UK Politics

Penny Mordaunt and Angela Rayner clash over defenceSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is claimed to be despondent over the furious backlash to his decision to skip a D-Day memorial attended by other world leaders, as a second cabinet minister openly criticised the decision.Transport secretary Mark Harper described Mr Sunak’s decision to miss the 80th anniversary event in Normandy as a “mistake”, after his cabinet colleague Penny Mordaunt condemned it as “completely wrong” in a fiery seven-way BBC debate on Friday night.Cabinet ministers told Bloomberg his misstep had exacerbated their concerns about his judgement – including one former loyalist said they regretted the Tories had not ousted him as PM earlier this year.And one insider told The Times they had “never heard it so quiet” at CCHQ after the PM’s decision to skip the international memorial sparked a major backlash.Broadcasters were also met with silence on Saturday, as a scheduled media slot with the prime minister was cancelled during a campaign visit to a walled garden at Auckland Castle on Saturday. Voters could be seen gathered at a hillside above the garden to try and catch a glimpse of him within.Show latest update 1717858538Sunak asked about NHS backlog at village feteRishi Sunak received a largely warm welcome from attendees at a village fete in his Richmond constituency on Saturday afternoon, where he met stall holders, chatted with members of the public, and played a game of “splat the rat”.He was welcomed by applause from some who appeared to be local Conservative members, but a consultant who identified herself as only Chloe to the PA news agency asked the PM about the NHS backlog as he arrived.The doctor, who said she recently rejoined Labour ahead of the election, said she “wanted to know what his plan is for waiting lists” and claimed the government had left the NHS “completely unprepared” for the pandemic.Elsewhere at the fete, children shouted “we love you Rishi” and filmed the PM as he visited a stall fronted by gift bags which read “Wine or Surprise”.Tom Wilson, Labour’s candidate for the reorganised Richmond and Northallerton constituency that Mr Sunak is seeking to hold, was also at the village event and at one point could be seen following the Prime Minister’s party at a distance.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a village fete More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPenny Mordaunt was forced to open the second televised election debate with an apology and admission that her leader Rishi Sunak was “wrong” over leaving the D-Day commemorations early in another bad night for the Tories.But the Tory cabinet minister sought to make the seven-party event into a two-way fight between herself and Angela Rayner, who stood next to her in the line-up, in what another panellist SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn described as an “unedifying” row.The lineup also included Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.From left, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, leader of Plaid Cymru Rhun ap Iorwerth, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, Stephen Flynn of the SNP, co-leader of the Green Party Carla Denyer, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, take part in the BBC Election Debate hosted by BBC news presenter Mishal Husain (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThey ducked it out for an hour and a half on prime time television on a Friday night. Here we look at some of the key moments from the BBC’s first multi-party debate, which saw seven senior political figures clash ahead of the election. Facing off were Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.“Completely wrong”Penny Mordaunt did not hold back as she began the debate, criticising the prime minister’s widely condemned decision to leave the D-Day commemorations early.“No prime minister at all”SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn also weighed in on the Tory leader and his D-Day snub, saying a PM who put his own personal career before public service is “no prime minister at all”.Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailKeir’s Starmer’s election campaign has suffered a blow after Labour’s largest union donor Unite refused to endorse the party’s manifesto. The decision by the union was such a shock it even caught some shadow cabinet members by surprise. Party figures had described a crunch meeting on Friday, in which shadow ministers, union representatives, MPs and Labour members gathered to set the final manifesto, as “positive”.But it is thought that the party’s stance on practices like fire-and-rehire meant it could not support the plans. Keir Starmer holding a card bearing Labour’s pledges More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA seven-leader debate on Friday saw fireworks fly on our TV screens yet again, as the UK’s general election campaign continues to hot up.Hosted by Mishal Husain on BBC One, leading figures from the UK’s major political parties were all in attendance.Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt represented the Conservative Party. She was joined by deputy Labour Party leader Angela Rayner.Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats and Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, also took part.Stephen Flynn represented the Scottish National Party, Rhun ap Iorwerth appeared for Plaid Cymru and the Green Party was represented by co-leader Carla Denyer.It came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer went head-to-head on Tuesday.We want to know what you made of the BBC debate. Did it help change your mind about any of the major parties? Who came out on top for you? And who should be holding their head in their hands?Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Join the conversation with other Independent readers below. More