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Home > BBC Election Debate Latest: Farage Faces Question Time Special Amid Reform Race Row

BBC Election Debate Latest: Farage Faces Question Time Special Amid Reform Race Row

28 June 2024 • 8:15pm

8:15PM

Ramsay: Green changes ‘will benefit us regardless of what other countries do’ Adrian Ramsay has insisted that the UK “does have an impact internationally” when asked how the Greens could “get countries like China and India to go green”.

He told BBC Question Time: “Climate is a global issue, and the UK Government needs to play a global role in advocating for the changes that are needed, but also in leading by example, because what we do here in the UK does have an impact internationally.

“We shouldn’t talk ourselves down in that respect, and also the changes that we need to make for the UK will benefit us regardless of what other countries do.”

8:12PM

Greens co-leader: I would have bought an electric car but there is no infrastructure Adrian Ramsay has revealed that he has a hybrid car, but that he wanted to buy an electric vehicle if he had had access to the infrastructure.

He told BBC Question Time: “I do own a car, which I use when I need to. It’s a hybrid car. I would have got an electric car, but the house that I lived in when I got it was a terraced house where there was no charging points.

“I’m sure lots of people will face barriers like that, or financial barriers. You might want to get an electric car, but it’s too expensive, or you’re worried about the infrastructure.”

He accused the Government of having “pulled the rug away from the electric vehicle sector, as they did from the renewable energy sector” when Rishi Sunak announced the rollback of net zero targets.

8:07PM

Adrian Ramsay: ‘We want to have no petrol and diesel cars on the road’ by 2035 The co-leader of the Greens has said that the party wants “to have no petrol and diesel cars on the road” by 2035.

Adrian Ramsay said that there needed to be a “scrappage scheme as part of any plan to move away from fossil fuel vehicles” but could not say how much a vehicle owner would get for their car if they scrapped it.

7:57PM

If Reform get more MPs because of electoral reform, ‘so be it’ says Davey Sir Ed Davey has said that if Reform UK were to get more MPs as a result of voting reform “so be it”.

The Liberal Democrat leader, whose party has long campaigned for a change to the electoral system, said he would be “happy to debate” those with different views in the Commons.

Asked if he would be prepared to see more Reform MPs in Parliament as a result of electoral reform, Sir Ed told BBC Panorama: “We believe in fair votes and therefore you take the democratic response and if that means parties who I don’t agree with or I don’t share anything in common get more MPs, so be it. That is democracy.”

He added: “I’m happy, it doesn’t matter where they’re from, it could be from any party to be frank with you, I’m happy to debate with them.”

7:56PM

We can get better trade deal ‘short of the Single Market’ without more migration, says Davey Sir Ed Davey has insisted that the UK can get a “good trade deal” with the European Union which would not involve more migration.

The Liberal Democrat leader was asked whether he would allow free movement into the UK from the EU to allow access to the Single Market, to which he said: “Well I don’t think the Single Market with free movement and labour is going to happen in the next parliament.”

Sir Ed spoke of conversations he had with his counterpart in Germany, adding: “He said there is a trade deal to be had which would fall short to the Single Market, which will tear up some of the red tape the Conservatives have covered our businesses in, we’ll get rid of some of the delays and some of the costs, help our farmers, because it’s mutually beneficial.”

He insisted that the Liberal Democrats’ Youth Mobility Scheme for under-35s from the European Union to come and work and study in the UK would have a set number of visas issued.

Sir Ed Davey appearing during a BBC General Election interview Panorama special Credit: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA 7:37PM

Sir Ed Davey defends role in austerity Sir Ed Davey has insisted that he “tried to fight” during the coalition years, as he was forced to defend his role in government during public spending cuts.

The Liberal Democrat leader insisted that he was “really proud” of party achievements during that time, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage, and said that he had to make “tough decisions”.

He told BBC Panorama: “Well, there were tough decisions we made, and I had a choice, as did every Liberal Democrat minister, did I stay there or did I go? I think it could have been quite easy to go, and criticise the government from the media studios, and then potentially get re- elected, rather than losing my seat in 2015.

“I, as many other colleagues did, we rolled up our sleeves and tried to fight for the things we fought for.”

He added: “Well, I am not proud of every decision I had to take, but my point is if you wanted to change things, you had to roll up your sleeves and not quit. And we stood there and we sat there, and we argued our case. And I’m really proud of things we achieved.”

7:25PM

Labour are ‘the most Left-wing side on the pitch’ say Tories The Conservatives have claimed that Angela Rayner is “waiting to replace Starmer as the manager” of Labour, calling the party “the most Left-wing side on the pitch”.

In their football-themed election broadcast, the Tories said: “Labour are the most Left-wing side on the pitch, with Angela Rayner in control of the dressing room waiting to replace Starmer as manager, and 200 of her supporters on the subs bench, ready to come on.

“They’ll unleash all sorts, nuclear disarmament, French style, union laws, open borders with Europe”, they added.

The Tories also urged voters not to back the Liberal Democrats, saying that they were “on board with everything Labour will do”.

They also said that Reform cannot hold Sir Keir accountable as “fair or unfair, under our vote system they just won’t win enough seats to stop Labour”.

A party election broadcast by the Conservative Party for the general election on 4 July 7:15PM

Labour could be in power ‘for the rest of your life’ claim Tories Labour could be in power “for the rest of your life”, the Tories have warned.

In its latest party political broadcast, the Conservatives warned that Sir Keir Starmer’s party could be handed “unlimited power” to raise taxes on pensioners, homeowners and families.

The Tories warned: “There’s a real risk that Labour dominate not just for the next five or 10 years, but for the rest of your life.”

This is the latest in a series of escalating warnings about how long that Labour could be in power, which has included “decades”, a “generation” and now “the rest of your life”.

They added in their football-themed broadcast: “Parliament would become the political equivalent of Barcelona going up against the Sunday League side.

“That means Labour will have unlimited power to clobber the elderly with a tax on pensions, persecute homeowners with higher taxes on property, hammer businesses with taxes on investment, and nail hardworking families with a £2,094 tax hike.”

The party insisted: “The Conservatives have had a mixed season so far, which has left everyone frustrated, but they’re still fighting for every point.”

6:47PM

Check out The Telegraph’s Election Predictor Using the latest polling, our model forecasts results for every seat, taking into account the unique makeup and political history of every constituency.

The result: a Labour overall majority of over 110 and the collapse of Tory support to below 100 seats.

Explore how our model forecasts the outcome of the election in your constituency and how each individual party could perform.

