Election latest: Elton John backs Labour and Starmer in general election; Farage told to 'get a grip' on party (2024)

It is the final weekend before the election, and parties have been making the most of it with leaders out campaigning.

Here's where they've been focusing their efforts today:

Rishi Sunak has been marking Armed Forces Day by meeting veterans at an event near Catterick in North Yorkshire.

He hailed the "duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice" of servicemen and women, before embarking on a community visit in Neasden in northwest London.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey promised to reverse cuts to numbers in the armed forces as he set off on a 1,300-mile battle bus tour from John O'Groats in Scotland to Land's End in England.

The SNP's leader John Swinney has been campaigning in a couple of areas in Scotland, including Glasgow, where he told voters a Labour government is a foregone conclusion.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been at a veterans' coffee morning in Hampshire, where he has pledged to "lead a government of service" if elected.

This evening, he has held a rally in Central London - where there was an endorsem*nt from Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish -and a warning that the Tories could still win the election.

We are now hearing from our panel about the racism row engulfing Reform UK - and the intensification of the Tories' attack.

Asked if the party should have been more on the attack from the start, Claire Pearsall, former Tory adviser, replies: "Yes."

She says it is "unsurprising" that Nigel Farage leading a party on an anti-immigration platform would be "loud, and brash, and against the Conservative Party".

"Why anybody would tip toe round saying 'we need to be nice to him' is absolutely beyond me."

She also notes that this is an election, so "surely you need to go out there and tell everybody why you're the best".

Considering doing a deal with Reform at the start of the campaign was "the wrong approach".

Max Wilson, former Labour political adviser, says the Tories got too close to Reform, with some candidates suggesting at the start of the campaign that Mr Farage could join the party after the election.

"It seems a bit mad to me that in a short campaign, you're actually entertaining the idea that your rival might actually join the party," he says.

He goes on to say that the Tories needed to hold back on Reform because of the party's supporters have, in their view, "strayed from the true faith" - but the comments that have come out over the last few days mean that the Tories can go on the attack.

Ms Pearsalladds that Mr Farage "whether you love him or loathe him has bought in a sort of dynamism to what was a pretty dull campaign".

She says there needs to be more scrutiny on his policies as well if he wants to be the new opposition and a major political player.

As a former supporter of Boris Johnson, Mark Spencer has been asked if he thinks the former prime minister would be doing a better job than Rishi Sunak in the Conservative's election campaign.

"I think that's unfair actually," he says, saying that voters understand the "big issues" and the "big challenges".

He goes on to say that the nation has been "unlucky" with global events, and Rishi Sunak has started to get that disruption "under control".

Mr Spencer has previously found himself facing criticism for saying people do not care about lockdown parties, which took place during the COVID pandemic.

Ali asks him how he feels about the comments now.

He says there were "huge challenges" facing the government at the time, and he's "sure mistakes were made along the way".

The first guest on tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Ali Fortescueis Mark Spencer, the farming minister.

We start by putting to him that the Tory party seems to be intensifying its attacks on Reform UK and Nigel Farage, and put to him the question that many of his colleagues are asking privately, which is why it didn't happen sooner.

He replies: "I think the mask has slipped a bit, hasn't it, really. And we sort of see what some of these Reform candidates are like, and it must be pretty scary, actually, for people who have heard those comments, who are affected by them - they are pretty abhorrent."

He goes on to say that Rishi Sunak's response was "very powerful", talking about the impact on his daughters of them hearing him being call racist terms.

The minister dodges the question of whether racism in Reform came as a surprise to him, speaking about "how shocking it is that someone in this country judges other people by the colour of their skin".

"In this age, the fact that we're having this conversation is pretty sad," he says.

Ali puts to the minister that some in the party have said they would welcome Mr Farage in the party, and today the party is on the attack.

But he replies that many supporters of Reform "do actually share the Conservative Party's concerns about the Labour Party", adding that "the sad thing is" that voting for Reform would see Labour in power.

His message to voters is that if they want tax cuts, for example, they should vote Conservative.

Warning again that voting for Mr Farage's party would let Labour into power, he says: "I think those who are minded to vote for Reform should stop and think about that, stop and think about what they will deliver and for how long."

