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| EU referendum live: Major accuses Johnson and Gove of being 'gravediggers of prosperity' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.44am BST | |
| 11:44 | |
| Michael Slezak | |
| My colleague Michael Slezak has sent me more on the memorial event for Jo Cox in Sydney. (See 9.50am.) There were just over 20 people there. | |
| Organiser of the Sydney event, Neva Frecheville, said she felt the need to bring together people who knew Cox or who were moved by her, following her death. | |
| “When it happened it was just something that I feel like has the potential to make us all feel really isolated and full of despair and without hope. But actually there’s an opportunity for us to come together around everything that Jo stood for in her life, and the values that she lived her life by. I think it’s time for more of us to start living those as well,” she said. | |
| One of the people who attended the event was Nic Seton. He said he knew Cox from when he lived in a boat in East London in 2010, right next door to the boat Cox lived in. | |
| “We just by chance happened to pull up next door to their home – their boat,” he said. “We’d invite them over, and we went over to their place. We had a lot of barbecues and a really good time.” | |
| Like Frecheville, Seton wanted to see the good that could come out of what he said was a devastating tragedy. “I feel like the silver lining really is that people have recognised that the values that she had and are really seeking to fulfill it themselves,” he said. | |
| Jane McAdam, a law professor at the University of New South Wales, said she knew Cox’s husband, Brendan Cox, and attended partly because of that connection. “But I think more broadly it was what Jo devoted her life to in upholding the principles that she thought were so important in trying to create a society that was connected and not divided,” she said. | |
| 11.39am BST | |
| 11:39 | |
| Boris Johnson has been heckled in Ashby, the Press Association’s David Hughes reports. | |
| Boris heckled by teenage Remain supporter in Ashby - and by a lady asking him to kick Cameron out if Leave win. pic.twitter.com/8ZimylHwB2 | |
| 11.31am BST | |
| 11:31 | |
| Q: In the event of Brexit, would you stay on as Ukip leader to ensure that Leave commit to cutting immigration? | |
| Farage says whatever happens tomorrow Ukip will have an important role to play. It is the biggest party in the European parliament, and, like the canary in the mineshaft, it will be able to say if reform is not happening. | |
| My colleague Marina Hyde points out (not for the first time) that Farage does not seem to fully understand the metaphor he is using. | |
| "We'll act as the canary in the mineshaft" says Farage of Ukip post-Brexit, still failing to get what this metaphor means for the canary | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.37am BST | |
| 11.30am BST | |
| 11:30 | |
| Farage says the establishment have done all they can to stack the odds in their favour, but that he still thinks Leave will win. | |
| 11.30am BST | |
| 11:30 | |
| Farage is now taking questions from the media. | |
| Q: Diane James said last night you had apologised for the “Breaking Point’ poster. Is that correct? | |
| Farage says he apologised for the timing of the poster, and for the fact it was abused. But he cannot apologise for the content, because it is true. He says Angela Merkel’s immigration policy had been disastrous. | |
| There has been one really offensive poster, he says. It was the Operation Black Vote one showing a Leave supporters as a skinhead. He says that was “offensive” and “abusive” and an “absolute disgrace”. | |
| He is referring to this image. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.33am BST | |
| 11.25am BST | |
| 11:25 | |
| Farage says that for the last time he will take out his passport to make the point that people do not have British passports anymore. | |
| He says Remain support is dominated by vested interests. | |
| He says Cameron has made another dishonest claim today. He says Cameron said if we voted to stay in the EU, we would be voting for more reform. (See 8.26am.) But that is not the case, he says. He says other prime ministers have tried to reform the EU. But the only reform the EU is interested in is more integration, he says. | |
| And he says one of the lasting images of the campaign for him was Bob Geldof shouting abuse at him on the Thames as he tried to give voice to the grievances of fishermen. Geldof is a millionaire rock star, he says. People like that do not care about ordinary people, he says. | |
| He says most of his supporters would “crawl over broken glass” to get to a polling station tomorrow. | |
| 11.18am BST | |
| 11:18 | |
| Nigel Farage's speech | |
| Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, is speaking in London. | |
| He says that he thinks Ukip and its supporters have changed politics, not just in a way that will be reflected in the result tomorrow, but in a way that will affect the country more permanently. | |
| He says he is hearing politicians talk about things like an Australian-style points system - something Ukip has been calling for for ages. | |
| He says the term single market is misleading. We are part of a customs union, or more accurately a big business cartel, he says. | |
| 11.12am BST | 11.12am BST |
| 11:12 | 11:12 |
| Major accuses Johnson and Gove of being 'gravediggers of prosperity' | Major accuses Johnson and Gove of being 'gravediggers of prosperity' |
