Reform candidate defects to Tories amid racism row
Nigel Farage addresses a 5,000-strong crowd at a Reform rally at the NEC centre in Birmingham - Jeff Gilbert for the Telegraph
A Reform UK candidate has stepped down and endorsed the Conservatives amid reports of racism and sexism within the party.
Liam Booth-Isherwood, who was standing in Erewash, said he is suspending his campaign and backing Maggie Throup, the Conservative candidate, to “stop Labour”.
He said in a statement: “Over the past few weeks, I have been increasingly disillusioned with the behaviour and conduct of Reform.
“Whilst I have campaigned alongside many decent, honest and hard-working people during the course of the general election campaign in Erewash, the reports of widespread racism and sexism in Reform have made clear that there is a significant moral issue within certain elements of the party.
“The failure of the party’s leadership to not only take this matter seriously, but also to fundamentally address it, has made clear to me that this is no longer a party I want to be associated with.
“As a result, I am announcing my endorsement of the Conservative Party candidate, Maggie Throup, for Erewash. Only she can stop Labour.”
Mr Booth-Isherwood previously said that he was disillusioned with the Conservatives and that Reform UK “better represents the values I wish to campaign on”.
06:59 PM BST
Today’s live coverage has ended.
Today’s live coverage has ended. Here’s a roundup of the day’s events:
- A Reform candidate stepped down and endorsed the Conservatives, citing reports of racism and sexism in Nigel Farage’s party.
- Nigel Farage addressed a 5,000 strong Reform UK rally in Birmingham.
- Rishi Sunak said he still believes he can win the general election.
- The Prime Minister said Britain is a better place to live now than it was when the Tories came to power in 2010.
- Kemi Badenoch said meeting former Tory voters voting for Reform ‘breaks my heart’.
06:23 PM BST
Pictured: Ed Davey does aqua aerobics in Cheltenham
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, winces as he takes part in an aqua aerobics session at Sandford Parks Lido in Cheltenham - Dinendra Haria/LNP/London News Pictures Ltd
Sir Ed Davey takes part in a water aerobics class as he visits Sandford Parks Lido during campaigning for the General Election - Matthew Horwood/Getty Images Europe
06:17 PM BST
Switch to Conservatives and stop Labour supermajority, say Tories
The Conservative Party has said that if 130,000 people intending to vote Reform switched to back the Tories, it “would be enough to stop Labour’s supermajority”.
A spokesman said: “[Liam] Booth-Isherwood knows a vote for Reform is a vote for Keir Starmer.
“If just 130,000 voters like him currently considering a vote for Reform or Liberal Democrat voted Conservative, it would be enough to stop Labour’s supermajority which means higher taxes and an illegal immigration amnesty.
“There is no doubt, only a vote for the Conservatives can prevent an unaccountable majority for Labour, and the ruin this would bring for the country.”
Liam Booth-Isherwood was the Reform UK candidate for Erewash but said on Sunday that he has stepped down and endorsed the Conservatives, citing reports of racism and sexism within Nigel Farage’s party.
05:44 PM BST
Pictured: Rishi Sunak visits a north London synagogue
Rishi Sunak speaks during a visit to Machzike Hadath Synagogue in Golders Green, London, while on the General Election campaign trail - James Manning/PA
Rishi Sunak greets locals during a visit to Machzike Hadath Synagogue in Golders Green, London - James Manning/PA
Rishi Sunak speaks with local children during a visit to a bakery in Golders Green - James Manning/Pool PA
05:29 PM BST
Channel 4 refutes Farage’s claim that racism incident was a ‘set up’
Channel 4 has refuted Nigel Farage’s claim that the Reform racism incident was “set up” and a “smear campaign”.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 News said: “We strongly stand by our rigorous and duly impartial journalism which speaks for itself.
“We met Mr Parker for the first time at Reform UK party headquarters, where he was a Reform party canvasser.
“We did not pay the Reform UK canvasser or anyone else in this report. Mr Parker was not known to Channel 4 News and was filmed covertly via the undercover operation.”
The row came after the broadcaster released undercover footage of Andrew Parker, a Reform canvasser, referring to the Prime Minister with a racial slur.
Mr Farage has claimed the man was a professional actor and had worked with Channel 4 in the past.
