UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Independent is giving readers the chance to chat directly with candidates from some of the major political parties in a special general election series of Ask Me Anything events.In this question and answer session, our community can chat exclusively with Dr Ellie Chowns, who is hoping to be elected MP in North Herefordshire for the Green Party.Serving as the party’s housing and communities spokesperson, Dr Chowns served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands for the party from 2019 to 2020. She has also been a councillor on Herefordshire Council since 2017, representing the Bishops Frome & Cradley ward, and is leader of the council’s Green group.The Greens have pledged to create 150,000 new council homes every year by the end of the parliament, end the Right to Buy scheme, introduce rent controls and end no-fault evictions.The party is also promising to stop “all new fossil fuel projects”; impose a wealth tax of 1% annually on assets above £10m; invest £50bn in health and social care – including making personal social care free at the point of use; and bring water companies, railways, and the big five retail energy companies into public ownership.If you have a question about the Green Party’s manifesto, pledges or policies submit it now, or when Dr Chowns joins you live at 6pm on Friday 28 June for the “Ask Me Anything” event.Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article. Simply scroll down or click here to leave your comment.If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they may be hidden until the Q&A starts. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailAs the country gears up for a general election in under two weeks, young voters are relying less and less on traditional media to access the news. A substantial 21 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds say that TikTok and Instagram have been their main source of information during the election campaign, an exclusive Techne poll for The Independent can reveal. Perhaps most surprising is that Twitter and Facebook are the least-preferred source for young voters – being chosen by just 4 per cent. While all of these platforms can share both image and video content, Instagram and TikTok have more of a skew towards visual content, while Twitter and Facebook are more centred on text-based content.All age groups under the age of 54 are more likely to turn to Instagram and TikTok for election coverage than to Twitter and Facebook, the poll suggests. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 55- to 64-year-olds are the most likely of all age groups to get their information from Facebook and Twitter, at 14 per cent. Techne UK chief executive Michela Morizzo said that the parties should take into account voters’ information preferences in their campaign strategies.“Only approximately half of upcoming general election voters rely on traditional media sources, and so we can see, only in the last five years or so, from the election in 2019, significant changes in how voters think about the political parties and where they compare their proposals. This very much affects the campaigning strategy and tools that candidates should use. It is key to correctly match the target audience with the right tools, otherwise the strategy is completely useless.”Though there has been much flurry around politicians dipping their toes into TikTok, Facebook and Twitter have been by and large the primary outlets for investment among the major parties’ social media campaigns. So if the parties are aiming to catch Gen Z voters in their net, this may not have the impact they were hoping.Recent analysis by Who Targets Me, an organisation that monitors political advertising, found that Labour had spent over £2.4m on social media advertising via Meta (which owns Facebook) and Google during this campaign. Sam Jeffers, executive director of Who Targets Me, explained that social media platforms are crucial for engaging with voters, whether via ads, news, or more lighthearted content. “The campaigns will be hoping to reach younger voters with fun, viral videos on TikTok, but they’re also going to try to find them with ads on Instagram, YouTube and elsewhere. You have to look at it all together, as part of a broader, more complicated media diet. In the end, it all adds up to the social media platforms being incredibly important in how voters, particularly younger ones, get their politics.”He added: “TikTok doesn’t allow paid political ads, so the parties can’t run their target campaigns there. But social media users tend not to spend their time on just one platform. Even if people happen to use TikTok a lot, they’ll still also hop around other services looking for interesting and entertaining stuff.”For the most part, traditional news outlets remain the preferred source of election coverage for half (48 per cent) of all voters, a figure that remains broadly similar across all age groups.Around one in 10 voters relies on the personal views of family and friends to guide them during the run-up to the general election.Young voters are least likely to turn to family and friends as a primary source of election information (8 per cent), while over-55s are most likely to do so (14 per cent). More

