UK Politics

Security minister Tom Tugendhat has hit out at a “pattern of racist and misogynistic views” within Reform UK.Campaigners for Nigel Farage’s party Reform UK in the Clacton seat in Essex he hopes to win were recorded by an undercover journalist from Channel 4 making racist comments, including about the Prime Minister who is of Indian descent.Mr Tugendhat said it was just the latest incident involving candidates or activists associated with Reform.He told Times Radio on Saturday (29 June): “There’s many decent people vote for every political party and there’s many decent people who will vote for Reform.“But what we’re trying to do is to remind people, to try to make clear to people, what it is that Reform really is.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPensioners whizz around on mobility scooters, pirate-themed boats sail by, couples clutch each other’s hands. Welcome to Whitby: the seaside town in North Yorkshire that has lent its name to a target voter in the general election race.The so-called “Whitby woman”, a term coined by polling think-tank More in Common, is a Tory voter who remains undecided about who will get her vote on 4 July. With an average age of around 61, she is a homeowner who lives in a suburb or a small town like Whitby, who voted in favour of Brexit and is less likely to have gone to university.And her actions are expected by some to have an impact on whether the Tories suffer a landslide defeat, fall to a narrow defeat, or cling onto power.Bar her age, Sadie Myers, who has an antique shop in Whitby called Den of Antiquity, perfectly fits the profile of the “Whitby woman”.“It’s like opening a box of chocolates that look different but all taste the same,” the 49-year-old says of the political leaders. “You get bored.”Ms Myers is not a fan of Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer so is thinking of leaning towards Nigel Farage’s Reform.”I take pride in the fact that I always vote,” she says. “I think it’s very important, especially for women. We earned the right to vote and we need to hold onto that, you know. When you are not given people that you can warm to, it makes it very difficult.”Surrounded by figurines of Betty Boop and the Buddha, it is clear Ms Myers, who was born into the antiques and jewellery industry, has an encyclopaediac knowledge of the many miscellaneous items she peddles.Meanwhile, as a 61-year-old lifelong Tory who voted for Brexit, Liz Richards closely aligns with the Whitby woman. Despite voting for the Tories her whole life, she is adamant they will not be getting her vote this time.“The main reason, to be honest, is Covid,” Ms Richards tells The Independent from behind the counter of her gift shop. Whitby night sky More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email“On the doorsteps I’ve noticed a real shift,” Johnny Mercer tells his assembled troops on the grass verge at a post-war council housing estate on the northwestern fringe of Plymouth.Poring over a road map, the 42-year-old former Commando, wearing a polo shirt, combat trousers and rough-terrain shoes, says people are not liking Sir Keir Starmer, but that many are “pi**ed off” and don’t want to vote.“I get that,” he says, before pushing the message to the small group that a local vote for Reform UK means Labour dominance across the city, with a second constituency likely already in their hands and a party-run city council.“We can do this is. Don’t be downhearted – it has been difficult here,” he rounds off before thanking the mostly volunteer “heroes” for their support.It’s more Duke of Edinburgh than a tour in Afghanistan but for Mr Mercer, this is a tough election assignment.Mr Mercer told The Independent he will serve just one more term if he is re-elected due to the scale of abuse aimed at himself and his family.Yet the campaign is one he appears to be relishing, marching down the street with his wife and “greatest asset”, Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, to knock on doors as passing motorists wave and sound their horns.The day kicks off with Mr Mercer directing his team on door knocking duties More

‘The Whitby Woman’ is a key target voter that pollsters and political strategists think is essential for the Conservatives or Labour to win over if they’re to win the general election. With an average age of around 61, she is a homeowner who lives in a suburb or a small town like Whitby, who voted in favour of Brexit and is less likely to have gone to university.Maya Oppenheim visits Whitby, England to see if the sterotype holds and what the women of Whitby thought of the persona being targeted by the political parties. More

