- The Prime Minister has been to see the Queen to mark the official launch of the general election campaign
- Boris Johnson will address the nation from Downing Street before kicking off the Tory campaign at rally later
- PM has delivered an excoriating attack on Jeremy Corbyn branding him anti-business and like Joseph Stalin
- Tories have endured a difficult start to their election campaign with rows over Grenfell and doctored video
Boris Johnson blasted MPs for producing a ‘paralysed Parliament’ that left him needing a Brexit election today as he sent a message while en route to Buckingham Palace for a ‘tough interview’ with the Queen.
In a social media clip from the back of his chauffeur-driven car he promised to get the UK out of Europe in January if the public returned a ‘sensible majority Conservative government’.
The only alternative, he said, was more dither and delay under Labour that would ‘turn the whole of 2020, if not 2021 as well, into a nightmare of two referendums’ on EU membership and Scottish independence.
As he formally kicked off an election battle that will define the country’s future, the Prime Minister had a 25-minute audience with the monarch at Buckingham Palace, during which he informed her that Parliament has been dissolved.
He then headed back to Downing Street, where he is due to address the nation around lunchtime to spell out the decision that lies ahead.
He will then launch the Tory campaign at a glitzy rally tonight, as the party tries to get back on to policy issues after a rocky start.
In the video clip, Mr Johnson said: ‘I’m just off to see Her Majesty the Queen which is always a very tough interview, because she always asks the best questions and the question today is why are we having this election.
Boris Johnson had an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace (pictured) today as he tries to draw a line under a rocky start to his bid to win a Tory majority
In a social media clip from the back of his chauffeur-driven car he promised to get the UK out of Europe in January if the public returned a ‘sensible majority Conservative government’
Boris Johnson was all smiles as he left Downing Street and made the short trip to Buckingham Palace this morning
Mr Johnson (pictured leaving Downing Street today) told staff the ‘bugle is sounding’ and he is ‘heading for the front’
Kay Burley empty chairs Tory chairman James Cleverly and savages him for failing to appear on Sky News – sparking a furious row with No 10 over ‘booking clash’
Why did Boris Johnson go to see the Queen?
‘There is only one reason. I’m afraid that Parliament is paralysed.
‘We have a fantastic Brexit deal but they wouldn’t vote it through and what we’re saying to the country is: now is our chance to get a sensible majority Conservative government.
Day one, we will put that deal back to Parliament, get it through in a few weeks from December and come out in January.’
Mr Johnson set the tone this morning by delivering an excoriating assessment of Jeremy Corbyn, comparing him to Stalin and accusing him of ‘hating’ wealth creators .
The political wrangling intensified today with fears raised that Britain could be frozen out of the ‘Five Eyes’ spy alliance if Mr Corbyn becomes PM.
Concerns are mounting in Whitehall that the flow of intelligence sharing between the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand could dry up due to a lack of trust in the Labour leader.
However, the drive has been disrupted by the furious row over Jacob Rees-Mogg suggesting that Grenfell Tower victims – comments for which he has apologised.
Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns is also facing calls to quit over claims that he knew a Conservative candidate had sabotaged a rape trial.
Meanwhile, a minister has apologised for the Tories ‘doctoring’ a video of Keir Starmer struggling to explain Labour’s muddled Brexit stance.
The political wrangling intensified today with fears raised that Britain could be frozen out of the ‘Five Eyes’ spy alliance if Mr Corbyn becomes PM.
Concerns are mounting in Whitehall that the flow of intelligence sharing between the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand could dry up due to a lack of trust in the Labour leader.
Mr Corbyn has been accused of undermining the Trident nuclear deterrent – which Labour in theory is meant to back – by admitting he would never use it.
There are also claims that Mr Corbyn’s closest aides could be blocked from seeing top secret material in Downing Street due to links with Russia and the hard Left.
The warnings, highlighted in the The Times, emerged as Boris Johnson launched an all-out attack on Mr Corbyn’s left-wing ideology.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson said that businesses and wealth creators of all sizes should be fostered.
‘When someone gets up at 5am to get their shop ready; when someone risks their savings on an idea or a new product; when someone has the guts to enter a new market – at home or abroad – we don’t sneer at them.
‘We cheer for them: because their success is our success; and the tragedy of the modern Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn is that they detest the profit motive so viscerally – and would raise taxes so wantonly – that they would destroy the very basis of this country’s prosperity.
‘They pretend that their hatred is directed only at certain billionaires – and they point their fingers at individuals with a relish and a vindictiveness not seen since Stalin persecuted the kulaks.’
