Markus Andrews

A worker was caught on camera pulling faces as she listened to Rishi Sunak deliver a Conservative general election campaign speech during his tour of Devon.The prime minister was delivering a speech to workers at a defence firm on Wednesday (29 May).As Mr Sunak said “It’s been difficult the last few years”, the woman in the shot of the camera can be seen pulling a face.Discussing the Covid pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, the Conservative leader added: “I hope you saw throughout that I had your back.”The woman can again be seen pulling a face in response. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Labour party has become embroiled in a political row following the fallout around veteran MP Diane Abbott’s readmission to the party – and lack of clarity over whether she can still stand for it.After being suspended from Labour for just over a year, Ms Abbott was readmitted to the party in late May, once again becoming a Labour MP.Ms Abbott has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, securing a majority of over 33,000 at the last general election.For the latest political updates in the run-up to the General Election, follow The Independent’s live coverageLabour has not confirmed who its candidate will be for the constituency, leading to fears from supporters of Ms Abbott that she may still be deselected, despite her readmission into the party.Diane Abbott at a rally in Hackney, in front of a placard that reads “I stand with Diane”, March 15, 2024 More

Faiza Shaheen has spoken out after Labour did not endorse her for the Chingford and Woodford Green seat in north east London.Reports suggested the economist would be suspended by the party after she allegedly liked a series of posts on X that downplayed antisemitism accusations.Ms Shaheen says she was informed of the decision shortly before appearing on Newsnight on Wednesday, 29 May.”They briefed the press before they even had the decency to call me… I’m so shocked right now,” she added.A Labour spokesperson told The Independent: “The NEC has not endorsed Faiza Shaheen as candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green. She will not be the Labour candidate.” More

Jeremy Hunt was confronted over the Conservatives’ increases to VAT over the years during a live interview with Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, 30 May.It came as the Tories and Labour ruled out hikes if either party wins the general election.“I am not pretending that there haven’t been times when Conservative governments haven’t put up taxes,” Mr Hunt said.Margaret Thatcher’s government increased VAT from 8 per cent to 15 per cent in 1979.It was then increased to 17.5 per cent, remaining at this figure until Labour lowered it to 15 per cent in December 2008, before raising it to 17.5 per cent a year later. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailChancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruthlessly seized on the chaos in the Labour Party over the future of Diane Abbott which has sparked a revolt on the left of the party.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was accused on Radio 4’s Today Programme ths morning of “dithering” over the trail blazing MP and first black woman to be elected to Parliament in Britain.She has vowed to stand again for her Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency and accused Labour bosses of trying to bar her from being a candidate after almost four decades as an MP.But Sir Keir has denied she has been barred but been unable to say whether she will be allowed to be a candidate just weeks before a general election.Ms Abbott told supporters she intended to remain as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington More

Jeremy Corbyn declared “democracy has been denied” as he launched his campaign to be re-elected as the independent MP for Islington North on Wednesday night (29 May).The former Labour leader was suspended by the party in 2020 for refusing to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s findings that the party broke equality law when he was in charge.“Islington North Labour members were denied any vote to decide who their MP is or who their candidate is,” Mr Corbyn said, before revealing that he had sent a message of support to Diane Abbott amid uncertainty over whether she will be able to stand as a candidate for Labour. More

Nigel Farage claimed people “loathe” the Tories and a Labour general election victory is “a forgone conclusion”.The honorary president of Reform UK said that even if his party stood aside, their voters would never go back to the Conservatives, making a Labour election victory a forgone conclusion.Appearing on the ITV Peston show on Wednesday (29 May), he said: “We can all pretend there might be a contest, but there won’t. It is over. “These people loathe the Conservatives. It is done.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailJeremy Hunt and Rachel Reeves have ruled out raising VAT after the general election amid a furious row about each other’s tax plans.The chancellor accused Labour of secretly planning to raise VAT, currently charged at 20 per cent on most goods and services, by 1p to plug a £9bn hole in its spending plans.Mr Hunt said the increase would “hammer families’ finances and push inflation back up, just when we have got it down to normal”.Rachel Reeves and Jeremy Hunt have clashed over Labour’s tax plans More