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| General election: Labour says Twitter has failed to punish Tories properly for using bogus 'factcheck' label – live news | General election: Labour says Twitter has failed to punish Tories properly for using bogus 'factcheck' label – live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Leaders will try to steer campaign back to their key messages in wake of ITV leaders’ debate | Leaders will try to steer campaign back to their key messages in wake of ITV leaders’ debate |
| Almost 7m people watched the ITV leaders’ debate last night, according to ITV’s Carl Dinnen. A subsequent ITV programme, featuring interviews with four leaders of the smaller parties, was watched by more than 2m people. | |
| The Electoral Commission has released a statement saying that it cannot intervene in the Conservative party bogus Twitter handle row because it does not have a role in regulating what parties say during election campaigns. A spokesman for the commission said: | |
| In her Today interview Dawn Butler, the shadow minister for women and equalities, also criticised Boris Johnson for saying the monarch was “beyond reproach” in last night’s ITV debate. She said: | |
| Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has given a series of interviews this morning, and the election questions mostly focused on the row about the Conservatives’ abuse of their Twitter account. Here are the main points he has been making. | |
| Raab refused to apologise for the Conservative party’s decision to rename one of their Twitter accounts “factcheckUK” during the debate. | |
| He rejected claims that people had been misled by the bogus Twitter handle. (See 7.46am.) | |
| He refused to say whether or not the party would do the same thing again. But he implied it was unlikely. He told the Today programme: | |
| He said it was right for the Tories to respond to the “lies” told about them. He said: | |
| He claimed that Boris Johnson was the clear winner of the debate, because the snap YouGov poll afterwards showed him well ahead of Jeremy Corbyn on who came out the most prime ministerial. Raab said: | |
| But on other metrics Corbyn won. The detailed figures are here. | |
| Raab criticised Corbyn for failing nine times in the debate last night to say whether or not he would back remain or leave in the second Brexit referendum that Labour plans to hold. | |
| This is from Peter Kellner, the former president of YouGov, the polling organisation. | This is from Peter Kellner, the former president of YouGov, the polling organisation. |
| Both sets of findings from the YouGov snap poll after the debate were covered on our live blog last night. More people thought Boris Johnson won than Jeremy Corbyn won, but more people thought Corbyn performed well than Johnson performed well. That sounds like a contradiction, but it isn’t necessarily. In sport, the winning team isn’t always the one that plays best. | Both sets of findings from the YouGov snap poll after the debate were covered on our live blog last night. More people thought Boris Johnson won than Jeremy Corbyn won, but more people thought Corbyn performed well than Johnson performed well. That sounds like a contradiction, but it isn’t necessarily. In sport, the winning team isn’t always the one that plays best. |
| Here is Caroline Lucas, who is campaigning for re-election as a Green party MP, on the Tories’s abuse of Twitter last night. | Here is Caroline Lucas, who is campaigning for re-election as a Green party MP, on the Tories’s abuse of Twitter last night. |
| Dawn Butler, the shadow minister for women and equalities, told Radio 4’s Today programme that Twitter had not done enough to punish the Conservative party for using one of its accounts to mislead people during last night’s leaders’ debate. The party rebranded its own press account as “factcheckUK”, implying that it was providing an impartial, factchecking service. | Dawn Butler, the shadow minister for women and equalities, told Radio 4’s Today programme that Twitter had not done enough to punish the Conservative party for using one of its accounts to mislead people during last night’s leaders’ debate. The party rebranded its own press account as “factcheckUK”, implying that it was providing an impartial, factchecking service. |
| Twitter has effectively just issued the Tories with a warning, saying “corrective action” will be taken if they do this again. | Twitter has effectively just issued the Tories with a warning, saying “corrective action” will be taken if they do this again. |
| Asked whether this was enough, Butler told Today: | Asked whether this was enough, Butler told Today: |
| Asked what else Twitter should have done, she said it would have been better if the account had been taken down during the debate last night. She said: | Asked what else Twitter should have done, she said it would have been better if the account had been taken down during the debate last night. She said: |
| Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Damien Gayle. | Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Damien Gayle. |
| There are only two biggish events in the diary for the day. | There are only two biggish events in the diary for the day. |
| 12pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, gives a speech in Dundee on the ‘Tory threat’ to Scotland’s services. | |
| 5pm: The Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto. | 5pm: The Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto. |
