Nigel Farage defends Reform after campaigners filmed using racist slurs - live (2024)

Top Tory taken down on live TV as presenter points out basic economics

Told some people would also thank Ms Truss for that, Ms Keegan replied: "No, well, that's not true. If you look all over the world, Liz Truss was nothing to do with other countries where the inflation rate went up in exactly the same way. So, you have to be honest and you have to understand economics as well.

"The energy spike - which caused a huge spike in inflation - has now very quickly, probably a year ahead of schedule, (gone) down to 2%, which is normal, and that's a year ahead of schedule, and I think that's a lot to do with the restraint that we've shown in terms of spending."

Top Tory Gillian Keegan taken down on live TV as presenter points out basic economics

Angela Rayner vows to 'crush the bikes' to end nuisance of illegal motorbikes

Angela Rayner has vowed to "crush the bikes" - saying Labour would crack down on illegal off-road dirt bikes and quad bikes that cause misery for families.

Speaking at an event near Glasgow alongside Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar, Ms Rayner promised illegal motorbikes would be "within 48 hours crushed, under a Labour government."

Labour's Scottish and UK battle buses met up for the first time during the campaign, at a rally in the car park of Hamilton Academical FC's ground. They took the stage to Taylor Swift's "Change" - a favourite of Keir Starmer which has become the unofficial anthem of the campaign.

"These off road bikes that shouldn't be on the road," Ms Rayner said. "And I saw this in my own constituency, where I had a young 17 year old lad that was on one of these bikes, and it crashed into a wall. The bike landed on his head and not life changing injuries to himself ." She said the bikes also create a "huge amount of anti-social behaviour."

Under current rules, police can't destroy seized bikes - instead auctioning them off. They often find their way back into the hands of the original owners.

Angela Rayner vows to 'crush the bikes' to end nuisance of illegal motorbikes

Channel 4 rejects Nigel Farage's claim Reform UK racist was 'set up'

Channel 4 has rejected a claim by Nigel Farage that its undercover footage of a Reform UK canvasser using racist language was a "set up".

Party leader Mr Farage alleged on ITV's Loose Women that their exposé was "a complete and total set-up". He suggested Andrew Parker, who was filmed by Channel 4 on the campaign trail in Clacton, was being paid as an actor.

But the broadcaster has rejected the claim and said it strongly stands by its "rigorous and duly impartial journalism". It denied paying Mr Parker or anyone else during its investigation. Mr Parker has also denied he was a "paid actor" set up to make Reform UK look bad. He confirmed to GB News that he is primarily a property developer and he does a small amount of acting on the side.

It comes as Rishi Sunak said he is "hurt and angry" about a Reform UK canvasser using a racial slur against him and said Mr Farage "has some questions to answer". On a campaign visit to a school in Teesside, Mr Sunak told broadcasters: "My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign to Nigel Farage calling me an effing p***."

Channel 4 rejects Nigel Farage's claim Reform UK racist was 'set up'

Almost half of private renters 'just one paycheck away from losing home'

Almost half of private renters are just one paycheck away from losing their home, according to new polling.

The survey shows that 45% of tenants would only be able to afford their rent from savings for up to a month if they lost their job. But of those people 28% say their savings would not cover their bills at all.

The figures from the housing charity Shelter by YouGov come as private renters face sky-rocketing rents. Research earlier this year found that average rents could surge by 13% over the next three years - piling even more pressure on cash-strapped renters.

The poll also finds that almost seven in 10 private renters are struggling or falling behind on rent payments.

Nigel Farage claims race row activist was 'set up' actor doing 'rough speaking'

After Rishi Sunak said that the offensive comments by the Reform canvasser in Clacton about him had "hurt", Nigel Farage has suggested the incident was a 'set up'.

Claiming that Andrew Parker was an actor who had been doing 'rough speaking' when he was filmed making offensive comments, Farage told the Loose Women panel: "I saw the footage last night, I thought 'no-one speaks like that'. It was just invective after invective, 'we're going to turn mosques into Wetherspoons' - it all seemed a bit over the top.

"So, someone told us he was an actor. We rang him this morning, the Daily Telegraph rang him this morning, he denied point blank that he was an actor. It turns out he is an actor.

"He's a well-spoken actor who does something called 'rough speaking'. Well I was in the office when he arrived last Saturday, he was doing rough speaking. It was an act right from the very start.

