveyed 2,000 adults and 19 per cent of the male respondents said they would vote Reform, compared to 18 per cent for the Tories.

The Conservatives continue to lead Reform among women, on 15 per cent compared to 12 per cent.

Labour is most popular among both men and women, with a respective 37 and 39 per cent saying they would vote for Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

A second poll in two days has put Reform UK just two points behind the Conservatives.

The Redfield & Wilton survey of 2,000 adults found 17 per cent plan to vote Reform and 19 per cent for the Conservatives.

The return for Reform is the highest ever recorded in a Redfield & Wilton poll.

A YouGov poll on Wednesday put the parties on the same vote shares. The polling company changed its methodology this week and, under its old system, the Tories and Reform would have been neck and neck on 18 per cent.

Reform UK has overtaken the Tories among over-55s, a new poll has suggested.

The Redfield & Wilton survey put Nigel Farage’s party on 19 per cent of the vote among those in the 55-64 and 65+ age brackets, up by a third on polling done last week before he became leader.

The poll of 2,000 adults put the Conservatives on 14 and 17 per cent among the two respective age groups and is also the second in one day to show Reform within just two points of the Tories overall.

It was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday.

Their influential careers have won them legions of fans and critics, and they have never shied away from controversy and changing the course of their respective fields, writes Political Correspondent Dominic Penna.

So it is little surprise that Nigel Farage has adopted a song by the Detroit-raised rapper Eminem – real name Marshall Mathers – as a de facto campaign anthem on his return to front-line politics.

The Reform UK leader, who took over from Richard Tice on Monday, is using the chorus of the rapper’s 2002 hit Without Me in a series of social media videos to promote his comeback.

A source close to Mr Farage said: “Whilst I would not go as far as saying it’s been adopted as the campaign anthem, Nigel and team thought the metaphors in the chorus were spot on.”

You can read the full story here.

A Conservative candidate has withdrawn from the general election after “lurid” sexual comments about women were discovered on a fitness website.

Sam Trask, a magistrate and councillor who was standing in Bridgend, once boasted on the MyFitnessPal website that his favourite bra size measuring technique was “hand sizing them by feel”, according to The Mirror.

In a statement to the newspaper, Mr Trask said: “These comments were made a number of years ago, and I recognise they are wholly inappropriate. For that I apologise and have decided to withdraw as a candidate.”

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said the “lurid revelations pose serious questions about the calibre of candidates the Tories have been forced to select”.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party does not condone these comments. We are looking into the matter.”

A contestant from The Traitors has been campaigning with former Gogglebox star Josh Tapper, who is running in the election for Labour against deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden.

Zack Davies, who has worked as a parliamentary assistant in the Commons, was pictured holding a Labour placard alongside Mr Tapper, a former civil servant.

Mr Tapper appeared in Channel 4’s Gogglebox as a teenager alongside his family between 2013 and 2017.

He is running against Mr Dowden in Hertsmere, a safe Tory seat where Mr Dowden has a majority of 21,313.

It is inevitable that Ulez-type “pay as you drive” road pricing schemes will be rolled out across Britain, a Conservative former environment secretary has said.

Lord Deben, who held the portfolio in John Major’s government from 1993 to 1997, said charging motorists to use roads “is going to happen”.

“If there’s one issue that we know is going to happen is there is going to be road pricing so stop making it a terrifying thing and start working out how best to do it,” he told a Council for Net Zero Transport event in Westminster on Thursday.

“Of course, there is going to be road pricing because there ain’t another way of moving from where we are to where we’ve got to be. So don’t refuse to talk about it. It’s like the Victorians refusing to talk about sex but quite a lot was going on.”

Dr Douglas Parr, chief scientist and policy director at Greenpeace UK, earlier told the conference that expanding the use of electric cars would require “pay as you drive” policies.

Sir Ed Davey has defended his general election campaign stunts, saying he went down a slip and slide for “children”.

The Liberal Democrats leader has embarked on a series of photo opportunities during the campaign so far, from paddleboarding on Windermere in the Lake District to going down the Ultimate Slip n Slide near Frome, Somerset.

