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James Cleverly, the home secretary, could not say how many asylum seekers were living on the Bibby Stockholm barge when asked on Tuesday morning (25 June).After taking a question from an LBC caller on immigration, host Nick Ferrari then asked how many people were currently on the vessel.“I don’t have the precise figures for today,” Mr Cleverly responded.Asked if he had “an idea” of the numbers, after a pause he replied: “I don’t want to guess.”Mr Cleverly added that the barge was “part of the plan that has allowed us to close asylum hotels” when asked if it was working. More

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey broke down in tears as he opened up on the struggles of caring for his disabled son.Mr Davey and his wife Emily Gasson discussed their hopes for their 16-year-old son John, who was born severely disabled, before the Lib Dem leader was reduced to tears.In an interview with Sky News, released on Tuesday (25 June), Mr Davey said: “We want to enable him to be as independent as possile and be the wonderful boy and man he can be.”Mr Davey then praised the support of carers, before getting visibly emotional and bowing his head.He said: “No one is going to hold him like we do.” More

Rishi Sunak has claimed migrants are “queuing up in Calais” waiting for a Labour government so they can come to the UK.The prime minister told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots leaders’ event that if Sir Keir Starmer becomes prime minister, illegal migrants will not be on the way to Rwanda as they would be under his own plan, but “on our streets putting pressure on public services”.“By the way, I can tell you now they are queuing up in Calais waiting for a Starmer government so they can come here and stay here,” he added. More

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