General election latest: Starmer gives blunt response on potentially rejoining EU - as police drop investigation into his deputy (2024)

We end tonight's show with a new classic of the Lib Dem election stunt genre.

Sir Ed Davey fell off a paddleboard multiple times during a campaign stunt in Windermere - admitting one of his plunges into the water was intentional.

The Liberal Democrat leader said his leap into the cold waters of the Lake District was for the benefit of the cameras - but he "just kept falling in" after that.

Despite the footage causing a splash online, he stressed there was a "serious message" behind the stunt.

"Lakes like Lake Windermere are so precious," he said. "Our environment and our wonderful country is so critical to so many people.

"It's important for public health, it's important for the environment, it's important for the tourist economy."

That's it for tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - the show will be back at the same time tomorrow.

Adam Boulton, Sky News's election commentator, is now joining Sophy Ridge to discuss his history covering general elections - starting in 1983.

This was the poll in which Margaret Thatcher was re-elected after winning the Falklands.

"I've covered I think 10 general elections," Adam says, pointing out the July election - for which he will join Sky News - will be his 11th.

But this only includes two changes of party in government, he says.

"What makes this election particularly exciting is the possibility, according to the opinion polls, that we're going to get another change in government."

Adam adds: "We had 17 or 18 years of Thatcher, and then 12 or 13 years of Blair and Brown, and now we've had 14 years from Cameron to Sunak."

If there is a change of party in July - what will this day look like?

"It's always very interesting," he says, explaining it is "quite emotional" because you see the "utter desolation of the side that's been defeated".

Adam is then asked how much a campaign can make a difference.

He says: "I just wonder how much difference this campaign is going to make to voting intention, it's clearly going to be very important in terms of formulating what the policies are for the parties, testing the leaders."

Adam adds this is an election in which "both leaders are not known quantities, neither of them have led a party into a general election before".

However, he says, another "exceptional thing" of this election is the amount of times the opinion polls have "said the same thing", which is Labour's on course for a majority.

Diane Abbott has been handed back the Labour whip, Sky News understands.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was suspended by the party more than a year ago after suggesting Jewish people did not experience racism, but rather prejudice similar to red heads.

She swiftly apologised and withdrew her remarks.

While a Labour investigation into her comments ended in December, she was made to wait for the outcome.

A report in The Times earlier this evening suggested she'd been banned from standing for the party at the election on 4 July.

Ms Abbott was Britain's first ever black female MP.

It's not yet been confirmed whether she will stand for election again.

Labour's deadline for picking candidates is 4 June.

This is fast shaping up to be the biggest spending election ever - and already the Conservatives are spending their cash begging their voters not to defect to Reform.

Take paid political adverts on Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook.Labourstarted strong and is still seriously outpacing the Conservatives.

And the picture on Google-owned sites - we're mainly talking about YouTube - is even more stark.

Here, the Conservatives have spent £50,200 since May 22, according to Who Targets Me. Labour has spent £250,350 - more than five times more.

Put it another way - that's roughly 10 million advert plays versus 50 million.

Our online campaign correspondent Tom Cheshire has been diving into these quite extraordinary numbers:

Bim Afolami, the economic secretary to the Treasury, is asked if he would like to apologise to Angela Rayner after Greater Manchester Police dropped an investigation into her housing situation.

He says: "No."

"The investigation has happened and the correct authorities... have made their judgement. I have nothing else to add."

The minister goes on to say that deputy Labour leader Ms Rayner "could have put an end to this much earlier" if she was "open" about the situation.

You can read more about this situation below:

Sophy Ridgeasks Bim Afolami what the Conservative policy is on national insurance, after it was reduced twice in the last year.

There have also been suggestions of plans to scrap the tax.

He says: "We would like - only when the government finances and public services funding allows - to eliminate the double taxation on work, which is what national insurance is.

"And we could do that but only when it is appropriate to do so."