“I’ve shown with some of the photo ops we’ve done – the paddleboard in Lake Windermere – that behind that fun there’s a very serious message,” he said after flipping burgers in a back garden in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

“So, in the Lake District, we were talking about sewage and the fact that the Conservatives have allowed water companies to pump their filthy sewage into precious environments like the Lakes there or our rivers and our beaches and we’re campaigning about that.

“When I came down that slide with those children, that was about mental health – the mental health of our children and young people – which has again been ignored by the Conservatives.”

Rishi Sunak should “hang his head in shame” after the Conservatives accepted a third £5 million donation from Frank Hester, Sir Ed Davey has said.

Electoral Commission figures published this morning showed the January donation from Mr Hester, who allegedly said Ms Abbott made him want to “hate all black women” and “should be shot”.

“I think lifelong Conservative voters will be appalled by this,” the Liberal Democrats leader told broadcasters during a campaign visit to the village of Laco*ck, Wiltshire.

“I think all those other people donating money to the Tory party should ask for their donations back. Rishi Sunak should hang his head in shame.”

Asked whether the Prime Minister should hand the cash back, Sir Ed said: “Of course he should.”

Vaughan Gething must quit as Welsh First Minister, opposition parties have said.

The Labour leader has vowed to carry on as head of the devolved Welsh government despite losing a no-confidence vote in the Senedd on Wednesday.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, said he was “absolutely” considering tabling a new no-confidence vote in the Welsh Government as a whole.

He added: “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.”

Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said Mr Gething had “lost the confidence of the people of Wales”.

“He has lost the confidence of the Senedd,” he said. “The only person who is still batting for Vaughan Gething is Keir Starmer.”

Lord Frost said “Labour just don’t get it” as he responded to the suggestion that Rachel Reeves could use an autumn Budget to increase capital gains tax.

Some shadow cabinet ministers are said to be pushing for the move if Labour wins the general election in order to raise more money for public services (see the post below at 12.36).

But Lord Frost, the Tory former Brexit minister, tweeted: “The economy *does* need surgery but more taxes for unreformed public services will make it worse not better. Labour just don’t get it.”

The Green Party has said it apologises “unreservedly” for any upset caused by a now-deleted health policy which pledged to reduce the number of medical interventions in childbirth (see the post below at 11.39).

The party’s health policy document, which has since been taken down, previously stated that there has been a rise in Caesarean sections, which it described as “expensive and, when not medically required, risky”.

A change to NHS culture was also proposed in the document, to ensure that “birth is treated as a normal and non-medical event”.

Speaking to journalists today, the Green Party’s health spokeswoman, Dr Pallavi Devulapalli, clarified: “We unreservedly apologise for any upset caused. Green Party policy is never about depriving choice for women and we’re clear that we respect women’s choices.”

Rishi Sunak’s decision to trigger the general election on July 4 has prompted intense scrutiny, with some critics of the view that he should have waited until later in the year.

What do you think? You can have your say in our reader poll below:

Reform UK has said it will abolish inheritance tax for estates worth under £2 million in a pledge that increases pressure on the Conservatives to promise their own changes.

The current threshold for inheritance tax is £325,000, although there are some exceptions for family homes. Reform is also proposing to reduce the rate at which the tax is applied, from the current 40 per cent level to 20 per cent.

In reality, the policy will not be implemented after the general election, given that Reform has no prospect of becoming the governing party. But its position will add to pressure on the Tories to promise an inheritance tax cut – something they have considered but not delivered in office.

You can read the full story here.

The Billy Elliot story could become impossible due to Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private schools, the head of the Royal Ballet School has warned.

David Gajadharsingh said the proposed 20 per cent tax was likely to “destroy opportunity” for talented children from less well-off backgrounds and could end up harming the reputation of ballet in the UK.

You can read the full story here.

Nigel Farage has taken aim at Rishi Sunak for failing to attend an international ceremony in France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Mr Sunak attended events in Normandy this morning, including a British ceremony to mark the anniversary, but he did not join France’s Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden at the international gathering this afternoon (see the post below at 09.01).

Mr Farage, the Reform leader, tweeted:

Labour frontbencher Liz Kendall has defended embattled Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething as a “fantastic campaigner”, while declining to directly express her full confidence in him.