05:17 PM BST
Sunak: I will be steadfast in standing by Israel
Rishi Sunak has vowed to stand by Israel on the international stage if he is re-elected.
Speaking during a visit to Machzike Hadath Synagogue in Golders Green, the Prime Minister said: “I will be steadfast in standing by Israel.”
Mr Sunak expressed solidarity with hostages taken during the October 7 attacks on southern Israel and said: “I say loudly, and I know that you will join me, ‘bring them home’.”
The Prime Minister also said there had been a “shocking increase in antisemitism here in our country” since the October 7 attacks.
“This antisemitism is a sickness and I am determined to confront it,” he added.
05:03 PM BST
Pictured: Liam Booth-Isherwood, who has defected from Reform to the Conservatives
Liam Booth-Isherwood, who was standing for Reform UK in Erewash, is now supporting the Conservatives amid reports of racism and sexism within the Reform party - Reform UK
04:54 PM BST
Labour is ‘fiercely hostile’ to immigration, says SNP leader
John Swinney, the SNP leader, said the Labour Party’s approach towards immigration is “fiercely hostile”, and called for “urgent clarity” from the party to set out its immigration plans for Scotland.
Mr Swinney said: “There are some newspaper reports that the Labour Party is proposing some sort of immigration scheme for Scotland.
“I would welcome such discussions - I think we need urgent clarity from the Labour Party if that actually is their position because at a UK level, the UK leadership of the Labour Party is fiercely hostile to immigration and are following the agenda of the Conservatives.”
04:01 PM BST
Starmer would be first PM in 14 years that cares about Scotland, Scottish Labour leader says
Sir Keir Starmer would be the first prime minister in 14 years that is invested in Scotland, the Scottish Labour Party leader said.
Anas Sarwas also claimed that some Scots were attracted to the SNP because they believe the Conservatives “don’t care” about the country.
“I know that we will have a prime minister for the first time in 14 years that understands Scotland and cares about Scotland,” Mr Sarwar said.
“It’s one of the reasons why so many people have been driven towards the SNP and independence as they’ve looked at Tory governments and thought ‘these people don’t care about us — they’re not delivering for us’,” he added.
Mr Sarwar campaigned in West Dunbartonshire on Sunday, where he met stallholders and admired Scotch pies and local cheese.
03:41 PM BST
Our relationship with America is ‘absolutely key’, Farage says
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has said Britain’s relationship with America is essential and accused Labour of wanting to take the UK away from Nato and into a European defence union.
“Just as Mrs May wanted to do, Labour will take us into the European defence union, taking us closer to that and further away from Nato,” Mr Farage said.
“Many of these things are not even being discussed in this general election,” he added.
On a television interview with Trevor Phillips on Sunday morning, Mr Farage said that there had been “no debate” about foreign policy during the election period.
He expressed admiration for Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for November’s US election, because he said Mr Trump had signed the Abraham Accords and had not launched a foreign war when he was in office between 2017 and 2021.
03:07 PM BST
Farage reiterates criticism of first past the post
Nigel Farage has reiterated his criticism of Britain’s ‘first past the post’ voting system.
He said: “I know that under the electoral system things are tough - we’re likely to get fewer seats for the number of votes should deserve - but get seats next Thursday we will, believe it, it is going to happen.
“We’ll likely to see a Labour Party with, you know, not a particularly high share of the vote but a massive number of seats.”
The Reform UK leader also described postal voting as “potentially corrupt” and said his party was also committed to “getting rid of the unelected House of Lords in their current form”.
02:35 PM BST
Pictured: John Swinney on the campaign trail
SNP Leader John Swinney in Paisley where he met activists and supporters. - Wattie Cheung
01:58 PM BST
Farage: Reform will campaign for the abolition of the BBC licence fee
Reform UK will campaign for the abolition of the BBC licence fee, Nigel Farage announced to a crowd of 5,000 supporters at a rally in Birmingham.
Mr Farage said that his “final straw” with the BBC came because he faced what he alleged was a biased Question Time special audience on Friday.
“I don’t expect the first questioner to be somebody who has produced eight separate BBC programmes over the last year, including Doctor Who, which I used to love and they’ve completely ruined,” the Reform leader said.
