Election latest: Dragon's Den star joins Starmer on campaign trail - as Sunak welcomes former Boris Johnson's 'great' videos (2024)

Rishi Sunak has been taking questions from farmers in north Devon.

The prime minister ran through the key points of the Conservative Party manifesto and went on to say it has been "a real privilege" to understand the contribution farmers make to society.

He was introduced by Lord David Cameron, who warned the Liberal Democrats would bring more "wokery" to politics.

The Liberal Democrats said Mr Sunak's courting of farmers is "too little too late".

The party's rural affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said: "This Devon dash is too little too late for Rishi Sunak. Farmers and rural voters are deserting him in massive numbers."

Sunak 'clearly worried' about Lib Dems

Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron's appearance is all about heading off the threat of the Lib Dems, says our chief political correspondent Jon Craig.

He says it shows the Tories believe Lord Cameron "can help Mr Sunak in his fight" against Sir Ed Davey, who's hoping his party can take chunks out of the so-called Blue Wall - traditional Tory heartlands across the South.

Jon says the South West "obviously is a part of England where the Lib Dems will hope to do well at the Tories' expense".

"Clearly Mr Sunak and the Tory high command are worried about the threat from the Lib Dems in seats the Lib Dems or the Liberal Party used to hold."

Earlier, Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron were seen struggling to feed sheep at the farm - we're hoping to bring you pictures of this as soon as possible.

Former Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika joins Sky News political editor Beth Rigby and Conservative peer Ruth Davidson as the general election campaign heads towards its final fortnight.

They're assessing whether Labour can shake off the questions about their taxation policies.

After Conservative Grant Shapps seemed to accept election defeat in an interview, is that something anyone should do in the middle of the campaign?

They discuss the "what ifs" of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as he tries to become an MP.

And as the SNP launch their manifesto, how is the election shaping up differently in Scotland?

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Plus, Beth, Ruth and Ayesha tackle listeners' questions on manifesto promises and Reform UK's unusual set-up.

Email Beth, Ruth, and Margaret at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

In this episode, we mention the Clacton-on-Sea constituency, where the full list of candidates are:

• Bensilum, Matthew (Liberal Democrats)
• Farage, Nigel Paul (Reform UK)
• Jamieson, Craig (Climate Party)
• Mack, Tony (Independent)
• Osben, Natasha (Green Party)
• Owusu-Nepaul, Jovan (Labour Party)
• Papanastasiou, Tasos (Heritage Party)
• Pemberton, Andrew (UKIP – NO to Illegal Immigration)
• Watling, Giles Francis (Conservative Party)

By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent

Where do you go if you are 20 points behind in polls and no safe seats are safe seats any more?

Today, Rishi Sunak found himself in the absolutely stunning North Devon village of Clovelly.

A privately owned village which charges you £10 to enter, it is very Tory territory.

It's in the consistency being contested by Sir Geoffrey Cox, the former attorney general who has been an MP for 20 years.

The prime minister bobbed out to sea with the rumbustiousSir Geoffrey in a small fishing vessel, not to catch some fish but voters.

His focus on fishermen and farmers in the South West comes with the claim Labour will tax them more and not take advantage of Brexit opportunities - something the opposition deny.

Back on land, there were donkeys, cream teas and lobster lunches, but few interactions with local voters.

There simply weren't many, mostly bemused German tourists and Conservative supporters.

Today is an example of this conservative, Conservative campaign, a sign they are trying to hold on to traditional seats with traditional voters.

Some might say the PM's campaign is somewhat beached.

The full list of candidates for theTorridge and Tavistock constituency is:

• Geoffrey Cox, Conservatives;
• Phil Hutty, Lib Dems;
• Andrew Jackson, Reform;
• Judie Maciejowska, Greens;
• Alan Rayner, independent;
• Isabel Saxby, Labour.

Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.