Asked whether she would like to see Mr Gething still in post if Labour wins the General Election, the shadow work and pensions secretary told broadcasters during a campaign visit to Thurrock in Essex: “I think Vaughan is a passionate champion for tackling poverty and inequality and for achieving social justice.

“He has a clear plan to tackle the cost of living, drive down NHS waiting lists and campaign for the UK Labour government that people in Wales desperately needed.”

Pressed on whether she has full confidence in Mr Gething, she repeated that he is a “fantastic campaigner and champion”.

Veterans will receive cut-price rail travel and employers will be given tax breaks to give jobs to former members of the Armed Forces under plans unveiled by Rishi Sunak.

The Prime Minister has pledged to bring in a new Veterans’ Bill as a tribute to the “heroes who have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms”.

It will enshrine veterans’ rights, such as ensuring military qualifications have an equal standing with civilian qualifications, in law for the first time.

Mr Sunak said: “The heroes who have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms represent the very best of our country.

“That’s why we have prioritised making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran with our clear plan to give them the opportunities, aftercare and support they deserve to live prosperous, fulfilled lives.”

You can read the full story here.

Rachel Reeves is under pressure from Labour frontbenchers to increase capital gains tax in order to raise more money for public services, according to reports.

Some shadow cabinet ministers are pushing for the change amid suggestions it should be made at an autumn Budget in the event Labour win the general election on July 4, The Guardian reported.

Ms Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has ruled out putting up income tax, National Insurance and VAT, raising questions from the Tories about where else she could turn if a Labour government wanted to boost public spending.

One party source told the newspaper that Ms Reeves had “between 10 and 12 measures she is looking at which she hasn’t yet announced” which could be used to raise money.

A Labour spokesman said the party had already set out its tax plans and added: “Nothing in our plans requires any additional tax to be increased and there will be no return to austerity if Labour are elected on 4 July.”

It comes after John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, this morning refused to rule out a Labour government putting up property taxes.

Sir Ed Davey dodged questions about the Liberal Democrats’ potential role as “kingmakers” if there is a hung parliament after the general election.

Speaking during a campaign visit to Wiltshire today, Sir Ed said: “I’m just not thinking about after the election.

“When I became leader of the Liberal Democrats, I made it very clear that my top priority was to defeat Conservative MPs. This Government is out of touch, out of ideas and out of excuses.”

He argued that “it’s only the Liberal Democrats who can beat the Conservatives” in former Tory heartlands and in the West Country.

The Liberal Democrats “don’t share any of the values of Nigel Farage”, leader Sir Ed Davey said when asked about the Brexiteer’s return to frontline politics.

Sir Ed told the PA news agency: “I and the Liberal Democrats don’t share any of the values of Nigel Farage, and I’ll let the Conservatives worry about their problems.

“What I’m clear about is our Liberal Democrat ideas on the NHS and care, on tackling the sewage scandal, on the cost of living, they are attracting Conservative voters as well.

“We are finding lots of lifelong Conservatives switching to us. They aren’t really attracted by Nigel Farage’s ideas.”

Speaking during a campaign visit to the village of Laco*ck in Wiltshire, Sir Ed added: “The Liberal Democrats in this election are putting forward costed, practical policies that I think will actually appeal to people who previously voted Conservative.”

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden has denied being involved in a selection “stitch-up” following a backlash over him being handed a safe seat in Essex.

Mr Holden, the ex-MP for North West Durham, insisted that he had received “unanimous support” from the Basildon and Billericay Conservative Association executive on Wednesday night.

The Tory Party chairman, whose North East seat has been abolished under boundary changes, has been parachuted into the Essex constituency that had a Conservative majority of over 20,000 in 2019.

Local activists have accused Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) of delaying candidate selection for the seat in order to give it to Mr Holden.

You can read the full story here.

The Green Party has been criticised over a policy document promoting “natural” childbirth and promising to reduce caesarean sections.

A page on the Left-wing party’s website, which has since been taken down, called for birth to be “treated as a normal and non-medical event”.

It prompted a backlash, including from a patient safety campaigner who warned that pressure to reduce C-section rates could lead to “catastrophic consequences for women, babies and families”.

You can read the full story here.

Sir Ed Davey sported a “King of the Grill” apron as he helped out with a barbecue during a campaign visit in Wiltshire this morning.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats attended an event in Chippenham to mark the 80 year anniversary of D-Day and helped out with the cooking.