He also pointed to the third questioner, who Mr Farage said was a known “Palestinian activist”.
Mr Farage asked the crowd if anyone thought the Question Time audience was representative of the British public.
“No,” was the response.
The BBC has refuted Mr Farage’s claims that the Question Time audience was “rigged”.
01:43 PM BST
‘It’s not a change of government, it’s a change of middle management’
More from Nigel Farage in Birmingham, who has just described a potential Labour election win as a “change of middle management”.
“They’re very happy for Keir to take over from Rishi because it’s not actually a change of government, it’s a change of middle management,” Mr Farage said.
“The idea that Labour represents change is for the birds.
“It’s gunna be more of the same, just perhaps a little bit less competent than the Conservatives — if you can even believe that is possible.”
01:35 PM BST
Pictured: Farage takes the stage in Birmingham
Nigel Farage addresses a 5,000-strong crowd at the NEC centre in Birmingham - Jeff Gilbert/Jeff Gilbert
01:32 PM BST
Britain is in societal decline, Farage says
Nigel Farage is addressing a Reform party rally in Birmingham now.
Entering the stage flanked by fireworks, Mr Farage said he could not stand aside with the country “in societal decline”.
Explaining his return to politics, the Reform UK leader said Britain was “a country that has forgotten what it is. A country that has forgotten where we come from”.
“A country that doesn’t seem to value our culture, our inheritance and what we wish to pass on to our children,” he added.
01:21 PM BST
1 in 30 people in the UK have arrived since Sunak became PM, Farage says
Nigel Farage has said that one in 30 people in the country have arrived since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister.
Shortly after taking the stage at a Reform rally in Birmingham, Mr Farage criticised the Conservative record on tax and immigration.
Mr Farage said: “I couldn’t stand aside and be lied to for the fifth manifesto in a row.
“They put the tax burden up to the highest it’s been since 1948.
“Under Rishi Sunak’s premiership we’ve let in two and a half million people in the last two years alone. Think about it: one in 30 people in this country has come in since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister.”
01:04 PM BST
Net zero is madness, says Richard Tice
Richard Tice, the chairman of Reform UK, has said that net zero is “madness”.
Taking the stage at a Reform rally in Birmingham, Mr Tice said “net zero is making us poorer, it’s killing our jobs, it’s killing our industries, it’s killing our economy - it’s an absolute piece of madness”.
“It’s the greatest act of financial self harm ever imposed on a nation by the wallies in Westminster,” he added.
12:53 PM BST
I can still win the general election, Sunak says
The Tories can still win the election despite languishing in the polls, Rishi Sunak has said.
Asked whether he thought he would still be Prime Minister on Friday, Mr Sunak said: “Yes. I’m fighting very hard and I think people are waking up to the real danger of what a Labour government means.”
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Prime Minister also hit out at what he described as a “declinist narrative”.
He said it was “completely and utterly wrong” to suggest Britain’s standing has diminished since Brexit, claiming “people are queuing up to work with us because they respect what we do”.
Mr Sunak cited building new nuclear submarines with Australia and the United States, negotiating the Windsor Framework with the EU and the UK’s support for Ukraine.
12:26 PM BST
Watch: Reform NEC rally live
12:12 PM BST
‘Nothing can be done’ for those who have not received postal ballots
John Swinney, the Scottish First Minister, said there was “nothing that can be done” about postal ballots that have not yet arrived for voters who are now not in the country.
If postal votes cannot be filled out and returned on time, Mr Swinney said “some people will be disenfranchised”.
“There are no other proxy arrangements that can be put in place, but I think it’s illustrative of the fact there was no thought given to summer school holidays,” he added.
Postal votes have not been delivered on time in a string of seats. The crisis has been caused by councils not printing enough ballot papers and Royal Mail not delivering them on time, the Telegraph understands.
The problem has been particularly acute in Scotland, as the election takes place during the Scottish school summer holidays when many voters will be overseas.
12:00 PM BST
Pictured: ‘Here’s Nigel’ - Reform supporters take seats ahead of rally in Birmingham
Nigel Farage supporters take seats ahead of Reform UK's rally at the NEC in Birmingham - Hollie Adams/REUTERS
11:41 AM BST
Badenoch: Meeting former Tory voters voting for Reform ‘breaks my heart’
Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, said that meeting former Conservative voters on the doorstep who have declared they will vote reform “breaks my heart”.
