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Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent’s Race Correspondent Nadine WhiteSign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race ReportA Black politician has reported racist abuse received in response to an election campaign video to the Metropolitan Police.Labour’s Dawn Butler received a torrent of abuse from online trolls after she released a video of herself rapping on a version of So Solid Crew’s “21 Seconds”.The Labour candidate for the new Brent East seat constituency, who has been MP in Brent Central since 2015, recorded the clip to mark 21 days remaining until the general election on 4 July. The Independent understands two images depicting monkeys have been reported to the Met Police.Ms Butler said: “The abuse that Black women in public life receive is absolutely appalling. “I can say that from personal experience and if people want just a snippet of what it is like, they can look for my regular ‘Block of the Week’ feature on social media every Friday, containing horrific abuse.” The “21 Seconds” clip was posted last Thursday but she said further abuse this week over a post she made on X, formerly Twitter, highlights the issue.Ms Butler was speaking to The Independent as the charity Glitch launches a campaign to address abuse aimed at Black women in politics ahead of polling day.A racist image sent to Dawn Butler More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPeter Mandelson has resigned from the board of his lobbying firm weeks before Labour is set to enter No 10. Keir Starmer is now widely predicted to win by a landslide on July 4, returning his party to government for the first time since 2010. And there are predictions the overwhelming scale of the victory could guarantee he stays in Downing Street for a decade. Now it has emerged that Lord Mandelson has resigned as a director of Global Counsel.The move by the former business secretary has prompted speculation he would be free for a possible government role. But it is thought nothing has changed since he ruled out a return to frontline politics earlier this year. The peer raised eyebrows when he said Sir Keir could stand to “shed a few pounds” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been hit with another blow after a major new survey suggested that voters now prefer Nigel Farage than “a Conservative leader” to be leader of the opposition to Labour.The same survey by Redfield and Wilton shows that 50 percent think it was wrong to exclude Mr Farage from the televised head-to-head leaders debate between Mr Sunak and Keir Starmer on 26 Jine.The results have landed after a new row has broken out over the Tories latest social media campaign launched this morning showing Labour rolling out the red carpet for illegal migrants on a beah. Mr Farage accused the Tories of being “liars and cheats” in the advert after months of failure in stopping the small boats. The Redfield and Wilton poll, exclusively carried out for The Independent, also reveals that more voters would like to see Farage’s Reform party replace the Tories than those wanting the Conservatives to remain as the leading centre right party.Farage has made support for country sports a major 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 insightBoris Johnson will lift the lid on his time in Downing Street publishing an “unrestrained” memoir called Unleashed.The former prime minister announced the book will be published by William Collins on 10 October.It promises to cover all the key moments from his time as London mayor to his role in the Brexit referendum and his stint in Downing Street between 2019 and 2022.Boris Johnson will detail what he called the ‘huge realignment that took place in UK politics in the last 15 years’ More

Gove labels insider election betting ‘reprehensible’ as second Tory candidate investigatedSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been rocked by an election betting scandal after a Conservative candidate and her husband are investigated over a bet relating to the timing of the general election. Tory candidate for Bristol North West Laura Saunders and the party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee are currently being looked into by the Gambling Commission. The prime minister is now facing urgent calls to suspend the probed party members after Sir Keir Starmer attacked Mr Sunak for failing to do so. Other parties like Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper labelled the situation an “utter disgrace” and Labour’s campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden urged the PM to withdraw support from candidates immediately. The Tory couple are the latest figures to face gambling allegations after Craig Williams apologised over betting on the date of the general election. It comes as a police officer in Mr Sunak’s close protection team was arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the general election.Show latest update 1718895345George Osborne: Starmer cannot ‘assume’ he’ll get two terms in Downing StreetThe former chancellor has said that Sir Keir Starmer cannot “assume” he will have two terms as prime minister if he wins a huge majority on July 4. Mr Osborne added the Labour leader will have to work to “justify” a landslide win. He added: “I don’t think Starmer can assume that ‘I’m in now for a couple of terms if I get this huge, historic majority.But I don’t still see any of the kind of enthusiasm and endorsement of a Labour plan for government that I think you’d need to cement right now a long period of Labour government.