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General election: 'Real change is coming,' says Corbyn at Labour's campaign launch - live news General election: 'Real change is coming,' says Corbyn at Labour's campaign launch - live news
(32 minutes later)
More than 300,000 people have applied to register to vote in 48 hours, according to government figures. As the Press Association reports, a total of 139,162 applications were submitted on Tuesday, followed by 177,105 on Wednesday. This is well above the typical number for weekday applications, which has been averaging around 37,000 for the past month.
There is no sign of Boris Johnson this morning yet, but here, for the record, is the statement he released overnight ahead of the visits he is doing today to a school, a hospital and a police station. He said:
Today should have been the day that Brexit was delivered and we finally left the EU. But, despite the great new deal I agreed with the EU, Jeremy Corbyn refused to allow that to happen – insisting upon more dither, more delay and more uncertainty for families and business.
We cannot continue along this path. I didn’t want an election - like the country I wanted to get Brexit done, but it is the only way forward.
The public wants and expects the government to give them hope and to improve their opportunities.
This is exactly what my government has been doing for the past 99 days and exactly what my government will continue to do if the public choose the Conservatives in this election.
I want next year to be a great year for our country – with more investment in frontline NHS services, the recruitment of thousands more police officers to reduce violent crime and investment in every one of our primary and secondary schools across the country.
The alternative is for the people of this country to spend the next year, which should be a glorious year, going through the toxic, tedious torpor of two more referendums – on EU membership and Scottish independence – thanks to Jeremy Corbyn’s incessant indecision.
Now is the time to break the deadlock so we can move on as a country. The Conservatives will campaign for a parliament that gets Brexit done and delivers on the people’s priorities, including the NHS, education and crime.
And here are the two main points Johnson is making. As is almost routine with Johnson statements, neither of them is properly true.
Johnson claims that Labour is to blame for parliament not being able to pass his Bexit deal. It is true that Labour voted against the programme motion, setting aside just three days for MPs to debate the bill. But the programme motion was defeated because the DUP (supposedly Johnson’s allies) and former Tories who had had the whip removed voted against it, and Labour offered to strike a deal with the government on a programme motion giving MPs more time to debate the bill, which may well have passed. But Johnson did not try this, and instead shelved the bill and went for an election.
Johnson claims there would be two referendums in 2020 under Labour. It is true that Labour wants to hold a second Brexit referendum next year, but the party says it would not allow a second Scottish independence referendum in 2020. Johnson is making this claim because Corbyn has not ruled out allowing a second Scottish independence referendum at some point, and its exact timing would be a matter of negotiation between London and Edinburgh.
Yesterday the Liberal Democrats sent out a note inviting journalists to a slogan launch this morning. That could be a first. Having covered general elections since the 1990s, I’ve seen poster launches, campaign launches and manifesto launches, but never something billed as an event to announce just a slogan.Yesterday the Liberal Democrats sent out a note inviting journalists to a slogan launch this morning. That could be a first. Having covered general elections since the 1990s, I’ve seen poster launches, campaign launches and manifesto launches, but never something billed as an event to announce just a slogan.
My colleague Peter Walker was there. And it turns out the slogan is: Stop Brexit, Build a Better Future. My colleague Peter Walker was there. And it turns out the slogan is: Stop Brexit, Build a Brighter Future.
Peter is not over-impressed.Peter is not over-impressed.
Lib Dems have a digital sign van outside parliament unveiling two election posters and their campaign slogan, which seems to be, “Build a Brighter Future.” pic.twitter.com/6KL7LmVzJGLib Dems have a digital sign van outside parliament unveiling two election posters and their campaign slogan, which seems to be, “Build a Brighter Future.” pic.twitter.com/6KL7LmVzJG
All campaign catchlines are necessarily platitudinous, and as with this, almost always fail the, ‘can you argue the opposite?’ test - ie, no party is going to say, “Actually, no, we want to create a worse future.”**That’s not to say some policies won’t do just this.All campaign catchlines are necessarily platitudinous, and as with this, almost always fail the, ‘can you argue the opposite?’ test - ie, no party is going to say, “Actually, no, we want to create a worse future.”**That’s not to say some policies won’t do just this.
Anyway, the Lib Dem slogan van is supposedly due to spend *an hour* driving around Parliament Square. It’s a diesel. As an asthmatic who works a few hundred metres away I’m not overly keen on this.Anyway, the Lib Dem slogan van is supposedly due to spend *an hour* driving around Parliament Square. It’s a diesel. As an asthmatic who works a few hundred metres away I’m not overly keen on this.
