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Sir Keir Starmer has responded after Jeremy Corbyn announced he is standing as an independent candidate in the general election.The former Labour leader said today (24 May) he will stand in his constituency of Islington North, vowing to be “an independent voice for equality, democracy and peace”.Mr Corbyn has been suspended by Labour since 2020 after he refused to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s findings that the party broke equality law when he was in charge and said antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.Sir Keir responded to Mr Corbyn’s announcement when he appeared on BBC Breakfast on Friday. More

Sir Keir Starmer says he will take part in televised election debates with Rishi Sunak.The Conservatives are pushing for six TV debates, one each week of the campaign, but it’s expected Labour will commit to two.Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Sunak claimed Sir Keir does not have the “courage” to face him.That challenge was put to the Labour leader on Good Morning Britain on Friday (24 May), and he offered a clear response.“We will have debates, of course. They are a tradition, a part of the electoral cycle,” Sir Keir said.“I could do one, I could do one hundred, I know what he’s going to say.” More

Tory MP Steve Barker has revealed his bizarre plans if the Conservatives lose the general election.The Minister of State for Northern Ireland was quizzed about his party’s election campaign by BBC journalist and presenter Victoria Derbyshire on Thursday (23 May).Mr Barker said: “Only the Conservative Party stands for freedom and can sort out the problems the country faces.”The presenter then asks him: “What do you want to do if you are not an MP?”Mr Barker responds: “Skydiving, motorcycling, fast-catamaran sailing.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to cut household energy bills by £400 if Labour win the general election.He made the comments on the same day that it was announced the average bill is to fall by 7 per cent from July after Ofgem lowered its price cap in response to wholesale prices.Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Friday 24 May, Sir Keir was asked “how much cheaper will our bills be under a Labour government?”“We want to set up Great British Energy – that’s a publically owned company, making money for the taxpayer,” he responded.“That ought to bring down household bills by about £400 – and that’s a permanent drop.”Sir Keir went on to suggest the price cap is only a “short-term fix”. More

Jeremy Corbyn has announced he is standing as an independent candidate in the general election.The former Labour leader said he will stand in his constituency of Islington North, vowing to be “an independent voice for equality, democracy and peace”.Mr Corbyn has been suspended by Labour since 2020 after he refused to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s findings that the party broke equality law when he was in charge.He has vowed to fight to retain a seat he has represented for 40 years, adding: “We have to stand up and defend our rights.” More

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer kicked off their campaigns on Thursday 23 May, ahead of a snap general election in July.The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Britain will go to the polls in six weeks, as the Conservatives and Labour battle it out for votes.Mr Sunak is urging voters to back him at the polls if they want the government’s flagship Rwanda immigration scheme to succeed, while Sir Keir is calling on Britons to make “change” happen.Here, The Independent takes a look at the latest polling data as the two parties battle it out ahead of the general election on 4 July. More

Jeremy Vine had water poured over him in his studio as he recreated Rishi Sunak’s rain-soaked general election speech.The Channel 5 presenter had a watering can poured over him as New Labour anthem “Things Can Only Get Better” played in the background.It came after the prime minister was drenched as he stood at a lectern outside No 10 Downing Street to announce the public would go to the polls on 4 July.Many questioned why Mr Sunak had chosen to stand outside rather than using the media briefing room, but the PM said he believed in making the statement “in the traditional way, come rain or shine.” More

Former health secretary Michael Matheson has been suspended from the Scottish Parliament for 27 days and will lose his salary for 54 days after racking up a near-£11,000 data roaming bill.Mr Matheson was found to have breached the MSP code of conduct by attempting to use expenses and office costs to cover the bill for a parliamentary iPad.Later announcing he would cover the costs himself, Mr Matheson revealed the bill had been the result of his children using the device as a wifi hotspot to watch football during a holiday in Morocco.Scotland’s first minister John Swinney has slammed the process to suspend Mr Matheson, labelling it “prejudiced” due to public comments made by members of the committee. More