Election latest: D-Day blunder hasn't lost election, minister insists; Tories vow to scrap ULEZ expansion (2024)

We've been speaking to Transport Secretary Mark Harper this morning.

Unsurprisingly, he is pushed on the prime minister leaving D-Day events early on Thursday.

He repeats that it was right for Rishi Sunak to apologise for his premature departure from Normandy - and that it was a mistake for him to exit in such a fashion.

Asked if this is the moment the Conservatives have "definitely lost this election", Mr Harper says: "No - I don't agree with that."

Pushed on whether the Conservatives' manifesto launch - expected next week - will save the campaign, Mr Harper says he hopes the document will "help frame the choice for people that we've already set out".

Mr Harper was also asked about the Conservatives' policy announcement today - their pledge to reverse the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London.

He said the expansion was motivated by money and not air quality - adding that parts of outer London had voted against Mr Khan to register their opposition.

Mr Khan won a record third term as mayor in this year's race, beating the Conservatives' Susan Hall by a quarter of a million votes.

ByJennifer Scott, political reporter

The Conservatives have pledged to scrap the controversial expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London if they stay in power after the general election.

The party also promises local referendums on "aggressive" schemes like 20mph zones and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

The Tories said reversingthe policyof London mayor Sadiq Khan would form part of a new "backing drivers bill" that would stop the "war" their rivals had "launched" on motorists.

But Labour accuses their rivals of having an "abysmal record" on drivers.

Read more here:

Good morning!

We're approaching the end of the second full week of the fight for all 650 parliamentary seats - and the keys to Number 10.

Political parties are spreading out across the country to get their message out ahead of polling day on 4 July.

Here's what you need to know:

• The Torieshave pledged to scrap the ULEZ expansion in a "backing drivers bill" if they stay in power. The party also promises local referendums on "aggressive" schemes like 20mph zones and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. They will be campaigning in the North East this morning before heading to Yorkshire in the afternoon.
• Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeveswill be on the campaign trail for Labour in the South East while Sir Keir Starmer will be out in London;
• The D-Day row rumbles on, as a poll finds the majority of Britons think Rishi Sunak's decision to leave commemorations before they ended was unacceptable;
• A snap poll found Nigel Farage came out on top in last night's TV debate between leading figures from the seven main parties - while viewers thought Penny Mourdant would be a better PM than Sunak;

This morning's guests will be:

• Transport secretary Mark Harper joined us at 7.15am;
• Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds at 8.15am;
• SNP leader John Swinney at 11.15am;

Stick with us for all the latest political news throughout the day.

Snap findings from a More in Common poll of more than 1,000 viewers of last night's BBC debate suggest Nigel Farage came out on top.

According to the poll results, the audience is most likely to think Reform UK's leader won, with 25% picking him.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner comes in second with 19%.

Just 7% thought Tory Penny Mordaunt won, but 32% believe she'd be a better prime minister than Rishi Sunak - with 12% picking him.

Full Results

• Nigel Farage - 25%
• Angela Rayner - 19%
• None of the above - 14%
• Carla Denyer - 11%
• Stephen Flynn - 10%
• Penny Mordaunt - 7%
• Daisy Cooper - 5%
• Rhun ap Iowerth - 2%
• Don’t know - 8%

Almost half (47%) of 2019 Tory voters watching the debate thought that Mr Farage won the debate, while Ms Rayner leads among 2019 Labour and Lib Dem voters who tuned in.

The poll also shows viewers are most likely to think the SNP's Stephen Flynn (net +31), the Green Party's Carla Denyer (net +31) and the Lib Dem's Daisy Cooper (+30) did well in the debate.

Reform's original candidate for Clacton will stand as an independent against Nigel Farage in the upcoming general election.

Anthony Mack quit Reform after he was replaced by Mr Farage earlier this week to vie for the seat in Essex.

But that hasn't stopped him from trying to win there.

Mr Mack is expected to hold a press conference later today.

Olympic athletes, top musicians and an ex-soap actor are among those standing to become members of parliament at the general election.

The deadline for candidates to submit their nominations passed earlier today.

Notable names on the list include:

• Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, Labour, Mid Sussex
• Double Olympic gold medal rower James Cracknell, Conservative, Colchester
• Rock star Tom Gray from the band Gomez, Labour, Brighton Pavilion
• Former Coronation Street actor Marc Anwar, independent, Bury North
• Gogglebox'sJosh Tapper, Labour, Hertfordshire
• Olympian Marc Jenkins, Conservative, Gower

Count Binface has announced he will stand against Rishi Sunak in his Richmond and Northallerton constituency.

Speaking on his podcast, Trash Talk, Binface said it would be like "Fury vs Usyk times a billion" in the July 4 election.

"That's right, I am here right now in Richmond and Northallerton and I can announce that I will be taking on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in electoral combat on July 4.

"You shirked D-Day Rishi, you can't miss the B-Day.

"That's right. Binface vs Sunak is going to be Fury vs Usyk times a billion. Bring it on."

