Billionaire donor endorses Labour for first time in 'despair' at Tories

A billionaire donor who backed Boris Johnson at the last election said he will be voting for Labour next month because the Tories' record has left him in "despair".

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'We need to have an adult conversation about migration'

More people in the UK think immigration has a negative impact on society than a positive one, according to a YouGov survey for Sky News.

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Nigel Farage wants to destroy the Conservatives - and his election ‘contract’ is the start – analysis by Christopher Hope

What's Nigel Farage up to? The Reform UK party leader launched his 'Contract with You' policy document in a deprived part of Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales today.

Farage himself said that it was aimed at disaffected Labour supporters - but its main target is surely disgruntled Conservative supporters.

Many of the policies are pure Conservative Viagra, a Tory manifesto on steroids. Take 30,000 more full-time members of the Armed Forces. Or frontloading benefit payments to let parents stay at home in the early years.

Or pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights. Or taxing companies which rely on immigrant labour. Or rewriting -history lessons at school so children are taught about other countries' imperial and slave-trading past.

All of this would be paid for through £150billion worth of savings including the immigration tax (£4billion), benefits crackdown (£15billion), cut foreign aid (£6billion) and scrapping net zero targets (£30billion).

The Institute for Fiscal Studies was sniffy about whether these savings were realistic. While Cabinet Minister Michael Gove dismissed Farage as "not someone who can govern this country".

None of this bothered Farage though, in fact, he was probably expecting it. This was never meant to be a programme for government, but a cri de coeur aimed squarely at the Tory Right.

No wonder one headline on the Telegraph's website tonight said simply it was "the Conservative manifesto that never was".

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So what's next? Farage made clear his plan is to win a "beachhead" of seats in the House of Commons and build a mass movement over the next five years. And then what?

Farage refused to say he would not join the Tories (he told me it was "extremely unlikely"). But he didn't rule out trying to persuade any right-wing Conservatives who survive what the polls suggest would be a Tory Armageddon on July 4.

"I don't think the Conservative Party will reform itself," he told me. "There are people in there that are friends of mine, who I'm close to, I very much hope they come and join me….Suella and people like Jacob [Rees-Mogg], they're in the wrong party."

So there we have it. Farage and his chairman Richard Tice baited their hook. How many Conservatives will bite? And will it be enough to destroy the Tory party as we know it?

That, without question, is Farage's ultimate goal. His Contract published today is his first attempt at making it happen.

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Nigel Farage: Extremely unlikely that I will join the Conservatives

REFORM UK leader Nigel Farage has said it is “extremely unlikely” that he will join the Conservative Party.

Asked if his aim was to take over the party, he told GB News’ Political Editor Christopher Hope: “There isn’t a Tory Party.

“There isn’t one. Suella Braverman wants to marry me politically, and David Cameron says you shouldn’t go near me, and Michael Heseltine thinks I’m Oswald Mosley - what Tory Party? I think it’s extremely unlikely.

“My ambition is for this party to establish a beachhead right into Parliament and to use that to build a mass movement over the course of the next five years.

“I don't think the Conservative Party will reform itself. There are people in there that are friends of mine, who I'm close to, I very much hope they come and join me….Suella and people like Jacob [Rees-Mogg], they're in the wrong party.”

He was asked for his response to the Institute of Fiscal Studies’ reaction to Reform UK’s manifesto, which said its sums “do not add up”.

Farage said: “And they've said that about the Labour manifesto, as well as the Conservative manifesto.

“This will be very difficult, for any established or establishment group, this is going to be difficult and I’ll tell you why.

“This is radical…Liz Truss didn't propose spending cuts. Here, we’re proposing enormous spending cuts to fund what we believe is going to be a huge boost to the economy.

“And huge emphases in here, by the way, on things like small business - five and a half million men and women out there running their own businesses, they hate government because no one's on their side.

“I think the most radical thing in here, I think the most exciting thing in here, and you mark my words, this will be popular within two or three years with everybody, is we have to lift the threshold at which people start paying tax from £12,500 to £20,000.

“Why? Make work pay. Those people trapped on benefits can suddenly go to work and genuinely be better off...

“So, number one, you get people off benefits and going back to work. Number two, those on low incomes will actually be better off, genuinely better off, and number three, you reduce the need for masses of unskilled migration.”

On stopping small boats crossing the Channel, he said: “Leave the ECHR, establish a law that says that no one who comes by this route will ever be given refugee status, and then, if you have to, pick them up and take them back for their own safety.”

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Do the figures in Reform UK's 'manifesto' add up?

The Reform manifesto, or "contract" as they're calling it, is a strange document.

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POLL OF THE DAY: Are Reform UK the new opposition in Britain? - VOTE NOW

A recent poll put Reform above the Conservatives for the first time.

A YouGov survey saw Reform's increase by two points to 19 per cent. The Tories remained unchanged on 18 per cent.

The polling was conducted after the Conservative Party published its manifesto on Tuesday.

The Midlands and the North are the areas where Reform are striding ahead of the Tories.

In the Midlands it's 24 per cent compared to 19, while in the North it's 21 compared to 19.

As a result, Farage said in an ITV election event on Thursday evening: "Just before we came on air, we overtook the Conservatives in national opinion polls. We are now the opposition to Labour."

Despite these findings, the Reform leader hit out at the BBC for not including him in a leadership debate, which instead will feature the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the SNP.

Addressing the snub at a press conference, Farage declared that Reform are the "opposition to Labour" and demanded that the BBC "put us in the debate".

Offering a direct challenge to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Farage added: "I would also very much like to do a debate head to head with Keir Starmer.

"And the reason is very simple. We think that this should be the immigration election."

With that in mind, are Reform UK the new opposition in Britain? Have your say.