Mr Corbyn dismissed the barbs as ‘the nonsense the super-rich will come out with to avoid paying a bit more tax’.
Rebutting the security risk claims, a Labour spokeswoman said: ‘Jeremy has consistently made the correct calls in the interests of Britain’s security and international peace and will do whatever is necessary and effective to keep our people safe.
‘He has proved right time and time again, from Libya to his opposition to the disastrous and illegal war in Iraq, which had caused such catastrophe in the region and made us less safe at home.’
Mr Johnson is expected to put Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, the NHS, and law and order at the centre of the Tories’ campaign.
As well as kicking off the Conservative campaign in the West Midlands .
Mr Johnson will say: ‘There is only one way to get Brexit done, and I am afraid the answer is to ask the people to change this blockading parliament.’
He will add: ‘It’s time to change the dismal pattern of the last three years and to get out of our rut.
‘Let’s go with this Conservative government, get Brexit done, and unleash the potential of our great country – delivering on the public’s priorities of our NHS, crime and the cost of living.
‘Meanwhile the alternative is clear – Jeremy Corbyn and his two favourite advisers, dither and delay, turning 2020 into the year of two miserable referendums, one on the EU, and another on Scotland.
‘And remember that a vote for any other minor party is effectively a vote for Corbyn, and his catastrophic political and economic programme.’
In a video released last night, Mr Johnson again criticised the Labour Party’s economic policies.
He said: ‘Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party have an economic agenda that would mean ruin for our businesses and for our country.
‘And worse still than that, Jeremy Corbyn is seriously proposing yet another referendum on the EU, yet another Brexit referendum. He wants to have his own negotiation followed by a referendum.
‘Nobody knows what the questions would be to the people, nobody knows what the result would be, nobody knows what the Labour Party policy would be on that referendum.
‘What we do know is it would be another year of misery, and chaos and uncertainty for businesses and for families.’
It comes as former foreign secretary Jack Straw said Corbyn getting into power could ‘lessen intelligence co-operation with us’.
While a former permanent secretary with close links to the intelligence service told The Times: ‘It would have a chilling effect. That would put us at greater risk.’
Mr Johnson will formally launch the Tory campaign at a rally in the West Midlands later – a key target area.
Last night, he told Downing Street staff: ‘I’m now off to the front, the bugle is calling’.
The Conservatives endured a painful start to campaigning yesterday as the news was dominated by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s comments about the Grenfell Tower inferno.
The Cabinet minister said he was ‘profoundly’ sorry for suggesting victims should have used ‘common sense’ and ignored instructions from the fire service not to leave the building.
However, Tories now expect the Commons Leader to be sidelined in the election campaign.
Conservative Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen was also forced to issue a grovelling apology this morning after attempting to defend Mr Rees-Mogg in an interview.
Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly was ’empty-chaired’ by Kay Burley on Sky News this morning after apparently being double-booked. Kay Burley highlighted his absence from her breakfast show this morning, which is broadcast from Millbank in Westminster, where all the broadcasters have studios.
Piers Morgan also furiously tore into Tory party chairman James Cleverly when he appeared on the programme this morning over a Conservative attack advert featuring a re-edited version of a Good Morning Britain interview with Sir Keir Starmer
‘That is fake news. You have deliberately re-edited, as a party, the end of that exchange, to make it look like Sir Keir Starmer didn’t answer,’ Mr Morgan said
Mr Johnson criticised the Labour Party for ‘an economic agenda that would mean ruin for our businesses’ (Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is pictured in Telford today)
Mr Bridgen had suggested the minister would have survived the Grenfell tragedy because he was more ‘clever’ than those who lived in the tower block.
Meanwhile, a rape victim has called on Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns to quit over claims that he knew a Conservative candidate had sabotaged her trial.
And defence minister Johnny Mercer apologised for tweeting a ‘doctored’ video showing Labour’s Keir Starmer struggling to explain his party’s Brexit policy.
Mr Mercer posted last night: ‘It would appear this has inexplicably been doctored at the end.
‘I apologise and will remove it. The original interview was bad enough – I have no idea why this needed altering. I will call this out – whichever side does it, including my own. Sorry folks.’
Today, Mr Johnson will outline his pitch to voters to ‘Get Brexit Done’ and then focus on the NHS, crime and the cost of living.
He will contrast his plan with what he calls Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘toxic’ proposal for two referendums on EU membership and Scottish Independence.
Mr Johnson will tell supporters he didn’t want a winter election but he was left with ‘no choice’.
‘There is only one way to get Brexit done, and I am afraid the answer is to ask the people to change this blockading Parliament,’ he will say.
