Nigel Farageis set to reveal whether his party will field candidates against Conservative MPs at thegeneral election, as he offered to supportBoris Johnsonif the prime minister abandons his “dreadful”Brexitdeal.
Ahead of his party’s campaign launch in Westminster, Mr Farage said: “Some newspapers are suggesting that we will fight vast numbers of seats, others think we will fight as few as 20 seats… I will reveal all later on today. ”
It followsDonald Trump‘s interview with Mr Farage during which he urged Mr Johnson to team up with the Brexit Party leader and become an “unstoppable force”. The president also criticized the PM’s Brexit agreement, claiming it could hinder a potential trade deal with the US.
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Watch out for Boris Johnson’s ‘lies’, Tom Watson tells broadcasters
Labor’s deputy leader Tom Watson has written to broadcasters calling on them to challenge Boris Johnson’s “repeated attempts to rely on fake news, lies and distortions”.
Watson said the PM had a history of not telling the truth and urged TV and radio chiefs to be aware of this in their coverage of the countdown to the December 12 Poll.
Dismiss by the Tories as an election stunt, Watson’s letter to the BBC’s director general and the chief executives of other major broadcasters refers to the “serious matter of honesty in public life and trust in politics” .
Spoof Tory ad uses Cummings ” poorer people ” Remarks
The political campaign group Led By Donkeys is attempting to remind people of previous comments made by the prime minister’s strategy Dominic Cummings on “poorer people” and the NHS.
It’s playing a spoof Tory party ad on a van moving around Westminster, with Cummings saying: “I know a lot of Tory MPs and I am sad to say the public is basically correct. Tory MPs largely do not care about these poorer people. They don’t care about the NHS – and the public has kind of cottoned on to that. ”
Will it give the Labor party some ideas?
Ken Clarke warns of danger in ‘purging’ moderates
The Tory veteran Ken Clarke – the Father of the House who is standing down at the election – has been complaining about the influence of the PM’s right-hand man Dominic Cummings.
“There are zealots inside Downing Street who are purging the party of its medium one-nation members,” he told Sky News.
He was one of the 21 rebels who had the Tory whip removed. One of those who recently had the whip restored is Alistair Burt.
He has warned that the exodus of moderate Tories from parliament could put off Remain-voting Conservatives tempted to back the Lib Dems.
Burt has told (The Times) the “purge” might be “the canary in the coalmine” – suggesting the selection of new Tory candidates too slavishly loyal to the PM’s Brexit-at-all-costs stance.
Labor ‘won’t roll over’ for Donald Trump, says frontbencher
Labor’s shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner has again dismissed Donald Trump’s criticism of Jeremy Corbyn – and says the party would not
“A Labor government will not roll over and have its tummy tickled by Donald Trump, ”he told Sky News. “We will stand up robustly to him over the issues of the NHS and drug pricing that they want to increase.”
New Lib Dem recruit says’ we need a confirmatory Referendum ‘
The newest Liberal Democrat candidate Antoinette Sandbach – one of the sacked Tory rebels who has announce she will stand for Jo Swinon’s party at the election – has been asked about policies.
The MP for Eddisbury didn’t sound too sure about the policy to revoke Article 50 if the party wins a majority.
“They have to win a majority. If they do win a majority they’ll have a mandate to do that. I’ve argued that we need a confirmatory referendum, we should go back and check and see if that’s really what Britain wants. ”
Asked on Sky News why she previously voted for a Brexit deal: “I have tried to get every compromise… I like many of my constituents have been on my journey.”
She also toldThe Times: “I have to say, I have not scrutinised with a magnifying glass every [Lib Dem] policy . ”
Government insists UK can strike trade deal with US
Arguably the most important part of Donald Trump’s strange LBC phone-in interview, president criticized the PM’s Brexit agreement, claiming it could hinder a potential trade deal with the US.
The government has been very keen to claim approving Boris Johnson’s “over ready” withdrawal agreement bill would allow the UK to strike a trade deal with the US.
