Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has lost his £1,000 bet with Piers Morgan after he conceded deportation flights to Rwanda would not happen before an election.The prime minister shook hands with the YouTuber on his show on the bet which was described as taking politics to “a new low”. But the morning after calling a snap contest on 4 July, the prime minister said asylum seekers will be deported to the east African nation only “if I am re-elected”.Mr Morgan has already goaded Mr Sunak asking him to make his donation payable to the British Red Cross.The prime minister accepted the bet offered by the TalkTV broadcaster that asylum seekers will be sent on one-way flights to Kigali before voters hit the polls in February.Rishi Sunak and Piers Morgan bet £1,000 on Rwanda flights leaving before next election More

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to cut household energy bills by £400 if Labour win the general election.He made the comments on the same day that it was announced the average bill is to fall by 7 per cent from July after Ofgem lowered its price cap in response to wholesale prices.Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Friday 24 May, Sir Keir was asked “how much cheaper will our bills be under a Labour government?”“We want to set up Great British Energy – that’s a publically owned company, making money for the taxpayer,” he responded.“That ought to bring down household bills by about £400 – and that’s a permanent drop.”Sir Keir went on to suggest the price cap is only a “short-term fix”. More

Jeremy Corbyn has announced he is standing as an independent candidate in the general election.The former Labour leader said he will stand in his constituency of Islington North, vowing to be “an independent voice for equality, democracy and peace”.Mr Corbyn has been suspended by Labour since 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.He has vowed to fight to retain a seat he has represented for 40 years, adding: “We have to stand up and defend our rights.” More

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer kicked off their campaigns on Thursday 23 May, ahead of a snap general election in July.The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Britain will go to the polls in six weeks, as the Conservatives and Labour battle it out for votes.Mr Sunak is urging voters to back him at the polls if they want the government’s flagship Rwanda immigration scheme to succeed, while Sir Keir is calling on Britons to make “change” happen.Here, The Independent takes a look at the latest polling data as the two parties battle it out ahead of the general election on 4 July. More

Key takeaways from Rishi Sunak’s general election announcementSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservatives have hit their lowest vote share yet in a weekly tracker poll after voters apparently turned away from the party when Rishi Sunak called a snap election.According to Techne UK, the Tories now have the support of just 19 per cent of voters – the first time the weekly tracker has had the party below 20 points. It puts them 26 points behind Labour, whose leader Sir Keir Starmer has hailed the 4 July election as a chance to “turn the page”.Sir Keir accused the prime minister of never having believed the Rwanda deportation plan would work after Mr Sunak conceded that flights would not take off before the election.As the party leaders began their campaigns, Mr Sunak urged voters to back him over the government’s flagship immigration scheme.He admitted planes carrying asylum seekers to Kigali would take off after polling day, but vowed the preparation had already happened.Despite speculation about a Tory rebel effort to oust Mr Sunak and call off the election, one prominent critic said it was too late to get rid of the prime minister.Show latest update 1716488500’Bleak’ outlook for Tories as they hit new poll low after Sunak calls snap electionThe Tories have hit their lowest vote share yet in a weekly tracker poll after voters apparently turned away from the party after Rishi Sunak called a snap election.According to Techne UK, the Tories are now stuck on 19 per cent, the first time the company’s weekly tracker has had them below 20 points. It puts them 26 points behind Labour.Techne’s chief executive has warned of “a bleak result” for the Conservatives unless they can change the narrative in the next six weeks:Jane Dalton23 May 2024 19:211716516300Free event: Will the Brexit headache ever end?Join The Independent’s Chief Political Commentator John Rentoul as he discusses all things Brexit past, present and future with a panel of experts, including MP Stella Creasy, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe:Jane Dalton24 May 2024 03:051716512460Top Tories at risk of losing seats at electionFrom Johnny Mercer to Jacob Rees-Mogg, these MPs could face a battle to hang on to their seats:Jane Dalton24 May 2024 02:011716509040I had been set to launch bid to run as MP, says FarageNigel Farage has claimed he was preparing to launch a campaign next week to stand as an MP before the prime minister announced the general election date.Appearing on GB News as a guest during his typical show slot on Thursday, he said: “I have always said that there will be a moment when I throw my hat in the ring fully into British politics. I’ve also said aged 60, I’ve got one more card to play and it’s about when I play it.“I had, to be honest with you, put in place some preparations to launch next week.“I wonder whether the Conservative Party found out about it. I think the sense of panic that we saw yesterday, the badly prepared speech, might perhaps have prompted it a little bit.”Jane Dalton24 May 2024 01:041716507000Opinion: So much for Farage the British bulldog – he’d rather be Trump’s poodle Jane Dalton24 May 2024 00:301716505140Sunak’s election halts abortion decriminalisation as providers demand changeJane Dalton23 May 2024 23:591716503140Watch: Starmer says growing up working class inspires election fightKeir Starmer says growing up working class inspires election fightJane Dalton23 May 2024 23:251716501495Experts say Tory election victory would be ‘biggest turnaround in history’Leading pollsters Professor Sir John Curtice and Lord Robert Hayward have said that a party has never before come from so far behind in the polls to win a general election:Jane Dalton23 May 2024 22:581716499548Watch: Nigel Farage says Sunak acted over ‘fear’ of ReformNigel Farage says Rishi Sunak called snap election over ‘fear’ of ReformJane Dalton23 May 2024 22:251716498008Comment: So, after 14 years, what have the Conservatives ever really done for us?Salma Ouaguira23 May 2024 22:00 More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak suffered a catastrophic first day of campaigning after his decision to call a general election for 4 July.The prime minister began the day by infuriating Tory MPs as he was forced to admit deportation flights to Rwanda will not go ahead before the election, prompting senior figures to declare the policy “dead”.An exodus of Conservative MPs saw five more – including two ministers – declare they will not seek reelection, taking the total to 70.His problems were compounded when the first poll taken after the election announcement revealed support for the Tories has fallen even further, while Labour’s lead has widened. The Techne UK poll, shared with The Independent, put Labour up one on 45 per cent, and the Tories down two at 19 per cent – the first time they have been below 20 percent.Even more concerning will be the apparent rise in support for Reform UK on the right, up two to 14 per cent with the Lib Dems on 12 per cent and Greens on five per cent.Rishi Sunak arrives for a campaign event at Inverness airport More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Tories have hit their lowest vote share yet in a weekly tracker poll after voters apparently turned away from the party after Rishi Sunak called a snap election.According to Techne UK, the Tories are now stuck on a mere 19 percent, the first time the company’s weekly tracker has had them below 20 points.It puts them a huge 26 points behind Labour who are now on 45 percent.Techne chief executive Michela Morizzo has warned of “a bleak result” for the Conservatives unless they can change the narrative in the next six weeks before the election on 4 July.Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A with workers in Derbyshire on the first full day of the 2024 election campaign More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has lost his “crude” and “depraved” £1,000 bet with Piers Morgan after he conceded deportation flights to Rwanda would not happen before an election.The prime minister shook hands with the YouTuber on his show on the bet which was described as taking politics to “a new low”.But the morning after calling a snap contest on 4 July, the prime minister said asylum seekers will be deported to the east African nation only “if I am re-elected”.Piers Morgan has already goaded Mr Sunak asking him to make his donation payable to the British Red Cross.Mr Sunak accepted the bet offered by the TalkTV broadcaster that asylum seekers will be sent on one-way flights to Kigali before voters hit the polls in February.Rishi Sunak and Piers Morgan bet £1,000 on Rwanda flights leaving before next election. More