Category Archives: General election 2019

London Bridge attack: woman killed was former Cambridge student – live news

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University says both victims were alumni, with member of staff also injured, as Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn pressed on counter-terrorism policies

The campaigner and businesswoman Gina Miller has called on Remain voters to vote tactically in the general election, saying that doing so could prevent a Conservative majority.

Presenting a new poll and MRP seat projection for ‘Remain United’ on ‘Sophy Ridge on Sunday’, she said: “With no tactical voting, just based on voter intention at the moment and where the polls are sitting and the difference between the seats, there would be a 12 seat majority for the Conservatives.”

The Conservatives appears to have acquiesced to BBC demands that they take down Facebook adverts featuring footage of journalists Laura Kuenssberg and Huw Edwards.

As reported by the Guardian’s Jim Waterson, the broadcaster had argued that their inclusion could damage perceptions of the corporation’s impartiality.

Conservative ads pulled on copyright grounds for using BBC footage of Laura Kuenssberg and Huw Edwards. (Background: https://t.co/T9sykIwXkA) pic.twitter.com/zS9H4KIo58

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Boris Johnson thrusts London Bridge attack into centre of election battle

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Prime minister says terrorists convicted of the most serious offences should never be released from prison

Boris Johnson on Saturday said that those convicted of the most serious terrorist offences should never be released from prison, as arguments over the blame for Friday’s London Bridge attack were thrust centre stage into the election campaign.

The prime minister reacted to the latest terrorist incident – in which three people died, including the assailant – by promising a package of hardline reforms which also included mandatory minimum 14-year sentences, an end to automatic early release for terrorist and extremism offences, and a new system under which those convicted will have to serve every day of sentences handed down by judges.

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Johnson dodges LBC radio host’s questions about his children

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PM refuses to comment when asked how involved he is in his children’s lives

Boris Johnson has refused to disclose how many children he has or whether he is involved in their lives, in an appearance on a radio phone-in show during which he was questioned over past comments about single mothers.

Answering listeners’ questions on LBC, Johnson was challenged by one caller about an article he wrote in 1995 in which he blamed single mothers for “producing a generation of ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate children.”

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Revealed: Tory candidates issued with attack manuals on how to smear rivals

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Party’s dossier contains dubious and outdated claims about Lib Dems and Labour

Conservative candidates in the general election have been issued with a detailed dossier on how to attack Labour and Liberal Democrat rivals which contains numerous rehashed and potentially misleading claims, the Guardian can reveal.

The documents accuse the Liberal Democrats of pushing “pro-pimp” policies and sex work as a career for schoolchildren.

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Jeremy Corbyn reveals dossier ‘proving NHS up for sale’

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Labour leader says documents leave Boris Johnson’s denials on post-Brexit US trade deal ‘in tatters’

Labour has obtained official documents showing that the US is demanding that the NHS will be “on the table” in talks on a post-Brexit trade deal, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

The Labour leader said the uncensored papers gave the lie to Boris Johnson’s claims that the NHS would not be part of any trade talks, and revealed that the US wanted “total market access” after the UK leaves the EU.

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Corbyn resists calls to apologise to British Jews after rabbi’s claims

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Labour leader denies antisemitism in the party has increased under his leadership

Jeremy Corbyn has insisted antisemitism in Labour has not risen under his leadership and resisted calls to apologise to Britain’s Jews, after the country’s chief rabbi claimed he had let poison take root in the party.

In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Neil, the Labour leader declined four opportunities to apologise for the party’s approach to dealing with antisemitism, which has led a string of Labour MPs to resign and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to launch an investigation.

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Antisemitism is vile, says Corbyn after rabbi’s criticism

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Labour leader says there is no place for antisemitism in party and it will not be tolerated

Jeremy Corbyn has reiterated his belief that there is no place in Labour for antisemitism and vowed it would not be tolerated following claims from the chief rabbi that he has allowed the Labour party to become poisoned with antisemitism.

Ephraim Mirvis on Tuesday accused the Labour leader of allowing a “poison sanctioned from the top” to take root in Labour, saying Jews were justifiably anxious about the prospect of the party forming the next government.

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Johnson tax pledge to ‘put money back in pockets’

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At launch of manifesto, PM says he will not raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for five years

Boris Johnson will commit a Tory government to not raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for five years as he promises to “put more money back in people’s pockets” after Brexit.

Launching the Conservatives’ general election manifesto on Sunday, the prime minister will also pledge to protect the value of state pensions, boost spending by £1bn on childcare during school terms and holidays, and cut energy bills by up to £750 a year for those in social housing.

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Labour pledges £58bn for women caught in pension trap

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Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says party ‘owes debt of honour’ to 3 million over changes in retirement age

More than 3 million women who believe they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after steep increases to the state pension age are being promised compensation by Labour as part of a £58bn scheme designed to end a “historic injustice”.

Related: ‘The Tories stole my state pension when I was 60, now I want it back’

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Conservatives open up 19-point lead with 47% share of the vote

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Latest Opinium/Observer poll shows Tories capitalising on retreat of Brexit party as manifesto is unveiled

The Conservatives have taken a commanding 19-point lead over Labour with less than three weeks to go before voters head to the polls, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.

Related: Poll models fail to spot voting variation in similar seats

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Corbyn ‘neutral’ on Brexit as Johnson attacked on trust

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Labour leader would negotiate new deal with EU, which would be put to a public vote alongside remain

Jeremy Corbyn would take a “neutral stance” in a future Brexit referendum, he has announced, after facing mounting pressure in recent days to pick a side.

