Advertisement
Election campaigns get under way today with politicians dashing across the country to secure votes for their parties after Rishi Sunak called a vote for July 4.
Mr Sunak is set to embark on a whistle-stop tour of all four nations of the UK, while his rival Keir Starmer heads to the south east for Labour’s first major event in a traditional Conservative heartland.
It comes after the Prime Minister sprung a surprise on the steps of Downing Street last night by triggering a contest in the pouring rain after a day of frenzied speculation that a date had been set.
Follow MailOnline’s live coverage below
Table of Contents
- 1 Labour – Would Rishi remain PM even if Tories win?
- 2 Nigel Farage – I will do my bit but not right time to go further
- 3 Breaking:Nigel Farage – I won’t be standing in general election
- 4 Map: Hotspots for the summer election
- 5 SNP – Scotland welcomes general election
- 6 Poll: Labour’s 25-point lead shows Sunak has mountain to climb
- 7 Greens – Votes for us aren’t ‘wasted’
- 8 Watch: Rishi Sunak on the campaign trail
- 9 Liberal Democrats – We won’t make pacts with other parties
- 10 Timings: What is happening today?
- 11 Breaking:Rwanda flights will take off after election, Sunak concedes
- 12 Labour – Ignore polls and assume nothing about election
- 13 Keir Starmer to kick off Labour’s election campaign in Kent
- 14 Rishi Sunak – Vote for me to deport migrants to Rwanda
- 15 Good morning
Labour – Would Rishi remain PM even if Tories win?
We think the Tories will throw everything at this election. They’ve had 14 years, all they’re offering is five more years of the same as what we’ve had in the last 14, more chaos.
I mean, if the Conservatives were to win, do we even know if Rishi Sunak would remain as prime minister, be subject to one of the bouts of leadership challenges that always takes them over? So we’re not surprised that they will throw personal attacks at Keir Starmer.
Nigel Farage – I will do my bit but not right time to go further
Breaking:Nigel Farage – I won’t be standing in general election
Map: Hotspots for the summer election
SNP – Scotland welcomes general election
Obviously we expected there to be an election sometime during this year but I think all the signals were it was likely to be in the autumn.
But the fact that it’s going to be now, in the next six weeks, is welcome and it gives us the opportunity to take our message to the people of Scotland that Westminster government is giving us austerity, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis and independence would give us the power to take our own decisions like re-joining the EU, ending austerity and supporting those in need and Scotland will only become independent if people vote SNP.
Poll: Labour’s 25-point lead shows Sunak has mountain to climb
Greens – Votes for us aren’t ‘wasted’
I would simply say it’s not a wasted vote if you vote for the party whose policies you agree with, that is how democracy works.
And to be honest, voters are – especially in places like Bristol, my home city – telling us that they are disgusted frankly with the direction that Conservatives have been taking this country in over the last 14 years, but are feeling utterly uninspired by Keir Starmer’s Labour Party who they feel are reneging on their principles, U-turning on their policies every few weeks before they even get into power.
Watch: Rishi Sunak on the campaign trail
Liberal Democrats – We won’t make pacts with other parties
There have never been any pacts and there won’t be any pacts because we don’t need any pacts.
I’m not going to think about anything that happens after 10pm on polling day.
We are completely focused on winning as many votes as possible and beating Conservative MPs right now.
Timings: What is happening today?
Breaking:Rwanda flights will take off after election, Sunak concedes
Labour – Ignore polls and assume nothing about election
Look, I would encourage people to ignore the polls because we start this election with not a single vote being cast, not a seat being won, or lost, and we assume nothing about the outcome.
And the basic choice will be, we can carry on with five more years of what we’ve already had for the past 14, or we can vote for change.
Keir Starmer to kick off Labour’s election campaign in Kent
Rishi Sunak – Vote for me to deport migrants to Rwanda
If you elect me, if I’m Prime Minister on July 5, those flights will go off to Rwanda and we will begin to put in place the deterrent that we need to stop the boats.
Because there is no way to stop this problem unless you can have a deterrent, unless it’s clear that if someone comes to our country illegally they won’t be able to stay and they will be removed.
No, that’s not the real reason.
And when it comes to the economy, of course I know there’s more work to do. I know that people are only just starting to feel the benefits of the changes that we’ve brought.
Good morning