Check out The Telegraph’s Election Predictor here

6:25PM

Labour’s private school tax raid ‘likely illegal’ Sir Keir Starmer’s planned VAT raid on private schools is likely to breach human rights law, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Labour leader risks falling foul of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) law over his party’s flagship policy, one of Britain’s top constitutional and human rights lawyers has warned.

Lord Pannick, who has taken on some of the UK’s most high-profile court cases, backed legal advice warning that making private schools subject to VAT was likely to breach ECHR law.

Read more on this story here

6:11PM

Rwanda policy critiqued at Glastonbury Festival The Conservative Party’s Rwanda policy appears to have been criticised in an immersive experience at Glastonbury Festival.

The “Terminal 1” experience, described as a “re-purposed airport celebrating migration” sees festival-goers pass an “immigration officer” and answer a question from a British citizenship test.

Visitors then pass through the “Rwanda duty free” before meeting an “air traffic control” operative who was monitoring the migration patterns of birds, rather than planes.

Terminal 1 installation at the Festival. No Human is illegal An immersive experience where visitors queue for immigration and are quizzed by border staff and subjected to rigorous searches Credit: JULIAN SIMMONDS Terminal 1 installation at the Festival. No Human is illegal An immersive experience where visitors queue for immigration and are quizzed by border staff and subjected to rigorous searches Credit: Julian Simmonds Read more about the experience on The Telegraph’s Glastonbury liveblog here

5:50PM

The establishment is ‘terrified’ of Reform, says Farage Nigel Farage has said that “the establishment are literally terrified” of Reform UK, as he addressed various scandals to have hit the party in recent days.

The Reform leader said in a video on X: “You only start taking flak, as they used to say in Bomber Command in World War Two, when you’re getting near the target and we’re getting near the target.

“The establishment are literally terrified of us, terrified not just of us breaking into Parliament and getting a bridgehead, not just terrified of me being the voice of opposition to a very weak Starmer government, which it will be – and hey, the divided conservatives couldn’t possibly provide anything like that – what they’re really scared of, what I’ve said over the next five years, I intend to build a mass movement of millions across this country for real change.

“They know, they know that I could do it, they know that we could do it and they’re terrified because they know that would have an unstoppable momentum.”

5:25PM

Reform extends lead over Tories – poll Reform UK has extended its lead over the Conservatives, new polling has shown.

Nigel Farage’s party is on 21 per cent, three points ahead of the Tories, in a poll conducted by Whitestone Insight for the Mirror and Express.

Reform saw a slight increase in support on last week, while the Conservatives saw a one point fall.

It comes after Mr Farage came under fire for claiming that the West provoked the war in Ukraine.

The polling was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, before Channel 4 aired its investigation into Reform activists in Clacton.

5:14PM

Pictured: Rishi Sunak buys fish and chips in Redcar Rishi Sunak buys traditional fish and chips for the media at the Sea Breeze fish and chips shop in Redcar Credit: Danny Lawson/PA 5:05PM

Gillian Keegan jokes she may need to find new job next week Gillian Keegan has joked that she might need to find a new job next week during a mock election hustings with schoolchildren.

The Education Secretary was asked what job she would do if she was not an MP, and she replied: “I might have to answer that question next Friday.”

Ms Keegan is contesting the seat of Chichester where she won with a majority of 21,000 in 2019. But some polls have suggested that she will lose her seat next Thursday.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan during a mock election event at Chichester Free School in Chichester Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA 4:51PM

The Tories’ 14-year tax raid on pensioners finally laid bare The number of pensioners paying income tax has risen by 42pc since the Tories came to power, as the true cost of the Government’s stealth tax raid is laid bare, Charlotte Gifford writes.

Data published on Thursday by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows that the number of people over pension age paying income tax is expected to hit a record 8.5 million in 2024-25 – a rise of 660,000 year-on-year.

It means that during the Tories’ 14 years in office, an extra 2.5 million pensioners have been dragged into the tax net.

Read more from The Telegraph’s Senior Money Reporter here

4:26PM

Angel of the North creator gives £500,000 of artwork to Labour Anthony Gormley has donated £500,000 of artwork to the Labour general election campaign, it has emerged.

The renowned sculptor and Angel of the North creator provided a “non cash” donation, understood to be artwork, of a value of £500,000 in week three of the campaign.

His contribution is part of the £3.3 million given to Labour between 13 and 19 June.

3:52PM

Labour received £3.3m in donations in week three of campaigning Labour have recorded over £3.3 million in donations in week three of the general election campaign, new records show.

The Conservatives have recorded a comparatively modest £375,000, with the Liberal Democrats receiving £193,945.

Reform UK trailed behind with just £99,000 in donations for the third week.

3:36PM

Davey: Trans people should be able to use the bathroom ‘they want to use’ Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said trans people should be able to use the bathroom “they want to use”.

Asked which toilet a trans woman with a penis should use, Sir Ed said: “It would all depend on what they want to use.

“I’m not sure if we’re going to have people standing outside toilets and deciding what identity they have, I think that would be quite an odd society.”

When asked whether believed in safe spaces for “biological women”, Sir Ed said: “I believe in the Equality Act, which gives single-sex spaces and rights for women as a way of balancing rights. I think that is exactly right.

“And what the Equality Act does in providing single-sex spaces where trans women are excluded, is it enables people providing services to make those decisions, and that’s quite right.

“I strongly support the Equality Act and its provision for single-sex spaces.”

3:18PM

Davey insists he cannot remember how much he won previously betting on politics Sir Ed Davey has insisted he could not remember how much he won when he previously bet on politics.

The Liberal Democrat leader has admitted to placing two wagers on his party winning earlier elections.

Asked why he would not say how much he made, Sir Ed told reporters in Cambridgeshire: “Because I can’t remember.

“I have the odd flutter, but I’m not really a gambling person and I don’t really gamble very high stakes because I don’t think my wife would like it.”

He continued: “The truth is though that the story is quite shocking. Some people went into a room in No 10 Downing Street, were told the date of the election. It seems that they then went and placed the bets on that, knowing the outcome.

“That is quite outrageous and it’s quite right the Gambling Commission are looking at it.

“And the Liberal Democrats have also called for a review of all the gambling regulations with respect to politics. I think we need greater clarity and transparency.”

3:04PM

Watch: Rishi Sunak meets schoolchildren 2:42PM

Sir Tony Blair tells Labour to ‘show no complacency’ in surprise visit Sir Tony Blair has told Labour staffers to show “no complacency” in the final week of the election campaign during a surprise visit to party headquarters.

The former Labour leader gave a five-minute pep talk on Thursday afternoon to campaign figures.

