UK general election LIVE: Reform UK leap above the Conservatives for first time in the polls as Nigel Farage claims he is ‘real’ opposition to Labour while Rishi Sunak insists ‘we’re only halfway through’ campaign
Rishi Sunak insisted on it today Conservatives are ‘only half way’ election‘ after Reform UK jumped above them in the polls for the first time last night.
The Prime Minister responded to the impressive YouGov survey of the G7 top in Italy after Nigel Farage claimed that his party was now the ‘real opposition’ Work.
It comes as the general election campaign enters its second half with less than three weeks to go until Election Day on the Fourth of July.
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‘We don’t do deals’: Tory minister rules out electoral pact on reforms
A Tory minister has ruled out striking an electoral pact on the reforms.
Finance Minister Bim Afolami rejected suggestions that the Conservatives should consider striking an election deal.
Asked whether the Tories would consider a deal, he told Sky News: ‘No, no. It’s an election.
We don’t make deals with anyone.
Nigel Farage wants to ‘become voice of the opposition’
Listen as Nigel Farage explains his ambition to become the ‘voice of the opposition’ as head of the Reform Party.
Labor WILL cut the cost of adult social care, says the shadow health secretary
Introducing a cap on adult social care costs by October next year is part of Labour’s plan if they win the election, Wes Streeting has insisted.
The promise was not in the party manifesto when it was published on Thursday.
Reforms to adult social care rates – including an £86,000 cap on the amount someone in England must spend on personal care over their lifetime – were due to be introduced by the Conservative government from October 2023, but were delayed by two years postponed.
Wes Streeting, shadow health and social care secretary, was asked if he could make a firm commitment to introduce the cap by October 2025.
He told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: ‘That’s the plan as things stand now.’
‘We’re only halfway through the election campaign’ – Sunak responds to YouGov poll
Rishi Sunak has insisted that voting for Reform UK would be ‘handing a blank check to Labour’ as he played down a major poll showing Nigel Farage’s party overtaking the Conservatives.
The Prime Minister stressed that ‘we are only halfway through this election’ and that the choice between the Tories and Labor will ‘crystallise for people between now and election day’.
He told reporters at the G7 summit in Puglia: ‘We are only halfway through these elections, so I am still fighting very hard for every vote.
‘And what that poll shows is – the only poll that matters is the 4th of July poll – but if that poll were to be repeated on the 4th of July it would give Labor a blank check to tax everyone, their homes, their pension, their car, their family, and I will fight very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.
‘And actually, when I’ve started talking to people, they understand that a vote for someone who isn’t a Conservative candidate is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in tenth place.’
An opinion poll for the Times, carried out by Yougov, last night showed Reforms one point ahead of the Tories.
During a fiery debate last night, reform chief Nigel Farage told the Conservatives’ Penny Mordaunt: “A vote for you is now essentially a vote for Labour.”
The House of Commons leader pushed Conservative claims that voting for reforms on July 4 would make things easier for Sir Keir Starmer Become a PM.
Just before last night
The ITV debate and a YouGov poll for The Times lifted Reform by two points to 19 percent, while the Conservatives remained unchanged at 18 percent.
The symbolic moment when reforms get ahead of the Tories for the first time is a crushing blow for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with just three weeks to go until the general election.
Welcome to our live blog
Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s live blog, which discusses everything about the elections this Friday.
We’ll be bringing you the latest news and updates as the parties campaign across the country, including everything from Rishi Sunak’s visit to Italy for the G7.
Important updates
‘We don’t do deals’: Tory minister rules out electoral pact on reforms
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