“They’re going to have to do the work after the election to justify the very big majority that they look likely to win.”( More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s election campaign was dealt another blow on Thursday after it emerged that a second Conservative Party candidate was being investigated over a bet on the date of the general election.Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, is understood to be under investigation by the Gambling Commission (GC) over claims she may have had inside knowledge about the prime minister’s decision to call a snap poll for 4 July.Ms Saunders has worked for the party since 2015 and is married to Tony Lee, who works as the Conservative Party’s director of campaigns. Mr Lee has since taken a leave of absence after it came to light he was also being probed by the GC.According to the BBC, which first named Ms Saunders as the candidate under investigation, she worked most recently at the party’s international division at Conservative Campaign Headquarters, which works with other centre-right parties around the world.What are the rules for MPs and others on betting with inside knowledge?Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence.Gamblers are not allowed to use inside information to place a bet or to instruct someone else to do so on their behalf.They are also not allowed to pass inside information on to someone else which they use for betting.Laura Saunders More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMichael Gove has blamed Liz Truss for the Conservative Party’s collapse in the so-called blue wall of safe Tory seats.The party is facing a wipeout in its traditional southern English heartlands at the general election, with the Liberal Democrats and Labour eyeing a series of high-profile scalps, including Mr Gove’s former Surrey Heath seat.And Mr Gove, who represented the area for two decades, blamed the Tories’ struggles on Ms Truss and her September 2022 mini-budget.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Speaking to The Independent on the Tory party’s battle bus on Thursday, the housing secretary said: “One of the challenges in particular that we face, and it applies in seats like the one I have represented but also more broadly, is the reputation for sound economic management, which is essential for Conservative success, took a bit of a knock in the period between Boris and Rishi.”Michael Gove told The Independent Liz Truss was responsible for the party’s electoral woes More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWith the July 4 general election just two weeks away, all major parties now released their manifestos setting out their vision for the country’s future.The policies within these documents explain what each party would aim to achieve during their time in power, should they successfully secure a parliamentary majority.For all the latest updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverageWhile it’s very unlikely any party but Labour or the Conservatives will form the new government in July, other parties’ manifestos offer an insight into the principles their members hold, and will hold the prevailing government to account on if they secure any MPs.With each manifesto coming in at hundreds of pages, it can be hard to sift through to the important bits, so here’s a handy guide to where all the major parties stand on the key areas:ConservativesIncrease NHS spending above inflation every yearLong-term workforce plan: 92,000 new nurses, 28,000 more doctors by the end of next parliamentInvesting £8.6bn into social care system, reaching a funding settlement with local authoritiesSticking to 2019 plan of 40 new hospitals by 2030 (despite concerns from the National Audit Office)Expand Pharmacy First, build or modernise 250 GPs, build 50 more Community Diagnostic CentresLabourReduce waiting time for non-urgent treatment to no longer than 18 weeks from referral40,000 more appointments a week by incentivising out-of-hours working and shared waiting lists between practicesUse ‘spare capacity’ in the private sector to reduce waiting times (in the short-term)8,500 more mental health staffDouble the number of CT and MRI scanners for cancer preventionIntroduce Neighbourhood Health Service and give pharmacists independent prescribing rightsLib DemsGive patients the right to see a GP within 7 days, or 24 hours if urgentRecruit 8,000 new GPsBring in mental health hubs for young people, with check-ups offered at key points in lifeCancer treatment to be guaranteed no more than 62 days after referralGive pharmacists independent prescribing rightsSupport carers with wages at least £2 above the minimum, and free personal care for adultsGreensSteadily reduce waiting lists and grant rapid access to a GP (same day if urgent)Guaranteed access to an NHS dentistBoost NHS staff pay immediatelyRestrict the role of commercial companies in the NHSMove towards a legal and regulated drug marketMake mental health and equal priority to physical health: guaranteed free therapy within 28 daysReformNo tax on frontline NHS staff for first three yearsUse independent healthcare capacity to supplement NHS services20 per cent tax relief on all private healthcare and insuranceNHS patients to receive voucher for private treatment if they can’t see a GP within three daysSet up an ‘excess deaths and vaccine harms’ Covid inquiryTax