‘I don’t want an election. No prime minister wants an early election, especially not in December. But as things stand we simply have no choice – because it is only by getting Brexit done in the next few weeks that we can focus on all the priorities.’
Outlining voters’ choice, he will add: ‘It’s time to change the dismal pattern of the last three years and to get out of our rut.
‘It’s time to end this debilitating delay. Let’s go with this Conservative government, get Brexit done, and unleash the potential of our great country – delivering on the public’s priorities of our NHS, crime and the cost of living.
‘The alternative is clear – Jeremy Corbyn and his two favourite advisers, Dither and Delay, turning 2020 into the year of two miserable referendums.
‘A vote for any other minor party is effectively a vote for Corbyn, and his catastrophic political and economic programme.’
Last night a poll showed the Tories lead by 13 points. YouGov put them down one on 38 per cent, Labour down two on 25 per cent, the Lib Dems unchanged on 16 per cent and the Brexit Party up four points on 11.
Another showed Labour’s lead in London has halved since the 2017 election. The poll, published by the Evening Standard, put Labour ten points ahead of the Tories – a result which would see them losing seats in its heartland.
Conservatives embroiled in ‘doctored’ video row: Piers Morgan blasts James Cleverly for ‘fake news’ over edited clip – while Kay Burley leaves an empty chair in Tory’s place after no-show
- Edited version of GMB interview with Keir Starmer yesterday ran on social media
- But it appeared to misrepresent his answer to a question about Brexit policy
- Mr Morgan accused the party of creating ‘sake news in its purest form’
The Tory election campaign is today embroiled in a row over a ‘doctored’ social media attack video as the election campaign gets formally underway.
A re-edited version of a Good Morning Britain interview with Sir Keir Starmer yesterday ran on Twitter and Facebook showing him struck dumb and unable to answer a question from Piers Morgan.
But the full exchange showed him answering the question immediately.
The embarrassing error was highlighted as Boris Johnson went to see the Queen today as he formally kicks off an election battle that will define the country’s future.
The Prime Minister had a 25-minute audience with the monarch at Buckingham Palace, during which he informed her that Parliament has been dissolved.
The video row prompted Mr Morgan to tear furiously into Tory party chairman James Cleverly when he appeared on the programme this morning.
The presenter accused the Tories of creating a ‘re-edited version, a mash-up which you did yourselves, which completely changed the context’.
‘That is fake news. You have deliberately re-edited, as a party, the end of that exchange, to make it look like Sir Keir Starmer didn’t answer,’ Mr Morgan said.
Mr Morgan accused the Tories of creating a ‘re-edited version, a mash-up which you did yourselves, which completely changed the context’
Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly was ’empty-chaired’ by Kay Burley on Sky News this morning after apparently being double-booked. Kay Burley highlighted his absence from her breakfast show this morning, which is broadcast from Millbank in Westminster, where all the broadcasters have studios.
‘That is fake news. You have deliberately re-edited, as a party, the end of that exchange, to make it look like Sir Keir Starmer didn’t answer,’ Mr Morgan said
‘In fact he answered immediately and fluently. It’s the purest definition of fake news.’
Mr Cleverly tried to suggest the party ‘didn’t have time to cover the whole of the interview’, to which Mr Morgan replied: ‘You had time to edit it.’
Last night Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, who had retweeted the video, issued an apology and questioned why it had been altered.
He said: ‘It would appear this has inexplicably been doctored at the end. I apologise and will remove it.
‘The original interview was bad enough – I have no idea why this needed altering. I will call this out-whichever side does it, including my own. Sorry folks.’
Mr Cleverly told the BBC that Tory social media feeds had posted the interview in full and then followed it up with a ‘light-hearted’ video on Labour’s Brexit position.
‘What we also did, and this is not unique to us, is we did a light-hearted satirical video, obviously so with a comedy soundtrack, highlighting the Labour Party’s chaotic position on Brexit,’ he said.
Asked whether his party had ‘posted a lie’ online, he replied: ‘I disagree with your assessment of it.’
In a further mishap for Mr Cleverly this morning he was ’empty-chaired’ on Sky News after apparently being double-booked.
Kay Burley highlighted his absence from her breakfast show this morning, which is broadcast from Millbank in Westminster, where all the broadcasters have studios.
‘There is an empty chair here. It was supposed to be filled by the chairman of the Conservative Party,’ Ms Burley told viewers.
‘Where is he? He’s probably 15 feet away from where i’m standing, just at the moment.
‘I’ve been in to see him in the break, he said he wasn’t due to talk to us today, although they had said they would talk to us.’