Our first story tonight on Politics Hub With Ali Fortescueis Reform UK withdrawing support from three of its parliamentary candidates as the racism row engulfing the party continues to grow.

The party led by Nigel Farage is no longer supporting Edward Oakenfull, who is standing in Derbyshire Dales, Robert Lomas, a candidate in Barnsley North, and Leslie Lilley, standing in Southend East and Rochford, after alleged comments made by them emerged in the media.

It comes as party leaders from across the political spectrum have lined up to condemn Reform UK, and told Mr Farage he needs to "get a grip" of his party.

Read more from political reporter Ben Blochhere:

Our daily politics showPolitics Hubis live now on Sky News with ourpolitical correspondentAli Fortescuehosting this evening.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Joining Ali tonight are:

• Mark Spencer, Conservative candidate and farming minister;
• Sir Anthony Seldon, educator and contemporary historian.

And on her panel are:

• Max Wilson, former Labour political adviser;
• Claire Pearsall, former Tory adviser.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hubfrom 7pm every night during the election campaign on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.

By Faye Brown, political reporter

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has joked about needing a new job next week as she faces being one of the Tories' most high-profile election casualties.

The cabinet minister is projected to lose her Chichester seat in West Sussex to the Lib Dems, who are aiming to smash the so-called "blue wall" in southern England.

During a visit to a school in her constituency, Ms Keegan was asked by pupils what job she would do if she was not an MP.

"I might have to answer that question next Friday", she said.

Ms Keegan later told the PA news agency that the polls were "all over the place" and "I have never taken anything in my whole life for granted".

But her initial answer reflects the defeatist mood of some Tories as multiple polls suggest Britain's political landscape is about to be fundamentally re-drawn, with Labouron course for a historic majority.

Ms Keegan is one of more than a dozen senior figures at risk of having a so-called "Portillo moment" - a reference to Michael Portillo, the Conservative minister who was famously unseated as Tony Blair swept to power in 1997.

Read more here:

Our daily politics showPolitics Hubwill be live on Sky News from 7pm with ourpolitical correspondentAli Fortescuehosting this evening.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Joining Ali tonight are:

• Mark Spencer, Conservative candidate and farming minister;
• Sir Anthony Seldon, educator and contemporary historian.

And on her panel are:

• Max Wilson, former Labour political adviser;
• Claire Pearsall, former Tory adviser.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hubfrom 7pm every night during the election campaign on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.

The Labour campaign rally has just concluded - but not before party supporters were treated to a musical performance.

British singerLåpsley performed her song "Better Times".

The chorus is the line "moving on to better times" repeated on loop.

The bridge section includes the lyrics, "Wave the year goodbye,Moving on to better times".

Not exactly a hidden message there from Låpsley and Labour...

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has just addressed party supporters and activists at a campaign rally in London.

Here is what he said, as he said it (this post was updated live):

• Sir Keir Starmer opens his speech by thanking the previous speakers - particularly the first time voter who addressed the crowd just before him;
• He says everyone has "one job" - which is "to make sure it's a summer of change, to restore hope, to restore spirit, belief in a better future";
• He says people can use their vote "to stop the chaos, to turn the page, and start to rebuild our country";
• Sir Keir argues that the last four years have been about changing the party to put it "back in the service of working people", adding: "Country first, party second";
• He thanks activists for their work not just during the campaign, but over the last four years, saying: "Thank you for everything";
• But he goes on to say that these final days of the campaign is "the hardest mile" of the campaign;
• "The hope has been kicked out" of the British people, he argues, and says people "need to be convinced that change is possible" and to "vote for it";
• Sir Keir pledges that if Labour wins the election on Thursday, the work "begins immediately";
• He says Labour needs a "clear mandate" from the electorate, pointing to "chaos under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, two politicians who never had a clear mandate";
• Britain will be "stuck" in a "doom loop" if there is not a "democratic reckoning" on Thursday - as he lists what Labour would view as the misdeeds and failures of the Tories;
• He concludes by saying: "Change only happens if you vote for it, and it's time for change."