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General Election LIVE: Thornberry refuses to rule out spending cuts, Starmer 'looking forward' to sharing manifesto
9 June 2024, 09:12 | Updated: 9 June 2024, 16:08
Candidates did the morning rounds talking about benefits, the triple lock pledge, and nuclear deterrence.
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Mel Stride spoke to LBC's Lewis Goodall this morning about Tory plans to cut welfare spending.
Emily Thornberry refused to rule out spending cuts as a result of the triple lock pledge.
Carla Denyer has compared the argument for nuclear deterrence to that of those who carry knives.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper visited the East of England for a campaign visit related to crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
The Liberal Democrats pledge to tackle people dying due to ambulance delays. The manifesto pledge features an upfront capital investment of £280 million to expand urgent treatment centres and A&E wards, and an additional £400 million a year to add an extra 1,000 staffed beds in hospitals.
Voters across the country will go to the polls on July 4.
Follow the latest developments below
Today's Highlights
- There are three days to go until Thursday's General Election.
- Labour planning to 'change democracy to permanently keep themselves in power', James Cleverly claims
- The Liberal Democrats are promoting a pledge to spend £440 million a year supporting widows and bereaved children during their toughest moments.
- "Disillusioned" Reform UK candidate disowns party following racism row and endorses Tories instead.
- Harriet Harman wants a new generation of female MPs to be "rebellious" and "put women first."
Reform UK party chairman: Tories have played "dirty tricks campaign"
Reform UK party chairman Richard Tice has accused the Tories of a "dirty tricks campaign" by offering bribes to Reform candidates for them to defect to Conservative.
He told LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr he believes Reform UK will win seats in the election and "shy Reformers" will lead to surprise results.
LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr weighs in on the latest General Election updates
Watch again: Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp joins LBC's Tom Swarbrick
'You talk of a supermajority as meaning dozens of seats': Tom Swarbrick questions Tory minister
Speaking to LBC's Tom Swarbrick, Tory minister Chris Philp defined a supermajority as "in the dozens or even in the hundreds" of seats.
He added a supermajority in the upcoming election would leave "the leader of the [winning] party" as "pretty much unchecked".
But Tom Swarbrick questioned if Mr Philp felt the same when the Tories won with a majority of 80 seats in 2019
'Mmmm, rich': Sunak visits a distillery
Rishi Sunak has visited Cotswold Distillery in Stratford Upon Avon as part of his election campaign route
The Prime Minister toured the site with the company’s founder Daniel Szor, its chief executive Jeremy Parsons, and Tory candidate for Stratford upon Avon, Chris Clarkson.
In 2019 former chancellor Nadim Zahawi held the seat with a majority of almost 20,000.
Sunak: 'I haven’t finished at six ever'
Rishi Sunak has suggested he would never finish work before 6pm, after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he rarely works after 6pm on Fridays to protect family time.
Asked about Sir Keir’s comments, the Prime Minister said he hadn't seen them but said "what time is it now?" and added "we would only have a couple of hours left in the day at this point, which is not great".
The Tories also shared a mock-up of Sir Keir's 'timetable' if he were Prime Minister.
Small party hustings coming up on LBC's Iain Dale
Representatives from the Heritage Party, the Social Democratic Party, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, and the Workers Party talk with LBC's Iain Dale.
Labour will work with French National Rally party to resolve small boats crisis
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said his party will work with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party if it wins the upcoming election in France.
Pressed on Ms Le Pen’s preference for bilateral deals instead of EU-wide ones, he said he believes both are vital to addressing the small boat crisis.
Read more here: Labour would work with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party to tackle small boats crisis, Starmer says
Ashworth warns against Trussonomics under another Tory government
Shadow paymaster general Jon Ashworth says “a vote for a Tory candidate in this election is a vote for a Trussite agenda.”
He believes that a Liz Truss-inspired agenda would emerge if Rishi Sunak is returned as Prime Minister at the General Election.
Mr Ashworth claimed there are “166 hardcore Trussites” in the Conservative party, adding: “Most of them share the core ‘Pop-Con’ belief which is that Trussonomics was sabotaged by the so-called big state establishment in the autumn of 2022 and has never been given a proper chance to succeed.”
Jewish Tory candidate verbally abused outside mosque he was invited to
Jewish community representatives have condemned the treatment of Tory candidate for Bury South Rabbi Arnold Sanders after he was verbally abused outside Masjid Bilal Mosque in Manchester.
The councillor for Kersal and BP in Salford, who uses a walking stick, left before speaking at the mosque. He'd been invited to speak there by Muslim elders.
A four-minute video online shows a man shouting: "You justified children to be murdered… when you are with your own people these are the things you say, then you come here and smile like a snake."
Labour MP Christian Wakeford and The Board of Deputies of British Jews have condemned it as"totally unacceptable" and "abusive treatment".
Read more here: Jewish Conservative candidate screamed at and called a 'snake' during visit to mosque