Tory election betting probe: ‘Totally unacceptable’ if rules broken says Welsh secretarySign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe betting scandal continues to dominate the campaign trail for under-fire Rishi Sunak, who has been forced to confirm he is not personally under investigation. The prime minister said he is not aware of any other Conservative candidates being investigated, following the revelations that alleged bets connected to two Tory candidates are being looked at by the Gambling Commission. Amid warnings that the saga will damage the party’s results on 4 July, a recent poll by Savanta revealed the Tories are set for a wipeout in London.The survey found 55 per cent of Londoners are planning to vote for Labour and only 22 per cent for the Conservatives. Nigel Farage has been speaking in Kent on the campaign trail and doubled down on widely criticised claims about Nato’s role in the build-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Reform leader hit back at Boris Johnson’s criticism over his comments branding the former prime minister the “worst PM of modern times” as he unveiled a giant version of the i newspaper frontbage with the headline “Boris blames EU for war in Ukraine”. Show latest update 1719239758Labour is on course for a 250-seat Commons majority, according to new pollLabour is set to win a 250-seat majority in the House of Commons, according to a new poll released on Monday afternoon.The Focaldata survey said the Conservatives are set to lose an astounding 262 seats, leaving the party with 110 MPs.According to the research the Labour Party would gain 250 seats, which would culminate in 450 seats in the Commons.The Liberal Democrats would gain 42 seats, while the SNP would lose 34.Joe Middleton24 June 2024 15:351719239049Tories doing own inquiry into betting allegations, says SunakThe Conservative Party is conducting its own internal inquiry into allegations that officials and candidates bet on the date of the general election, Rishi Sunak said today.Speaking to journalists, Mr Sunak said: “(The Gambling Commission) don’t talk about the individuals that they are investigating,” the Prime Minister told journalists on the campaign trail in Edinburgh on Monday.“What I can tell you is I am not aware of any other candidate that they are looking at.”He added: “What I can tell you is, in parallel, we’ve been conducting our own internal inquiries and of course will act on any relevant findings or information from that and pass it on to the Gambling Commission.”The party’s chief data officer Nick Mason is the latest figure understood to be taking a leave of absence amid claims he placed bets on the election date, along with director of campaigning Tony Lee.Mr Lee’s would-be MP wife Laura Saunders and fellow candidate Craig Williams, who was a parliamentary aide to the prime minister, are also under investigation by the Gambling Commission.Joe Middleton24 June 2024 15:241719238466Watch: Nigel Farage defends Ukraine war comments and attacks Boris JohnsonNigel Farage defends Ukraine war comments and attacks Boris JohnsonJoe Middleton24 June 2024 15:141719236960What are Labour and the Conservative positions on transgender rights ahead of the 2024 general election?Labour has clarified its position on transgender rights as Wes Streeting says the party would “modernise and reform” gender laws if it comes into power on July 4.The shadow health secretary has said Labour’s policy aims to allow transgender people to “live their lives with freedom, dignity and respect”. His comments come after all the major parties unveiled their manifestos over the past few weeks, outlining their visions for the country. Each covers transgender policy, with the issue becoming a major cultural talking point over the past few years.You can read The Independent full story below.Salma Ouaguira24 June 2024 14:491719236720Rishi Sunak insists he got general election timing rightThe prime minister has insisted he was “right” to choose 4 July as the day for the general election. During a media huddle in Edinburgh, he was asked if he would have wanted more months to make his case.He said: “No – The most important job I had when I was Prime Minister was to restore economic stability back to our country after what has been a really difficult few years with Covid and the war in Ukraine.“My priority was bring inflation down, because inflation was eating into everyone’s pay packets, their savings, making everyone feel the challenges of the cost of living.”Rishi Sunak speaks to the media after the launch of the Scottish Conservative manifesto at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel in Edinburgh More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour has clarified its position on transgender rights as Wes Streeting says the party would “modernise and reform” gender laws if it comes into power on July 4.The shadow health secretary has said Labour’s policy aims to allow transgender people to “live their lives with freedom, dignity and respect”. His comments come after all the major parties unveiled their manifestos over the past few weeks, outlining their visions for the country. Each covers transgender policy, with the issue becoming a major cultural talking point over the past few years.For the latest updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverageUnder current UK legislation, the ability to change legal sex is enshrined in the 2004 Gender Recognition Act. This followed a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which found that the previous inability to do so in the UK was a breach of certain human rights.The 2010 Equality Act defines sex in binary terms as ‘a reference to a man or woman’ – but this can be changed. A trans person can change their legal sex by obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate, amending the sex category on their birth certification. However, they must also meet certain criteria to do so.Simplifying the gender reassignment processLabour has said it wants to “simplify” the process of changing gender in the UK. Speaking to The Times, shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds said the party’s plans would see the system become “modernised”.