Sir Ed also wore a Union Jack oven mitt as he flipped some burgers and sausages, remarking that he was “getting used to these tongs”.

Daniel Wittenberg, a BBC producer, posted the footage on Twitter:

Sir Ed Davey has been praised for a “deeply moving” campaign video about his experiences caring for his severely disabled son.

The first Liberal Democrats broadcast of the general election campaign included footage of Sir Ed looking after 13-year-old John and sharing worries about his son’s future.

He also returned to his childhood home in Nottinghamshire to reflect on caring for his terminally ill mother before her death aged 46.

A majority of voters believe Rishi Sunak has been a poor or terrible Prime Minister, according to a new YouGov survey.

A poll conducted between May 29-30 found 57 per cent of people believed Mr Sunak had been poor or terrible as premier.

Some 13 per cent said he had been a great or good PM and 24 per cent said he had been average.

The numbers put Mr Sunak in the middle of the pack when compared to his recent Tory predecessors in No 10.

Some 84 per cent said Liz Truss was a poor or terrible PM, for Boris Johnson it was 59 per cent, for Mr Sunak 57 per cent, for Theresa May it was 50 per cent and for Lord Cameron it was 38 per cent.

Almost three quarters of voters believe the UK is now in a worse state than it was in 2010 when the Conservatives returned to power, according to a new YouGov survey.

A poll conducted between May 29-30 found 73 per cent of respondents believed things were now worse (27 per cent said somewhat worse and 46 per cent said much worse).

Just eight per cent of people said the UK was now in a better state. Some 7 per cent said somewhat better and 1 per cent said much better.

A majority of 2019 Tory voters - 59 per cent - said worse and 16 per cent said better.

The Tories claimed Sir Keir Starmer was asking voters for a “blank cheque” at the general election after a Labour frontbencher refused to rule out property tax rises.

Laura Trott, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said John Healey leaving the door open to stamp duty and capital gains tax increases showed that “you name it, Labour will tax it”.

She said: “The Prime Minister warned this week that Labour would put up taxes by £2,094 on working families. The interview today given by the shadow defence secretary shows once again that Labour won’t rule out a swathe of taxes on families.

“Labour plans to pay for their £38.5 billion blackhole by raising taxes on working people. Labour will tax the family home, drag pensioners into Labour’s retirement tax, taxing your work, taxing your car. You name it, Labour will tax it.

“This matters because at this election Keir Starmer is asking for a blank cheque and it’s becoming clear what he wants to do with it - put up your taxes.

“Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a clear plan to cut taxes, backed by bold action, to chart a course to a more secure future for Britain.”

Douglas Ross said he had decided he needed to “lead from the front” as he announced his intention to be a general election candidate for the Tories in the seat of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

The Scottish Tory leader praised David Duguid, the former MP for Banff and Buchan, who was barred from standing in the seat by the party due to ill health.

Mr Ross said Mr Duguid had worked “exceptionally hard for his constituents and served them with distinction”.

The new seat contains part of Mr Ross’s now abolished seat of Moray and he said that had been a consideration in deciding who would represent the Tories in it.

He said: “I have decided I need to lead from the front. This evening I will put myself forward for nomination as the Scottish Conservative candidate to beat the SNP in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East. I’m ready for this challenge.”

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has announced he intends to stand as a candidate at the general election.

He will seek the party’s nomination in the constituency of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

It comes after David Duguid, the former Tory MP for Banff and Buchan, said on Wednesday he had been barred from standing by the party due to ill health.

Mr Ross had previously said he would not run again in order to focus on Holyrood. Nominations close tomorrow.

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, plans to stand at the general election, the PA news agency has just reported.

Mr Ross will seek the nomination for the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat despite announcing previously that he would not run again for Westminster in order to focus on his duties at the Scottish Parliament.

It comes after David Duguid, the former MP for Banff and Buchan, said on Wednesday he had been barred from standing by the party due to ill health.

Mr Ross is due to hold a press conference in Edinburgh shortly.

Rishi Sunak has just addressed a commemoration event in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, to mark the 80-year anniversary of D-Day.