Sir Tony is understood to have said that there is “no point being in politics” unless you deliver “change”, in a message about the importance of regaining office.

Read more on this story here

2:27PM

Pictured: Sunak’s week sweetened by school visit Credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire 2:10PM

Corbyn’s former Labour colleagues back his campaign Eleven former committee members of Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency Labour party have pledged to support his independent campaign.

Seventy-two members of Islington North CLP signed a letter published today in support of Mr Corbyn, who has represented the London seat since 1983 and will stand against the party he once led on Thursday.

Among these were 11 reported former CLP officers, who have now either left the party or risk expulsion.

The letter reads: “Jeremy Corbyn has dedicated his life to this constituency. We hear on a regular basis from people how Jeremy has been there for them in their time of need, whether that is housing, education or anything else.

“He has always worked in partnership with our progressive Labour council, both as a Labour MP and as an independent MP.”

1:46PM

Farage: People with racist views only back Reform as I destroyed the BNP People with racist or homophobic views are only attracted to Reform because the BNP no longer exists, Nigel Farage suggested.

Asked why such people supported his party in the wake of a race row, he said: “Ironically, I think because we destroyed the BNP, they haven’t got the BNP to go to any more.”

The Reform leader added that there were “right across the political spectrum, people saying things they jolly well shouldn’t say”, adding: “Far-Left extremists go to the Labour Party”.

1:34PM

Sunak: Farage has questions to answer Rishi Sunak has said a racial slur used against him “hurts and it makes me angry”.

He added that Reform leader Nigel Farage “has some questions to answer”.

On a campaign visit to a school in Teesside, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign to Nigel Farage calling me an effing p—. It hurts and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer.

“I don’t repeat those words lightly. I do so deliberately, because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is.”

Asked whether he was frustrated that some former Tory voters are leaning towards Reform UK when their activists are making racist and homophobic comments, Mr Sunak said: “When you see Reform candidates and campaigners seemingly using racist and misogynistic language and opinion, seemingly without challenge, I think it tells you something about the culture in the Reform party.”

1:20PM

Reform activist filmed making racist comment says he was ‘goaded on’ A Reform UK volunteer who was filmed by Channel 4 News calling Rishi Sunak a “f—— p—” has apologised, saying he was “goaded on”.

Andrew Parker said he made the comments, recorded by undercover reporters, “in the heat of the moment”.

Mr Parker also confirmed claims that he was a part-time actor but said he got involved with Reform UK after contacting the party himself and volunteering to do leafleting because he believes in its message.

Read the full story here

1:00PM

Coming up Nigel Farage will be appearing on ITV’s Loose Women in the next few minutes.

12:44PM

Labour could have ‘most working class cabinet of all time’ Jonathan Ashworth said Labour could have “the most working class cabinet of all time”, writes Amy Gibbons.

It comes after David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, said the Tories were the wrong “class” to run today’s Britain.

Asked about the comments, and whether he could guarantee Labour would have the most working class cabinet ever, he told reporters: “I’m definitely working class, my dad was a croupier, so given that betting is very topical in this campaign, I know a little bit about it.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, and Ellie Reeves, the party’s deputy national campaign coordinator Credit: Amy Gibbons “My dad was a croupier in the Playboy Club in Manchester, which is where he met my mum, who was a bunny girl, so I know all about gambling and I know all about class.

“I’m from a working class background, and I’m very proud that if we get a Labour government next week you’ll have… it could possibly be the most working class cabinet of all time actually.”

He added: “Obviously Angela Rayner was a care worker, Wes is from a very working class background… Bridget was from a working class background, we’ve got the superstar Reed sisters whose mum and dad were teachers. So I think it’s certainly the most working class and state comprehensive shadow cabinet and potential cabinet of all time.” He later clarified it could be the most working class cabinet since Clement Attlee’s in 1945.

12:39PM

Candidates with ‘militant views’ on trans rights ‘named and shamed’ A women’s group has named election candidates who have expressed “militant” views on trans rights.

The grassroots campaign, What Is A Woman, said the House of Commons elected next week will contain more MPs with extreme views who cannot be relied upon to stand up for women.

One candidate has suggested that asking for care on an NHS ward by someone of the same sex can be “malign”, while another opposed barring a trans woman to a single-sex ward for females.

Another dismissed fears about puberty blockers, saying they had a “minimal impact on health”, and a candidate said they would address people who failed to use the pronouns a trans person identifies with as “pig d—”.

Daniel Martin has the full story

12:18PM

Pictured: Rayner on the campaign trail in Scotland Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, has joined Anas Sarwar, her party’s leader in Scotland, on the campaign trail in Hamilton Credit: Jeff J Mitchell 12:03PM

‘Has anyone actually seen Jeremy Hunt?’ Jonathan Ashworth accused the Chancellor of being absent from the campaign trail, writes Amy Gibbons, joking: “Has anyone actually seen Jeremy Hunt?”

Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said he would like to go “on the hunt for Hunt”.

Mr Hunt is fighting for his political future in the new constituency of Godalming and Ash, where he believes there will be fewer than 1,500 votes between him and his Liberal Democrat rival.

11:50AM

Labour claims Sunak would be ‘Liz Truss 2.0’ Shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth has unveiled Labour’s anti-Tory display in south London, writes Amy Gibbons.

Delivering a speech flanked by activists, alongside Labour’s deputy campaign chief Ellie Reeves, he accused Rishi Sunak of writing a manifesto “packed full of promises he cannot keep”.

He claimed it will mean Mr Sunak goes on to make “exactly the same mistakes” as Liz Truss, with people paying more on their mortgages.

Warning Mr Sunak’s re-election would lead to “Liz Truss 2.0”, he urged people to “vote for change next Thursday”.

11:34AM

Election diary: Nigel Farage to face live Question Time audience Nigel Farage will face questions from a live Question Time audience on Friday night as the election campaign enters its final days.

The Reform leader will spend half an hour responding to voters in a special edition of the BBC political programme hosted by Fiona Bruce.

The show will also feature Adrian Ramsay, who will also spend 30 minutes taking questions.

It follows a similar episode with Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, which aired on Monday, and an event with Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Ed Davey and John Swinney last week.

Have a read of what else is happening today here

11:28AM

Watch: Starmer clashes with caller on single-sex spaces 11:24AM

Jeremy Hunt could be unseated in tactical voting plot A tactical voting plot to unseat Jeremy Hunt is underway as local Labour and Lib Dem supporters club together to oust the Chancellor on July 4.

A group of residents in Godalming and Ash are seeking to engineer a so-called “Portillo moment” by uniting behind the Lib Dems to unseat the senior Cabinet minister in the traditional Tory heartland.