| Here is the key passage from Sir John Major’s speech in Bristol. He accused Boris Johnson and Michael Gove of being “gravediggers of prosperity”. | Here is the key passage from Sir John Major’s speech in Bristol. He accused Boris Johnson and Michael Gove of being “gravediggers of prosperity”. |
| Now, if our nation does vote to leave tomorrow, we must respect their decision. But if they vote to leave on the basis of half-truths and untruths and misunderstandings, then pretty soon the gravediggers of our prosperity will have some very serious questions to answer. They will have to account for what they have said and done. But that will be of no consolation. For we will be out, out for good, diminished as an influence upon the world, a truly Great Britain shrunk down to a little England, perhaps without Scotland, perhaps with a grumpy Wales, and certainly with a Northern Ireland divided from the south by the border controls that would then be the edge of the European Union. That is not how our island story should go. | Now, if our nation does vote to leave tomorrow, we must respect their decision. But if they vote to leave on the basis of half-truths and untruths and misunderstandings, then pretty soon the gravediggers of our prosperity will have some very serious questions to answer. They will have to account for what they have said and done. But that will be of no consolation. For we will be out, out for good, diminished as an influence upon the world, a truly Great Britain shrunk down to a little England, perhaps without Scotland, perhaps with a grumpy Wales, and certainly with a Northern Ireland divided from the south by the border controls that would then be the edge of the European Union. That is not how our island story should go. |
| There is not a text of what Major said yet, because he was speaking off the cuff, but it was a substantial and effective speech. I will post a proper summary later. | There is not a text of what Major said yet, because he was speaking off the cuff, but it was a substantial and effective speech. I will post a proper summary later. |
| 11.00am BST | 11.00am BST |
| 11:00 | 11:00 |
| John Barnes accuses Leave of preying on people's fears about immigration | John Barnes accuses Leave of preying on people's fears about immigration |
| Yesterday Michael Gove, the leading Vote Leave campaigner, claimed that John Barnes, the former England footballer, was backing Brexit. Gove was wrong. Barnes is for Remain. | Yesterday Michael Gove, the leading Vote Leave campaigner, claimed that John Barnes, the former England footballer, was backing Brexit. Gove was wrong. Barnes is for Remain. |
| And he has written a powerful article for the Guardian explaining why. For Barnes, immigration is the key factor. | And he has written a powerful article for the Guardian explaining why. For Barnes, immigration is the key factor. |
| Leave is preying on people’s fears, telling the same story we’ve heard over the years about black people from Africa and the Caribbean coming to steal our jobs. Now we hear the same thing about Poles. If leave wanted to say that companies are paying migrants less than British workers, and so allowing them to take our jobs, then it should be looking at raising the minimum wage – not stopping migrants entering the country. The problem has nothing to do with the Polish workers – it is an issue about our labour laws. Yet leave maintains its focus on immigration ... | Leave is preying on people’s fears, telling the same story we’ve heard over the years about black people from Africa and the Caribbean coming to steal our jobs. Now we hear the same thing about Poles. If leave wanted to say that companies are paying migrants less than British workers, and so allowing them to take our jobs, then it should be looking at raising the minimum wage – not stopping migrants entering the country. The problem has nothing to do with the Polish workers – it is an issue about our labour laws. Yet leave maintains its focus on immigration ... |
| Britain has always told the world that being British is about the humanity, compassion and moral fortitude that we have. All great things that we are supposed to have spread across the world. A leave vote now says that we don’t really care about anyone else, we don’t care what happens to the European Union. Why should the Germans be able to show more compassion than we do? ... | Britain has always told the world that being British is about the humanity, compassion and moral fortitude that we have. All great things that we are supposed to have spread across the world. A leave vote now says that we don’t really care about anyone else, we don’t care what happens to the European Union. Why should the Germans be able to show more compassion than we do? ... |
| And when politicians talk about welcoming different, more skilled immigrants – who are they talking about anyway? If there were thousands of blond-haired, blue-eyed Americans landing at Dover, seeking refuge, I think many of us would be straight down there to help. So many groups of people, whether they be from Africa or the Middle East, have been demonised and dehumanised because they don’t look like us. I’m not accusing anyone of being racist. I’m black, I was born in Jamaica, but this affects me too. I know I would feel more empathy with that boat of white American refugees than I do with the thousands fleeing Syria. It’s because of what we have all been told and the environment that we live in. I don’t look like a white American any more than I do a Syrian – but I was brought up in a society that has taught me to empathise more with them. | And when politicians talk about welcoming different, more skilled immigrants – who are they talking about anyway? If there were thousands of blond-haired, blue-eyed Americans landing at Dover, seeking refuge, I think many of us would be straight down there to help. So many groups of people, whether they be from Africa or the Middle East, have been demonised and dehumanised because they don’t look like us. I’m not accusing anyone of being racist. I’m black, I was born in Jamaica, but this affects me too. I know I would feel more empathy with that boat of white American refugees than I do with the thousands fleeing Syria. It’s because of what we have all been told and the environment that we live in. I don’t look like a white American any more than I do a Syrian – but I was brought up in a society that has taught me to empathise more with them. |