| There are also various, more low-level campaign events taking place, including Boris Johnson campaigning on the Tory battlebus. | There are also various, more low-level campaign events taking place, including Boris Johnson campaigning on the Tory battlebus. |
| The Liberal Democrats promise an emergency £4.6bn cash injection into schools, Layla Moran, the party’s education spokeswoman, told Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. | The Liberal Democrats promise an emergency £4.6bn cash injection into schools, Layla Moran, the party’s education spokeswoman, told Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. |
| The initial sum would increase to more than £10bn by 2024-25, if the Lib Dems formed the next government, Moran said. It would be funded from the £15bn that the party says it can conjure up as a “remain bonus” from halting Brexit. | The initial sum would increase to more than £10bn by 2024-25, if the Lib Dems formed the next government, Moran said. It would be funded from the £15bn that the party says it can conjure up as a “remain bonus” from halting Brexit. |
| Moran’s education pledges went beyond the purely financial. She continued: | Moran’s education pledges went beyond the purely financial. She continued: |
| Her comments will be welcomed by many in the profession. Ofsted, Moran said, has been responsible for “narrowing the curriculum [and] a focus on data”. | Her comments will be welcomed by many in the profession. Ofsted, Moran said, has been responsible for “narrowing the curriculum [and] a focus on data”. |
| After their involvement in the coalition government and the tripling of fees for university students, the Liberal Democrats do not have a good reputation when it comes to education pledges. The party had promised during the 2010 election not to increase fees. | After their involvement in the coalition government and the tripling of fees for university students, the Liberal Democrats do not have a good reputation when it comes to education pledges. The party had promised during the 2010 election not to increase fees. |
| Moran was not challenged on the record. She pledged that the party would “review student finance and bring back maintenance grants”. | Moran was not challenged on the record. She pledged that the party would “review student finance and bring back maintenance grants”. |
| In case you missed it, the Guardian’s media editor, Jim Waterson, reported on the factcheck controversy last night, including criticism from the established factchecking organisation Full Fact. | In case you missed it, the Guardian’s media editor, Jim Waterson, reported on the factcheck controversy last night, including criticism from the established factchecking organisation Full Fact. |
| As Waterson reported, Full Fact, which is run by a charity, said it had complained to Twitter and said the account should not be allowed to be used in this way while verified. “It is inappropriate and misleading for the Conservative press office to rename their Twitter account ‘factcheckUK’ during this debate. Please do not mistake it for an independent factchecking service.” | As Waterson reported, Full Fact, which is run by a charity, said it had complained to Twitter and said the account should not be allowed to be used in this way while verified. “It is inappropriate and misleading for the Conservative press office to rename their Twitter account ‘factcheckUK’ during this debate. Please do not mistake it for an independent factchecking service.” |
| Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has defended the Tory factcheck stunt on Twitter last night, even in the face of Twitter’s stern criticism. | Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has defended the Tory factcheck stunt on Twitter last night, even in the face of Twitter’s stern criticism. |
| Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Raab said it was “very clear” that the account was affiliated with Conservative campaign headquarters. “We have had all sorts of nonsense thrown at the Conservatives. We are going to be in the process of having a really good instant rebuttal,” he said. | Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Raab said it was “very clear” that the account was affiliated with Conservative campaign headquarters. “We have had all sorts of nonsense thrown at the Conservatives. We are going to be in the process of having a really good instant rebuttal,” he said. |
| Raab brushed aside criticism from established factcheckers. “Who said Full Fact is the final arbiter of what the public need to see?” he said. Asked about Twitter’s statement accusing the Tories of misleading the public, Raab added: | Raab brushed aside criticism from established factcheckers. “Who said Full Fact is the final arbiter of what the public need to see?” he said. Asked about Twitter’s statement accusing the Tories of misleading the public, Raab added: |
| Twitter has released a statement saying the Conservative party has misled the public by styling its press office account as a factchecking operation during the televised leaders debate, the BBC has reported. | Twitter has released a statement saying the Conservative party has misled the public by styling its press office account as a factchecking operation during the televised leaders debate, the BBC has reported. |
| In an almost unprecedented political intervention by the social network, Twitter said it would take “decisive corrective action” if a similar stunt was attempted again. | In an almost unprecedented political intervention by the social network, Twitter said it would take “decisive corrective action” if a similar stunt was attempted again. |