"I was working and he came in, he came up to me and said hello, then he went out canvassing when the undercover filming took place. He was rough speaking, he wasn't being himself from day one. I have to tell you, this thing is complete and utter set-up, of that I have no doubt whatsoever."

hom*ophobic comments were 'drunk and vulgar'

Farage has also addressed comments by Reform aide George Jones, who has been accused of hom*ophobia after being filmed saying that the LGBT Pride flag was promoting "nonces".

He told the Loose Women panel that his colleague's words were "drunk and vulgar".

Nigel Farage tells Loose Women that race row campaigner is a 'set up'

Nigel Farage has told the ITV Loose Women panel that he believes that there is "something wrong" about the footage involving Reform canvasser Andrew Parker.

The leader described him as an "actor" and said the incident was "a set up".

He said: "This whole thing is a complete and total set-up. Of this I have no doubt whatsoever."

Rishi Sunak 'hurt and angry' over racial slur by Reform UK canvasser

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said a racial slur against him by a Reform UK canvasser "hurts and it makes me angry", and that party leader Nigel Farage "has some questions to answer".

Rishi Sunak 'hurt and angry' over racial slur by Reform UK canvasser

Reform activists condemned by Labour shadow minister

Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth condemned the racist comments Reform UK activists were caught making on camera.

Reform activist in race row says comments were 'down the pub talk'

Tories saddle Gurkhas with thousands of pounds of fees so families can live here

The Tories stand accused of saddling Gurkha veterans with thousands of pounds of costs so their families can live in the UK.

Labour is promising to get rid of visa fees for foreign nationals who have served four years or more in the armed forces, as well as their spouses and children. It means that overseas personnel who wish to settle in the UK after being in the British military will no longer have to pay the fee of £2,885 for indefinite leave.

The Tories have waived fees for veterans who have served for six years, but they remain in place for their dependents. It means someone with a wife and two children who served for five years would have to pay £11,540.

In 2021, the Conservatives voted down a cross-party amendment, backed by service charities such as the Royal British Legion, to scrap visa fees for Commonwealth and Gurkha veterans who’ve served more than five years and their families.

Tories saddle Gurkhas with thousands of pounds of fees so families can live here

Single mum makes impassioned 'Tony Blair' plea to Keir Starmer live on air

A single mum has urged Keir Starmer to "do what Tony Blair did" for working people and give her teenage son "a good life" in an impassioned on air plea.

Jennifer, from Great Barr in Birmingham, rang in to Nicky Campbell's BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in show this morning as the Labour leader took questions live from members of the public just seven days before the General Election. She began the call by telling him of her struggles in trying to buy her home from her housing association, which she wanted to have in the family so that her 18-year-old son would "not repeat" the pattern that first saw her end up in social housing.

She explained: "I've lived in a housing association property for 17 years, and I've worked really hard to progress in employment. I'm a single parent with one child, and I wanted to acquire my housing association property because I get a really good discount, which means I'd be able to afford the mortgage repayments and own this home that I live in." But she said she was told she can't buy the property "because it was built before 1997 and it doesn't fit the criteria", leaving her stuck.

Single mum makes impassioned 'Tony Blair' plea to Keir Starmer live on air

Boris Johnson made £1,000 general election bet 'but failed to pay up'

Boris Johnson made a £1,000 bet on the 2010 general election result – but has been accused of failing to stump up the cash after he lost.

Respected former Telegraph editor Sir Max Hastings last night told how he sent the ex-PM an undated cheque after they made the wager - with the latter backing a Tory majority. But Mr Johnson cashed it before the poll had even happened and Sir Max says the politician did not pay his loss when David Cameron's Conservatives fell short of outright victory.

Sir Max told the Mirror: “I was the one who made a fool of myself in this episode, by entrusting Boris Johnson with a chance to secure £1,000 of my money, and also expecting him to pay if he lost the bet, which everybody who knew him warned me that he would not.”

As the election betting scandal unfolds, we have unearthed comments in which Mr Johnson admitted staking the huge sum on a Tory majority. Westminster has been gripped by claims of betting on the date of this year’s General Election.