| And here is the full article. | And here is the full article. |
| Related: John Barnes: Gove says I’ll be voting leave. He’s wrong – and here’s why | Related: John Barnes: Gove says I’ll be voting leave. He’s wrong – and here’s why |
| 10.49am BST | 10.49am BST |
| 10:49 | 10:49 |
| Cameron condemns Gove for comparing anti-Brexit economists to Nazi propagandists | Cameron condemns Gove for comparing anti-Brexit economists to Nazi propagandists |
| Rowena Mason | Rowena Mason |
| The media blitz continues. The PM has been on LBC, where he was quizzed about the Queen’s views on Brexit. | The media blitz continues. The PM has been on LBC, where he was quizzed about the Queen’s views on Brexit. |
| Following a report that she challenged dinner guests for three reasons why the UK should stay in, David Cameron said: “The conversations we have are entirely private and will remain that way.” | Following a report that she challenged dinner guests for three reasons why the UK should stay in, David Cameron said: “The conversations we have are entirely private and will remain that way.” |
| The PM also had some harsh words for Michael Gove, the justice secretary and his close political friend, who had compared experts warning against Brexit to experts who were n the pay of Nazis. | The PM also had some harsh words for Michael Gove, the justice secretary and his close political friend, who had compared experts warning against Brexit to experts who were n the pay of Nazis. |
| Let me tell you what I think is the most extraordinary thing in the news today, and that is the Leave campaign, comparing these independent experts, businesses, economists, Nobel Prize winners to sort of Nazi propagandists. [See 8.43am.] I think is the most extraordinary thing when you know people who are … | Let me tell you what I think is the most extraordinary thing in the news today, and that is the Leave campaign, comparing these independent experts, businesses, economists, Nobel Prize winners to sort of Nazi propagandists. [See 8.43am.] I think is the most extraordinary thing when you know people who are … |
| I think I’m afraid the Leave campaign here are making a massive mistake. If in our country, you know look at these people, some of them won Nobel Prizes, many of them are working for independent institutions we set up after the war. These businesses don’t normally come off the fence on an issue like this and speak so clearly. And I think when you’ve got that weight of opinion saying there’s a real risk to the British economy, to jobs, to families’ finances then it really is worth listening. | I think I’m afraid the Leave campaign here are making a massive mistake. If in our country, you know look at these people, some of them won Nobel Prizes, many of them are working for independent institutions we set up after the war. These businesses don’t normally come off the fence on an issue like this and speak so clearly. And I think when you’ve got that weight of opinion saying there’s a real risk to the British economy, to jobs, to families’ finances then it really is worth listening. |
| And if we’re going to go to a world where we say, I’m not going to listen to experts, that’s an extraordinary thing to do. | And if we’re going to go to a world where we say, I’m not going to listen to experts, that’s an extraordinary thing to do. |
| When asked if it wasn’t going to be very tough to work with Gove again after Friday, Cameron said: | When asked if it wasn’t going to be very tough to work with Gove again after Friday, Cameron said: |
| Well no, as I say I don’t think it will be because all Conservatives agree, it was right to have a referendum and it’s right to carry out the instructions of people. This is not about some sort of Tory psycho drama and who likes who and who and all the rest of it. This is about the future of our country. | Well no, as I say I don’t think it will be because all Conservatives agree, it was right to have a referendum and it’s right to carry out the instructions of people. This is not about some sort of Tory psycho drama and who likes who and who and all the rest of it. This is about the future of our country. |
| 10.40am BST | 10.40am BST |
| 10:40 | 10:40 |
| Here is John Harris’s latest Anywhere but Westminster video about the EU referendum campaign. | Here is John Harris’s latest Anywhere but Westminster video about the EU referendum campaign. |
| 10.37am BST | 10.37am BST |
| 10:37 | 10:37 |
| Adam Vaughan | Adam Vaughan |
| Britain should stay in Europe for the sake of its countryside and natural world, according to a group of current and former ministers, MPs and representatives of conservation organisations. | Britain should stay in Europe for the sake of its countryside and natural world, according to a group of current and former ministers, MPs and representatives of conservation organisations. |