That said, the Lib Dem van did one circuit of the square and was last seen driving towards Lambeth bridge, so maybe there was a change of plan.That said, the Lib Dem van did one circuit of the square and was last seen driving towards Lambeth bridge, so maybe there was a change of plan.
Footage of the diesel Lib Dem as van idling before it sets off on its circuits of Parliament Sq. It’s not entirely ideal. As someone pointed out below they could have used @pedalmeapp for the job .... pic.twitter.com/beTWdtuiyvFootage of the diesel Lib Dem as van idling before it sets off on its circuits of Parliament Sq. It’s not entirely ideal. As someone pointed out below they could have used @pedalmeapp for the job .... pic.twitter.com/beTWdtuiyv
While we are on the subject of the Commons standards committee, MPs will later debate a motion saying they should suspend the Labour MP Keith Vaz, as recommended by the committee, for offering to buy drugs for sex workers.While we are on the subject of the Commons standards committee, MPs will later debate a motion saying they should suspend the Labour MP Keith Vaz, as recommended by the committee, for offering to buy drugs for sex workers.
In an interview on the Today programme this morning Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, said Vaz should stand down instead of standing for election again. She said:In an interview on the Today programme this morning Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, said Vaz should stand down instead of standing for election again. She said:
I think he should consider his position. I think he himself should agree not to be a candidate. It has been a very sad issue, not just for him but for his family and his children.I think he should consider his position. I think he himself should agree not to be a candidate. It has been a very sad issue, not just for him but for his family and his children.
When it was put to her that the Labour party has not removed the whip from Vaz, a move that would prevent him from standing again as a Labour candidate, she replied: “Not yet.”When it was put to her that the Labour party has not removed the whip from Vaz, a move that would prevent him from standing again as a Labour candidate, she replied: “Not yet.”
The Conservative MP Sir Henry Bellingham has been ordered to apologise to the Commons for the late declaration of a financial interest, the Press Association reports. The Commons standards committee found he did not declare his non-executive chairmanship of Clifton Africa Ltd, an African mining and development company, within the 28 days required. In a report the committee said such cases were normally dealt with through a “rectification” procedure, but, despite “extensive” correspondence with the parliamentary commissioner for standards, it said Bellingham had taken “far too long” to correct the record. As a result, the committee said it was recommending that he should issue a written apology to the house.The Conservative MP Sir Henry Bellingham has been ordered to apologise to the Commons for the late declaration of a financial interest, the Press Association reports. The Commons standards committee found he did not declare his non-executive chairmanship of Clifton Africa Ltd, an African mining and development company, within the 28 days required. In a report the committee said such cases were normally dealt with through a “rectification” procedure, but, despite “extensive” correspondence with the parliamentary commissioner for standards, it said Bellingham had taken “far too long” to correct the record. As a result, the committee said it was recommending that he should issue a written apology to the house.
The Conservatives argue that Labour’s claim to be offering change (see 9.02am) is bogus because the party is offering another referendum on Brexit. This is what James Cleverly, the Tory chairman, said in a statement last night, responding to the advance extracts from Jeremy Corbyn’s speech released in advance. Cleverly said:The Conservatives argue that Labour’s claim to be offering change (see 9.02am) is bogus because the party is offering another referendum on Brexit. This is what James Cleverly, the Tory chairman, said in a statement last night, responding to the advance extracts from Jeremy Corbyn’s speech released in advance. Cleverly said:
A vote for Labour is not a vote for change. It is precisely the opposite - a vote for more delay and uncertainty on Brexit, meaning the government can’t focus on people’s priorities, like the NHS, schools and crime.A vote for Labour is not a vote for change. It is precisely the opposite - a vote for more delay and uncertainty on Brexit, meaning the government can’t focus on people’s priorities, like the NHS, schools and crime.
(But Cleverly also said in his statement that Labour’s “extreme economic ideas would wreck the economy” - which I suppose would be change of a sort.)(But Cleverly also said in his statement that Labour’s “extreme economic ideas would wreck the economy” - which I suppose would be change of a sort.)
As Heather Stewart and Rowena Mason write in their overnight story, Jeremy Corbyn will use his speech this morning at the Labour campaign launch to assert that his party is on the side of the people.As Heather Stewart and Rowena Mason write in their overnight story, Jeremy Corbyn will use his speech this morning at the Labour campaign launch to assert that his party is on the side of the people.