So far, only one poll has shown Reform ahead of the Conservatives - the Tories are currently an average of seven points ahead of Nigel Farage's party.

Read more about the tracker here.

By Sam Doak, OSINT producer

A former Brexit Party candidate is running for Reform UK under a different name, following accusations of Islamophobia in 2019.

Dionne Moore Cocozza is now running in Glasgow West as Dionne Moore, using her middle name as a surname. No details on Reform UK's website link the candidate to the 2019 race.

The Reform UK candidate previously stood for the Brexit Party, later rebranded as Reform UK, in Glasgow North under the name Dionne Cocozza, receiving 320 votes.

Ms Cocozza's candidacy in the 2019 election drew attention after the University of Glasgow's student newspaper and Hope Not Hate reported on her social media use.

At the time, she wrote on social media that Muslims wanted to institute Sharia law in a post viewed by Sky News.

According to the anti-racism advocacy group Hope Not Hate, Ms Cocozza has also said on social media "you can't say anything if you're white", and accused Labour's shadow minister David Lammy of stoking racism with "anti-white tweets".

She also shared a post written by another user, viewed by Sky News, which made the claim, "I heard a muslim say, we get elected then slowly we takeover".

Sky News was unable to find any other instances in which Ms Cocozza has opted to use the name "Dionne Moore" in public, and she has not drawn attention to her candidacy on social media.

Reform UK's regional manager for Scotland, Martyn Greene, confirmed the candidate is the same person who ran in 2019.

The party has said it is consulting lawyers about suing the company it paid £144,000 to vet candidates.

Chairman Richard Tice said the firm, Vetting.com, "promised a deep dive, particularly on social media", but has "delivered absolutely nothing".

However, Reform UK does not believe the vast majority of candidates who have been singled-out by the media for things they have said on social media have done anything wrong.

Also standing in Glasgow West are:

• James Calder, Liberal Democrats;
• James Cormack, Christian Party;
• Patricia Ferguson, Labour;
• Faten Hameed, Conservative;
• Carol Monaghan, SNP;
• Nick Quail, Scottish Greens.

Specialist, associate specialist, and speciality (SAS) doctors in England have voted in favour of a new pay deal from the government.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said 79.3% of members who took part in the ballot backed the new package.

It means SAS doctors on open contracts could see pay increases of between 9.5% and 19.4% compared with 2022/23.

It also includes a consolidated uplift of £1,400 to each pay point for SAS doctors on closed contracts.

This is on top of the 6% increase awarded by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) in 2023/24.

You can read more from Sky News below:

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is out on the campaign trail today, and he was asked about Boris Johnson's involvement in the Conservative election efforts.

The former prime minister has been drafted in by the Conservatives, reportedly to help counter the growing threat from Reform UK.

It is thought he has signed thousands of letters due to be delivered to voters this week, as well as recording campaign videos for a number of his Tory MP allies.

All this, it seems, done from the sunny beaches of Sardinia (see 9.40 post).

Asked whether he is disappointed Mr Johnson isn't actively campaigning, Mr Sunak said these videos and letters "have been co-ordinated by the campaign".

He added: "It's great that Boris is supporting the Conservative Party. I very much welcome that.

"He's endorsing many candidates in videos and letters which have been co-ordinated by the campaign.

"I know that will make a difference. And of course, every week he's making the case in his column and making sure everyone understands that what a Labour government would do to this country and why it's important everyone votes Conservative.

"I'm glad he's doing that."

We've just been hearing from Sir Keir Starmer, who is in Basingstoke today as Labour continue their week of campaigning focused on the economy.

First, he is asked about the issue of illegal immigration, which the Labour leader says is a "real test of government".

Sir Keir says: "We have to stop this vile trade of the gangs that are putting vulnerable people into boats to cross that Channel.

"The only way to stop that is to smash those gangs, and that is why we will set up our Border Security Command. This will be a new command, with new powers."

But what about beer, Sir Keir?