The group, who have coined themselves “Godalming and Ash Elections”, have identified Paul Follows, the Lib Dem councillor for the area, as the candidate with the best chance of beating Mr Hunt.

But they insist the Chancellor can only be defeated if people vote tactically, which would involve those who normally back Labour or the Greens lending their support to Mr Follows to form an anti-Tory alliance.

My colleague Amy Gibbons has this exclusive report

11:14AM

Biden’s debate performance ‘worse than anyone can believe’, says Farage Nigel Farage has called Joe Biden’s US presidential election debate performance “worse than anyone can believe”.

The Reform leader told The Sun that the president is “totally unfit for office.”

Despite the criticism, Biden has claimed he “did well” in the debate with Donald Trump.

It comes as a growing chorus of Democrats call for the 81-year-old to abandon his re-election campaign over his performance.

Mr Biden repeatedly struggled to articulate himself on Thursday, mumbling his answers, freezing under the spotlight and rambling about his golf handicap.

11:05AM

Starmer on Bangladeshi TV after Bangladesh ‘racism row’ Sir Keir Starmer has appeared on Bangladeshi TV after he was engulfed in a row with the community over his comments on illegal migrants from that country.

The Labour leader faced backlash for using Bangladesh as an example of a safe country which asylum seekers could be returned to if they had no right to remain in the UK.

11:00AM

UK Government met oil industry representatives on average 1.4 times a day last year The UK Government met with representatives from the oil and gas sector an average of 1.4 times per working day in 2023, an analysis has suggested.

At least 65 fossil fuel organisations and industry bodies were identified meeting with ministers over the course of the year, according to an investigation by Global Witness.

The environmental group analysed data by Transparency International UK, looking at any organisation that “could be reasonably assumed to have the goal of influencing policy or legislation in the interests of a fossil fuel company and its shareholders”.

According to its findings, ministers met with representatives from the oil and gas sector at least 343 times last year, up from 330 meetings held in 2022.

More widely, the group found that meetings between oil and gas lobbyists and the government have been steadily increasing over the past 11 years.

The meetings reached record-high levels in November 2023, when the government met with oil and gas lobbyists at least 63 times, equivalent to almost three meetings every working day, the campaigners said.

10:56AM

A complete guide to each broadcaster’s general election coverage With the general election looming, The Telegraph has pulled together a guide of what to expect from each broadcaster covering the outcome.

We have included details of election night coverage plans for the BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and GB News with information about hosts, guests and timings.

More here for what to expect on the night through to the next day.

10:49AM

SNP battle bus launch in Edinburgh Scottish first minister with deputy in Edinburgh for launch of battle bus Credit: Duncan McGlynn 10:43AM

Reform investigates claim racist activist is an actor Reform UK is investigating claims that a party volunteer who was filmed calling Rishi Sunak a “f—— p—” is a part-time actor, The Telegraph understands.

Several activists who were working in Nigel Farage’s Clacton campaign office were dismissed on Thursday by the party following an investigation by undercover reporters for Channel 4 News.

One party activist was recorded describing the Prime Minister as a “f—— p—”, with Mr Farage later calling the remarks “reprehensible”.

But on Friday, it was claimed that the man, named by Channel 4 as Andrew Parker, may be a part-time actor.

Speaking on Talk TV, Isabel Oakeshott told viewers of the “potentially sensational new twist” to the Channel 4 exposé.

Read the full story here.

10:40AM

Education secretary criticises Lammy for saying Tories wrong class to run country David Lammy was “arrogant and dismissive” to say the Conservatives are the wrong ‘class’ to run Britain, according to the Education Secretary.

Gillian Keegan told Times Radio: “I don’t know where he’s coming from. I mean there’s nothing public school or small about me and many of my colleagues and it’s so arrogant.

“I mean people who think they know how the working class think or feel that you know they have to be run by a certain person, I mean it’s just ridiculous. So no, I don’t agree with his comments.”

She added: “Our party is full of lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds. So I don’t accept the comments at all and I think they just point to something else actually which is both arrogant and dismissive.”

Education secretary criticises Lammy for saying Tories wrong class 10:29AM

Starmer Bangladesh comments were ‘misrepresented’, says shadow chief secretary to the treasury The shadow chief secretary to the treasury has said a clip of Keir Starmer discussing Bangladeshi migrants has been “misrepresented”.

Darren Jones told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “The clip was edited in a way where the whole conversation wasn’t shared and has been misinterpreted…

“He didn’t do anything wrong, but he has issued a video today to explain that he doesn’t want people to feel upset”.

9:59AM

I’d resign as Labour leader if I lose, says Starmer Asked if he would resign as Labour leader if he lost the election, Sir Keir Starmer replied: “Yes.”

9:57AM

Starmer clashes with caller over single-sex spaces Sir Keir Starmer was asked by a caller named Jane “why he’s not listening to biological women when they say they don’t want to share a space with biological men”.

“I am listening, and it goes back many years,” the Labour leader said. Jane told him: “What I care about is you saying you’re going to allow men to identify as women, making GRCs easier and they can come into women’s spaces.” Sir Keir said: “Yes, we do want to make the process more dignified.”

Jane replied: “This isn’t about being kind or dignified, it’s about protecting women. Why are you putting our dignity on the line? We need to treat them differently and say you have a third space… We want you to say sex will not be changed and you will protect us from men coming into our space.”

Sir Keir said: “I have protected in the past and have worked with those protecting spaces. I’m particularly concerned about refuges for violence and women and girls and the spaces for biological women to be safe there, the same in sport, the same in hospitals.”

Jane asked him to assure her biological men would not be allowed into women’s spaces, and said he had responded with “absolute twaddle”. The Labour leader said: “I will protect women’s spaces, that is my commitment. But just hear me out, there are some people who do not identify with the gender they are born into, they are often traumatised by that. There has been a process in place… We will protect women’s spaces, I’ve been clear about for a very long time. I know you don’t want to hear what I have done but we will do it in the future as well.

“But I will also say this. There are a small number, granted, of people who are born into a sex that they do not identify with, who are often very traumatised. For 20 years now we have a law that allows that to be recognised with a certificate, and I will treat them, as I will treat everyone in this country, with respect and not allow this to be a toxic discussion.”

9:51AM

Keir Starmer taken to task over Bangladesh row Sir Keir Starmer was asked by a caller: “Given your recent racist comments made against Bangladeshi migrants, how can we differentiate you with Nigel Farage and vote for Labour under your leadership?”

The Labour leader said: “I spent yesterday making it clear that I didn’t intend to cause any upset or offence and I’m genuinely, genuinely concerned if that is the case. The Bangladeshi community in this country has made a huge contribution to our economy, to our culture and to our culture.

