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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

A Conservative aide who described the government’s Rwanda policy as “crap” was doing so for “dramatic effect,” James Cleverly has said.James Sunderland, a Tory candidate and Mr Cleverly’s parliamentary private secretary, asked if anyone has their phones on before making the remark, in a leaked recording obtained by the BBC and published by the Labour Party.Mr Cleverly told Trevor Phillips that Mr Sunderland was “very supportive” of the policy.“He was saying that the impact, the effect, is what matters.”Mr Cleverly added: “He did it clearly for dramatic effect to grab the attention of the audience.” More

A Conservative parliamentary candidate and aide to James Cleverly described the government’s Rwanda plan as “crap” in a leaked recording.James Sunderland, Mr Cleverly’s parliamentary private secretary, asks if anyone has their phones on before making the remark, in audio obtained by the BBC and published by the Labour Party.Mr Sunderland continued by defending the plan and saying it would deter migrants from attempting to cross the Channel.“But it’s not about the policy. It’s about the effect of the policy. It’s the second- or third-order effects,” he added.Mr Cleverly told Sky News his aide was putting forward a “very counterintuitive statement” to grab the attention of the audience. More

Rishi Sunak has accused Nigel Farage of “playing into [Vladimir] Putin’s hands” with his claim that the West provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The Reform UK leader claimed “we provoked this war” in a BBC Panorama interview, while drawing a link between Nato and European Union expansion in recent decades and the conflict in eastern Europe.Mr Farage’s claim was “completely wrong,” the prime minister told reporters on Saturday, 22 June.“This is a man [Mr Putin] who deployed nerve agent on the streets of Britain, who is doing deals with countries like North Korea, and this kind of appeasement is dangerous for Britain’s security, the security of our allies that rely on us, and only emboldens Putin further,” Mr Sunak added. More

Nigel Farage appeared to celebrate in the pub as Denmark scored their equaliser against England on Thursday afternoon (20 June).The Reform UK leader shared footage of himself surrounded by jubilant fans cheering and chanting while watching the Euro 2024 fixture.Despite wearing an England shirt as he stood at the bar, Mr Farage didn’t seem too downbeat as Denmark netted their equaliser.He was seen smiling and posing for photos with his thumb up while a TV behind him showed Morten Hjulmand celebrating his goal.England took the lead early in the Group C fixture, but couldn’t hold on and drew the game 1-1. More