The Prime Minister said: “Only by remembering can we make certain that the cause you fought for, that so many of your friends and colleagues died for, that great cause of freedom, peace and democracy, will never be taken for granted.

“That is why we come here today. That is why we honour our veterans, now and always.”

Mr Sunak then led a round of applause for the veterans in attendance.

Rishi Sunak’s decision to trigger the general election on July 4 has prompted intense scrutiny, with some critics of the view that he should have waited until later in the year.

What do you think? You can have your say in our reader poll below:

Rishi Sunak will miss the major international ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day but Sir Keir Starmer will mingle with world leaders at the Omaha Beach event.

The Prime Minister is attending events in Normandy including speaking at the major British ceremony, but will not be present alongside leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden at the international gathering.

With the general election campaign in full swing, the Tory leader will head back to the UK – but his rival Sir Keir will be at the high-profile international event in Normandy.

A Tory source played down the diplomatic impact of the PM’s absence, pointing out he will see Mr Macron, Mr Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other key leaders at the G7 summit in Italy next week.

Diane Abbott said confirmation that the Conservatives have accepted another £5 million donation from businessman Frank Hester was “an insult” to her “and all black women”.

Electoral Commission figures published this morning showed the latest donation to the party from Mr Hester, who allegedly said Ms Abbott made him want to “hate all black women” and “should be shot”.

Ms Abbott tweeted: “Rishi Sunak belatedly admitted Frank Hester’s remarks that ‘I made him hate all black woman and should be shot’ were racist.

“Now it turns out Sunak accepted a further £5 million from him. An insult to me and all black women.”

In March, Rishi Sunak insisted Mr Hester’s remarks had been “wrong and racist” but he had shown “remorse” and his apology should be accepted.

A Labour frontbencher has left the door open to the party putting up property taxes.

John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, said Labour’s plans “do not require us to start looking at raising taxes across the board” but he refused to rule out rises on specific things like stamp duty and capital gains tax.

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, has unveiled a new Tory pledge not to increase capital gains tax, stamp duty or the number of council tax bands and he has challenged Labour to make the same commitments.

Mr Healey was asked repeatedly about those specific taxes this morning during an interview on Sky News but he failed to rule out Labour putting them up.

He said: “We will not raise taxes on working people. We will not raise income tax, we will not raise VAT, we will not raise National Insurance.

“Our plans, beyond the specific tax rises and changes that we set out to pay for our first steps, our plans do not require us to start looking at raising taxes across the board.”

Asked if Labour could increase capital gains tax, Mr Healey said: “Our plans do not require us to start looking at raising…”

Asked if Labour could increase stamp duty, he said: “We will not raise the taxes that are most important to working people…”

Asked again about increasing stamp duty, he said: “I am not going to go through the list. The taxes that are most important to people - income tax, VAT and National Insurance - will not be raised under a Labour government.”

Labour is discontinuing its legal claims against five former staff members who denied leaking a controversial internal report about anti-Semitism in the party, according to lawyers.

The quintet, including ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn’s former director of communications Seumas Milne and former chief of staff Karie Murphy, had previously said they would “vigorously defend themselves” in a High Court action.

A statement from their lawyers Carter-Ruck said: “The party is discontinuing its legal claims against Karie Murphy, Seumas Milne, Georgie Robertson, Harry Hayball and Laura Murray on a ‘no order as to costs’ basis.

“The five welcome the resolution of the claims.”

Jeremy Hunt has challenged Sir Keir Starmer to explicitly rule out property tax increases if Labour wins office at the general election.

Writing in The Telegraph, the Chancellor unveils a new pledge not to increase capital gains tax, stamp duty or the number of council tax bands.

He calls on the Labour leader to match the promises, which the Tories have dubbed their “family home tax guarantee”.

You can read the full story here.

Mel Stride claimed Reform UK will not win any seats at the general election.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said Reform winning seats “simply won’t happen”.

He 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.

“So, as a result the conclusion has to be that if you are conservative-leaning and you vote for Reform you will let Keir Starmer in with an open door immigration policy, with no ideas on the economy, with all the hard work and sacrifice that we have put in to get to where we are now with a better future ahead of us… all of that is going to disappear if we hand the keys to [Labour].”

The Conservatives have accepted a further £5 million from a donor embroiled in a race row over comments he is said to have made about Diane Abbott, records confirmed this morning.