“There are very strong bonds between the Labour Party and the Bangladeshi community, particularly between me and the Bangladeshi community in my constituency.”

On his remarks, Sir Keir said: “Clumsy would be a good word, I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I actually think there’s huge scope for the UK and Bangladesh to work together.”

9:47AM

Starmer: Aspiration is ‘basically the definition of Britain’ Sir Keir Starmer said aspiration was “basically the definition of Britain”.

“I think we’re an aspirational society. I think we’re reasonable, I think we’re tolerant. The vast majority of people want to get on for themselves, they want to get on for themselves, for their community, for their country.”

The Labour leader described his manifesto as “invitational” even to people who had not considered backing the party in the past.

“That sense that it will be better for the next generation, I think has gone and we need to rekindle it by taking our country forward.”

9:43AM

Starmer insists not all landlords are evil Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We do need to ensure that there are lower mortgage premiums because many people who are renting are paying more in rent than they would pay in a mortgage. And so we know that they’re capable of paying the money they would need to pay in a mortgage but for many they can’t afford to save to get a mortgage in the first place.

“We also need to tackle the rental sector. As you know private landlords are often getting tenants or should I say would-be tenants to bid against each other in an upward spiral and that means rent goes up and up and up.

“Young people or people who want to buy their own home are paying a massive amount of their income in rent, and we have to stop that happening. There’s very huge deposits as well that are being taken from people.”

Nicky Campbell cut in with “this ‘all landlords are evil’ thing…”, to which Sir Keir replied: “No, it’s not all landlords are evil… There’s nothing against your property and being a landlord and nothing wrong with setting a good rent that gives you a good income.

“We can’t simply leave out of account what is happening nowadays where the rents are just going up because there are more people who need to rent than there are places to rent and the prices are just going through the roof.”

9:38AM

Starmer: I wouldn’t call Farage a racist Nicky Campbell asked Sir Keir Starmer: “Is Nigel Farage a racist?”

Sir Keir said: “I wouldn’t call him names. I don’t think he has the challenges we face in this country. I’ve seen some of those comments that have come out overnight, the supporters and people who are campaigning on his behalf.

“I don’t tend to campaign by calling people names. I don’t think he’s got the answers the country people need.

“In the end you have to set the culture, you have to change the party… Nigel Farage has to lead his party and when those that are supporting him, campaigning for him in this particular case, come out with comments that are obviously racist, that does raise questions about his leadership.”

Asked about his own party’s Clacton candidate liking a tweet about his favourite drink being “white tears”, Sir Keir said: “I haven’t actually seen those comments so I don’t know the context. I need to see the context and see what he said about it.”

9:34AM

Keir Starmer: We have to adopt a ‘preventative’ NHS model Sarah asked Sir Keir Starmer how he would fix the NHS “without throwing endless money at it”.

The Labour leader said it started with waiting lists and there needed to be 40,000 extra appointments a week.

Sarah pushed back and said she was talking about the “inner workings” of the health service, by which she meant reducing overpaid middle managers, centralising procurement and making sure patients did not have prescriptions they needed.

Sir Keir said: “We’ve got a programme of change and reform because we’re very proud of the fact that we set up the NHS 76 or year ago. But we can’t forever be looking backwards at what past Labour governments did, we’ve got to start looking forward.”

He added the party was “already looking” at the “inner workings” of the NHS and repeated his pledge to stop the 8am scramble for GP appointments. Sir Keir insisted there were changes that could be brought about “very, very quickly”.

“We have to change the model of the NHS to a preventative model.”

9:29AM

Labour leader: We must make realistic decisions on pensions A question was put to Sir Keir Starmer from Paul in Derby, a listener who wanted to take a 25 per cent lump sum, tax-free, from his pension.

“Well, it runs out in a number of years and we’re not going to renew it because we have got to ensure that every single thing that we put in our manifesto, everything we commit to, is fully-costed and fully-funded.

“The Prime Minister claims or seems to claim that no pensioners are paying tax, he knows that’s not true. At the last budget they set out the arrangements for tax for pensioners and what’s in our manifesto carries on with the government’s budgeted plans that were costed by the government.”

Sir Keir said Rishi Sunak’s promises to pensioners amounted to “what Liz Truss did”.

“It runs out in two or three years time, obviously we’ll review the situation then, but I’m not going to do what others might do and make promises unless they’re fully-funded and sustainable.”

9:25AM

Starmer repeats vow income tax will not increase Asked by a caller named Rob whether he could guarantee income tax would not go under a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Income tax won’t go up, National Insurance won’t go up and VAT won’t go up.

“For 14 years or so we haven’t had the economic growth that we need and we have to turn that around. And that’s why our manifesto is all about wealth creation.

“Labour often emphasises welfare, redistribution et cetera but the central focus on growth… We’ve lost four elections in a row. We have lost, and this is profoundly imprinted on my mind, four elections in a row. We haven’t won an election for 19 years and I’m absolutely determined that we will go into this election being a party that is laser-focused on wealth creation. It has to be wealth creation and growth in every part of the United Kingdom.”

Rob revealed he was undecided after backing the Tories in 2019 having previously backed Labour.

9:19AM

I haven’t got a magic wand, says Keir Starmer Jen from Petersfield, a teacher of 15 years, asked Sir Keir Starmer what he would do to incentivise her to stay in the profession.

“Firstly, respect, we would respect those who are teaching and respect more generally. Because one of the depressing things in my view about politics in recent years is there has been a tendency for politicians to simply point the finger at other people all of time, whenever there’s a problem, and that becomes disrespectful and it has become disrespectful of teachers.

“We want to put in place a retention scheme for teachers such as yourself which is to do with progression and recognition of the skills that you have. I’m not going to pretend there’s a lot of money, I haven’t got a magic wand. I do want to bring in the extra teachers we need so that the stress and the burden goes down.”

9:15AM

Starmer insists he has ‘nothing against’ private schools Asked whether Britain would be a “better society” without private schools, Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Radio 5 Live: “No, and I’ve got nothing against private schools. I want to take our country forward to a point where it does not matter whether you’ve gone to state school or private school.”

On professions including law and journalism, he said: “By and large there’s still a disproportionality, and that will only change if this question of where you go to school is irrelevant and that will only happen if we have state schools that are able to provide the same opportunities as our private schools.

“Do we want to abolish private schools, no, do I want to make sure that where you go to school doesn’t matter…”

Sir Keir said the primary schools in his Camden constituency were now “really good”, saying: “Now for example many parents will say, even though I might have sent my children to private school, I don’t feel I need to because the state schools are so good.”

