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General election: pay gap promises from Labour and Lib Dems as Johnson navigates floods anger – live news General election: pay gap promises from Labour and Lib Dems as Johnson navigates floods anger – live news
(about 1 hour later)
Opposition parties are using Equal Pay Day to announce equalities packages, while Johnson tries to brush off hostile reaction from flood victimsOpposition parties are using Equal Pay Day to announce equalities packages, while Johnson tries to brush off hostile reaction from flood victims
The Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage, has rejected pressure to withdraw more of his candidates in Labour or Liberal Democrat seats.
Speaking to Today, on the day when nominations for candidates close, he said: “We’re going to fight 300 seats and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
“The job of the Brexit Party is to hold him (Boris Johnson) to account, because too many times over the last three years the Conservatives have made promises and not delivered.”
He also criticised the Conservative for refusing to do a deal with the Brexit Party in Labour seats. “I’ve realised is that the Conservatives want a Conservative majority in Parliament, not a Brexit majority in Parliament.”
He added: “There are very clearly seats in which we are the lead challenger and their are other seats in which they are the lead challenger to Labour, and we could have done a deal on that basis, but the priority for the Conservative Party, they do not want the Brexit Party to get seats in Parliament.”
“They’d rather risk not winning the election than having a Leave majority, a Leave alliance.”
He also criticised his old ally Arron Banks, who urged him to withdraw more candidates. Farage said Banks was suffering from “Brexhaustion”.
And he claimed the election will be decided by tactical voting.
Farage said:
Luciana Berger, the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for health and social care, has defended the party’s insistence on putting up a candidate in Canterbury despite the previous candidate decision to stand aside in favour of Labour.
Berger, who defected from Labour earlier this year, conceded that the Labour candidate’s, Rosie Duffield, is “a very lovely person”. But speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she added: “I know her very well personally, but she’s campaigning to put Jeremy Corbyn in Number 10.”
She added: “This comes down to the choice who’s going to be our next prime minister at this general election.”
Berger pointed out that Labour had refused to take part in cross party talks on a remain pact. She said: “I wish the Labour Party would have been involved in the unite to remain discussions. They had ample opportunity to do so but they refused to engage. One of the most senior members he said that the Labour Party is not a party of remain. And if people want to party remain at this election, they have to vote for the Liberal Democrats.”
The papersThe papers
Matthew Weaver brings us one of the more disturbing stories of the day.Matthew Weaver brings us one of the more disturbing stories of the day.
Boris Johnson dropped a reference to “onanism” from an election campaign speech after previews of the text drew criticism from the opposition.Boris Johnson dropped a reference to “onanism” from an election campaign speech after previews of the text drew criticism from the opposition.
On Tuesday night Johnson’s advisers released extracts from the speech the prime minister was due to give at an electric taxi factory in the West Midlands on Wednesday. In the texts given to journalists, Johnson likened Labour’s approach to spending, Brexit and Scottish independence to “self-obsession and onanism”.On Tuesday night Johnson’s advisers released extracts from the speech the prime minister was due to give at an electric taxi factory in the West Midlands on Wednesday. In the texts given to journalists, Johnson likened Labour’s approach to spending, Brexit and Scottish independence to “self-obsession and onanism”.
But when Johnson delivered the speech the word onanism was left out. Asked about the omission by the Sun’s political editor, Tom Newton Dunn, Johnson tried to laugh it off.But when Johnson delivered the speech the word onanism was left out. Asked about the omission by the Sun’s political editor, Tom Newton Dunn, Johnson tried to laugh it off.
He said: “All I can say is that a stray early draft seems to have somehow found its way into your otherwise peerless copy, by a process that I don’t pretend to understand, but I will make inquiries.”He said: “All I can say is that a stray early draft seems to have somehow found its way into your otherwise peerless copy, by a process that I don’t pretend to understand, but I will make inquiries.”
Reports of the pre-briefed version of the speech led to a spike in Google searches for the arcane term for masturbation.Reports of the pre-briefed version of the speech led to a spike in Google searches for the arcane term for masturbation.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has promised that a Conservative government would reduce immigration overall, in an attack on Labour’s immigration policy.Home Secretary Priti Patel has promised that a Conservative government would reduce immigration overall, in an attack on Labour’s immigration policy.
Patel criticised Labour’s immigration policy, which has not been announced yet, saying: “Under Corbyn’s Labour, immigration would surge and put huge strain on schools and our NHS. Jeremy Corbyn has no credible plan for how to deal with the consequences of his open borders policy.Patel criticised Labour’s immigration policy, which has not been announced yet, saying: “Under Corbyn’s Labour, immigration would surge and put huge strain on schools and our NHS. Jeremy Corbyn has no credible plan for how to deal with the consequences of his open borders policy.
“The biggest risk to our NHS is Corbyn’s plans for uncontrolled and unlimited immigration, forever,” she said.“The biggest risk to our NHS is Corbyn’s plans for uncontrolled and unlimited immigration, forever,” she said.
