UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservative Party has unveiled a new general election pledge to cut immigration by creating a new annual cap on visas – as Rishi Sunak faces an intensified challenge from Nigel Farage’s right-wing party Reform UK.In a new policy announced hours after Mr Farage stated his intention to stand as a candidate for Clacton, the Tories vowed to put a yearly limit on the number of UK visas issued, a move long demanded by Tory hardliners including the former home secretary Suella Braverman. With Mr Sunak claiming on Monday night that his was “the only party that is willing take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures”, the Tories vowed to give parliament a direct role in setting levels of migration to Britain.The plans would see the government ask its Migration Advisory Committee (Mac) to provide a recommendation for level of the annual visa cap, which ministers will then consider before putting the proposals to parliament for a vote. The Tory party wants to get migration down to sustainable levels More

Nigel Farage was accused of running a”‘one-man internal dictatorship” during a heated clash with journalist and Channel 4 news presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.Mr Farage was interviewed by Mr Guru-Murthy just hours after announcing he was taking over leader of Reform UK and running to be elected as MP in Clacton, Essex on Monday (3 June).Mr Guru-Murthy told Mr Farage: “What’s unconventional about Reform is that you’re a company and you’re a majority shareholder.“You’re able to do whatever you want.”Mr Guru-Murthy added: “You’re a one man sort of internal dictatorship.” More

A naked Jon Richardson enjoys a bubble bath and drinks a pint of beer as he takes a swipe at Rishi Sunak in Labour’s new general election campaign advert.The comedian stars in the latest Labour campaign video, which was released on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday (3 June).A voiceover on the video asks: “Do you know what Rishi Sunak did before he got into politics? Well, you’re not supposed to.“Rishi Sunak would love you to forget how he made his millions before becoming an MP. He wants you to think it’s too complicated to understand. “Here’s Jon Richardson in a bubble bath to explain.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNigel Farage today announced that he is standing in the Essex seaside town of Clacton in an eighth attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons (as was first revealed in The Independent).After seven previous failed attempts in Eastleigh, Bexhill and Battle, Salisbury, Thanet South (twice), Bromley and Chislehurst, and Buckingham, Mr Farage and his supporters believe that this time he stands a real chance of winning the seat in the Commons that has always eluded him.But why Clacton? What is it about the quiet seat filled with pensioners, with its pier and arcades, that makes it the perfect place for the former Brexit Party and Ukip leader to stand?After all, this was the seat that delivered Tory MP Giles Watling, a former actor who was in the sitcom Bread, a massive 24,702 majority in 2019.Nigel Farage confirms he will stand as Reform UK candidate in the general election: ‘I can’t let down millions of people’ More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNigel Farage has electrified the general election campaign, taking over as leader of Reform UK and launching a bid to become an MP.As first revealed by The Independent, Mr Farage will run in Tory-held Clacton in Essex in what is already being described as “an existential risk” for the Tories.The decision comes as a major blow to Rishi Sunak’s electoral hopes, as the former Ukip leader – who had said he would not run to be an MP – confirmed he had changed his mind and decided to contest the general election.Within hours of the revelation, Tory MPs and candidates were being asked to attend a briefing on an “immigration lock” pledge which means a Conservative government would set a legal limit on annual immigration figures. The move was being seen as a bid to stop Reform UK and Mr Farage splitting the vote on the right.Mr Farage’s announcement came on a day when two major polls suggested that the Tories were already heading for a historically bad defeat. A YouGov MRP poll of 12,000 people predicted Labour will have its biggest ever majority, of 194, with the Tories marooned on 140 seats.Earlier a Redfield and Wilton poll of 10,000 voters put Labour 26 points ahead of the Conservatives on just 20 per cent, suggesting the party could be down to a mere 24 seats. This followed an MRP poll at the weekend suggesting the Tories could be down to 66 seats.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Nigel Farage’s return as leader of Reform UK came with a promise to serve for five years alongside the Conservatives in opposition More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour is projected to win 422 seats across the UK in a historic landslide victory, according to a new MRP prediction from YouGov released on Monday.Under this prediction, today, Labour would enjoy a 194-seat majority, larger than the one achieved by Tony Blair at the 1997 general election. The forecast predicted the Conservatives would lose 223 seats and be left with just 140. That would be the worst loss for the Tories in well over 100 years, since then-prime minister Arthur Balfour lost 246 seats in 1906. The YouGov survery suggested several prominent Tory MPs and cabinet ministers could lose their seats next month, including defence secretary Grant Shapps, Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, and former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg.YouGov’s MRP (Multi-level Regression and Post-stratification) prediction combines polling data from over 58,000 individuals, with local factors and voter characteristics to estimate election outcomes on a constituency level. Labour are set to secure key gains from historic Tory seats, particularly in the North of England. Constituencies thought to be going from blue to red include Leeds North West, Bury North and Bury South.The Tories are not projected to win a single new seat. In addition, they may lose all but four seats in London while Labour take 65.The Green Party could win one new seat in Bristol Central, with a projected 13 point lead over Labour, for co-leader Carla Denyer. More than 130 of 650 seats are a ‘toss-up’ according to YouGov’s analysis, with no candidate projected to win more than a 5 per cent majority. This means that 20 per cent of seats are set to be a very tight race. The Lib Dems, at 11 per cent in the polls, are projected to win 48 seats; five times more than the party won in 2019. The safest Lib Dem gains include Harrogate and Knaresborough, Cheadle, and Lewes, all of which were previously Tory seats.Meanwhile right-wing challenger party Reform UK are not projected to win any seats, despite over 300 candidates standing across the UK. The party is currently polling at 12 per cent, according to latest Techne polls.However, today’s shock announcement that Nigel Farage will take over as Reform leader could have an impact on whether the party wins seats on election day. Mr Farage remains insistent that Reform will win seats despite projections, adding: “I think there’s every chance we’ll get more votes than the Conservative Party. I genuinely do.”Farage is running as an MP for Clacton, Essex, where YouGov’s estimate show that the Tories are estimated to win 42 per cent of votes, with Labour in second at 27 per cent and Reform at 19 per cent. More

This is the moment Grant Shapps hung up the phone during a live interview when he was asked about losing his seat in the upcoming general election.A YouGov survey suggested the defence secretary could be voted out of parliament along with many of his Conservative colleagues.While presenting the polls’ results on Sky News on Monday (3 June) deputy political editor Sam Coates spotted Shapps was calling him.The camera kept rolling as Coates answered and said: “Hello Grant Shapps, you’re live on Sky News.“I’m in the studio with Sophy Ridge. Have you seen you’re about to lose your seat, according to the Sky News-YouGov projection?”There was a moment’s silence before the phone emitted a few beeps, meaning Shapps was no longer there. More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsWatch again as Nigel Farage confirmed he will stand for Reform UK in the general election in an emergency press conference on Monday (3 May).Mr Farage confirmed he is set to run in Clacton, a Tory held seat in Essex, in an emergency statement.It is understood that Mr Farage has been looking at the Essex seat for a number of months because it was previously held by Ukip’s Douglas Carswell and had a high vote in favour of Brexit.Mr Farage had announced last week that he had been taken by surprise by the early election called by Rishi Sunak and did not have time to stand as a candidate.Instead he said he would campaign for Refom around the country. More