(A No) spokesman has responded to the Trump interview by stating: “Under this new deal the whole of the UK will leave the EU Customs Union, which means we can strike our own free trade deals around the world from which every part of the UK will benefit. ”
Tory MP David Mundell said p eople would “take Donald Trump’s interventions in any matter with a pinch of salt,” adding: “Mr Trump is the sort of character who as we know makes colorful comments. He’s said many different things about a possible trade deal. ”
And communities secretary Robert Jenrick has said this morning that Trump’s view is“ not how we see it ”.
Farage promises to ‘reveal all’ on election strategy
Ahead of the Brexit Party’s general election campaign launch at 10. 30 am this morning, leader Nigel Farage has been teasing his announcement on the number of candidates.
“Some newspapers are suggesting that we will fight vast numbers of seats , others think we will fight as few as 20 seats, ”he told LBC.
“ I run a very tight ship, we don’t leak, ”he added. “I will reveal all later on today.”
“But, I can assure you that most of what I say will be about Boris’s deal and the need, in my view, for some kind of Brexit alliance. ”
Remember, Farage unveiled 600 candidates in the summer and promised to fight up and down the country. But there is speculation he is ready to pull “hundreds” if those candidates.
According toThe Times, he is expected to avoid standing candidates against staunch Brexiteers in the Tory party.
Labor dismisses Donald Trump election intervention
Labor’s shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner dismissed Donald Trump’s criticism of Jeremy Corbyn.
The president said the Labor leader would be “so bad… he’d take you into such bad
Referring to a potential Labor government, Gardiner told the BBC: “Of course he sides with the super-rich, Labor doesn’t .
“So, it’s no surprise to me that he thinks it would be bad news for people like him.”
Corbyn himself responded by saying Trump was “trying to interfere in Britain’s election to get his friend Boris Johnson elected” – and raised a previous comment by the president suggesting the NHS was “on the *** ”for a US-UK trade deal.
Despite concerns the US president is interfering in a British election , plenty of commentators have suggested the Trump’s bizarre interview could play quite well for Labor.
A YouGov poll found two-third of British people dislike Trump, so his apparent endorsement of Johnson and Farage isn’t exactly damaging.
Cabinet minister rejects idea of Tory pact with Brexit Party
The Tories do not want an electoral pact with the Brexit Party, a cabinet minister has said.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’sTodayprogram: “We are not interested in doing any pacts with the Brexit Party, or, indeed with anybody else. We are in this to win it. ”
Jenrick also brushed aside reservations about the government Brexit deal expressed by Donald Trump – who claimed the two countries could
He said: “Well, that’s not how we see it.
“We think that the new deal the prime minister has negotiated … enables the whole of the UK to leave the EU customs union and that means that we can now strike our own free trade deals around the world. ”
Trump calls for Johnson and Farage to ‘get together ”
If you’re still catching up with Donald Trump’s wild interview on LBC, he told the Brexit Party leader said he and Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage should team up to form an “unstoppable force”.
Describing them as “two brilliant people”, Trump called for them to “get together” to form a pact.
“I would like to see you and Boris get together because you would really have some numbers… [Johnson] has a lot of respect and like for you. I just wish you two guys could get together – I think it would be a great thing. ”
Farage set to reveal where Brexit Party candidates will stand
This morning Nigel Farage is set to reveal whether his party will field candidates against Conservative MPs at the general election, after he offered to support Boris Johnson if the PM abandons his “dreadful” Brexit deal.
In a move that could have a major bearing on the outcome of the election, the Brexit Party leader will announce his party’s strategy at an event in Westminster, amid speculation that it could stand aside in areas represented
Reports suggest that some senior figures in the Brexit Party are “fighting hard” to persuade Farage to field as few as 20 candidates and focus the party’s efforts on unseating laborMPs in Leave-voting areas.
Good morning and welcome toThe Independent‘ s live coverage of events at Westminster and beyond, as Nigel Farage prepares to launch The Brexit Party’s election campaign.
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