Markus Andrews

Business minister Kevin Hollinrake has admitted to making a bet on the Conservative Party winning the general election.Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (27 June), host Kate Garraway asked Mr Hollinrake if it is OK to put bets on the general election following the Tory party’s recent betting scandal.Mr Hollinrake replied: “I am always optimistic, I always felt it was possible.“It was some months ago when I made that bet but victory is always possible. “What we see on the doorstep is remarkably different to what we see in the polls.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Independent is giving readers the chance to chat directly with candidates from some of the major political parties in a special general election series of Ask Me Anything events.In this question and answer session, our community can chat exclusively with Ian Johnson, who is hoping to be elected MP in Vale of Glamorgan for Plaid Cymru.Former mayor of Barry, Mr Johnson has been a member of the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Barry Town Council since 2012, leading the Plaid Cymru group on the county council since 2017.Plaid Cymru’s manifesto calls for higher funding for public services and investment in Wales, funded by tax increases at a UK level, increased tax devolution to Wales, and reforms to Wales’s funding settlement. It also reasserts a long-term goal of Welsh independence,If you have a question about Plaid Cymru’s manifesto, pledges or policies submit it now, or when Ian Johnson joins you live at 12pm on Friday 28 June for the “Ask Me Anything” event.Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article.Scroll down or click here to leave your comment.If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they may be hidden until the Q&A starts. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak failed to deliver the ‘knockout blow’ required in the final televised showdown with Keir Starmer, a leading polling expert has warned. The two men traded bruises during a BBC debate watched by millions. During an at times tetchy 90 minutes, the prime minister aggressively challenged Sir Keir on his plans for government, including at one point asking if he planned to do a deal on small boats “with the Iranian ayatollahs?”But his energetic performance was not enough, Scarlett Maguire, director at polling company JL Partners said. Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak argue during the final TV debate (Phil Noble/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Independent is giving readers the chance to chat directly with candidates from some of the major political parties in a special general election series of Ask Me Anything events.In this question and answer session, our community can chat exclusively with SNP candidate Drew Hendry, who is looking to hold his seat on July 4.Hendry was first elected in 2015, then again in 2017 and 2019. He is the SNP candidate for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire and currently serves as the SNP’s Westminster spokesperson for the economy.In its manifesto, the party makes it plain that it wants to rejoin the European Union and the single market, and “reverse the damage of Brexit”. That only looks likely to be an option if Scotland becomes independent, so it’s unsurprising that the SNP is also pledging to “intensify” the pressure to secure Scottish independence.If you have a question about the SNP’s manifesto, pledges or policies submit it now, or when Drew Hendry joins you live at 1pm on Thursday June 27 for the “Ask Me Anything” event.Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article. Scroll down or click here to leave your comment.If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they may be hidden until the Q&A starts. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s attempts to bolster his government’s credibility on economic growth have been dealt another blow.A recording of former communities secretary Robert Jenrick from March speaking to young Tory activists has emerged where he candidly admits his party in government has been “very poor” at delivering infrastructure.Mr Jenrick, who resigned from Mr Sunak’s government as immigration minister over disagreements in the Rwanda policy, has been seen as a potential leadership contender in the wake of what some see as an inevitable defeat.But with the prime minister infamously cancelling large parts of the High Speed 2 project to Manchester when his party was holding its conference in that city, delivering infrastructure has been a difficult topic for Mr Sunak.Robert Jenrick is a potential leadership contender More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailFears that fake news could influence the outcome of the general election have led to calls for an immediate change in rules on reporting on polling day.BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT – the professional body for computing – has called for immediate reform of regulations preventing mainstream broadcast media from rebutting fake news on election day.Almost two thirds of tech experts believe broadcasters including the BBC, Sky, ITV and GB News, should be allowed to rebut misinformation on polling day, according to research conducted by BCS.It comes amid growing concerns over the amount of fake news found on social media and online platforms which could influence results.Sunak and Starmer debated on the BBC last night but reporting restrictions prevent any discussion on polling day More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA voter asked Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer directly whether they are “really the best we’ve got” at last night’s election debate – eliciting an eruption of applause from the audience.Sunak and Starmer traded furious blows on Wednesday night in a live BBC head-to-head election debate.The Labour and Conservative leaders attacked each another over migration, tax, and Brexit as they took questions from a live audience in Nottingham.However, it was a question on the rivals’ personal qualities that drew the loudest round of applause.Robert Blackstock asked: “Are you two really the best we’ve got to be the next prime minister of our great country?”Robert Blackstock fiercely criticised both party leaders More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightLabour appears to have given up the fight against Nigel Farage’s bid to become the MP for Clacton.The party has reportedly ‘seconded’ its candidate from the seaside constituency in Essex to campaign in the West Midlands, suggesting Labour has conceded defeat to the Reform UK leader before polling day.It comes after the Labour candidate for the seat, Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, went viral on social media, being dubbed “the best dressed candidate in living memory”. He was also named by anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain as the candidate in the strongest position to stop Mr Farage’s bid to become an MP for the first time.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Jovan Owusu-Nepaul made headlines for his fashion sense as he took on Nigel Farage More