9:11AM

We have looked at private school policy impact, insists Keir Starmer Jenny from Loughborough asked Sir Keir Starmer what it would do to find school places for children who would priced out of private education “now, not in five to 10 years”.

She said her son was not offered a secondary school place even in his catchment area, and she had to remortgage her house to send him to an independent school.

Sir Keir said: “We do have a plan in relation to VAT and private schools. We have looked at the likely impact of that on parents in the same position as you, who have worked hard, saved hard, to make sure they’ve got the money to put their children into private school because they’ve got aspiration for their children. But every parent has aspiration for their children… At the moment we don’t have enough specialist teachers in our state schools.”

Jenny said her family did not go away to save money, saying: “On the fact of it being a choice to send him to an independent school, it wasn’t. If he was going to be educated, he had to go to an independent school.”

Sir Keir responded: “The difficult position she’s been put in is obviously one of great concern… At the end of the day we’ve got to make a difficult decision, which is do we allow the situation to go on with our state secondary schools? That is something that is going to stay with a child for a very long time.”

9:07AM

Starmer stays silent on whether he has concerns about Biden Sir Keir Starmer is taking questions from listeners of BBC Radio 5 Live.

Asked if he was “concerned” about Joe Biden’s mental state following last night’s debate, the Labour leader said: “I have to say I’ve got enough on my hands with my own election campaign to go too far into that.”

Told it was an important question, he replied: “Well it is. In the end, the person who is president of the US will be determined by the American people in due course and if we’re elected into government to serve, we will deal with whoever is the president. The relationship between the UK and the US is strong, it’s historic and obviously it’s above the individuals who are in office.”

Asked if he had “your own concerns” about Biden, Sir Keir said: “Well, look, I don’t think me commentating on the American election is helpful. We’ve got our own election going on here. And in the end it’s not for me, it’s for the American people to decide and they will decide and we’ll deal with whoever they elect in as their president.”

Asked about David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, in 2019 calling Trump a “woman-hating neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath” and a “profound threat to the international order”, Sir Keir said: “Those aren’t words that I’ve ever used. I’ve dealt with all sorts of leaders when I was chief prosecutor across the world. I know the job of the person who leads our country is to deal with the leaders of other countries, that are elected in by their people. You don’t always get to choose the leaders of other countries.”

8:53AM

Starmer: Farage has rhetoric but no answers to the big questions On the row around comments made by Reform election campaigners, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I was shocked by what I heard, clearly racist, and I think this is a test of leadership.”

Told Nigel Farage had distanced himself from those remarks, Sir Keir said: “He has, but you’ve got to ask yourself the question of why so many people supporting Reform seem to be exposed in this particular way. It’s for a leader to change his or her party to make sure the culture is right and the standards are understood by everybody within the party.”

Nigel Farage speaking at a campaign event in Boston last night Credit: Paul Marriott/PA Wire Asked if he recognised Mr Farage was having an impact, the Labour leader said: “Of course he’s having an impact. We can see in the polls and some of the results. But what he doesn’t have the answers to the huge challenges we’re facing as a country, both in the UK itself and of course globally where there’s probably more tension and conflict than there’s been in very many recent years. He doesn’t have answers to the big questions.

“He’s got rhetoric, for sure, but he doesn’t have answers to the big questions.”

8:50AM

Starmer asked how processing illegal arrivals will act as deterrent Asked whether he would process the asylum claims of people who arrived by illegal routes, Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast: “Yes.”

When challenged on how, he said: “Well, through the system that’s been in place for years and years and years.

“For years, the system in this country has operated on the basis that if someone claims asylum, they are processed. That is how it worked under Labour governments, that is how it worked under Tory governments. What has happened under this government is they’ve stopped processing claims.”

Challenged on how he would therefore deter illegal arrivals, Sir Keir replied: “The deterrent lies in smashing the gangs. Does anybody seriously think that not processing the claims when now-record numbers are coming across the Channel is operating as a deterrent? I don’t accept that the only answer to this conundrum is what we do when people arrive. There are vile gangs that are running this trade, putting people in boats at huge expense.”

8:44AM

Keir Starmer rejects ‘conspiracy of silence’ accusations Sir Keir Starmer was asked about the Institute for Fiscal Studies accusing his party of a “conspiracy of silence” and suggesting taxes would have to rise or public spending would have to be cut in order to fund Labour’s plan.

“Many of the assumptions that have been made by the IFS and others are on the basis that growth will stay broadly where it is now. I don’t accept that.

“I think we can start on growth straight away. We’ve been talking with global investors for two years, as you’d expect… I have been, as you would have expected from my approach, making sure that if we come into power in a week’s time, if we are able to serve our country, we are ready to hit the road running.

“Therefore I’ve been having discussions with global investors for two years. I’ve discussed with them what are the inhibitions on investment. They’ve said to me we’ve got the money, it’s the stability, it’s the lack of strategic thinking that is holding us off… Investors are saying to me if you do get into the line, these are the timescales we will be working to.”

8:41AM

Labour is offering a manifesto for growth, says Starmer Sir Keir told BBC Breakfast: “Our manifesto is a manifesto for growth, for growing our economy and making sure people are better off across the country. So that means tough decisions.

“For years now we have been talking to our partners, the businesses that will come up alongside us to deliver, we’ve identified together the barriers to growth and we intend to take those barriers down.

“And that is the way forward for this country which is not to accept the defeatism that says we can’t be any better than we’ve been in the last 14 years. I do not accept that. We’ve got a plan for growth, it is unusual for a Labour leader to sit here and tell you our number one mission is economic growth, but everything else ladders up to it.”

8:39AM

Starmer: We have a fully-costed, fully-funded offer Sir Keir Starmer was asked by BBC Breakfast about voters not feeling like they know “the full picture” of what his premiership would look like.

“Let me address it directly. I obviously took over four-and-a-half years ago when we’d just lost the last election very badly. I said we were going to change this Labour Party where we put country first, party second…

“Many people said it’s not possible, Keir, to do that change in a five-year period.”

Asked about a belief among voters that something did not add up in his party’s tax policy, he said: “If we learned one thing in the last two or three years, it was when Liz Truss made unfunded commitments, in her case to tax cuts. And it damaged the economy and many people watching are still paying the price, particularly in their mortgages.

“Now the lesson to take from that is that economic stability, fiscal rules, and making sure that every single thing is fully costed and fully funded, is a foundation not just going into an election but outside the election where economic stability will be our priority.”

Sir Keir insisted the Labour manifesto was “fully-costed and fully-funded”.

