Boris Johnson news – live: PM launches Conservative election campaign after day of gaffes and mishaps

Tory chairman mocked by Kay Burley for leaving her with ‘empty chair’

The Sky News host Kay Burley is very, very annoyed that Tory party chairman James Cleverly has turned down a chance to appear on her programme and answer questions about the scandals engulfing his party.

Burley showed an empty chair and said she had wanted to ask him about the prime minister comparing Jeremy Corbyn to Stalin’s persecution of lawndowning peasants, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Grenfell comments, and the Welsh secretary’s claim to have had no knowledge his former aide “sabotaged” a rape trial. She reeled off several other gaffes and controversies involving the Conservatives.

“There’s your empty chair,” she said.

“I know that No 10 Downing Street watch this programme. I know the spin doctors at No 10 Downing Street had absolutely reassured me via text that when politicians were doing the rounds in the morning they would be doing this show. And yet we have an empty chair. Where on earth is he?”

Ed Vaizey won’t be standing at general election

And another Tory moderate bites the dust. Ed Vaizey – once culture secretary under David Cameron – has announced he is not standing in his constituency of Wantage and Didcot.

In a letter to Boris Johnson, he says he remains an “enthusiastic supporter” of the PM and will campaign for his successor candidate in Oxfordshire.

Tory chairman responds to Kay Burley’s ‘empty chair’ stunt

The Conservative party chairman James Cleverly has fired back at the Sky News host Kay Burley after she taunted him for failing to appear on her show. “We have an empty chair,” she said. “Where on earth is he?”

Cleverly said he was booked to go on talkRADIO at the same time Sky News “cut to an empty chair”.

He said: “I’m good at multitasking but cannot be in two studios at the same time.”

Boris Johnson is off to see the Queen

The prime minister has left Downing Street and is now visiting Buckingham Palace, where he will inform Her Majesty there’s a general election taking place. I’m sure she knows already, but there you go.

Boris Johnson welcomed into Buckingham Palace (PA) 

DUP MP won’t stand at election after admitting ‘mistakes’

Veteran DUP MP David Simpson has announced he will not stand in the election.

His decision not to seek re-election in Upper Bann, the seat he’s held since 2005, comes after newspaper revelations about his private life and an extra marital affair.

“In recent times it has been well publicised that I made a mistake that brought hurt to my wife and family as well as bringing heartache to another family,” he said in a statement issued on Wednesday morning.

“These were my mistakes and for them I am truly sorry. I have learned from my failings and my wife and children have given me a precious second chance and together we intend to look to the future together.”

Tory MP says doctored campaign video a ‘cock up’ – and calls Rees-Mogg comments ‘shoddy wording’

Ben Bradley, the Tory MP for Mansfield, has been talking about the slew of gaffes and scandals enveloping the party’s election campaign.

Asked about Jacob Rees-Mogg’s comments suggesting Grenfell victims had lacked “common sense”, Bradley told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Jacob has apologised and explained – I think it was more a case of shoddy wording than anything else.”

Questioned about the doctored Tory campaign video designed to portray Sir Keir Starmer failing to answer a question on Brexit, Bradley admitted: “A lot of the time people just cock things up. And yesterday wasn’t a great day because people cocked things up.”

Asked if the video should now be removed, he said: “It’s probably quite a young person in the digital department that’s done something that they though was good.”

“I don’t buy into this idea there’s a cynical campaign of lies. These things just tend to be mistakes … I think it’s a cock up.”

The Mansfield MP was then asked about the prime minister comparing Jeremy Corbyn’s “hatred” of wealth creators to the persecution of the Kulaks – a group of landowning peasants killed by the Soviet dictator in the 1930s.

“The point is absolutely true when you’ve got Jeremy Corbyn talking about booting all the billionaires out the country.”

Green co-leader says party ‘don’t fear the future’

Sian Berry, the Green Party’s co-leader, has been speaking to Bristol at the party’s election campaign launch.

She said: “Let’s be honest about the situation, we know these are dark times – it’s easy to fear the future. The threat of Brexit hangs over our heads, the climate emergency rages, and our fragile democracy is under attack.”

“But despite all this the Greens don’t fear the future, we are the future,” Berry added.

“We stand at the threshold of what could be the most exciting and prosperous period of our country’s history. Because taking action in the climate emergency isn’t just about averting disaster, it’s about creating a brand new Britain.”

Bercow says Brexit ‘biggest mistake since the war’

John Bercow, the former Speaker, is speaking at the Foreign Press Association.

According to the Repubblica journalist Antonello Guerrera, he described Brexit as “the biggest mistake of this country after the war ... It’s better to be part of the [EU] power bloc.”

That’s sure to irritate Brexiteers. But they already hated him anyway. He predicted Brexit “won’t be resolved any time soon”.

Bercow taunted Boris Johnson over the prorogation case saying the PM lost “eleven-nil”.

He also defended his approach to Brexit-related legislation by saying: “My job was to stand up for the rights of the House of Commons. No apology for championing the rights of parliament.”

Corbyn condemns Rees-Mogg and leaders who think ‘they’re above us all’

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been talking about Jacob Rees-Mogg and Grenfell victims at his speech in Telford.

“Actually there is one more thing you need to know,” he said. “They shamefully seem to think the victims of the Grenfell fire died because they didn’t have the common sense to save themselves.”

“I’ll tell you what’s common sense: Don’t put flammable cladding on people’s homes. That’s common sense.

“Don’t close fire stations and don't cut fire fighters. That’s common sense. 

“And don’t ignore residents when they tell you their home is a death trap. And what this all comes back to is what I was talking about earlier: leadership. 

“Do you want leaders who think they’re above us all? Who think the rules they make for everyone else don’t apply to them?”

Jeremy Corbyn speaking in Telford (AFP) 

Nigel Farage heckled in Workington

A woman shouted “fascist” as she left the room midway through Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage’s speech in Workington. She was followed out by a woman wearing a T-shirt which said “Bollocks to Brexit”.

Continuing his speech in Workington, Farage criticised both Labour and the Conservatives.

The Brexit Party leader said: “If you are a Leave voter, you cannot vote Labour in this election because it's clear they will betray your vote.”

He added: “I like Boris personally but I’m sorry to say what he is presenting just is not Brexit, it is as simple as that.”