The Conservative Party was fighting to keep its campaign on track amid calls for Cabinet ministers to quit.
Boris Johnson, faces a first official day of campaigning marred by his party having to defend controversial remarks.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg faced widespread criticism, including from Grenfell survivors and Jeremy Corbyn, after he said people are safer if they ‘just ignore what you’re told and leave’, while discussing London Fire Brigade’s ‘stay-put’ policy.
Rapper Stormzy called on Mr Rees-Mogg to resign, calling him a ‘piece of s***’, after the Tory MP suggested that Grenfell victims should have used ‘common sense’ and ignored fire service guidance not to leave the burning tower block.
Mr Rees-Mogg apologised for his remarks and said he intended to say he would also have listened to the LFB advice.
‘There is an empty chair here. It was supposed to be filled by the chairman of the Conservative Party,’ Ms Burley told viewers
And the party faced calls to axe prospective Gower MP Francesca O’Brien after she reportedly posted on social media that people featured in reality TV show Benefits Street needed ‘putting down’.
Elsewhere, the shadow secretary of state for Wales, Christina Rees, accused Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns of ‘brazenly lying’ about his knowledge of an allegation that a Conservative candidate had sabotaged a rape trial, and called on him to resign.
Mr Cairns claims he had been unaware of former staff member Ross England’s role in the collapsed trial until after the story broke last week.
BBC Wales said it had obtained a leaked email sent to Mr Cairns which showed he had been made aware of the allegations as early as August last year.
Nigel Farage claims fearful Tory MPs are ringing him ‘every single day’ amid ‘secret talks with Tory Spartans’ over election pacts and Conservative row over No Deal Brexit manifesto pledge
- Said they asked: ‘What do we have to do in order for you not to stand against us?’
- Figures suggest up to 90 battleground seats at risk from Brexit Party incursion
- But a senior party MEP has said Mr Johnson’s Brexit plan is ‘acceptable’ amid rift
Nigel Farage claimed today he has been having covert talks with ‘lots’ of Tory Brexiteer hardliners over giving them a clear run at the election in exchange for opposing Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.
The Brexit Party leader said worried so-called Spartans were calling him and party chairman Richard Tice ‘every single day’, pleading with him not to run a candidate against them.
It comes after Daily Mail analysis suggested the Tories could lose up to 90 battleground seats if Mr Farage’s party fields 600 candidates in the December 12 vote.
Mr Farage, who is in the middle of a tour of Labour Leave seats ahead of the election, told BBC Breakfast he had been chatting with people from the European Research Group (ERG) about a deal.
‘I’ve got lots of them (Tory MPs) ringing me up every single day, and indeed the chairman Richard Tice, saying ”look, what do we have to do in order for you not to stand against us?”,’ he said.
‘The answer is quite simple: if they just say they would never vote for this appalling new EU treaty again, they want us to have a clean break from the European Union, a relationship based on trade and not on politics, then of course we are happy to talk to Conservative or indeed Labour MPs.’
Mr Farage, who is in Workington in the middle of a tour of Labour Leave seats ahead of the election, told BBC Breakfast he had been chatting with people from the European Research Group (ERG) about a deal.
The claim comes against no visible signs that the ERG is prepared to vote against Mr Johnson’s deal and support Mr Farage.
Its chairman, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, said on Monday that Mr Farage could become the ‘man who threw away Brexit’.
He said the Brexit Party leader could end up creating a ‘weak and indecisive’ hung Parliament if he goes through with his plan to field 600 candidates at the general election.
‘I am no more willing to be bullied by Nigel Farage than anyone else into acting against my best understanding of the national interest,’ he added.
The Brexit Party leader (pictured in Workington today) said worried so-called Spartans were calling him and party chairman Richard Tice ‘every single day’
‘The reason every Conservative Eurosceptic MP backed the deal is that it can deliver a Brexit worth having.’
Tory MP Mark Francois echoed a similar sentiment as he said: ‘I voted for Boris’s deal and I’m sticking with it because it takes us out of the EU.’
There are also signs of cracks within the Brexit Party, with a senior MEP becoming the latest figure to show suppoort for the Prime Minister’s deal.
London MEP and smoked fish impresario Lance Forman told the i newspaper that it ‘has grave dangers but it is just tolerable’.
He added: ‘It’s acceptable given we had our hands tied. Hopefully the election will untie our hands and we can work to iron out the deal’s deficiencies.’
Reports suggest as many as 20 Brexit Party election candidates have already decided not to run after Mr Johnson got his deal.
source:dailymail