8:34AM

Keir Starmer: Every vote still has to be earned Asked how he was doing, Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast: “Yes, very good, last few days… Energy levels good, we’re campaigning with a smile on our face, a spring in our step. It’s our chance to take our positive offer to the country and we’re really pleased to be able to do so.”

On whether he thought he could have done anything better during the campaign, he replied: “I think there are always things in any operation. We are focused on the next six days and the thing I am most concerned about is the sort of underlying assumption of what you just said. Because every single vote still has to be earned.

“We’ve got another six days to go and it is very, very important to make the argument that if you want change, you have to vote for it. This is a big change election.

“If anyone votes Tory next week or doesn’t vote because they think the result is already determined, that means five more years of what we’ve had.”

8:28AM

Starmer to take voters’ calls Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, will be on the BBC Breakfast sofa in the next few minutes.

This will be followed by a phone-in with BBC Radio 5 Live from 9am.

8:19AM

How Farage took on ‘the skinheads and geezers’ of the far-Right and won In June 2009, with the last Labour government nearing its end, Britain went to the polls to elect 72 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), writes Gordon Rayner.

The far-Right British National Party, led by Nick Griffin, received 943,598 votes and returned its first two MEPs to Brussels. For every 10 votes for the governing Labour Party, the BNP received four votes. It seemed that Griffin was on the march.

There was another significant first in that election, though. The UK Independence Party, led by Nigel Farage, received 2,498,226 votes and returned 13 MEPs: the first time in a nationwide election that the ruling party was outpolled by a party that had no members of parliament.

Since then Farage and Griffin’s fortunes have gone in opposite directions. The latest incarnation of Farage’s political project, Reform UK, is snapping at the heels of the Conservative Party in general election polls and Farage himself appears to be on the brink of a parliamentary seat.

The BNP, meanwhile, has all but disappeared, and has not put up a candidate for any local or national election since 2019.

Read more: How Farage took on the far-Right and won

8:06AM

Gillian Keegan refuses to give Tory campaign Ofsted grade Asked how she would rate the Conservative election campaign of 2024 on the Ofsted scale, Ms Keegan said: “I’ll let you know after the day of reckoning which is next Thursday.”

Pressed by Nick Ferrari, who asked “you won’t even give me a ‘Good’ on an Ofsted rating?”, she said: “I always think we’re doing a good job, but it is difficult… Of course it is difficult when you’ve had 100 polls which have come out of nowhere which are showing these different ways of working out undecided voters.

“We can understand that voters have frustrations. We need to get them onside because we can’t sleepwalk into socialism.”

8:03AM

Keegan: Students must pick courses to justify £50k investment Gillian Keegan said students had to choose “worthwhile” degrees to justify a “50 grand decision” to go to university.

“You have to make sure, and I say this all the time to children, young people, I always say to them – this is a 50 grand decision. It is a big decision you’re making and you should treat it like a big decision. Fifty grand’s a lot of money.

“So if you want to do the degree apprenticeship or the higher level apprenticeship, there’s a lot of those available.

“But if you go full time to university, many, many will, make sure you do something that is going to be worthwhile to you to justify that investment, not just in money but in time as well.”

8:01AM

Gillian Keegan: Labour’s ‘rubbish’ policy ‘putting politics before pupils’ Gillian Keegan took aim at Labour’s planned VAT raid on independent schools in her LBC Radio interview:

I’m really worried about special educational needs, especially with this pernicious policy of putting politics before pupils with VAT on private schools. It just makes no sense.

There’s 2,400 independent schools, they’ve got probably one in Eton in their head. And every single one of those, the bottom end are at risk of losing pupils. It doesn’t take much for tens of thousands of pupils to be heading for the state sector in an unplanned way from September this year, which is what they were first going to do.

It shows how rubbish the policy is. If you don’t have a plan for children, and a lot of these children have special educational needs as well… I always put children at the heart of everything I do. They are putting politics before pupils.

Ms Keegan predicted “tens of thousands” of pupils would leave the private school sector if Labour came to power.

7:57AM

We’ve done a really good job on education, says Keegan Gillian Keegan said the Conservatives had done “a really good job” on education during their time in office.

Ms Keegan noted the number of schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ had risen from 68 per cent to 90 per cent.

She talked up the multi-academy trust reforms and major progress in the apprenticeships system.

Asked about the Raac concrete crisis, Ms Keegan said: “We made them all safe either by making the ceiling safe or putting the children in alternative accommodation. Every single one of the schools has been told they will be rebuilt completely, if there was a lot of Raac, or if it’s just a bit they will get a grant to rebuild some of a school or a block.”

And challenged on the progress made on Boris Johnson’s £1bn fund for rebuilding new schools, Ms Keegan told LBC Radio: “I haven’t got the figure from 2020, I’ve got it from 2010. There was a bit of a pause in the pandemic, because there wasn’t that many people on building sites etc.”

7:49AM

‘That just genuinely terrifies me’ Wes Streeting said he was “absolutely terrified” about the prospect of voters staying at home on Thursday or backing the Tories because they think a Labour victory is a foregone conclusion.

“I don’t recall a general election where so many people have been this undecided so late in a campaign,” he told the Guardian.

“I was out last weekend, talking to people who have already voted by post… I was finding people who voted Conservative on the basis that we were going to win anyway, and saying it was important that the country has strong opposition. And that just genuinely terrifies me.”

Mr Streeting added: “I think there is a real risk of complacency about change with Labour, and people thinking ‘well, we’ll take a punt on the Greens or, you know, we’ll vote for the smaller parties’, in what are two-horse races between Labour and the Conservatives.”

7:40AM

Conservatives: Don’t surrender our schools to Labour This graph says it all.

Under Labour, education standards plummeted.

Under the Conservatives, they are rocketing.

Don’t surrender our children’s education to Labour. pic.twitter.com/jpZvo8KFaF

— Conservatives (@Conservatives) June 28, 2024 7:33AM

Tories ‘fighting for every vote’ Asked by Sky News how she thought the Tory campaign had gone so far, Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, said: “Oh, well, it’s still going and we’re still fighting for every vote. But clearly if you look at the hundred or so polls that have been done since the election was called, I think it’s by far the most polls that we’ve ever had done, then you’ve got a whole range of different views. And none of us looking like the best outcome for our party.

“But what actually is happening is there’s a lot of undecided voters who have previously voted Conservative, who are frustrated for one reason or another and there can be very many different reasons. But they haven’t gone to another party, and that is the story of the doorsteps. What we’re trying to do is get round to as many of those voters as possible.”

