General election news – live: Corbyn defends neutral Brexit stance as ‘sign of strength’, as Tory minister admits no-deal still on table
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Jeremy Corbyn has defended his decision to stay neutral in the event of a second referendum, describing the position as a “sign of strength and maturity” as he urged: “Our country has to come together.”
After a stint outside an Amazon warehouse attacking tax cheats, the Labour leader was in Loughborough to launch the party’s youth manifesto, where he pledged to give 16-year-olds the vote and emphasised the party’s climate credentials.
Elsewhere, Chuka Umunna accused Tory minister Rishi Sunak of letting “the cat out of the bag” after he told The Telegraph that no-deal planning would resume after the general election under a Conservative government.
The leaders of the four main parties were each grilled by a Question Time audience on Friday night, with Boris Johnson refusing to apologise for homophobic and Islamophobic comments, and Nicola Sturgeon undermining Labour’s stance on Scottish independence.
It also emerged that the largest pre-deadline voter registration surge in UK political history took place on Friday, with more than 300,000 people becoming eligible to vote, two thirds of them under the age of 34.
Play criticising Tory politicians for role in ‘Trojan Horse’ inquiry to be performed in parliament
A play that criticises Conservative politicians for their heavy-handed role in the “Trojan Horse” inquiry into alleged Islamist extremism in Birmingham schools is going to parliament, Eleanor Busby reports.
Former education secretary Michael Gove, who was in charge when the allegations of a hardline Islamist takeover of schools emerged, is among the MPs being invited to the show.
The co-writers of the documentary drama want politicians and policy makers to hear the stories of members of the Muslim community who were left “broken” by the events in 2014.
Tory candidates given help with defending manifesto
Prospective Conservative MPs have been sent dossiers with suggestions on how to defend the party's manifesto from inevitable attacks on Brexit, immigration and the NHS, according to The Times.
The 68-page document reportedly details 32 policies announced ahead of the manifesto's publication.
Candidates have been provided with answers to potentially difficult questions on topics such as stop and search, business rates, and inaction on climate change.
Infected toes and Brexit blues: how Anna Soubry hopes to win three-way fight in bellwether Broxtowe
"Workington man" has been named the symbol of a must-win constituency at the election, but there are many key battlegrounds.
The Independent's Colin Drury visits a Nottinghamshire swing seat where both Tories and Labour are hoping to topple a former minister...
'Leaked Tory manifesto pages' appear to show immigration pledges
If the document is legitimate, the Tories are not holding back. It says they will:
- “End the preferential treatment of EEA migrants” - Introduce an “Australian-style points-based system” - Invest £20m for border control and “develop a longterm approach” to address human trafficking
The party appears to claim that under its plans:
“The vast majority will need a job offer to come to the UK … The [sic] will be a small number of exceptions, including high-skilled scientists and those who want to come and start a business in the UK.”
However, it’s worth taking this with a heavy dose of scepticism.
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