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Former Olympian turned Conservative candidate James Cracknell has described his own party as a “shower of s***”.Mr Crackell is standing in Colchester which the Tories won with a majority of over 9,000 at the 2019 General Election.Speaking in the video, released on Facebook on Saturday (22 June) he said: “Two weeks out from the Olympics. If we were competing against the Conservative party my teammates and I would be saying they are a shower of s**t*. And if one of my teammates got caught for cheating they’d be dead to me. That abuse of trust is unforgivable.“So why am I still canvassing and delivering leaflets? Because I believe the Conservative way is the best for the country.” More

Nigel Farage has hit back at Boris Johnson after the former prime minister accused the Reform UK leader of a “morally repugnant” repetition of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justification for the invasion of Ukraine. The Reform Leader addressed crowds in Maidstone, Kent, whilst on the campaign trail on Monday (24 June), saying that he would “never, ever defend” Putin and that he had been “more far-sighted” in predicting a war in Ukraine. Mr Farage, who has been criticised for saying the West “provoked” the war in Ukraine, then went on to unveil a blown up poster of the i newspaper’s front page from 10 May 2016, with the headline “Boris blames EU for war in Ukraine”. More

Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay described Boris Johnson as a “winner” as he dished the dirt on other Tory leaders during an interview with Times Radio.Mr Mackinlay, who returned to the House of Commons in May after losing his limbs to sepsis, has confirmed he is stepping down at the general election.Speaking to Times Radio as part of the Exit Interviews series, the “Bionic MP” shared his thoughts on prime ministers he has worked under.Mr Mackinlay shared kind words about Mr Johnson, describing him as someone with “star quality”.He was less complimentary about the likes of David Cameron, Theresa May, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, despite suggesting he liked them all. More

A cabinet minister has said he would place bets on “individual seats” as he has done in the past if he were “allowed to bet on the election”.It comes as the Conservative Party is embroiled in controversy involving allegations of insider betting on the date of the general election before it was announced by Rishi Sunak.Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris on Monday 24 June revealed how he would bet on the election if it was permitted.“If I was allowed to bet on the election, I would do what I have done in the past which is have bets on individual seats,” he told Times Radio.Mr Heaton-Harris, who is not seeking re-election on 4 July, also said he was “not really” a betting man. More

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of the Conservatives most prominent politicians to be facing the very real threat of losing their seat at the general election in July 2024. Alex Ross spent the morning with the Tory member for North east Somerset and Hanham on the campaign trail. As Rees-Mogg went from door to door in an affluent area, it wasn’t so much his Labour competitor Dan Norris exciting voters but Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Can the Conservatives have any hope with Farage in the picture? Get all your latest election news with The Indepedent. More

Nigel Farage has claimed former US President Donald Trump “learned a lot” from studying his speeches in the European Parliament before he ran for office.Speaking to ITV News in the latest of The Leader Interviews, which will air at 7pm on Monday 24 June, the Reform UK leader denied he thought he was was Britain’s version of Mr Trump.“He’s learned quite a lot from me, I think it goes both ways,” Mr Farage said“I mean, he was watching my speeches in the European Parliament for many years… Before he decided to run.” More

Labour’s Bridget Phillipson sent a message to JK Rowling after the Harry Potter author accused the party of “abandoning women.”The writer and former Labour donor said she would struggle to vote for Sir Keir Starmer, saying she had a “poor opinion” of his character and the party because of its stance on transgender rights.Appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on 23 June, Ms Phillipson said she would tell Ms Rowling: “It’s also very personal to me. I want to make sure that women get the support and the justice that they deserve, and that we do make sure that we’ve got services that are available for women around rape and sexual violence.” More

Trevor Phillips and James Cleverly clashed over allegations that a string of people with links to the Conservative Party or Number 10 bet on the timing of the general election before Rishi Sunak announced it.The Sky News presenter quizzed Mr Cleverly on why the prime minister had not sacked those alleged to be involved.When questioned on why Mr Sunak has not asked those alleged to be involved if they placed bets or not, and sack them if they answered yes, Mr Cleverly responded that was the Gambling Commission’s responsiblity.This prompted Mr Phillips to interject, telling the politician: “No – he’s the prime minister. These people work for him. He can do whatever he wants.” More