“By contrast, the Conservatives will get Brexit done, end free movement and introduce an Australian-style points system so that we can control our borders and protect our public services.“By contrast, the Conservatives will get Brexit done, end free movement and introduce an Australian-style points system so that we can control our borders and protect our public services.
“We will reduce immigration overall while being more open and flexible to the highly skilled people we need, such as scientists and doctors. Diane Abbott, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “This is more fake news from the Conservative Party’s make-believe research department. Unlike the Tories, we won’t scapegoat migrants or deport our own Windrush-generation citizens.“We will reduce immigration overall while being more open and flexible to the highly skilled people we need, such as scientists and doctors. Diane Abbott, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “This is more fake news from the Conservative Party’s make-believe research department. Unlike the Tories, we won’t scapegoat migrants or deport our own Windrush-generation citizens.
“The damage done to our society has been through damaging Conservative cuts to our public services, not by EU nationals coming to work in them.”“The damage done to our society has been through damaging Conservative cuts to our public services, not by EU nationals coming to work in them.”
Johnson has hit back at claims he is “in cahoots” with Nigel Farage. In a speech he said that in fact “the Sturgeon-Corbyn alliance would consign this country to months, if not years, of dither, delay, discord, division”. Corbyn said Labour was “not doing pacts, not doing deals” if it failed to win a majority in the election, rejecting suggestions fuelled by Sturgeon that he had privately agreed to support a second independence referendum in exchange for Scottish National party support. Instead, he challenged Sturgeon to support a minority Labour government.Johnson has hit back at claims he is “in cahoots” with Nigel Farage. In a speech he said that in fact “the Sturgeon-Corbyn alliance would consign this country to months, if not years, of dither, delay, discord, division”. Corbyn said Labour was “not doing pacts, not doing deals” if it failed to win a majority in the election, rejecting suggestions fuelled by Sturgeon that he had privately agreed to support a second independence referendum in exchange for Scottish National party support. Instead, he challenged Sturgeon to support a minority Labour government.
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the day’s politics news.Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the day’s politics news.
It is Equal Pay Day – when the average woman effectively stops earning for the year, taking into account a mean gender pay gap of 13.1%. The Lib Dems and Labour will use it to announce measures to tackle the gender pay gap. The Liberal Democrats have pledged to oblige bigger companies to publish data on employment levels by gender, as well as for BAME and LGBT staff, and would push for a law to end the so-called pink tax, whereby companies charge higher prices for fundamentally identical products such as razors or deodorants simply because they are marketed at women. Labour has pledged to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2030 through measures such as fines for organisations that fail to report on the subject, and by extending the reporting requirement from firms with 250 or more employees to those with more than 50.It is Equal Pay Day – when the average woman effectively stops earning for the year, taking into account a mean gender pay gap of 13.1%. The Lib Dems and Labour will use it to announce measures to tackle the gender pay gap. The Liberal Democrats have pledged to oblige bigger companies to publish data on employment levels by gender, as well as for BAME and LGBT staff, and would push for a law to end the so-called pink tax, whereby companies charge higher prices for fundamentally identical products such as razors or deodorants simply because they are marketed at women. Labour has pledged to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2030 through measures such as fines for organisations that fail to report on the subject, and by extending the reporting requirement from firms with 250 or more employees to those with more than 50.
Boris Johnson has come under fire for his government’s slow response to the flooding across parts of England’s north and has declined to apologise, saying a huge amount of work was going on to help and compensate victims. The PM spent time in deluged regions of Yorkshire, the east Midlands and Lincolnshire on Wednesday.Boris Johnson has come under fire for his government’s slow response to the flooding across parts of England’s north and has declined to apologise, saying a huge amount of work was going on to help and compensate victims. The PM spent time in deluged regions of Yorkshire, the east Midlands and Lincolnshire on Wednesday.
Corbyn has criticised the government, saying its spending on flood defences until 2021 “heavily favours London and the south-east of England”. Richard Partington has fact-checked this claim, and while it is technically true, those figures are seriously influenced by long-term funding for Thames estuary projects running up to 2100. Over the spending period to 2021, Labour is wrong, with more spent per head on flood defences in Yorkshire and the Humber.Corbyn has criticised the government, saying its spending on flood defences until 2021 “heavily favours London and the south-east of England”. Richard Partington has fact-checked this claim, and while it is technically true, those figures are seriously influenced by long-term funding for Thames estuary projects running up to 2100. Over the spending period to 2021, Labour is wrong, with more spent per head on flood defences in Yorkshire and the Humber.
I’ll be running the blog for the first hour or so, before handing over to my colleagues. You can get in touch with me on Twitter.I’ll be running the blog for the first hour or so, before handing over to my colleagues. You can get in touch with me on Twitter.
Thanks for reading.Thanks for reading.