Boris Johnson news: Tory peer rounds on Conservatives criticising Labour over antisemitism for their own failure to tackle Islamophobia
Follow all the latest developments, as they happened
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Jeremy Corbyn's bid for No 10 suffered a blow from two ex-Labour MPs who urged voters to back Boris Johnson at the ballot box.
Former Labour MP Ian Austin said Mr Corbyn was “unfit” to run the country over his failure to tackle antisemitism - but John McDonnell accused Mr Austin of being “employed by the Tories”.
It comes as Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former co-chair of the Conservatives, said the Tories had “lost the moral high ground” on racism because of the failure to tackle Islamophobia. She warned against “weaponising racism” as a political tool.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the Greens announced they will not oppose each other in 60 seats across England and Wales.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below
Remain parties agree pact in 60 seats across England and Wales
The Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the Greens will not run candidates against each other in 60 seats across England and Wales. Candidates from pro-European Union parties have entered a pact to give voters a single Remain choice in dozens of constituencies at the General Election.
The deal, brokered by the Unite To Remain group, follows an agreement earlier this year in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, where the Lib Dems took the seat from the Conservatives after the other two parties stood aside.
Heidi Allen, chairwoman of Unite To Remain and previously MP for South Cambridgeshire, said the cross-party arrangement is “unprecedented in modern British political history”.
In the Isle of Wight and Brighton Pavilion, the Greens will be given a free run, while in the constituencies of Richmond Park and Cheltenham, the Lib Dems will be unopposed by other Remain-backing parties.
Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said she is “delighted” that an agreement has been reached, claiming it was a “significant moment”, while Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, declared: “The single most important thing in this election is that we return as many pro-Remain MPs back in parliament as possible.”
Tories praise ‘brave’ ex-Labour MP for backing Boris Johnson
Prominent Tories have pounced on Labour’s problems by praising the party’s former MP Ian Austin for his “courage” and “bravery” for encouraging voters to back Boris Johnson instead of Jeremy Corbyn.
Chancellor Sajid Javid called Austin “a brave man”, tweeting: “Ian is Labour to his core, but knows that Jeremy Corbyn is completely unfit to lead.”
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab also wrote about Austin on Twitter, saying the “passionate ex-Labour MP” articulated “the dangers posed by Jeremy Corbyn”.
Former Tory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "As Foreign Secretary I worked with Ian Austin to honour the memory of unsung hero & British intelligence officer Frank Foley who saved the lives of many Jews in WW2.
“Today Ian too has shown great courage in speaking out and I am honoured to know him.”
Sajid Javid attacks ‘comrade Corbyn’s fantasy economics’
Chancellor Sajid Javid has said Labour’s economic plans would put at risk a “decade of recovery” under the Conservatives.
“It’s easy to poke fun at comrade Corbyn and his fantasy economics, but this will be a close election – we cannot take anything for granted.
“Conservatives believe that your money is your money. Labour believes that taxes should be as high as possible and that people should be punished for doing well. Conservatives believe that you ultimately raise more by taxing less.
“Now we can’t let 2020 be the year of the rerun of two referendums. That’s the last thing our economy and our democracy needs.”
The chancellor said the government will borrow more to invest but will “live within our means,” and revealed investment in long-term projects like road and rail would not exceed 3 per cent of GDP.
Javid has said the “fundamentals of the UK economy are strong” and claimed the Conservatives were responsible for “nine years of consecutive growth, rising wages, record employment”.
Chancellor Sajid Javid speaks in Manchester (Getty)
Swinson says Labour ‘refused to engage’ in Remain electoral pact
Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, heading to south-west England for a campaign visit, has been speaking about why Labour “refused to engage” in the Unite to Remain electoral pact.
“Labour, by its own admission, is not a Remain party,” she said. “You have got shadow cabinet members talking about how they would campaign to leave the EU. And Jeremy Corbyn cannot give a straight answer to the question of whether he is Remain or Leave.”
As part of the pact in England and Wales, the Lib Dems will stand in 43 constituencies, the Greens will stand in 10 and Plaid Cymru will stand in seven.
You can take a look at the full list of seats covered by the Unite to Remain agreement here:
Diane Abbott bemoans ‘wall-to-wall’ coverage of Ian Austin’s remarks
After 24 hours of disastrous headlines for the Tories, Diane Abbott isn’t happy about the “air war” is going for Labour today.
The shadow home secretary has complained about the “wall-to-wall coverage” of Labour’s Ian Austin calling for people to vote for Boris Johnson.
“Ken Clarke, 9 years as Secretary of State, including as Chancellor, says he won’t vote for the Conservatives. Silence. Balanced election coverage?”