Boris Johnson made £1,000 general election bet 'but failed to pay up'

Gillian Keegan claims that Liz Truss disaster mini-budget 'did not fuel inflation'

Told some people would thank Ms Truss for that, Ms Keegan replied: "No, well, that's not true.

"If you look all over the world, Liz Truss was nothing to do with other countries where the inflation rate went up in exactly the same way.

"So, you have to be honest and you have to understand economics as well.

"The energy spike - which caused a huge spike in inflation - has now very quickly, probably a year ahead of schedule, (gone) down to 2%, which is normal, and that's a year ahead of schedule, and I think that's a lot to do with the restraint that we've shown in terms of spending."

Rishi's 'mega-mortgages' shop appears in south London

A new shop front has appeared in south London this morning advertising Rishi Sunak's "mega-mortgages".

The campaign stunt, set up by Labour, is accompanied with the tagline "Every deal will leave you worse off!", and highlights how mortgage payments could soar by by £4,800 under the Tories' spending plans.

Spotted in South London pic.twitter.com/HHkERngMIw

— Lizzy Buchan (@LizzyBuchan) June 28, 2024

Hospital ceilings collapse causing seriously-ill patients to flee

Devastating photos have revealed the scale of crisis at an NHS hospital where patients were evacuated after its ceilings collapsed.

The Tories have been accused of neglecting Stepping Hill Hospital in Greater Manchester which has suffered leaks, heating failures and crumbling buildings. The Mirror has now seen images of a flooded corridor and an intensive care unit that reveal just how broken the UK's national health service is.

NHS in crisis: Hospital ceilings collapse causing seriously-ill patients to flee

Carol Vorderman calls for tactical voting to reduce Tories to 'rubble'

Carol Vorderman has urged voters to turn the Tories to "rubble" and knock them into third place.

The TV star turned campaigner said of the Conservative Party : "They just lie and lie and gaslight." She called on Brits to vote tactically and punish the Government for economic failure, PPE profiteering and Partygate.

The presenter said she hopes Keir Starmer is "ruthless" if he becomes PM. Carol is a key backer of the stopthetories.vote campaign, which wants to inflict the heaviest losses possible on Rishi Sunak and co.

She said: “It’s not just tactical voting. It is coordinated tactical voting... This is a statistical way of co-ordinated tactical voting in order to reduce them to rubble.”

The Countdown legend went on: “I would like them to go under the Lib Dems.” Asked why she's so hostile to the Tories, Carol, 63, said: “Because of the last 14 years and the lies, particularly since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister.”

Carol Vorderman calls for tactical voting to reduce Tories to 'rubble'

Labour will 'protect nature and countryside'

In a phone-in on BBC 5 Live, Keir Starmer said Labour's plans to build new 1.5 million houses will "protect nature and the countryside".

He described the current Green Belt system as a "wild west", with developers already allowed to build in certain areas.

Keir Starmer outlines plans to fix NHS

He was asked by a caller on a BBC 5 Live phone-in how he would fix the health service "without throwing endless money at it".

The Labour leader said he is "very proud" that his party set up the NHS but stressed it was now important to make sure it worked for the "next 75 years".

This would inlcude reforms which would "change the model of the NHS to a preventative model".

Mr Starmer also highlighted measures to reduce waiting lists by 40,000 per week and fix the "8am scramble for GPs".

Farage has 'no answers' for country, says Keir Starmer

Nigel Farage has "rhetoric" but no answers to the big questions facing the country, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader told BBC Breakfast: "Of course he is having an impact, we can see in the polls... some of the result, but what he doesn't have is the answers to the huge challenges we are facing as a country, both in the UK itself and of course globally where there's probably more tension and conflict than there's been in very recent years.

"He doesn't have answers to the big questions. He's got rhetoric, for sure, but he doesn't have answers to the question.

"And I've always approached politics on the basis that politics should be about service, it should be about taking your country forward and therefore you have an obligation to understand what are the challenges, what are the ways in which we meet those challenges and put in place a viable plan to take our country forward."

Question Time audience applauds mum after comment linking Tories to her toddler

A BBC Question Time audience member was applauded after savaging the Tories' behaviour amid the deepening betting scandal.

Jasmine said politicians were behaving in ways she "wouldn't accept from my three-year-old child", and was clapped after directly asking the Conservative minister on the panel whether his party can "conduct yourself appropriately". Speaking to politicians from different parties, she asked: "With the recent gambling scandal, infighting and general bad behaviour that I wouldn't accept from my three-year-old child. Why should we vote for any of you?"