This is another standard piece of election rhetoric. You never hear candidates saying that they are on the side of vested interests or the elite (even though some of them are).This is another standard piece of election rhetoric. You never hear candidates saying that they are on the side of vested interests or the elite (even though some of them are).
Boris Johnson has been trying his own version of this positioning, with No 10 advisers saying that, because he is campaigning on a pledge to deliver Brexit, he is standing up for the people against parliament.Boris Johnson has been trying his own version of this positioning, with No 10 advisers saying that, because he is campaigning on a pledge to deliver Brexit, he is standing up for the people against parliament.
Corbyn will say he is standing up for the people against the elite, or the “privileged few’. And in his speech he will name examples of what he means by the elite. It is worth quoting the passage at lengthy so here it is.Corbyn will say he is standing up for the people against the elite, or the “privileged few’. And in his speech he will name examples of what he means by the elite. It is worth quoting the passage at lengthy so here it is.
You know what really scares the elite?You know what really scares the elite?
What they’re actually afraid of is paying their taxes. So in this election they’ll fight harder and dirtier than ever before. They’ll throw everything at us because they know we’re not afraid to take them on.What they’re actually afraid of is paying their taxes. So in this election they’ll fight harder and dirtier than ever before. They’ll throw everything at us because they know we’re not afraid to take them on.
So we’re going after the tax dodgers. We’re going after the dodgy landlords. We’re going after the bad bosses. We’re going after the big polluters. Because we know whose side we’re on.So we’re going after the tax dodgers. We’re going after the dodgy landlords. We’re going after the bad bosses. We’re going after the big polluters. Because we know whose side we’re on.
So are you on the side of the tax dodgers, who are taking us all for a ride? People who think it’s ok to rip people off, hide their money in tax havens so they can have a new super yacht. Or the children with special educational needs who aren’t getting the support they deserve because of Tory and Lib Dem government cuts?So are you on the side of the tax dodgers, who are taking us all for a ride? People who think it’s ok to rip people off, hide their money in tax havens so they can have a new super yacht. Or the children with special educational needs who aren’t getting the support they deserve because of Tory and Lib Dem government cuts?
Whose side are you on? The dodgy landlords, like the Duke of Westminster, Britain’s youngest billionaire, who tried to evict whole blocks of families, to make way for luxury apartments? Or the millions of tenants in Britain who struggle to pay their rent each month?Whose side are you on? The dodgy landlords, like the Duke of Westminster, Britain’s youngest billionaire, who tried to evict whole blocks of families, to make way for luxury apartments? Or the millions of tenants in Britain who struggle to pay their rent each month?
Whose side are you on? The bad bosses like Mike Ashley, the billionaire who won’t pay his staff properly and is running Newcastle United into the ground? Or his exploited workforce, like the woman who was reportedly forced to give birth in a warehouse toilet because she was terrified of missing her shift?Whose side are you on? The bad bosses like Mike Ashley, the billionaire who won’t pay his staff properly and is running Newcastle United into the ground? Or his exploited workforce, like the woman who was reportedly forced to give birth in a warehouse toilet because she was terrified of missing her shift?
Whose side are you on? The big polluters like Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man who makes his money by polluting the environment? Or the children growing up in our cities with reduced lung capacity because of choking pollution?Whose side are you on? The big polluters like Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man who makes his money by polluting the environment? Or the children growing up in our cities with reduced lung capacity because of choking pollution?
“Whose side are you on? The greedy bankers like Crispin Odey, who makes millions betting against our country and on other people’s misery and donated huge sums to Johnson and the Conservative Party? Or are you on the side of working people, the people who create the wealth that’s then squirreled away in tax havens?“Whose side are you on? The greedy bankers like Crispin Odey, who makes millions betting against our country and on other people’s misery and donated huge sums to Johnson and the Conservative Party? Or are you on the side of working people, the people who create the wealth that’s then squirreled away in tax havens?
And whose side are you on? The billionaire media barons like Rupert Murdoch, whose empire pumps out propaganda to support a rigged system. Or the overwhelming majority who want to live in a decent, fair, diverse and prosperous society?And whose side are you on? The billionaire media barons like Rupert Murdoch, whose empire pumps out propaganda to support a rigged system. Or the overwhelming majority who want to live in a decent, fair, diverse and prosperous society?