Binface recently came 11th in the London Mayoral Elections, where he earned 24,260 votes.

It was reported last weekend that allies of Penny Mordaunt claimed Downing Street was keeping her "in a box" during the election campaign because Rishi Sunak's team see her as a threat.

Well, after her barnstorming performance in a TV debate against politicians from six opposition parties, the Leader of the Commons is well and truly out of her box now. And she mustn't be put back in it.

Her opening words in this 90-minute showdown were explosive. The prime minister, she declared, had been "completely wrong" to leave the D-day ceremonies in Normandy early. No pulling of punches there.

She said the PM was wrong, not once, not twice, but three times. No wonder Number 10 see her as a threat. If this was an audition for a leadership bid after the election, her friends will claim she passed with flying colours.

But once she'd dug her black stilettos out of the PM's back with her opening remarks, after that she was relentlessly on message in hammering Labour on its policies on tax, immigration and crime.

She was at her most combative on the Tories' controversial allegation – first made by Rishi Sunak in his TV debate with Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday – that Labour is planning a £2,000 tax grab if it wins the election.

This attack triggered the most heated clash of the whole debate, when Mordaunt traded blows with Labour's Angela Rayner on tax. It was a shouting match that went on long after presenter Mishal Husain attempted – but failed - to stop them.

It was all the more heated because the pair were standing next to each other at the end of the row of seven leading politicians, including Nigel Farage, the Lib Dems' Daisy Cooper and the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.

For the rest of the debate, Rayner was slightly subdued, rather like Sir Keir had been against the PM on Tuesday. Rayner didn't even attack Sunak about D-day at the start. Nor did Daisy Cooper. Like Sir Keir, his deputy needs to raise her game.

Besides Mordaunt, on D-day Farage claimed Sunak had been unpatriotic and Flynn accused the PM of putting his own political career before public service and Normandy war veterans. Strong stuff.

Mordaunt also tore into Rayner over her previous voting record against renewing Trident. And the brightness of Rayner's red dress wasn't matched by a bright performance in the debate, although she improved as the debate went on. Mordaunt, incidentally, wore Thatcher blue. Remind you of anyone?

Throughout the debate, Farage was typically impish. His quips included claiming Starmer was "very dull" and "Blair without the flair". The PM, he joked, was "slippery Sunak". Yes, he's used those jibes before, but the audience enjoyed them.

Stephen Flynn had his good moments, most notably when he condemned Brexit, an attack on the Conservatives and Labour that the audience enjoyed.

But this debate was about Penny Mordaunt. It was her show, despite the large cast list. If she has been kept in a box by Number 10 up to now, the PM's allies will have been delighted on her attacks on Angela Rayner and Labour's policies.

But they won't have appreciated her blunt – and completely unprompted criticism – of the prime minister over the big story of the day, his D-day snub.

It was a story about a blunder of the PM's own making. It wasn't a gaffe, or an accident. It was sheer bad planning, terrible political judgment, embarrassing and highly damaging to Sunak and the Tory election campaign.

That, apparently was, Penny Mordaunt's view. And she said so. Number 10 won't be happy. A threat? You bet.

Foreign Secretary Lord DavidCameronhas been the victim of a hoax video call and messages from someone claiming to be the former president of Ukraine.

The government said it was making the incident public to stave off any attempts to manipulate footage of LordCameron.

The Foreign Office said a "number of text messages were exchanged followed by a brief video call between the foreign secretary and someone purporting to be Petro Poroshenko, former president of Ukraine".

Mr Poroshenko served as Ukrainian president between 2014 and 2019, and has remained a prominent figure in the country since leaving office.

"Whilst the video call clearly appeared to be with Mr Poroshenko, following the conversation the foreign secretary became suspicious," the Foreign Office said, adding contact details for other people were requested by the caller.

"Whilst regretting his mistake, the foreign secretary thinks it important to call out this behaviour and increase efforts to counter the use of misinformation."

Politicians have received repeated warnings in recent months about the growing threat of misinformation and disinformation, especially as artificial intelligence technology improves.

The prime minister is not the only one whose feet are being held to the fire over D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations.

Northern Ireland's first minister has been criticised for not attending, with only the deputy going instead.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said it had been an opportunity for Michelle O'Neill to act as a first minister for all.

"With men from across the island being remembered, I am disappointed that the deputy first minister was alone in Normandy and the other half of the joint office was absent.

"When we consider how so many from this island have only been able to openly remember their grandparents' war efforts in recent years, this was a missed opportunity for leadership and reconciliation."

He continued: "The first minister should recognise it was a mistake."

Mr Robinson also accused Rishi Sunak of undermining "the authenticity of the speech" he made at the British Normandy Memorial by departing early.

A spokesperson for the Executive Office said: "The Executive Office [TEO] receives many invitations and endeavours to attend as many events as possible.

"TEO is represented by the first minister, deputy first minister and junior ministers.

"This week, TEO was represented at events including the D-Day commemorations; business awards and the Your Time to Shine female leaders celebration event."