Earlier in the week, Clarke, who is stepping down as an MP after 49 years, told Channel 4 News he may not vote for the Conservatives if the party pursued a “crazy right-wing nationalist” agenda.
Jeremy Corbyn calls John McDonnell ‘force of nature’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is introducing John McDonnell at a Liverpool venue called the Invisible Wind Factory – and admits he doesn’t known why it’s called the Invisible Wind Factory.
Noting they teach dance there, he quotes Emma Goldman: “If I can’t dance it’s not my revolution.”
Speaking about his close friend McDonnell, Corbyn said: “As close friends do you can argue all the time … John has literally changed the economic debate in this country by force of nature and forge of argument.”
Corbyn thinks he can stand with the great Labour chancellors of the past. McDonnell arrives on stage and says “that’s really nice of you”.
Corbyn and McDonnell arrive in Liverpool (Reuters)
John McDonnell says Tories ‘think people are stupid’
Labour’s shadow chancellor is speaking now in the Liverpool, the city of his birth.
“The Tories are always the same. In the 80s it was dole queues and sky-high inflation. Now it’s zero hours contracts, Universal Credit and foodbanks.
“And if they win again it’ll be more of the same … They treat us all with contempt. They think people are stupid. That with Brexit on the agenda, they think we’ll all forget about the past ten years and the prospect of the next five years if they get back.”
McDonnell outlines his plan to commit to an additional £150bn in a new “social transformation fund” spent over the first five years of our Labour government.
He says it’s there to repair “the social fabric that the Tories have torn apart … £150bn to replace, upgrade and expand our schools, hospitals, care homes and yes - council housing.”
McDonnell addresses Labour supporters in Liverpool (PA)
McDonnell claims power ‘moving away from London’
John McDonnell says he’ll create a new unit at the Treasury for Labour’s “national transformation fund” and confirms it be based in the north.
“At the same time my Treasury ministerial meetings will no longer be solely in London,” he explains. “Labour’s Treasury ministers will meet outside of London and will have a ministerial office in the north.
“The centre of gravity, of political gravity, is shifting away from London. This is where the investment is needed and this is where those decisions on investment need to be made on the ground. Power is coming home. Back to the people.”
He said Labour would borrow prudently over time, and promised the party would cost all spending plans in Labour’s “grey book”. Finishing up, he says: “Solidarity.”
John McDonnell with Jeremy Corbyn (AFP)
Ex-radio host who made ‘keep knickers on’ comments chosen as Tory MP
A former BBC Radio Norfolk presenter who said women should “keep their knickers on” while discussing a high-profile rape case has been chosen as the Conservative candidate for Broadland in Norfolk.
Nick Conrad, 34, was criticised for the comments he made in 2014 during a radio conversation about footballer Ched Evans. The former Sheffield United striker was originally convicted of rape and jailed in 2012 before the conviction was quashed and he was cleared altogether at a retrial in 2016.
Conrad said: “What I’m trying to say is that women also have to understand that when a man’s given certain signals he’ll wish to act upon them and if you don’t wish to give out the wrong signals, it’s best, probably, to keep your knickers on and not get into bed with him. Does that make sense?”
The presenter told the Eastern Daily Press on Wednesday that he was “absolutely delighted” to be selected as Conservative parliamentary candidate for Broadland. He said he had apologised for his comments in 2014 and did so again.
“It’s a very genuine heartfelt apology,” he said. “I completely messed up, I knew I’d got it wrong and it didn’t demonstrate the fact that I know that it’s the most abhorrent crime. I apologise, I learned from it and I moved forward. I think that’s the critical thing.”
Labour MP Jess Phillips shared her thoughts on the matter on Twitter.
McDonnell claims Ian Austin ‘employed by the Tories’
John McDonnell is now answering questions from journalists.
He says Labour’s current economic stands in “the best tradition of British socialism” – and praises previous Labour chancellors Hugh Dalton and Gordon Brown for their ambition to “change the world”.
Asks about the Lib Dem-led, Remainer electoral pact announced today, he insisted: “We’re going to be a majority Labour government – we don’t need any pacts.
“I remember what the Lib Dems did in government … we will never enter into pacts, coalitions or deal like that. Ever.”
And asked about ex-Labour MP Ian Austin’s remarkable comments this morning endorsing Boris Johnson, McDonnell said: “Let me just say about the statements made by a former Labour MP this morning.
“He’s now employed by the Tories. What else do you expect him to do in an election campaign? When you’re employed by the Tories you speak on behalf of the Tories. That’s what this was about.”
Asked about the negative coverage in the Jewish press regarding Labour’s handling of antisemitism, he said: “Of course we’re saddened by it, but actually, we’re doing everything asked of us to address this issue.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies