Rishi Sunak has vowed to bring back national service for 18-year-olds to create a “renewed sense of pride in our country” if he wins the general election.
Under the mandatory scheme, teenagers would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year volunteering in their community.
Sir Keir’s party branded the announcement “another desperate unfunded commitment”, which would cost an estimated £2.5bn each year.
It comes as Wes Streeting warned striking doctors he would not meet their huge pay demands, and has vowed he would be “a shop steward for patients” as health secretary.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, he spoke of his plan to tackle of record waiting lists and the ongoing pay disputes, stating: “The NHS is not the envy of the world.”
Sir Keir Starmer has also sought to question why voters should have trust in Rishi Sunak’s general election proposals if Michael Gove appears to have “lost faith” in the PM by joining the record exodus of Tory MPs.
Sir Keir also confirmed he wanted to lower the voting age to 16.
Number of migrants passes 10,000 in blow for Rishi Sunak
More than 10,000 migrants are thought to have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel, in a blow to the prime minister who has made “stopping the boats” a flagship promise.
Migrants, including several children, were brought ashore in Dover, Kent, on Friday.
As of Thursday, 9,882 people had made the journey from France this year, according to provisional Home Office figures.
This is up 35% on the number recorded this time last year (7,297) and 6% higher than the same point in 2022 (9,326), according to PA news agency analysis of the data.
The latest arrivals suggest at least around 130 migrants arrived in the UK on Friday, indicating the number crossing the Channel for 2024 to date has hit 10,000, and more were seen making the journey as the day continued.
Starmer defends New Deal ‘rebrand’ after union backlash
Sir Keir Starmer has defended Labour’s decision to rebrand its package of workers’ rights pledges following a backlash from one of the UK’s biggest trade unions.
The party leader denied he was weakening policies on areas like zero-hours contracts, parental leave and sick pay after Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the plans had “more holes than Swiss cheese”.
It comes after the latest flare-up in a row over Labour’s New Deal for Working People, following reports it would go through a formal consultation process with businesses – potentially delaying or toning down the pledges.
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Jeremy Corbyn’s constituents give views on re-election campaign as independent
Jeremy Corbyn’s constituents give views on re-election campaign
Jeremy Corbyn’s Islington North constituents have given their views on their MP after he announced he would stand as an independent candidate in the general election. The former Labour leader was suspended by the party in 2020 after he refused to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s findings that the party broke equality law when he was in charge. Mr Corbyn has now been banished from the party after announcing he will stand as an independent. Labour has selected Praful Nargund to stand against Mr Corbyn, who has held the seat for more than 40 years.
What makes a great Labour leader – and does Starmer have what it takes?
If Keir Starmer wins on 4 July, he will be only the seventh Labour prime minister in the party’s history. Each of his predecessors has brought their own character to the office.
Read the full analysis from John Rentoul here:
Watch: Starmer says Labour will give 16-year-olds right to vote
All the MPs standing down at general election as Michael Gove joins the exodus
The UK will go to the polls in July after Rishi Sunak announced the date for the next general election – but scores of high-profile MPs will not be facing the electorate after deciding to stand down.
Housing secretary Michael Gove and former business secretary Andrea Leadsom became the latest Tory MPs to announce they would not contest the next election, as the number of Conservative MPs deciding to stand aside hit a new post-war record.
In his letter to constituents, Mr Gove cited the “toll” of public office as he said it was time to let “a new generation lead” following a political career spanning nearly 20 years.
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SNP will stand against ‘twin threats’ of austerity and privatisation
John Swinney has said the SNP will stand against the “twin threats” of austerity and privatisation, as his party campaigns on public services.
The SNP will seek to focus on investing in the NHS and other public services over the coming week of General Election campaigning.
On Saturday, the First Minister visited several constituencies around Scotland as part of the SNP’s first national “day of action”.
He said the Conservatives and Labour had both embraced austerity.
Mr Swinney said: “Ensuring the NHS remains in public hands will be one of the defining debates of this General Election – and the SNP will do whatever we can to protect Scotland from the creeping privatisation and cuts agenda supported by the Westminster parties.
“I am deeply alarmed at the language that is coming out of Westminster on the health service – and my pledge to the people of Scotland is that the Scottish Government and the SNP will play no part in it.”
Boris Johnson to be abroad for majority of election campaign
The former prime minister has a series of pre-arranged trips over the coming weeks which he will not be cancelling, which ranges from speaking engagements to personal holidays.
The Telegraph reports that these were all pre-arranged before the announcement came of the general election, with Mr Johnson categorically ruling out standing in the next election.
Sunak’s statement on national service pledge
The Prime Minister said: “This is a great country but generations of young people have not had the opportunities or experience they deserve and there are forces trying to divide our society in this increasingly uncertain world.
“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future. I will bring in a new model of national service to create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country.
“This new, mandatory national service will provide life-changing opportunities for our young people, offering them the chance to learn real world skills, do new things and contribute to their community and our country.”
Lib Dems to launch battlebus with ‘save the NHS’ message in blue-wall seat
Sir Ed Davey will launch the Liberal Democrats’ battlebus campaign with a “save the NHS” message in a marginal blue-wall seat on Sunday.
The UK’s fourth biggest party has put health at the heart of its agenda in the run-up to the July 4 General Election as it targets traditionally Conservative heartlands in southern England.
Sir Ed will say the Tories have left hospitals “with dangerous crumbling roofs” and “sewage pouring into” wards as he makes a manifesto pledge to introduce a 10-year rolling repair programme for the NHS estate.
The Conservatives said the Lib Dems would merely “make way for a Labour government – just like the one already failing the NHS in Wales.”