“When I knock on doors, I am meeting former Conservative voters who are voting Reform and it breaks my heart,” Ms Badenoch told GB News.
Expanding on her statement, Ms Badenoch said that voters who have switched allegiances to Reform “will not get what they think they will get”.
She also said that she shared voters’ frustrations, but that the Conservatives had managed to stop much “bad stuff” happening behind the scenes.
“People have no idea,” she added, and said Conservative ministers intervened when Nigel Farage’s bank account was closed by NatWest.
11:22 AM BST
Watch: Nigel Farage speech interrupted by Putin banner
Nigel Farage’s speech at the Columbine Centre in Walton on the Naze was interrupted on Saturday when a banner of Vladimir Putin descended slowly from the ceiling.
The banner showed a picture of the Russian president with the words “I (heart emoji) Nigel” written underneath.
Led by Donkeys, an anti-Brexit campaign group, said it was responsible for the stunt.
10:49 AM BST
Farage: Russian interference claims are ‘cobblers’
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has said claims that ‘bots’ generated by foreign state agents are interfering with the UK’s general election are “cobblers”.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Farage said “don’t talk cobblers” when Mr Phillips asked him if “probably Russian-inspired” bots were interfering with the election.
Earlier, Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, said he had “grave concerns” that alleged Russian bots were boosting Reform UK.
Mr Dowden was responding to claims by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that it had uncovered a suspected Russian influence operation.
09:48 AM BST
Sunak: We will cut taxes for people at every stage of their lives
More from Rishi Sunak on BBC One as he vowed that a vote for the Conservatives means a vote for lower taxes.
“We will continue to cut taxes for people at every stage of their lives, giving them the financial security that they rightly want and deserve after what has been a difficult few years,” the Prime Minister told Laura Kuenssberg.
“None of those things are gunna be made any easier by a Labour government that would whack up everyone’s taxes by thousands of pounds.
“We’ll continue cutting taxes for everyone in work. We’ll continue cutting taxes for those who are self-employed, setting up their own businesses, taking that risk.”
09:37 AM BST
Britain is a better place now than in 2010, Sunak says
Britain is a better place to live now than it was in 2010, when the Conservative Party came to power, Rishi Sunak has said.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC One, the Prime Minister listed education as one of the areas in which Britain had improved.
Mr Sunak said: “Thanks to the reforms of the Conservative government, our schoolchildren are now the best readers in the Western world.
“Nine out of ten schools are good or outstanding - a huge improvement compared to what we inherited.”
“Where Labour are in charge of education in Wales, you haven’t seen that improvement,” Mr Sunak added.
09:20 AM BST
Dowden ‘deeply saddened’ by Reform UK canvasser’s racial slur
Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, said he was “deeply saddened” by the use of racial slur by a Reform UK canvasser to describe Rishi Sunak.
He added that he felt “heartened” that politicians from across the spectrum had united to condemn the language.
“I grew up in the 1980s, and I thought the p-word was long behind us,” Mr Dowden told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme.
“Naturally, I’ve been quite heartened by the fact that political parties from across the spectrum have come together to condemn the hurt not just felt by the Prime Minister but felt by the Prime Minister’s family as well,” Mr Dowden said.
The comments come after Sir Keir Starmer backed Rishi Sunak’s response to the Reform racism row, saying he thought Mr Sunak’s words were “very powerful” and that he shares the “disgust” at the language used.
Mr Sunak had said the row left him “hurt and angry”.
“To know my girls may have heard their dad be called a “f---ing p---” by someone campaigning for Reform is shocking. We are better than that as a country,” the Prime Minister added.
09:08 AM BST
Labour vote share falls to lowest in more than two years
Labour’s vote share has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years ahead of the general election, new polling shows.
Support for the party dropped by four percentage points in the space of a week following Sir Keir Starmer’s final head-to-head debate with Rishi Sunak and increased scrutiny of his policies.
A poll of 2,092 adults by Savanta for The Telegraph, conducted between Wednesday and Thursday, saw the firm record the lowest Labour support since January 2022 as the gap between Labour and the Conservatives dropped to 17 percentage points.
You can read the full story here.
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