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Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has enjoyed an afternoon of rollercoaster rides at Thorpe Park, the same day he announced his party’s general election manifesto.In the latest public stunt, Mr Davey was seen waving to passers-by before being whisked away by rides at the park.The Liberal Democrats launched their general election manifesto earlier today (10 June) with promises to invest in health and care, rejoin the European single market and eventually the EU. More

The Liberal Democrats launched their general election manifesto, with promises to invest in health and care, rejoin the European single market and eventually the EU, and compensate the victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.The latter issue has dogged party leader Sir Ed Davey, who served as postal affairs minister under the coalition government between 2010 and 2012.He has come under fire for failing to do more to help wrongly-convicted subpostmasters.The manifesto details a pledge to “ensure justice for the victims of scandals and prevent future scandals”. More

Labour’s shadow education secretary has distanced herself from Emily Thornberry’s suggestion that the party’s plan to add VAT to private school fees would lead to larger class sizes in the state sector.The shadow attorney general said on Sunday: “It would be fine if we have to, in the short term, have larger classes” amid concerns the move could force pupils to leave private schools.Bridget Phillipson rejected the comments, telling the BBC on Monday, 10 June: “That is not our policy.“I’m afraid there’s been some misunderstanding there.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from Emily Thornberry’s suggestion that Labour’s plan to add VAT to private school fees would lead to larger class sizes in the state sector.The shadow attorney general said on Sunday, 9 June, that “it would be fine if we have to, in the short term, have larger classes”, amid concerns the policy could force pupils to leave private schools.Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the suggestion “just wasn’t right”.“We’ve had the analysis by the IFS (Institute for Fiscal Studies) on this, which says that there’ll be a negligible impact. So we’re very confident about that,” the Labour leader added. More

A Tory aide stopped a Sky News interview with Richard Holden as the party chairman sought to avoid questions about how he landed a plum Conservative constituency.Mr Holden, until recently the MP for North West Durham, was the sole candidate presented on what was expected to be a shortlist of three names for the Basildon and Billericay seat.He was asked about the “stitch-up” process that led to his candidacy, beginning his answer with the words “Emily Thornberry” before he was cut off by Jon Craig.An off-camera CCHQ advisor then interrupted to complain about the questions and terminate the interview. More

A Labour general election candidate has parachuted into Normandy to raise money for the Royal British Legion.Bayo Alaba marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day by joining other veterans to land in the same drop zone that Second World War soldiers did in June 1944.“This was my small homage to our forebears who gave everything for us on those beaches 80 years ago,” Mr Alaba wrote, sharing a video of his jump on social media on Sunday 9 June.While the Labour candidate for Southend East and Rochford made the jump for charity, he was mocked by Conservative councillor Daniel Nelson.Angela Rayner has since accused the Tories of smearing Mr Alaba. More

Nigel Farage has described Rishi Sunak as “utterly disconnected by class and privilege” from “ordinary” people.The Reform UK leader launched another attack on the prime minister over his D-Day blunder, suggesting Mr Suank has lost “millions” of Conservative voters after his early return from commemorations in Normandy.“He is utterly disconnected – by class, by privilege – from how the ordinary folk in this country feel,” Mr Farage said of Mr Sunak.“He revealed that – I think spectacularly – when he left Normandy early.”Mr Farage added that the PM made the “biggest mistake of his political career” on D-Day. More

A Reform UK candidate has bizarrely suggested he realised the UK needed to “re-examine” immigration after coming through an airport arrivals lounge.George Woodward, who is standing in the Leigh and Atherton Constituency, told The News Agents podcast that he wanted to get involved with Reform due to “the state of the country”.“Mainly migration is what drives me to get involved,” he said.“I had a moment last year – I was coming through an airport. I was at the arrivals, the British border. And I was like ‘wow, there’s a lot of people coming in here’”.Mr Woodward went on to accept that “some” of the people he saw in the arrivals lounge would have been tourists or British people coming back from abroad. More