Frank Hester gave the sum to the party through The Phoenix Partnership in January, taking his total donations to the Tories to more than £15 million, writes Dominic Penna.

The sum was revealed by Tortoise Media earlier this year but has now been formally confirmed by the Electoral Commission, as well as an extra £150,000 given by Mr Hester in March.

The businessman allegedly told staff in 2019 that Ms Abbott, the Labour MP, made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”.

In March, Rishi Sunak insisted Mr Hester’s remarks had been “wrong and racist” but he had shown “remorse” and his apology should be accepted.

Mel Stride insisted the polling situation can change “very rapidly” as he said: “It is not over yet.”

A YouGov poll published yesterday put Reform UK just two points behind the Tories, with Labour way ahead in first place.

It was suggested to the Work and Pensions Secretary during an interview on Sky News that Reform gaining ground must “send a shudder down your spine”.

He replied: “It is not over yet. We have got four weeks until the general election and the only poll that matters is the general election.

“You would have laughed when Theresa May was way ahead in those polls at this stage of the election and it all changed very rapidly. The poll that matters is what happens on election day.”

You can find The Telegraph’s general election poll tracker here.

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has called an unplanned press conference in Edinburgh to make a general election announcement later this morning.

It is not immediately clear what Mr Ross will be saying but there has been some speculation that he could stand for election as an MP.

He ceased being the Tory MP for Moray on May 30 this year when Parliament was dissolved for the election. But that seat no longer exists after it was abolished under the boundary review.

He is currently the MSP for Highlands and Islands.

Mel Stride refused to be drawn on whether the Tories could pledge to raise income tax thresholds.

The thresholds are due to remain frozen until April 2028, dragging more and more people into paying tax.

Asked if the Tories could pledge in their election manifesto to increase the thresholds, the Work and Pensions Secretary told Times Radio: “I am not going to come on air and start making lots of different suggestions about what may or may not be in our manifesto.

“You are going to have to wait for that.”

Told that that sounded like a no, Mr Stride replied: “No, it is exactly as I say it is which is that there is a manifesto that will be produced and it really would not be right to start coming on and setting out tax policy…”

Mel Stride accused Labour of adopting a “Ming Vase strategy” during the general election campaign of not wanting to say anything in order to protect the party’s poll lead.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said the Tories will continue to ask the “awkward questions” about Labour’s plans for the country.

He told Times Radio: “There is in total a blackhole of £38.5 billion [in Labour’s plans]. They have ruled out tax rises on income tax, National Insurance, after pressure from our press department they have finally ruled out increases in VAT as well which then begs the question where are they going to find that kind of money because that is a huge sum, what taxes are they going to go for?

“I have my suspicions on that but we will keep asking those awkward questions of Labour because they can’t keep going through this election with this Ming Vase strategy of not telling us what they stand for, not having a plan.

“The British people deserve better than that.”

Labour must explain how they will pay for all of the party’s spending pledges, Mel Stride said as the Tories continued to claim the opposition would put up taxes by £2,000.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told Times Radio: “We have out out a report which analyses the clear spending commitments that Labour have made that we fu;lly expect them to put into their manifesto and we find a blackhole of £38.5 billion.

“Labour can focus on process as much as they like. What they are not focusing on is actually those commitments.

“The questions to ask Labour are are those commitments real commitments, are they going to appear in your manifesto or are you going to U-turn on them? And if they are going to appear in your manifesto they need to be costed…”

The leader of Plaid Cymru has said his party will consider staging a confidence vote in the Welsh Labour government as a whole after Vaughan Gething insisted he would stay in his position.

Mr Gething, the First Minister of Wales, lost a no confidence vote on Wednesday following a series of scandals during his short stint in office.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Yesterday was a solemn day, we’ve only ever had one other vote of no confidence in a first minister… the only binding vote would be a vote of no confidence in the government itself.”

Asked whether his party was considering this, he replied: “Absolutely, that is an option at a time like this. We’ll reflect on what happened yesterday, Wales, no doubt, will reflect on what happened yesterday.

“I would hope that whilst he made a very hurried statement following the vote, I would hope that Vaughan Gething himself and that the Labour Party reflect further on this. This has been damaging to democracy in Wales and when you do have a vote of no confidence, it sounds a very clear and democratic message, that the only honourable response to would be a resignation.”