He is then asked whether Labour would continue a freeze on beer duty.

Sir Keir says this is part of Labour's "package" to support hospitality.

He adds: "It is part of the challenge for small businesses, whether it's hospitality, whether it's retail… and that's why I'm really pleased today to be unveiling our plan for supporting small businesses."

It's 12.30pm and time for your lunchtime rundown.

But first, an important reminder that today is the deadline to register to vote. We have put together a handy guide if you still need to sort it out and make sure you can go to the polls on 4 July - find it here.

Now let us get you up to speed today's election news…

• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives are in north Devon, after they accused the Labour leader of having a "secret plan" to abolish inheritance tax relief for farmers;
  
• And, in an interview, the prime minister accused Sir Keir Starmer of trying to "entrench his power" by lowering the voting age to 16;
• Meanwhile, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been urged to "set the record straight" on whether he agrees with Liz Truss's economic policy;
• It comes after a recording appeared to capture Mr Hunt saying the former prime minister's economic plans - which sunk the British economy - were "a good thing to aim for";
• And Boris Johnson has been drafted in by the Conservatives to help counter the growing threat from Reform UK, reports have claimed - but he appears to be doing so from the beach.

• Sir Keir Starmer is in Hampshire, where he and the Labour Party are continuing their week focused on the economy - today, sharing their plan for the British high street;
• Earlier, the Labour leaderrefused to rule out raising council tax for "working people" - and committed to a public inquiry on the Nottingham attacks;
• He also said only parents with children on a special educational needs (SEN) plan will be exempt from paying VAT on private school fees;
• In Scotland, Anas Sarwarhas today launched Scottish Labour's manifesto, with a focus on improving the future for young people in the country;
• He also confirmed that Scottish Labour is against the two-child benefit cap, despite there being no plans to scrap the measure if Labour wins the keys to Downing Street.

• Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is in Eastleigh, where he is discussing sewage - and has claimed that the Tories would "fail in opposition" just as he says they have in government;
• And on a day of special coverage of the migration crisis here on Sky News, an exclusive poll suggests more Britons think immigration has had a negative impact on society than positive.

Here are some other stories you might find interesting:

Stick with us for all the latest throughout the afternoon.

By Tom Cheshire, online campaign correspondent

More people in the UK think immigration has a negative impact on society compared to a positive one, according to a new survey carried out by YouGov exclusively for Sky News.

Across the UK, 43% of people asked thought that immigration has a negative impact on British society, compared to 35% who said it has a positive impact.

While the results varied according to location, only in London and in Scotland were people more likely to say that immigration has a positive impact.

And there were clear divides between age groups: 54% of 18 to 24-year-olds think immigration has a positive effect. But among those aged 65 and up, 58% think the impact of immigration on society is negative.

There was a more mixed view on the economic benefits of immigration, with the results pretty even: 39% of respondents thought immigration has a positive impact on the economy, with 37% saying the impact was negative.

But the poll identified a clear gender split, with only 34% of women saying that immigration has had a positive economic impact, compared with 43% of men.

Respondents also thought that cutting immigration would have a negative impact on the NHS, hospitality, universities and social care, but a positive effect on housing.

The survey also revealed deep political distrust among the public, with 52% saying they think Labour are not telling the truth about what they think on immigration, and 49% saying the same thing about the Conservatives. Every region and demographic distrusted the main two parties on this point.

And people by a large margin believed that governments - from whatever party - could cut immigration if they really wanted but that it would have negative consequences they don't want to face.

Reform UKis the only party people think are telling the truth on immigration: 60% agreed that the party was saying what it genuinely thought.

Nor do people trust the main two parties to follow through on their promises. People thought that immigration would increase under both a Labour and a Conservativegovernment - despite believing that their policies aim to reduce it.

People overwhelmingly think war, poverty, and gangs are mainly responsible for increases in immigration - compared to just 1% who think climate change is the main cause, or 4% who think Brexit is.