Sophy pushes back, saying this is a meaningless statement.

Mr Afolami says it is "very important" to have this priority.

Next up with Sophy Ridge is Bim Afolami, the economic secretary to the Treasury.

She points to data from the House of Commons library, which shows 4.3 million children are in poverty in the UK at the moment.

This is the highest level of child poverty since records began.

Additionally, 12% of pensioners - 1.4 million people - are in absolute poverty. This number has halved in a decade.

So why are the Conservatives prioritising the elderly?

The minister says: "I don't think it's a question of prioritising pensioners at all, I think it's about a balanced approach.

"If you look at the budget or the autumn statement last year, the two last fiscal events, we have cut national insurance by a third - that is overwhelmingly focused on working people."

Child poverty figures 'very complex', says minister

However, Mr Afolami says it is "right that we don't tax" the basic state pension - and "with the triple lock, we've increased the state pension by 8%".

He insists this is a "balanced approach".

So what are the Conservatives doing for children?

The minister says benefits have been "increased for the poorest families".

"We've also fundamentally made sure that our welfare system helps support people into work," he adds.

Sophy asks why child poverty has increased so much under the Tories.

Mr Afolami says this is a "very complex picture" with "lots of aspects to it".

Sophy Ridgealso asks Louise Haigh, Labour's shadow transport secretary, about Diane Abbott's future.

There's a report in The Times this evening that the long-serving MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington will be banned from standing at the general election.

Ms Abbott, Britain's first black female MP, was suspended by the party more than a year ago after suggesting Jewish people did not experience racism, but rather prejudice similar to red heads.

She swiftly apologised and withdrew her remarks.

While a Labour investigation into her comments ended in December, she's been made to wait for the outcome.

Ms Haigh says she doesn't know about the assertion in The Times, saying the process "is still ongoing" and "no decision has been made".

She says it's her "understanding" that she may still end up being allowed to stand as a Labour candidate.

Sophy Ridge is speaking to Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh.

She's asked about her party's desire to grow the economy, and the shadow chancellor's ambition to lead "the most pro-growth Treasury in history".

Sophy suggests this sounds a lot like Liz Truss' plan.

Ms Haigh laughs this off, saying: "We have a very distinct and different plan for growth than Liz Truss."

Rather than the Tory approach of letting wealth "trickle down" from the wealthiest, Labour wants to "grow from the bottom up".

She says Labour has an "industrial strategy", one which partners with business and invests in "the green industries of the future".

She references gigafactories and reversing the ban on onshore wind, and investing in nuclear.

"The government hasn't delivered an industrial strategy," she adds, saying the country has been "plagued by economic instability and chaos".

She also admits "the way Brexit has been handled has dealt a massive blow to our economy".

Labour won't match Tory pensions pledge

The state of the economy is why Labour won't match the Tory commitment to give pensioners a tax cut.

"The reason pensioners are paying more tax at the moment is because of how the Conservatives have managed the economy," she points out.

Ms Haigh says it's an "aspiration" to bring taxes down, but the party won't make "any commitments that aren't funded".

Our deputy political editor Sam Coates is first up with Sophy Ridge, reacting to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves's pitch today.

He says: "You have to listen really carefully to what she's saying in order to sort of get clues about the difficult things that she might do after an election, but doesn't necessarily want to advertise before the country goes to the polls.

"They have set out a number of mini tax rises to fund a small number of promises for public services, but there is just a much bigger question of how you deal with things like big, multi-billion compensation schemes that are going to have to be funded in the next budget.

"What happens if Thames Water goes bust?

"How do you deals with councils that are going bust?

"There is a list inside the Labour Party of things that might require a multi-billion pound cheque and a question - where does the money come from?"

But would-be chancellor Ms Reeves has only ruled out three taxes - income tax, national insurance and corporation tax.

"She would not go any further than that," he says, which leaves the door open to the likes of VAT - which Sam suggests could be "in play".