What to expect on the General Election campaign trail on Wednesday
Political cut and thrust will momentarily pause as D-Day commemorations take centre stage.
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Your support makes all the difference.Here is your guide to the main developments in the General Election campaign on Wednesday:
– D-Day takes centre stage
Political cut and thrust will momentarily pause as D-Day commemorations take centre stage on day 14 of the General Election campaign.
Rishi Sunak will speak in his prime ministerial capacity at an event in Portsmouth attended by veterans, the Prince of Wales and servicemen and women, culminating in a flypast by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows.
Tributes will move to Normandy in the afternoon, where hundreds of allied armed forces personnel will parachute into a historic D-Day drop zone to commemorate the success of the airborne invasion eight decades ago.
– Labour makes armed forces pledge
Sir Keir Starmer will also be in southern England after announcing a pledge to introduce laws to create an armed forces tsar in the first King’s Speech if Labour wins the election.
Seizing on the theme of the week, the leader will promise the independent commissioner would “hold government to account” on issues affecting military personnel and their families.
It is understood Sir Keir will also be attending commemoration events.
– Leaders catch their breath after TV debate
Behind the scenes, both leaders will be mulling the fallout from their ill-tempered head-to-head in the first TV debate of the election campaign.
In front of a live audience – and the nation at large – Sir Keir and Mr Sunak clashed on issues including the economy, the NHS and immigration in a showdown broadcast on ITV.
Labour accused the Prime Minister of repeatedly lying over his “made-up” claim that the party would increase taxes on working families by £2,000.
Mr Sunak’s hopes of improving dire poll ratings for the Tories will have been marginally brightened by a snap YouGov survey suggesting 51% of people believe he performed better in the debate.
But he finished by issuing a direct appeal to wavering voters over the threat posed by Reform UK, following Nigel Farage’s shock takeover as leader, telling viewers “a vote for anyone else makes it more likely” Sir Keir will win.
– The Islington North thorn in Starmer’s side
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to hand in his nomination papers to officially stand as an Independent candidate in Islington North.
He will be joined by local residents including comedian Rob Delaney as he promises to continue representing constituents “with the same principles I’ve stood by my entire life: equality, democracy and peace”.
His decision to stand causes a headache for the Labour leader, who has denied accusations that he is purging the left of the party to improve its electoral prospects.
Sir Keir defended his move to ban Mr Corbyn from standing for Labour as part of efforts to “tear antisemitism out of our party by the roots” following controversies over the handling of allegations during his leadership.
– Liberal Democrats hit Hampshire
Sir Ed Davey will also be in Hampshire, where he will be out meeting voters and plugging the Liberal Democrats’ pledge to ensure regular mental health “MoT” check-ups are offered at key points in people’s lives.
The party says this would include new parents, children and young people, men in their 40s, carers and retirees.