Sunak vows to boot out Tories over election betting
“Rishi Sunak has said he is “incredibly angry” about senior Conservative Party figures betting on the date of the election and that those found to have broken rules should “face the full force of the law”. The prime minister told the audience at a BBC One Question Time event on Thursday that two candidates accused of placing bets would be “booted out” of the party if found guilty of wrongdoing. The gambling watchdog is investigating a series of suspicious bets placed before Sunak announced the election. Tony Lee, the Conservative Party’s director of campaigning, took a leave of absence after it was reported that he and his wife, Laura Saunders, a Tory election candidate, were being investigated by the Gambling Commission over bets placed on the election date.” – The Times
- Unusual burst of bets preceded Sunak’s election announcement – FT
- Betting scandal sends Tory campaign into ‘freefall’ – FT
- Tory election campaign director on ‘leave’ after gambling probe – FT
- Officer on Sunak protection duty arrested – FT
- Betting row deepens as candidate and party boss probed – The Sun
>Today:
Tories abandon ‘unwinnable’ northern seats to target south
“The Tories have told candidates in “unwinnable” northern seats to shift campaigning to the south in an effort to avoid a historic defeat at the general election. Even Tories trying to win seats which have Conservative majorities of up to 7,000 have been told to effectively give up and help to hold on to safer seats. It comes after a Telegraph poll published on Wednesday predicted the party will retain just 53 MPs in a historic defeat with even Rishi Sunak among those voted out. The Conservatives continue to trail Labour by around 20 points with just under two weeks until polling day.” – Daily Telegraph
- Party ‘politically scarred’ by Truss, says Hunt – FT
- Poll predicts Sunak to lose seat – FT
- Former Tory minister to vote Labour – The Guardian
- Polling for Greens suggests they could take two rural seats from Tories – The Guardian
- Disenchantment spreads to Sunak’s own seat – FT
- Sunak looked like a man who was running the country – until he wobbled – Daily Telegraph
Comment
- One man on the sinking Tory ship deserves praise – Emma Duncan, The Times
- Vote Priti, get Boris? The Tories in defeat are dreaming of better times – Fraser Nelson, Daily Telegraph
>Today:
- ToryDiary: Angus Parsad-Wyatt: Campaign notebook, week four (part two). Current and former ministers in trouble across Somerset, Devon and the Cotswolds.
- Book Reviews: Are we at this election witnessing the strange death of Tory England?
>Yesterday:
- Comment: Gideon Salutin: As conservatives overseas go big on housing, the Tory manifesto offers only dead and dying ideas
- Craig Hoy: Voting Conservative is voters’ best chance to save, and strengthen, Scotland’s vital oil and gas sector
Teenagers who refuse National Service could forfeit driving licence, Sunak suggests
“Young people who refuse to do national service could forfeit their driving licences and be denied access to student loans, Rishi Sunak has suggested. When asked how he would make youngsters take part, he suggested the UK could adopt punitive measures used by other European nations. Mr Sunak was pressed on how he would enforce the scheme, which the Conservatives say would be compulsory, during a leaders’ special of Question Time. He said: “You’ll have a set of sanctions and incentives and we will look at the models that are existing around Europe to get the appropriate mix of those.” Asked what that meant, he added: “There’s all sorts of things that people do across Europe, whether that’s looking at driving licences, other access to finance.” – Daily Telegraph
Labour 1) Corbyn would have made better PM than Johnson, says Starmer
“Jeremy Corbyn would have been a better prime minister than Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer said last night, as he was repeatedly challenged on his support for the former Labour leader. In the latest interview with party leaders Starmer refused to say whether he stood by his claim in 2019 that Corbyn would have been a “great” prime minister. But asked to say yes or no, Starmer told a BBC One Question Time audience: “He would be a better prime minister. Well, look, look what we got, Boris Johnson, a man who made massive promises, didn’t keep them.” – The Times
- Starmer dodges key questions on immigration and housing – The Sun
- For a moment Starmer won over the studio — then he was stumped again – The Times
- Johnson to release bombshell memoir – Daily Express
Comment
- Starmer is a threat to national security – Liam Fox, Daily Telegraph
- Labour leader makes first mis-step – Annabel Denham, Daily Telegraph
- We haven’t learnt anything from either party this election – Editorial, The Sun
>Today:
- Columnists: Sarah Ingham: Lockdown showed the horrors of what a Labour government will be like in practice
- Comment: Lord Frost: Ignore the centrist gloom. To win, the Conservatives must offer a right-wing path to renewal.
Labour 2) Reeves: Labour will delay VAT on private school fees until 2025
“Labour will not impose VAT on private school fees before 2025 at the earliest, Rachel Reeves has said, promising that the tax would not be levied on parents retrospectively. Speaking at The Times CEO Summit, the shadow chancellor defended the tax — one of Labour’s most contentious policies — but said it “wouldn’t be the right thing to do” to force parents into higher fees from September. Instead she said the measures would be contained in Labour’s first budget in the autumn and would become law after being passed by MPs in Labour’s first finance bill.” – The Times
- Reeves rolls out red carpet for business – The Times
- We can work with Labour, say business leaders – The Times
- Labour has secret plan for stealth tax, top CEO warns – Daily Express
- I always feel like I need to prove myself, says Reeves – The Times
- Jim Ratcliffe: Labour’s net zero plans are absurd – The Times
Comment
- Reeves’ plan for growth is built on private cash – Patrick Maguire, The Times
- Planning for tomorrow – Editorial, The Times
Leaked document reveals Lib Dems’ ‘ruthless’ targeting plan for last two weeks
“The Liberal Democrats will spend the final two weeks of the campaign ‘ruthlessly’ focused on 125,000 voters in their target seats who they think could swing the result, according to a briefing to staff that has been leaked to ITV News. The document suggests that the party has identified a set of voters in Lib Dem-Conservative marginals who are considering voting for the Labour party. Senior strategists have told colleagues that seats, including in the so-called Blue Wall, south West and more rural parts of England, remain on ‘knife-edge’ and the only way to beat the Conservatives is to further squeeze the Labour vote.” – ITV News
Reform candidates liken Britain during Covid to Nazi Germany
“A string of Reform candidates likened Britain to Nazi Germany during the pandemic, it can be revealed. Some claimed the treatment of the unvaccinated was similar to the persecution of the Jews, while others said UK political leaders were like Hitler. One woman standing for the insurgent party even criticised new leader Nigel Farage after he said no-one should compare the Covid era to the genocide in the Second World War. The revelations will prompt fresh questions over its vetting of candidates, with Mr Farage blaming a ‘stitch-up’ by the firm paid £144,000 to weed out those with extreme views.” – Daily Mail
- Churchill’s great nephew supports Reform – Daily Telegraph
News in Brief
- The next government must be bold in confronting council tax – Henry Hill, CapX
- Do the Tories have a gambling problem? Kathleen Stock, UnHerd
- Against all odds, Sunak seems resilient – Andrew Marr, New Statesman
- Would you want Farage to marry your daughter? – Matthew Parris, The Spectator
- Labour’s looming constitutional vandalism – Jamie C. Weir, The Critic
The post Newslinks for Friday 21st June 2024 appeared first on Conservative Home.
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