Ms Keegan rejected the suggestion Liz Truss had been responsible for rising inflation levels in the past two years.

7:20AM

Keegan: I’ll be amazed if the polls are true Challenged on the Tories trailing Reform in several polls, Gillian Keegan told GB News: “What’s happening is there’s all sorts of different ways of trying to use algorithms to allocate what undecided people will decide to do a week from today. I may, you may as well do it on shoe size, honestly.

“It’s not like any other election I’ve had. There are a lot of undecided voters, there are a lot of frustrated people who voted for us previously who are expressing their concerns. Depending on when you’re polling, who you’re polling, you will come up with these kind of polls. I honestly would be amazed if any of this is true, but I’m also not a sort of pundit. What I do is go out on the doors every day.”

Ms Keegan went on to insist the Covid pandemic and the Government’s response “had a massive impact on everything” and the public “recognise that you have to pay it back”.

“Of course it takes time for everybody to catch up, for education to catch up, for the economy to catch up, for taxes to catch up and go back down. But where we are right now, with the economy turning a corner, people are feeling better.”

7:16AM

Reform is a corporation not a party, says Gillian Keegan Asked whether Reform had the Conservatives “rattled”, Gillian Keegan said: “The Reform party will show up differently in different parts of the country.

“What actually shows up a lot about the Reform party is some of their disgraceful comments, either their racist comments or their comments about women, his comments himself about Putin have cut through.”

Ms Keegan added: “They’re not a political party, are they? They’re a corporation. But of course in some places there’s no doubt that he’s got a lot of airtime, a lot of people will have comments about him. Some people do support him and some people obviously think the views of him and some of the party are not right.”

7:15AM

Keegan: So many voters are still undecided The Education Secretary insisted there were “so many voters who are undecided” despite the Tories’ poor polling.

Asked about her ministerial colleague Steve Baker’s leadership ambitions, Gillian Keegan told GB News: “I haven’t seen that but I think all of us are out every day knocking on doors. All of us are saying the same thing, I was talking to a colleague yesterday, there are so many voters who are undecided.

“And of course what’s happening in the polls is everyone’s trying to anticipate what they’ll do, there’s all kinds of algorithms trying to anticipate that but what we’re doing is going out on the doorstep.

“But what is clear is that many of these voters have not decided to go for another party. I mean some have, but not many have, and that’s what we’re finding on the doorsteps. So this last week is crucially important…

“The reality is when you speak to people, when they may be a bit fed up, there’s been a lot of things you could be fed up or frustrated about. But when you speak to people, genuinely, some of them will come back and say ‘yeah, actually, we’re going to be voting for you’.”

Ms Keegan said there would be tax rises under Labour “whether it’s on your house, whether it’s on your car, whether it’s on your education… It’s in their DNA and obviously tax cuts are in our DNA.”

7:00AM

Labour frontbencher ducks trans question eight times A Labour frontbencher has refused to answer eight times when asked which lavatory she thinks a trans woman with a penis should use.

Nick Ferrari on LBC asked Bridget Phillipson to clarify her stance on whether trans women should be able to use women’s lavatories.

Earlier this week she suggested they should be able to use the women’s lavatory, but on Thursday morning she was unwilling to say.

The trans debate has become a key battleground in the election, with the Conservatives accusing Labour of failing to protect women’s rights.

Daniel Martin, our Deputy Political Editor, has more here

6:44AM

Nigel Farage is a Putin appeaser, says Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak has accused Nigel Farage of “appeasing” Vladimir Putin with his comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, writes our Political Editor Ben Riley-Smith.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the Prime Minister drew a parallel between the Reform leader and those who argued against a tough stance to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Credit: Heathcliff O’Malley Mr Farage sparked controversy last week by saying the West had “provoked” Russia with the “ever-eastward expansion of Nato and the European Union”. He later suggested peace talks should take place.

The Prime Minister said: “What he said was wrong, it was completely wrong. It plays into Putin’s hand. This is the guy who used nerve agents on British streets, he’s doing deals with North Korea. That is who we’re talking about here. This kind of appeasement is very damaging not just for our security, but the security of our allies that depend on us and it emboldens Putin further.”

Read Ben’s full interview with Rishi Sunak here

6:36AM

Who’s on the morning media round today? Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, is on the morning round for the Conservatives today.

Education has been a central plank of the Tory campaign, with Rishi Sunak pointing to reforms in the past 14 years which mean English school children are now among the best readers in the world.

Ms Keegan will no doubt also be keen to talk about Labour’s planned tax raid on independent schools, a policy she has staunchly opposed.

Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, is touring television and radio studios for Labour, while Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, will take part in a BBC Breakfast interview at 8.30am.

6:29AM

Blair sounds the alarm early over Starmer When it all starts to go wrong for Keir Starmer, Tony Blair will at least be able to say that he sounded the alarm early, writes Fraser Nelson.

“People are elected on the basis that they are changemakers, because they’ve articulated a general vision for change,” he complained in an interview this week.

“But what does that really mean, in specific terms?… If you don’t do that hard work and really dig deep, what you end up with are just ambitions. They remain ambitions.”

He was too polite to say so, but this perfectly sums up the 2024 Labour Party manifesto. It’s a blancmange of grand ambitions with almost no discernible agenda. And, as such, a big missed opportunity.

Starmer will perhaps never be more powerful than he is now. This is the time to seek a direct mandate for difficult NHS reform, to supercharge the “Academies” schools agenda, to ask voter approval for any politically tricky reforms.

But instead, Starmer has campaigned like a pull-string doll programmed with cliches and generalisations, and is choosing the safest route to power.

Fraser Nelson: Labour will have power without popularity or principles

6:26AM

Lammy: Tories are wrong ‘class’ to run today’s Britain David Lammy has claimed the Tories are not the right “class of people” to be running Britain because of their “public-school smallness”.

The shadow foreign secretary said in an interview that Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, was by contrast someone who “gets it”.

His remarks come amid speculation he could be demoted to a more junior Cabinet role by Sir Keir Starmer if the party wins power next week.

Mr Lammy has kept a surprisingly low profile throughout the election period and has not made any major interventions in the campaign.

Nick Gutteridge, our Chief Political Correspondent, has more

6:21AM

Good morning Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, bringing you all the latest from the general election campaign with less than a week to go until polling day.

Labour and the Conservatives will “barely exist” in five years’ time, Nigel Farage has said.

The leader of Reform UK, which has overtaken the Tories to place second in a number of recent opinion polls, predicted in a New Statesman interview there will have been “fundamental” change to the voting system by the end of the 2020s.

“And with that, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party frankly will barely exist,” Mr Farage said. “I promise you it’s going to change.”