Rishi Sunak has promised to reduce immigration as he unveiled a new visa cap pledge, while Sir Keir Starmer vowed that Labour’s proposed GB Energy company would “close the door” on Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Both Labour and the Tories made their latest election announcements late on Monday night, after a major YouGov poll suggested Sir Keir was on course to win more seats than Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory – and the largest parliamentary majority in 100 years.
Hours after Nigel Farage announced his intention to stand as Reform UK’s candidate in Clacton, in a major blow to the Conservatives, Mr Sunak unveiled a pledge – long called for by Tory hardliners – to set an annual cap on visas, voted for by parliament.
And Sir Keir accused the Tories of leaving the nation exposed by failing on energy security, as he insisted Labour’s plan to set up GB Energy – a publicly owned clean energy company – would help to protect the UK from spikes in the price of fuel like those that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Here is the latest from Monday night
Last night the Conservative chairman Richard Holden abandoned an attempt to be selected for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich and instead headed to the Essex seaside village of Frinton in the Clacton constituency, David Maddox reports.
Mr Holden met Tory MP Giles Watling in a pub and held court there in what turned into an emergency meeting after Nigel Farage announced yesterday that he will contest the seat.
With two major polls from Yougov (12,000 voters) and Redfield and Wilton (10,000 voters) both suggesting the Tories are on course for the worst defeat in their 346-year history there was much to discuss.
Last night the Tories unveiled a policy to cap legal immigration as a response to Farage and Reform and tonight Rishi Sunak will be hoping that the TV head-to-head debate can turn his party’s fortunes around.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 June 2024 07:20
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Adam Withnall4 June 2024 06:05
Keir Starmer vows to ‘close door on Putin’ with GB Energy
Labour would “close the door on Putin” by reducing Britain’s reliance on fossil fuel from overseas, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he accused the Tories of leaving the nation exposed by failing on energy security, reports Nina Lloyd.
The party leader claimed Rishi Sunak’s “political collapse” on net zero commitments risks leaving the UK “over a barrel” as he linked the green power transition to issues of national security.
On Tuesday, he will say the party’s plan to set up GB Energy – a publicly owned clean energy company – will help to protect the UK from spikes in the price of fuel like those that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Andy Gregory3 June 2024 22:59
Tories vow annual cap on visas in general election pledge to reduce immigration
The Conservative Party has unveiled a new general election pledge to cut immigration by creating a new annual cap on visas – as Rishi Sunak faces an intensified challenge from Nigel Farage’s right-wing party Reform UK.
In a new policy announced hours after Mr Farage stated his intention to stand as the MP for Clacton, the Tories vowed to put a yearly limit on the number of UK visas issued, a move long demanded by Tory hardliners including ex-home secretary Suella Braverman.
You can read more details here:
Andy Gregory3 June 2024 22:58