UK

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA left-wing candidate blocked by Labour has suggested she could run against the party as an independent. Faiza Shaheen has previously said she is considering legal action against the party. Ms Shaheen, an economist, was set to contest Chingford and Woodford Green seat held by Iain Duncan Smith, which many predicted she would win on 4 July. Faiza Shaheen with Jeremy Corbyn More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailExperts warning of a “hidden pandemic” of online sexual abuse have urged politicians to prioritise children’s internet safety in their general election campaigns – and to treat the issue as a public health emergency comparable to Covid.A new report has this week uncovered grim new insights into the prevalence of online sexual abuse both globally and in the UK.Around one in eight children around the world have been victims of non-consensual taking, sharing and exposure to sexual images and video in the past year – equating to more than 300 million children, new research by University of Edinburgh researchers suggests, in the first-ever global estimate of the scale of the crisis.The same number of children are estimated to have been subjected to sexting and unwanted sexual act requests by adults or other youths, according to the study, which draws on data from some 36 million reports to five major watchdogs and policing organisations globally.In Britain, the researchers carried out a first-of-its-kind survey of more than 1,500 men, suggesting that as many as 1.84 million males in the UK may have carried out a form of online sexual abuse against the underaged.In a further breakdown of the findings, shared exclusively with The Independent, the extrapolated results of the survey also suggests that:3.7 per cent of men (976,800) in the UK may have flirted or had sexual conversations with children2.9 per cent of men (765,600) in the UK may have deliberately viewed sexual images of children2 per cent of men (528,000) may have paid for online sexual interactions, images or videos of under-18s1.4 per cent of men (370,000) may have taken part in sexually explicit webcamming with childrenMeanwhile, new statistics showed the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children watchdog was alerted to 178,648 cases of files containing sexual images of children being uploaded or hosted in the UK last year – equivalent to nearly 500 alerts every day.Researchers warn the scale of online abuse is ‘staggering’ More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPolice are reviewing claims a Conservative candidate has been misleading voters by using a Labour-style backdrop for his election campaign.Robert Largan, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for High Peak, published the banners on social media appearing to use graphic styles for Reform and rival Labour with just a tiny disclaimer in the bottom corner.Mr Largan posted a picture of himself on X in front of a red background and the words “Labour for Largan”.The Tory candidate for High Peak, who won the Derbyshire seat with a wafer-thin 590 majority in 2019, tweeted: “So many local Labour voters have told me they’re going to vote for me, because they want to keep me as their local MP.“There have been so many that I’m launching a new Labour for Largan club.”In a reply to a Labour voter calling the campaign “pathetic” he double-down with another tongue-in-cheek poster in the style of the Reform Party.The Tory oak tree silhouette logo is faint in the background, and in a tiny disclaimer in the bottom corner it says that the ad is “on behalf of Robert Largan, of High Peak Conservatives”.It links to his website which also appears to adopt the Green Party colour scheme.Derbyshire Police posted on X: “We wish to confirm that we have received a number of messages in relation to claims of election fraud, raised due to concerns around marketing material. An incident has been created and will be reviewed.”A Conservative spokesperson told The Independent: “The materials clearly carry imprints, as required by electoral law.”A spokesman for Robert Largan told The Telegraph: “As Mr Largan’s social media posts and website make abundantly clear, large numbers of traditional Labour voters have been contacting him to tell him they plan to vote for him, despite him being a Conservative candidate. The same goes for Reform supporters. This is because of Mr Largan’s strong record of delivery in the High Peak.“Therefore, supporters’ clubs of traditional Labour and Reform voters have been set up, to allow people to tell Mr Largan that they’re supporting him. These are called Labour for Largan and Reform for Robert. Such supporters’ clubs are not a new phenomenon.“It is worth pointing out that all of Mr Largan’s election leaflets clearly state that he is the Conservative candidate and are in full compliance with electoral law. He is very well known in the High Peak as the local Conservative candidate. “His name will appear on the ballot paper as the Conservative candidate.“Nobody voting in the High Peak could possibly be confused on this point. Those claiming otherwise appear to have a very low opinion of the people of High Peak.”The Electoral Commission said: “When it comes to campaigning, the Commission is responsible for ensuring that campaign material by parties and campaigners includes information to identify the person or organisation which has caused it to be published. This is known as an imprint.