Jeremy Hunt has challenged Sir Keir Starmer to explicitly rule out property tax increases if Labour wins office at the general election.

Writing in The Telegraph, the Chancellor unveils a new pledge not to increase capital gains tax, stamp duty or the number of council tax bands.

He calls on the Labour leader to match the promises, which the Tories have dubbed their “family home tax guarantee”.

You can read the full story here.

Rishi Sunak made a “mistake” by calling an early general election, Britain’s foremost polling guru has said.

Professor Sir John Curtice argued the Prime Minister sacrificed a major part of his political legacy when he called a snap poll for July 4 rather than waiting until the autumn, writes Dominic Penna.

Sir John had predicted the next national poll would take place on November 14, a date also forecast by George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor.

Asked whether Mr Sunak made an “irrational” decision to call an early election, Sir John replied “yes”.

“From his personal point of view, we’ve already seen the mistake writ large,” he told ITV’s Peston programme.

“He’s decided to go early and he’s lost his legislation on trying to ban tobacco smoking. I assume Labour will try to bring it back and Sir Keir Starmer will take the credit in the history books, rather than Rishi Sunak. That doesn’t strike me as a wise choice from a politician.”

Labour has accused Rishi Sunak of failing pensioners and posing a threat to their living standards, as the party claimed that a record number of pensioners are now paying income tax.

The party said the number of over-65s paying income tax has almost doubled, from 4.5 million in 2009/10, to 8.5 million in 2023/24.

Liz Kendall, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the Conservatives have worsened the quality of retirement.

She said: “Rishi Sunak was recently asked why he hates pensioners. It’s not hard to see why when they have so profoundly failed pensioners, from increasing levels of pensioner poverty, to breaking their promise on the triple lock, Rishi Sunak and the Tories have worsened the quality of retirement.”

General election campaigns are largely on pause today as Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The Prime Minister and Labour leader are in Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy, where the King and Queen, as well as Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will also pay their respects to the war dead.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform, is also in Normandy and this morning he visited Gold Beach in Arromanches, where a piper was set to play a lament to mark the moment the D-Day beach landings began on this day 80 years ago.

Back in the UK, Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, are on the morning broadcast round for the Conservatives and Labour respectively.

Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, is campaigning in the South East and South West of England as he targets traditional Tory heartlands, while Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is meeting elderly people in Thurrock.

The Green Party will also launch its plans to “nurse the NHS back to health” by pledging a further £50bn investment.

Nigel Farage has been spotted on Gold Beach in Arromanches, Normandy, this morning where a piper will later play a lament to mark the moment the D-Day beach landings began on June 6, 1944.

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are also attending commemoration events in Normandy today.

A minister said Labour’s furious response to a Tory claim that the opposition would increase taxes by £2,000 showed the party was “panicking”.

The Tories have repeatedly made the tax claim while Labour has said it is categorically untrue.

Bim Afolami, the economic secretary to the Treasury, said voters believed Labour was not being “honest about what they’re planning’.

He told Sky News: “When I knock on doors so many people say Labour are not honest about what they’re planning. And [on Tuesday] when he was given the chance in a debate repeatedly by Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer couldn’t say so.

“And all that’s happened is Labour are panicking because they know how poor the performance was of their leader.”

Bim Afolami insisted he was “not worried” about Reform UK despite Nigel Farage’s party being just two points behind the Tories in a new poll.

A YouGov survey carried out between June 3-4 put the Tories in second place on 19 per cent with Reform narrowly trailing on 17 per cent. Labour was in first with 40 per cent.

Mr Afolami, the economic secretary to the Treasury, was asked during an interview on Sky News how worried he was about Reform and he replied: “Honestly? I’m not particularly worried about Reform. Should I tell you why? I’m not worried about Reform because they don’t have a plan for reforming anything.”

He added: “It’s easy to shout from the sidelines, if you’re Nigel Farage or anybody else, to shout and say ‘all of the parties, all of the established parties, they’re rubbish’.

“It’s easy to do that. They haven’t put out a plan for anything. Frankly, at least in the days of Ukip, they actually had a policy. These guys don’t even have a policy.”