| During Tuesday night’s leadership debate on ITV, the @CCHQPress account was renamed “factcheckUK”. Although the handle remained the same, as my colleague Jim Waterson reported, all other branding was changed to resemble an independent factchecking outlet. It may not have been immediately apparent to an individual who saw the account’s tweets in their feed that it was a product of Conservative party HQ. | During Tuesday night’s leadership debate on ITV, the @CCHQPress account was renamed “factcheckUK”. Although the handle remained the same, as my colleague Jim Waterson reported, all other branding was changed to resemble an independent factchecking outlet. It may not have been immediately apparent to an individual who saw the account’s tweets in their feed that it was a product of Conservative party HQ. |
| Twitter’s statement, carried by the BBC, said: | Twitter’s statement, carried by the BBC, said: |
| Top billing on most of the front pages is given to the election leaders’ debate with some focusing on the snap YouGov poll that declared Boris Johnson won the night 51%-49%. Others highlighted the leaders’ answers, or lack of them. | Top billing on most of the front pages is given to the election leaders’ debate with some focusing on the snap YouGov poll that declared Boris Johnson won the night 51%-49%. Others highlighted the leaders’ answers, or lack of them. |
| As for what the parties will be wanting to talk about today: Labour will promise to eliminate what it calls the “10 modern scourges of poverty”, from soaring food bank use to childhood deprivation, in its latest attack on the Conservatives’ record in government. Among its policies are increasing the minimum wage to £10 an hour and extending it to under-25s; reforming universal credit; and scrapping restrictive rules including the two-child limit and the benefits cap. | As for what the parties will be wanting to talk about today: Labour will promise to eliminate what it calls the “10 modern scourges of poverty”, from soaring food bank use to childhood deprivation, in its latest attack on the Conservatives’ record in government. Among its policies are increasing the minimum wage to £10 an hour and extending it to under-25s; reforming universal credit; and scrapping restrictive rules including the two-child limit and the benefits cap. |
| The Lib Dems will launch their manifesto in London and announce a plan to extend the scope of free school meals; increase schools spending by more than £10bn a year within the next parliament; and recruit 20,000 more teachers. | The Lib Dems will launch their manifesto in London and announce a plan to extend the scope of free school meals; increase schools spending by more than £10bn a year within the next parliament; and recruit 20,000 more teachers. |
| The Tories have announced a package of policies for victims of crime, which includes allowing victims and the media to apply to attend parole hearings and a 25% increase in the victims surcharge – a fine on offenders that goes towards refuges and community support for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. | The Tories have announced a package of policies for victims of crime, which includes allowing victims and the media to apply to attend parole hearings and a 25% increase in the victims surcharge – a fine on offenders that goes towards refuges and community support for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. |
| Good morning and welcome to today’s politics news. It is the day after the night before and if you missed the debate we have a lot of material to catch you up. Start here with our wrap of what happened. | Good morning and welcome to today’s politics news. It is the day after the night before and if you missed the debate we have a lot of material to catch you up. Start here with our wrap of what happened. |
| Rowena Mason offers her analysis including the leaders’ best lines, worst moments and overall pitch. Our panel has given its verdict on how Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn fared. We’ve fact-checked the leaders’ claims, and there is news about the Conservative press office changing its Twitter name to make it look like a factchecking service for the duration of the debate. | Rowena Mason offers her analysis including the leaders’ best lines, worst moments and overall pitch. Our panel has given its verdict on how Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn fared. We’ve fact-checked the leaders’ claims, and there is news about the Conservative press office changing its Twitter name to make it look like a factchecking service for the duration of the debate. |
| Leaders of minor parties have shared their views on what went down on ITV, as have readers, who have delivered their mostly unflattering verdicts. Dan Sabbagh writes that Corbyn outperformed expectations, Andrew Sparrow gives his take, and John Crace has written a devastating sketch, which closes with the observation that “given the chance to show off their best selves, Johnson and Corbyn had merely proved they didn’t have one”. | Leaders of minor parties have shared their views on what went down on ITV, as have readers, who have delivered their mostly unflattering verdicts. Dan Sabbagh writes that Corbyn outperformed expectations, Andrew Sparrow gives his take, and John Crace has written a devastating sketch, which closes with the observation that “given the chance to show off their best selves, Johnson and Corbyn had merely proved they didn’t have one”. |
| As usual, you can reach me on Twitter here. I’ll be looking after the blog for the first hour or so. | As usual, you can reach me on Twitter here. I’ll be looking after the blog for the first hour or so. |