| In a letter to The Independent, the 37 signatories write that: “It’s only with a strong voice in the EU that we can protect and enhance the environment, meaning that our precious wildlife and natural resources are preserved for generations to come.” | In a letter to The Independent, the 37 signatories write that: “It’s only with a strong voice in the EU that we can protect and enhance the environment, meaning that our precious wildlife and natural resources are preserved for generations to come.” |
| The list of names is impressive. Liz Truss and Rory Stewart, the current environment secretary and environment minister, are on there, along with Stanley Johnson, a long-time environmentalist and former Tory MEP, and father of Brexiter-in-chief, Boris Johnson. Former heads of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Countryside Alliance, and the Environment Agency feature too. | The list of names is impressive. Liz Truss and Rory Stewart, the current environment secretary and environment minister, are on there, along with Stanley Johnson, a long-time environmentalist and former Tory MEP, and father of Brexiter-in-chief, Boris Johnson. Former heads of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Countryside Alliance, and the Environment Agency feature too. |
| While climate change has had a fair airing in the TV debates and the campaign – repeatedly deployed by the remain camp as an example of a problem that can’t be solved without working in the EU – the natural world has hardly featured. | While climate change has had a fair airing in the TV debates and the campaign – repeatedly deployed by the remain camp as an example of a problem that can’t be solved without working in the EU – the natural world has hardly featured. |
| Yet the UK used to be known as the “dirty man of Europe”, and almost all our protections for wildlife and nature come from the EU, from the birds and habitats directives to ones on river water quality and bathing water. “By working in partnership with other European countries we have ensured our rivers, streams and coastline are in the healthiest state for 25 years,” the letter writers say, adding that “EU action has also led to an increase in bird numbers.” | Yet the UK used to be known as the “dirty man of Europe”, and almost all our protections for wildlife and nature come from the EU, from the birds and habitats directives to ones on river water quality and bathing water. “By working in partnership with other European countries we have ensured our rivers, streams and coastline are in the healthiest state for 25 years,” the letter writers say, adding that “EU action has also led to an increase in bird numbers.” |
| 10.33am BST | 10.33am BST |
| 10:33 | 10:33 |
| 10.29am BST | 10.29am BST |
| 10:29 | 10:29 |
| Jasper Jackson | Jasper Jackson |
| Last night’s referendum debate broadcast from Wembley arena, which saw clashes between London mayor Sadiq Khan and his predecessor Boris Johnson, drew in 3.9m viewers. | Last night’s referendum debate broadcast from Wembley arena, which saw clashes between London mayor Sadiq Khan and his predecessor Boris Johnson, drew in 3.9m viewers. |
| The two-hour show on BBC1 had an audience share of just over 19%, but suffered going up against Spain’s Euro 2016 clash with Croatia, which was watched by 4.6 million, accounting for 23.5% of all viewers. | The two-hour show on BBC1 had an audience share of just over 19%, but suffered going up against Spain’s Euro 2016 clash with Croatia, which was watched by 4.6 million, accounting for 23.5% of all viewers. |
| The number of people tuning in was up on the 3m who watched Johnson’s previous debate appearance on 10 June on ITV when he went up against SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Labour’s Angela Eagle, but down slightly on the 4 million who watched the debate Ukip leader Nigel Farage David Cameron two days earlier. | The number of people tuning in was up on the 3m who watched Johnson’s previous debate appearance on 10 June on ITV when he went up against SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Labour’s Angela Eagle, but down slightly on the 4 million who watched the debate Ukip leader Nigel Farage David Cameron two days earlier. |
| The final debate will take place tonight on Channel 4, with a revolving panel chosen from an audience of high profile remain, leave and undecided representatives, including Yvette Cooper, Louise Mensch, Delia Smith and Ulrika Jonsson. | The final debate will take place tonight on Channel 4, with a revolving panel chosen from an audience of high profile remain, leave and undecided representatives, including Yvette Cooper, Louise Mensch, Delia Smith and Ulrika Jonsson. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.31am BST | at 10.31am BST |
| 10.25am BST | 10.25am BST |
| 10:25 | 10:25 |
| Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader, is speaking now at the event with David Cameron and Sir John Major. She is there with Marvin Rees, the new Labour mayor of Bristol. | Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader, is speaking now at the event with David Cameron and Sir John Major. She is there with Marvin Rees, the new Labour mayor of Bristol. |
| 10.20am BST | 10.20am BST |
| 10:20 | 10:20 |
| Major says if we vote to leave the “grave diggers of our prosperity” will have a great deal of explaining to do. | Major says if we vote to leave the “grave diggers of our prosperity” will have a great deal of explaining to do. |