Markus Andrews

David Cameron refused to say if he had offered any advice to Rishi Sunak that he may be making a poor decision by leaving D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations early last week.The prime minister left Normandy before a major international ceremony marking the anniversary of the Allied landings so he could record a TV interview as part of his push for votes in the general election.Mr Sunak later apologised, saying on reflection it was a “mistake.”“I’m not getting into advice that I or my department gave,” Lord Cameron, who attended the commemorations as foreign secretary, said. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLord David Cameron has said that he doesn’t feel sorry for Rishi Sunak in having to defend the Tories 14-year record in government.Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the foreign secretary was asked if he feels sympathy for Mr Sunak as he has to account for the premierships of Theresa May, Boris Johnson Liz Truss and Lord Cameron himself.At the Sky News debate on Wednesday evening, Mr Sunak was grilled about the Tories’s record over the last 14 years in power and tried to defend himself by saying he had only been prime minister for 18 months.Former prime minister Lord Cameron said: “What I feel about Rishi Sunak is that he’s a very capable prime minister.“I don’t feel sorry for him because he’s a very effective prime minister who wants to go on doing his job.”The foreign secretary also admitted that the latest polls don’t “look good” for the Tories, but added “they didn’t look very good in 2015 when I won the election”.The prime minister fields questions from a Grimsby audience on Wednesday night More

David Cameron quoted a Gino D’Acampo joke as he gave an interview about the general election on Thursday, 13 June.The foreign secretary told Kay Burley “If my mother had wheels, she’d be a bicycle,” seemingly referring to the time the chef angrily told This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby “If my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike,” as his dish was likened to a “British carbonara.”Lord Cameron used the reference after the Sky News host asked him what he would do if the Conservative Party loses the election.“I don’t answer questions beginning with the word ‘if’,” he added. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak revealed his “appalling diet” of Haribo and Twix on the campaign trail during the Sky News debate with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday night.The prime minister gave the response when Beth Rigby asked him about his previous “Dishy Rishi” nickname and urged him to share something personal which might endear voters towards him.He said: “I actually have an appalling diet because I eat an enormous amount of sugar, and I’m very unhealthy in that regard, which I was talking to someone earlier today about. They were completely shocked.”The prime minister added: “They were genuinely surprised about the amount of Haribos, Twixes and everything else that I get through, particularly during an election campaign.”It’s not the first time prime minister has mentioned his diet during the general election campaign. Last month he admitted his fitness had “taken a knock” due to the cake and chocolate keeping him going on the campaign trail.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer arrives for the Sky News election event in Grimsby on Wednesday More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailAnother multi-party debate is taking place on ITV on Thursday following prime minister Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer’s grilling on Sky News.It comes after broadcasters revealed their line-up of televised debates ahead of the general election on 4 July.The Conservative Party leader and the Labour Party leader first went head-to-head in a debate broadcast by ITV on 4 June.They were then questioned on Sky News on 12 June in front of an audience in the key seat of Grimsby.The two party leaders will face off against one another in a final head-to-head contest to be televised by the BBC on 26 June.Below is a full schedule of what each broadcaster has announced, including the date and time the programme will be aired, what format will be used and who will participate.The final head-to-head debate between Sunak and Starmer will take place on 26 June More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNigel Farage has mocked Rishi Sunak after a Tory candidate used pictures of the Reform UK leader on her leaflets.The arch-Brexiteer, who is standing against Mr Sunak in the general election, is plastered across the leaflets of right-wing Conservative Dame Andrea Jenkyns. Mr Sunak, meanwhile, is nowhere to be seen on the leaflets, which also make no reference to the Conservative Party or use of its branding.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Sticking the boot into the prime minister, Mr Farage said on X: “Andrea Jenkyns could have used a picture of Rishi. I wonder why she didn’t?”It is highly unusual for a candidate to use pictures of a rival party leader on their campaign literature and hints at the threat posed by Mr Farage to Tory MPs. It also demonstrates Mr Sunak’s lack of support nationally, with Dame Andrea deliberately opting to keep him off the documentDame Andrea shuns the Conservative party and leader and describes herself instead as a “northern, independent voice”.Nigel Farage at his birthday party with Aaron Banks, Andrea Jenkyns and Liz Truss in the background More

Wes Streeting referenced the “sure Jan” meme as he clashed with James Cleverly following the Sky News leaders debate on Wednesday, 12 June.The home secretary and the shadow health secretary had a heated conversation after Mr Cleverly repeated Tory claims that Labour would increase taxes for the average household by more than £2,000 a year.Mr Streeting pulled faces before referencing a Brady Bunch scene that is often used as a meme to dismiss a fictitious story.It came after Sir Keir Starmer insisted that Labour’s general election manifesto, which will be launched on Thursday, will not contain any “tax surprises” for voters. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailOne of the architects of the Vote Leave Brexit referendum victory in 2016 and Boris Johnson election win in 2019 has warned that the Tory leadership’s new strategy is likely to be counterproductive and see voters stay at home.Lee Cain, who was Boris Johnson’s communications director in Downing Street, has hit out at the Conservative Party now warning against a Labour “supermajority” suggesting that his experience showed it would suppress the Tory vote.Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Mr Cain, who has founded Charlesbye Strategy, was highly critical of the line put out by defence secretary Grant Shapps yesterday amid serious concerns that Tory voters are switching to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK or staying at home.Lee Cain is unimpressed by the latest More