Foreign Minister Andrew Mitchell said: "Well, I greatly regret what we have heard about this betting scandal in the last week, but you should vote because there are real differences between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, and indeed the other parties as well."

Question Time audience applauds mum after comment linking Tories to her toddler

Question Time falls silent as man shares story about pal stabbed to death

The audience of BBC's Question Time fell silent as a man welled up to talk about his friend who was recently stabbed to death.

Audience member Steven asked the panel: "Just three weeks ago in my home town of Nuneaton my friend was stabbed and killed outside a shopping centre.

"A 16-year-old has been arrested and charged. You all say you're going to increase police presence to try and tackle anti-social behaviour and knife crime but what else are you going to do about it."

The friend Steven was referring to was Tom Ellis, a 25-year-old "keen sportsman" who was fatally knifed outside the Ropewalk shopping centre in Nuneaton, Warwickshire on June 8.

Question Time falls silent as man shares story about pal stabbed to death

Questions over who is joining Reform, says Keir Starmer

"You have to ask the question why so many people who supporting Reform are being exposed in this way", he said on BBC Breakfast.

Keir Starmer says he's 'shocked' by Reform UK comments

The Labour leader described the comments from Reform party campaigners as "clearly racist" and said it was a "question of leadership" for Nigel Farage.

He told BBC Breakfast: "I'm shocked by what I heard in the report, clearly racist."

We will fix asylum system, says Keir Starmer

He told BBC Breakfast that the asylum system was "absurdly broken" under the Tory government and said "tens of thousands" of claims have gone unprocessed.

Keir Starmer says 'every plan will be fully costed'

He told BBC Breakfast that "every plan" under a Labour government will be "fully costed", and described economic growth as his "number one mission".

No plans to ban social media for under 16s, says Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer has told Good Morning Britain that he has no plans to ban social media for children under the age of 16 should Labour be elected on July 4.

Dossier lays bare £40billion cost of Tory 'waste, sleaze and chaos'

The £40billion price tag of five years of Tory chaos and "waste" is laid bare today in a damning dossier.

Taxpayers' money was squandered on useless PPE, cancelled deportation flights, the churn of ministers - and even a top Tory's libel bill. Compiled by Labour, it includes 118 examples of the Conservatives' "waste, sleaze and chaos" since 2019 - spanning Rishi Sunak's time at the Treasury and in No10.

The dossier claims over £16billion was spent on PPE that was "never fit for use" and the "mismanagement" of procurement during the Covid crisis. Earlier this week it was reported a massive £1.4billion worth of PPE had been destroyed or written off from a single deal - the most wasteful deal of the pandemic.

Other examples picked out by Labour include Cabinet Minister Michelle Donelan’s £34,000 libel case fees after she falsely accused an academic of supporting Hamas. The sum included a £15,000 damages pay-out, plus an additional £19,000 in costs.

Dossier lays bare £40billion cost of Tory 'waste, sleaze and chaos'

Campaigner for Nigel Farage says migrants should be shot in undercover footage

A canvasser on Nigel Farage's campaign has been filmed saying people who arrive by small boat should be shot and using racist language about Rishi Sunak.

Undercover footage recorded by Channel 4 News shows Reform UK activist Andrew Parker saying the party should “kick Muslims out of mosques and turn them into Wetherspoons ”. He also said that army recruits should use asylum seekers crossing the Channel as "target practice".

Mr Farage said he is "dismayed" by the comments, and said Mr Parker will no longer be working on his campaign in Clacton, Essex.

Describing how he'd deal with people coming by small boats, Mr Parker told an investigator: "Get the young (Army) recruits there, yeah, with guns on the f****** beach, target practice. F****** just shoot them."

And the footage also shows him encouraging a paramedic to deny oxygen to patients if they are “any of that f****** lot”. He described Islam as a "cult".

Campaigner for Nigel Farage says migrants should be shot in undercover footage

Reform canvasser says Farage was 'not aware' of his views

In Clacton-on-sea, canvasser Andrew Parker was recorded saying army recruits should use migrants arriving by small boats in Kent as "target practice", as well as using a racial slur against the Prime Minister and labelling Islam a "disgusting cult".