Key events
In case you’re missing Andrew Sparrow this morning, here is his snap verdict on the seven-party debate. It’s worth a read alongside your morning tea or coffee.
Chief of the defence staff Adm Sir Tony Radakin has declined to criticise Rishi Sunak over his decision to leave the D-day 80th anniversary events early.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a contentious political issue. It’s obviously being debated. It would be wrong for me to comment.”
Labour and Tories renew clashes in ill-tempered second election debate
Peter Walker
Labour and the Conservatives renewed hostilities in the second TV debate of the campaign, with Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt clashing over taxes, defence and the cost of living in a series of bad-tempered exchanges.
In an echo of Tuesday’s head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, Mordaunt, the Commons leader, several times raised the much-criticised idea that Labour would increase household taxes by £2,000, bringing derision from Rayner, and corrections from the BBC One host, Mishal Husain.
Another recurring theme of the seven-way debate was representatives of the smaller parties clashing with Nigel Farage, as the Reform UK leader made contentious points on areas including immigration, crime and net zero.
The wide-ranging debate, with a series of topics raised by audience questions, was occasionally unruly as the seven participants jostled for attention. But there were regular disputes between Mordaunt and Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, who were placed next to each other in a lineup decided by lots.
An early example saw Mordaunt point her finger at a clearly unimpressed Rayner, as she used a question on the D-day commemorations to accuse Rayner and other senior Labour figures of wanting to “end our nuclear deterrent”, saying Starmer would not be credible as a world leader.
“You can keep pointing at me, but you’re the party that have cut the armed forces, crashed the economy and left us in a real mess,” Rayner replied.
You can read Peter Walker’s full piece on Friday night’s TV debate here:
Opening summary
Good morning, and welcome to our continued coverage of the 2024 general election campaign.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said he agreed with Rishi Sunak that it was a mistake to leave D-day events early.
Asked whether he agreed with fellow Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt’s assessment that it was “completely wrong”, Harper told BBC Breakfast on Saturday:
I don’t know what the detail was of putting the prime minister’s schedule together, which, as he said, was done some time ago before the election campaign was called.
But look, it was a mistake. People make mistakes. The prime minister has made a mistake. He’s apologised for it. And he’s apologised to those that would have been particularly hurt by it.”
Harper also said: “I agree with the words that he set out in his remarks yesterday when he was interviewed about it.”
In case you missed it, seven representatives from the UK’s main political parties clashed in a heated – and often chaotic – BBC debate last night.
Party representatives – including Penny Mordaunt, the House of Commons leader – rounded on the prime minister for leaving the D-day event early. Mordaunt said what happened was “completely wrong – and the prime minister has rightly apologised for that, apologised to veterans but also to all of us, because he was representing all of us”.
Mordaunt also took aim at the Angela Rayner for having voted against renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system in the past and said that Labour’s “credibility is shot”; Rayner said her brother had served in Iraq and that she would “take no lectures” on the subject. You can catch other key takeaways of BBC general election debate here.
In other news, here are some of the main events planned for today:
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Rishi Sunak will be campaigning in the north-east and Yorkshire. The Conservatives are hitting Sunak’s home turf, so expect to see the big blue battlebus somewhere in Yorkshire.
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In Essex, the Conservatives are formally launching their Basildon and Billericay candidate. It is the party’s chairman Richard Holden who used to represent North West Durham. The drive from Crook in his previous constituency to Basildon is more than 260 miles.
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Sir Keir Starmer will launch Labour’s plan for small businesses alongside Deborah Meaden this morning. According to the Press Association (PA) it will include a visit to a small business in north London.
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Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will be campaigning in the south-east today alongside Mary Portas.
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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will be campaigning in Newbury today.
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SNP leader John Swinney will be on the campaign trail, joining local SNP candidate Hannah Bardell at the Howden Park Centre in Livingston.
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Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is also on the campaign trail backing local candidate Torcuil Crichton.
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Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will meet members of the Russian dissident community this morning.
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The National March for Gaza will begin at Russell Square shortly after midday and travel along the Strand and Whitehall to reach the Palace of Westminster. It comes after Starmer on Friday confirmed recognition of Palestinian statehood as part of a Middle East peace process would feature in his party’s manifesto.
It is Amy Sedghi here today. If you want to get my attention then please do email me on [email protected].
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