“Our remit does not extend to the content or style of campaign material. This is not subject to regulation by any UK body.“The digital imprint regime gives voters more information about who is trying to reach them online, including campaigners and political parties. “Voters should check for an imprint if they have concerns about the source of material. We encourage all candidates to consider how voters will understand their campaign materials.”Robert Largan has been accused of misleading voters before More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRory Stewart has spoken of never wanting to go back into politics, saying he found being a Conservative minister “very unpleasant” and admitting: “I feel like a fraud all the time, in a whole series of ways.”Mr Stewart ran to succeed Theresa May as prime minister and Tory leader in 2019 and came to prominence for his amusing and highly personal use of social media.He resigned from the Conservative Party in 2019 after losing the whip from eventual leader Boris Johnson and stood down as MP for Penrith and the Border later that year.The former minister and current podcaster, 51, admitted that he struggled to “be in three places at once” working for constituents, scrutinising legislation in Westminster and tackling wars abroad.He told the Hay Festival audience he was expected to be in his constituency “and everybody’s expecting me to be 350 miles away from Cumbria in Westminster scrutinising legislation and voting on legislation.Rory Stewart was in the running to become Conservative leader in 2019 More

Related video: Worker pulls faces as Sunak says ‘life has been difficult’ in election campaign speechSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour has been accused of “humiliating” Diane Abbott over the issue of whether she can run in the upcoming election. Broadcaster Andrew Marr said Labour “just about” got on top of the story but that it had been a “really, really embarrassing week for them”.Labour frontbencher Yvette Cooper claimed this morning the issue had been “resolved” after Sir Keir Starmer said Ms Abbott was “free” to stand. But Mr Marr said it “wasn’t closed down nearly as early as they should have been” and that Sir Keir Starmer “underrated the sentimentality of the Labour Party”.“Even if she’s on the hard left, that’s not really the point. I think there was an element of cruelty, an element of humiliation.” he said. It comes as Ms Cooper refused to set specific targets on how it wants to reduce net migration to the UK. She said the party wants to see “significant changes” but she stopped short of setting a target, saying the Conservatives have failed when they have done so and arguing that “variations” each year – such as the war in Ukraine – must also be considered.Show latest update 1717338609Extra 100,000 families face ‘mortgage nightmare’ with hike before electionTom Watling2 June 2024 15:301717336813Here are some of the latest photos from the campaign trail Below we have some of the latest photos from the campaign trail. Yvette Cooper meets apprentices at SGN Project in Putney in south west London More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDiane Abbott is still weighing up whether to stand as a LabourMP a close ally has indicated as Labour denied offering her a peerage to leave the Commons.Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti said she had advised her friend to “take some time to consider what she wants to do”.She also hit out at what she denounced as a “sordid week of unauthorised anonymous briefings by overgrown schoolboys in suits with their feet on the table” who had watched “too much West Wing”.Her comments came as Labour denied offering MPs, including Ms Abbott, seats in the House of Lords to stand down.Diane Abbott is ‘free’ to stand as a candidate in the election, Sir Keir Starmer has said (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour has promised to give bereaved families access to their children’s social media “as fast as possible” if it wins the election. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that “urgent action” was needed. In February it was reported that plans were underway to allow coroners to demand internet giants hand over data to inquests into the circumstances of a child’s death. Campaigners have been pushing for new powers after the case of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who ended her life in November 2017 after viewing suicide and self-harm content online.The coroner in her case concluded that the schoolgirl died while suffering from the “negative effects of online content”.Yvette Cooper More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailKeir Starmer has promised to slash “sky high” migration numbers if Labour wins the election. The Labour leader said last year’s net migration figure of 685,000 has “got to come down” as he vowed to “control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first”.He also hit out at successive Conservative governments for promising but failing to cut the numbers. But Sir Keir is facing a backlash from sections of his own party over the policy. And both he and his shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper have refused to set a target – or a timeline – for their plans. Ms Cooper also refused to rule out sending asylum seekers abroad to have their claims processed, a move which, unlike Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan, would not necessarily be a one-way ticket.Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer vowed to curb immigration (PA) More