“This means stripping out the futile and dehumanising parts of the process for obtaining a gender recognition certificate, while retaining important safeguards.”Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA leading think tank has accused Nigel Farage’s Reform of poisoning the debate around painful economic choices, as it warned it would be a “considerable surprise” if there are no further tax rises in the next five years.Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, slammed the Tory and Labour manifestos, saying they leave voters “guessing”.But he also hit out at Reform and the Greens for “unattainable” tax claims he said had made offerings from other parties look “feeble”. Their pledges were helping to “poison the entire political debate”, he said.The attack comes as Mr Farage faces a growing backlash on another front, over his claim the West provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Mr Johnson also accused Labour and the Conservatives of making “essentially unfunded commitments” to improve the NHS as he said a conspiracy of silence between the main parties over difficult decisions after the election was leaving voters in the dark. Paul Johnson, director of the IFS appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is under mounting pressure to intervene in the Tory general election betting scandal, with senior figures calling on him to act.The prime minister has been urged to suspend all those under investigation from the party immediately and hold a Cabinet Office inquiry into the scandal.Party chair Richard Holden, who is responsible for overseeing the Conservative general election campaign, has remained tight-lipped on the crisis.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaignA former Tory minister and the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats are among those who joined the growing call for the people involved to be suspended.Rishi Sunak has been urged to suspend all those involved in the scandal More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightWhen Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen was at school, his history teacher would be going through an episode in Europe’s chronicles and note: “That’s something Mr Habsburg surely knows about.”He would be referring to the many events linked to the 850-year history of the Habsburg empire which touched almost every corner of Europe right up until the end of the First World War.Mr Habsburg – now Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See in Rome – admitted that at the time he did not know as much as someone from such an eminent family perhaps should.Speaking to The Independent, he joked: “You realise you don’t know, of course, because you’re not born with knowledge about the Habsburgs. Yes, so you begin to read, and that’s how I got to understand that – apart from England and France – in all the rest of Europe – German speaking, central Europe, Balkans, Italy, the Habsburgs were a big deal.”Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen speaks to The Independent More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWealthy donors aiming to woo Sir Keir Starmer’s party ahead of its likely win in next month’s election have helped Labour overtake the Tory party in receiving political donations, latest figures show.Labour has landed £15.5m in funding so far this year from individuals, companies, unions and others, exceeding the £9.9m handed to the Conservatives.While the Tories have historically found more favour with companies and individuals, Labour typically receives substantially higher donations from trade unions. They contributed 26 per cent of the Labour Party’s fundraising since the last election in 2019, at £25.3m. Overall, Tory donations are still well ahead at £111.9m, topping Labour’s figure of £98.7m.However, The Independent has found that individual donors have been dwindling in their support of the Tories, and flocking to Labour – with some even switching sides.While major donors such as controversial businessman Frank Hester have stayed loyal to the Tories (to the tune of £15m), others like Crystal Palace investor Jeremy Hosking have turned to back competing parties, including Reclaim and Reform. Meanwhile, the two Lord Sainsburys – cousins and heirs to the fortune – have planted their cash in opposite camps. Figures out earlier this week showed Labour received £4.4m between 6-12 June while the Conservatives received just £292,500.Read on to find information on the big-name donors staking their cash on the major parties. Frank HesterFrank Hester donated £10m to the Tories last year, according to Electoral Commission records.He individually donated £5m to Mr Sunak’s party in May and gave another £5m via his IT company in November.Mr Hester came under fire earlier this year accused of saying in 2019 that Diane Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.Frank Hester donated £10m to the Tories in 2023 and £5m earlier this year More