Appearing in a special BBC Question Time programme, in which Boris Johnson was attacked over racism and Jo Swinson found herself on the back foot over Brexit, Corbyn confirmed for the first time he would not campaign either for leave or remain.

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Labour would return Chagos Islands, says Jeremy Corbyn

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UK criticised for defying UN deadline to hand over control of Indian Ocean territory

Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to renounce British sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands and respect a UN vote calling for the archipelago to be handed back to Mauritius.

In comments that appear to commit Labour to return the Indian Ocean islands, the party’s leader said on Friday he intended to “right one of the wrongs of history”.

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Windrush: the scandal isn’t over – podcast

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Hubert Howard, a prominent Windrush victim, died recently without receiving compensation or a personal apology. Amelia Gentleman discusses his case. Plus: Polly Toynbee on the boldest Labour manifesto for a generation

Hubert Howard died on 12 November, three weeks after finally being granted British citizenship having arrived in London 59 years earlier. Howard spent much of the last two months of his life fighting for citizenship from his intensive care bed in hospital. He was granted it at the end of October when his lawyer informed the Home Office that he was critically ill and highlighted the urgency of his case.

Anushka Asthana talks about Howard’s life with the Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman, who recently met his friend Tyrone and his daughter Maresha and heard them describe the devastating impact his treatment by the Home Office had on his life. Amelia discusses why so many of the Windrush victims are still waiting for compensation and an apology from the government.

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Jeremy Corbyn urges public to vote for ‘manifesto of hope’

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‘Investment blitz’ promised as experts taken aback by scale of Labour’s tax and spend plans

Jeremy Corbyn has urged the public to vote for his “manifesto of hope” as he unveiled plans for the most dramatic increase in tax and spending in more than half a century if Labour wins power next month’s general election.

In an upbeat launch event at Birmingham City University, the Labour leader said he welcomed the hostility of the billionaires, bad bosses and dodgy landlords who would lose out from his policies.

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General election 2019: Corbyn vows to take on wealthy elite during Labour’s manifesto launch – live news

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Party promises record investment blitz and to scrap tuition fees and universal credit

Corbyn is now responding to questions from students at the venue, Birmingham City University.

He says young workers will benefit from the living wage.

Q: Some voters do not see you as patriotic. Is that fair?

Corbyn replies:

Yes, I do support this country. I am patriotic about this country.

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UK growth will dip to 1% even if no-deal Brexit avoided, warns OECD

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Prospect of crashing out of EU leaves UK more exposed to global financial risks, thinktank says

The UK’s GDP growth rate will slip to 1% next year even if a no-deal Brexit is avoided, according to the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation.

The OECD said the economy would slow down from growth of 1.2% this year if parliament passes Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal before the 31 January deadline, before returning to 1.2% in 2021.

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Boris Johnson lets slip manifesto pledge to cut national insurance

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PM’s apparent blunder over £12,500 threshold could benefit him amid ‘factchecking’ row

Boris Johnson has said he wants to raise the national insurance threshold to £12,500, letting slip a major Tory tax cut from the manifesto as he was speaking to workers in Teesside.

The prime minister blurted out the key announcement as he was pressed by an employee at a fabrication yard about whether he would help “people like us”, not just the rich.

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Election debate: Johnson and Corbyn clash over NHS future

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Labour leader claims service will be sold by PM, who keeps repeating Brexit mantra

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn have clashed over which of them is best placed to safeguard the NHS if they win the general election, with the Labour leader accusing the prime minister of being ready to sell it off to US corporations.

In a testy live debate on ITV, during which the prime minister repeatedly returned to the claim that he would “get Brexit done”, both men lavished praise on the NHS, but Corbyn said Johnson would put it up for sale.

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General election live: Corbyn should not resign immediately if Labour loses election, says McCluskey – live news

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All the day’s developments on the campaign trail before Johnson and Corbyn’s first TV debate

Boris Johnson has gone for some Rocky Balboa-type posturing ahead of tonight’s ITV debate. (See 2.33pm and 4.50pm.) As you would expect, Jeremy Corbyn’s warm-up routine is rather different.

Labour leader @jeremycorbyn has arrived for the #ITVdebate, saying he hopes for a respectful debate and prepared by eating a Caesar salad#GE2019 #Leadersdebatehttps://t.co/itw9efaa2W pic.twitter.com/Z2PVqCmgEd

And here is another useful Twitter thread on the likely impact of the debate tonight, from the academic Prof Tim Bale. It starts here.

THREAD: Did a @SkyNews bit today on debates. Here's (some of) what we think we know from research in the UK and elsewhere. 1/8

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Scientists and climate advisers condemn Tory environmental record

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Party under pressure on climate crisis as Corbyn says Johnson can not be trusted

The Conservative party’s record on tackling the climate crisis was condemned by leading scientists and former government advisers on Sunday, as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warned that the forthcoming election was the last chance to halt the escalating emergency.

Experts accused the Conservatives of copying rightwing politicians in the US by deliberately weakening environmental protections. Meanwhile, new analysis by Labour reveals that environmental policies put forward since 2017 and opposed by the Tories would have led to emissions reductions of over 70m tonnes a year by 2030 – more than the annual emissions of Portugal.

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