You know whose side Labour’s on. And we have something that the Rupert Murdochs, the Mike Ashleys, and the Boris Johnsons don’t have.You know whose side Labour’s on. And we have something that the Rupert Murdochs, the Mike Ashleys, and the Boris Johnsons don’t have.
We have people. Hundreds of thousands of people in every part of our country, who will make this the biggest people-powered campaign in history.We have people. Hundreds of thousands of people in every part of our country, who will make this the biggest people-powered campaign in history.
Essentially there are only three sorts of election campaign: ‘it’s time for a change’; ‘give us more time to finish the job’; or (when all else fails) ‘don’t let the other lot ruin it’. The easiest and most effective message is normally the first one (which is why sometimes incumbents even try and run on a ‘change’ platform) and today this is what Jeremy Corbyn will offer the electorate when he launches Labour’s election campaign at an event with the shadow cabinet.Essentially there are only three sorts of election campaign: ‘it’s time for a change’; ‘give us more time to finish the job’; or (when all else fails) ‘don’t let the other lot ruin it’. The easiest and most effective message is normally the first one (which is why sometimes incumbents even try and run on a ‘change’ platform) and today this is what Jeremy Corbyn will offer the electorate when he launches Labour’s election campaign at an event with the shadow cabinet.
According to extracts released in advance, Corbyn will say:According to extracts released in advance, Corbyn will say:
We stand for the many. Boris Johnson’s born-to-rule Conservatives protect the privileged few. They’ve slashed taxes for the richest and vital services and support for everyone else.We stand for the many. Boris Johnson’s born-to-rule Conservatives protect the privileged few. They’ve slashed taxes for the richest and vital services and support for everyone else.
But real change is coming.But real change is coming.
We will end the Conservatives’ great rip-off by putting rail, mail and water into public ownership so they work for everyone, not just Tory donors and shareholders in tax havens.We will end the Conservatives’ great rip-off by putting rail, mail and water into public ownership so they work for everyone, not just Tory donors and shareholders in tax havens.
We will invest in every nation and region, rebuild our public services and give our NHS, schools and police the money they need by taxing those at the top to properly fund services for everyone.We will invest in every nation and region, rebuild our public services and give our NHS, schools and police the money they need by taxing those at the top to properly fund services for everyone.
This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country, take on the vested interests holding people back and ensure that no community is left behind.This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country, take on the vested interests holding people back and ensure that no community is left behind.
I will quote more from the speech soon. And here is our overnight election story, also covering what Corbyn will say.I will quote more from the speech soon. And here is our overnight election story, also covering what Corbyn will say.
General election: Corbyn to position Labour as true 'party of the people'General election: Corbyn to position Labour as true 'party of the people'
Here is the agenda for the day.Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: The Lib Dems launch their election slogan, which will be on a poster on a van that will later drive around Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and Jeremy Corbyn’s Islington North constituency.9.30am: The Lib Dems launch their election slogan, which will be on a poster on a van that will later drive around Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and Jeremy Corbyn’s Islington North constituency.
After 10.30am: Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, makes a business statement in the Commons.After 10.30am: Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, makes a business statement in the Commons.
11am: Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow cabinet launch Labour’s general election campaign at an event at Battersea Arts centre in south London.11am: Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow cabinet launch Labour’s general election campaign at an event at Battersea Arts centre in south London.
After 11am: MPs debate the standards committee recommendation for Labour’s Keith Vaz to be suspended for six months.After 11am: MPs debate the standards committee recommendation for Labour’s Keith Vaz to be suspended for six months.
Boris Johnson is also doing election visits today, going to a hospital, a school and a police station in different parts of the country to highlight what he calls “the people’s priorities”.Boris Johnson is also doing election visits today, going to a hospital, a school and a police station in different parts of the country to highlight what he calls “the people’s priorities”.
It is John Bercow’s last day in office as Commons Speaker.It is John Bercow’s last day in office as Commons Speaker.
And at some point today the culture department is expected to publish its report into how Johnson’s close friend, the American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri, secured a £100,000 grant from the department.And at some point today the culture department is expected to publish its report into how Johnson’s close friend, the American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri, secured a £100,000 grant from the department.
As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although I will be focusing almost exclusively on general election developments. I plan to publish a summary when I wrap up.As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although I will be focusing almost exclusively on general election developments. I plan to publish a summary when I wrap up.
You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.