and economyConservativesAnother 2p cut to national insurance (halving it to 6p from 12p at the start of the year)No increase to personal taxes like income tax or VAT Maintain corporation tax at 25 per cent and back businesses to trade and invest in the UKReduce borrowing and debtAbolish main rate of national insurance for self-employed workersLabourNo increases to taxes like income tax, VAT or national insuranceImplement new strict fiscal rules guided by ‘securonomics,’ strengthen the role of the OBRCreate ‘sustained economic growth’ by being the party of ‘wealth creation’Close non-dom tax loopholes and tackle tax avoidanceIntroduce VAT and business rates to private schoolsWindfall tax on oil and gas giantsLib DemsCut income tax by increasing the tax-free personal allowance (frozen since 2022)Reform capital gains tax to make it ‘fairer’ by introducing three rates, similar to income tax, and raising allowanceReverse Conservative ‘tax cuts’ for big banksImplement a one-off windfall tax on ‘super-profits’ of oil and gas companiesProtect the independence of the Bank of England and OBRFix ‘broken relationship’ with Europe to improve trade opportunitiesGreensNo increase to basic rate of income tax during cost of living crisis75 per cent windfall tax on banksIntroduce a ‘wealth tax’: assets over £10 million taxed at 1 per cent; assets over £1 billion at 2 per centReform capital gains by bringing rates in line with income tax, scrap the upper limit of national insurance taxInvest £40bn into the “green economic transformation,” through combined revenue-raising measuresOnly party backing full nationalisation of public utilitiesReformLift income tax allowance to £20k (and higher rate to £70k)Lower fuel duty by 20p per litreReduce stamp duty to 0 per cent below £750k (up from the current £250k)Bring corporation tax down to 15 per cent within three yearsImmigrationConservativeGet Rwanda scheme off the ground as soon as possibleIntroduce a legal cap on migrationIncrease visa feesCut migration by half and then reduce every year of next parliamentLabourReduce migration by training more UK workers to fill employment gapsBan employers from recruiting from overseas as defaultAbolish the non-dom status immediately (curbing transitional measures)Bring in 1,000 more staff dedicated to returning asylum seekers with rejected applicationsCancel the Rwanda policyLib DemsScrap the Rwanda scheme, and provide a safe, legal route for refugeesCreate a dedicated unit to decide on asylum cases within three monthsGive asylum seekers right to work if no decision is made on their case in three monthsGive full settled status to all EU citizens in the UK with pre-settled statusGreensReplace Home Office with Department of MigrationScrap minimum income requirement for spouses of migrants with work visasEnd all detention of migrantsAll asylum seekers to work while their case is being decidedReformAll migrants who arrive illegally from safe countries are barred from claiming asylumSmall boat migrants who cross Channel are sent back to FranceRequired five years residency before benefits can be claimedAsylum seekers to be processed from safe countries offshore20 per cent national insurance for international workersLabourRecruit 6,500 new teachersCreate 100,000 new nursery places and 3,000 primary school-based nurseriesHelp such as training or apprenticeships for all 18-21 year olds looking for workFree primary school breakfast clubs for all childrenConservatives30 hours free childcare from nine months old (from September 2025)Child benefit threshold for single-income households raises to £120,000Schools to ban mobile phonesEnd ‘rip-off’ degrees and fund 100,000 more apprenticeships instead60,000 more school places and 15 new free schoolsLib DemsDedicated mental health professional in every primary and secondary schoolIncrease school and college funding per pupil above inflation every yearIntroduce a ‘tutoring guarantee’ for every disadvantaged pupil needing supportAll adults given £5,000 to spend on education or training throughout their lives, rising to £10k when possibleTriple pupil premium to £1000 a yearGreensAdditional £8bn funding for schoolsAbolish university tuition feesScrap OFSTEDEnd ‘high stakes’ testing in schools to reduce pupil stressReformBan ‘transgender ideology’ in all schoolsNo VAT on private school feesScrap interest on student loansCut funding to universities that ‘undermine free speech’EnvironmentConservativesBan bonuses for water company bosses if the company breaks the lawCreate a new national parkIncrease the UK’s offshore wind capacity threefoldCut the cost of net zero and aim for goal of 2050LabourCreate Great British Energy – a publicly-owned clean power companyBan bonuses for bosses of failing water companiesMake five million homes energy efficientCreate 650,000 new energy jobs by 2030Ban frackingLib DemsWater companies made public and bonuses for bosses bannedIntroduce a 16 per cent sewage tax on water company profitsDouble the size of Protected Area Network by 2050All new homes to be zero carbonPlant 60 million trees a yearGreensBring in a carbon tax on businesses of £120 per tonne emitted (rising to £500 p/t over ten years)70 per cent of UK electricity to come from wind by 2030Ban cage farming and badger cullingBring energy sources into community ownership, allowing excess to be soldRemove oil and gas subsidiesReformScrap VAT on energy billsScrap environmental leviesSpeed up North Sea oil and gas licencesScrap HS2 and ULEZ More