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Two-child cap to hit extra 670,000 children in next five years, thinktank warns

An extra 250,000 children will be hit by the two-child benefit cap next year, rising to an extra half a million by 2029, a leading thinktank has warned.

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Reform candidate resigns over 'unacceptable historic social media comments'

The Reform Party has accepted the resignation of one of its election candidates after "unacceptable historic social media comments" came to light.

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Nigel Farage to launch 'contract with the people' in Wales following poll boosts

Nigel Farage will kick off Reform UK's policies in South Wales on Monday, where he is poised to put pressure on the Tories over immigration and tax.

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How much would a Labour government change football?

Politics can shape the future of football at the best of times, but after the past five years it's arguably as important as ever to gauge how Westminster will approach the national sport.

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Starmer may echo Blair by getting Labour across the finish line but a heavy burden awaits him there | Adam Boulton

There are still two and a half weeks to go.

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Tories heading for 'warfare', Farage predicts, as ex-Cabinet minister pleads with voters to 'unite the right'

Nigel Farage has predicted the Tories will soon descend into "warfare" as a former Conservative minister warned voters about a "Labour elective dictatorship" if they voted for Reform.

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Fresh poll predicts Tories will win just 72 seats in next parliament

Two polls published today spell bad news for Rishi Sunak, with one showing a drop of four points and the other that his party is on course to pick up just 72 seats.

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Tory donations top £570,000 in first week of election campaign - down from £5.7m in 2019

The Conservatives have raised just 10% of the donations they managed to collect in 2019 under Boris Johnson in the first week of the election campaign.

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Parliamentary watchdog 'satisfied' Douglas Ross didn't break expenses rules

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is "satisfied" Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has not broken expenses rules, a statement said on Friday.

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Majority of Sky News Voters Panel still undecided despite manifesto launches

Manifestos have failed to make up the minds of the majority of the Sky News YouGov Voters Panel.

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Joe Biden ‘spitting in the face of the black community’ with latest bizarre moment, says Brandon Tatum

Political Commentator Brandon Tatum has accused US President Joe Biden of "spitting in the face" of the American black community, following his most recent gaffe at The White House.

The 81-year-old Potus appeared to freeze at the annual Juneteenth concert event at his residency, where the large crowds were enjoying a live music set.

Biden was noticeably still during the event, but Vice President Kamala Harris was seen actively dancing next to him.

Brother of the late George Floyd, Philonise, offered the President a helping hand as he was seen wrapping an arm around him during the incident.

Reacting to Biden's behaviour at the event, Tatum scolded the US leader and claimed the President is "circling the drain" when it comes to his "mental health and physical ability".

Tatum told GBNA host Patrick Christys: "It's shameful, because what they're doing is they're pandering Joe Biden in front of the black community.

"He's at an event of gospel music, which black people celebrate to no end, and he's stiff as an ironing board."

Slamming the President apparent decline in his physical and mental health, Tatum added: "He's off beat, he's stiff, he's drinking some concoction that nobody knows what it is during the celebration.

"He's not clapping, he's not singing, he don't have an idea about any of the songs - they should not have him there."

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When asked by Patrick if Biden's actions at the event are being perceived as "offensive" to the black community in America, Tatum agreed, and lambasted the President's behaviour.

Tatum raged: "It's absolutely ridiculous, it's spitting in the face of the black community. Don't bring a man to a gospel music event when the man doesn't know the words. He can't even clap on beat. He looked like he's halfway asleep.

"Don't disrespect the gospel singer, the performer. Don't disrespect the culture in the tradition with a guy who don't know where he's at. If anything, he should have been sitting at home Skyping in or something and waving to the crowd and saying, hey, I wish I could be there, but I have no idea what's going on at this event and I just look like a clown."

Patrick shared his thoughts on Biden's latest mishap and argued that Biden being made to attend such events is "elder abuse" and there's "a duty of care for this man and that actually isn't being delivered".

Noting the upcoming leadership election in November between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Tatum claimed that Trump is "winning the black vote" by "siphoning away a lot of the black vote from Joe Biden".

Tatum explained: "Biden has been a corrupt politician for 40 years. They get out every election season to say what they're going to do for America, but they've been in there forever and they've done nothing.

"And Joe Biden is ruining our country by with open borders - the economy is going to cr*p. He's half dead everywhere he's going.

"He's a terrible example of America. He shows up on D-Day and falls asleep. There's wars all around the world because America is lacking the visibility of strength and also the manifestation of strength."

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'Suspicious package' found at Tory MP's office as bomb disposal units rush to scene

A bomb disposal unit has attended the office of Tory candidate Jeremy Quin in West Sussex after a "suspicious package" was found.

Pictures show emergency services surrounding the Horsham Conservative Association this afternoon.

A witness told GB News that two homes near the office have been evacuated.

Sussex Police, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and a bomb disposal unit have been spotted at the scene.

A police cordon has been erected outside of Quin's office at Gough House, Madeira Avenue.

A Horsham police spokesperson said: "We are currently at responding to a report of a suspicious package at a premises in Madeira Avenue, Horsham, received at about 2.40pm this afternoon.

"Police and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team are currently at the scene.

"If anyone in the area has concerns, they can speak to an officer at the scene, or call 101.

"Further updates will be provided in due course."

One witness told GB News that a police officer refused to comment on the specifics of the incident.

The officer told the witness: "The big truck [bomb disposal unit vehicle] and the sign on it should be a subtle giveaway."

It comes just two days after Reform UK candidate, Nigel Farage was attacked with objects while on a campaign bus.

South Yorkshire Police have since arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of public order offences.

It’s not the first time this campaign Farage has been subject to objects being hurled at him.

A milkshake was pelted at him as he launched his election campaign in Clacton earlier this month.

A woman was later charged with assault.

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