Nigel Farage clashed with Question Time host Fiona Bruce during a heated leader’s election debate.The presenter and journalist read off a series of offensive remarks made by Reform candidates to the leader during Friday’s programme (28 June).Mr Farage replied: “I don’t know any of them.”The host asked: “Why are you still standing them?”Mr Farage said: “Every party has problems in a snap election.. We paid a vetting company £144,000 to vet our candidates, they didn’t do it”.Ms Bruce replied: “That’s not the question I’m asking. These comments by your candidates have been widely reported. You don’t need a vetting company. Why are they still standing?” More

Nigel Farage claimed he has done more “than anybody else alive” to combat the far right in Britain during the BBC’s Question Time Leaders’ Special on Friday, 28 June.The Reform UK leader faced questions from the audience on footage captured by Channel 4 of racist and homophobic comments made by party canvassers.Mr Farage said: “I’ve done more to drive the far right out of British politics than anybody else alive.“I took on the BNP just over a decade ago. I said to their voters, if this is a protest vote but you don’t support their racist agenda, don’t vote for them, vote for me, destroyed them.”Mr Farage has sought to distance himself from the comments, saying he was “dismayed” by the “appalling sentiments” expressed. More

Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent’s Race Correspondent Nadine WhiteSign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race ReportThe Tories appeared to be on the brink of catastrophe in the general election as a new poll gave Nigel Farage’s Reform UK a three-point lead.The Whitestone poll for Reach plc newspapers put Reform on 21 per cent, the Tories on just 18 per cent while Labour maintained a clear lead on 38 per cent.The devastating result for Mr Sunak means that the position of leader of the opposition, which Mr Farage covets, appears to be wide open.However, according to Electoral Calculus in a general election this would leave the Conservatives on a mere 50 seats, give Reform 29 but the Lib Dems would be the official opposition with 74 seats.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has sought to distance himself from his campaigners’ comments (Paul Marriott/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMost expensive thing boughtThese days it’s probably my Arsenal season ticket – but well worth it. After 18 years in the same seats it’s not something I’m going to give up.Memory of a fightIn 1980, my friend Graham being punched and kicked by some local kids for being gay. I jumped in alongside our friend Mark so all three of us ended up getting beaten up.Do you pray?I don’t pray, but I think faith is valuable. It’s a place where people can invest a lot of themselves and find comfort, hope and a sense of security. I value that a lot.Biggest regretNot taking the opportunity to tell my dad I loved him in his final moments. That’s a regret that will stay with me.My only major fears are around my kids – I think most parents will relate. I worry about their privacy, we do everything we can to give them the best chance of an independent life uninterrupted by my work.The big hope for all of us in the Labour Party is that our message for change has resonated with the British people, and we get the chance to change our country in government.Funniest momentDefinitely my mum and dad bringing our dog to Buckingham Palace when I was being knighted. The image of this massive Great Dane sticking its head out of the car window to a bemused security guard will always bring a smile to my face.How do you feel about your parents not seeing you become PM?It’s not easy. My mum passed away a few weeks before I became an MP. I know she’d be beaming now.Book that inspiresJo Cox’s book, More In Common. As she so eloquently puts it, we have more in common than that which divides us. We have to get past the politics of division, this book is my north star for that.Favourite poemAt the D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, the poet Tomos Roberts recited a poem ‘The People Who Gave Us Today’ which was an incredibly powerful moment.Favourite musicWhen I started at Leeds University it was an explosion of culture, discovering artists like Orange Juice and Edwyn Collins. But I do need to mention Stormzy’s most recent album which is a brilliant piece of work.What can you play on the flute most easily?My favourite was playing quartets – particularly Mozart, although I wouldn’t fancy my chances these days.Music that makes you cry Beethoven, Piano Concerto No.5, 2nd movement – when the piano comes in. It’s the music me and Vic walked into at our wedding, and will always remind me of that special day.Sports heroThierry Henry, always.I try not to define myself by people in the past but it’s hard to look past Nelson Mandela. Anyone aspiring to lead a country can learn from the way he conducted himself as a leader.I hate losing.I hate losing. More