Election latest: Rishi Sunak warns voters not to 'let Labour waltz into office'; Jeremy Corbyn tells Keir Starmer to 'own' his time in his top team (2024)

The First Minister of Wales Vaughan Gething is "squatting" in the chamber of the Senedd, says the leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies.

Mr Gething lost a vote of no confidence in him at the start of June but refused to resign.

The vote was called by the Conservatives over donations made to Mr Gething's leadership campaign by a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences.

"The first minister is at the moment standing in the chamber of welsh parliament with a vote of no confidence against him," Mr Davies said today.

"Can you believe that? The leader of a country has lost a vote of no confidence. He's squatting in the chamber of the assembly.

"He might well be claiming squatter's rights, but let's send him a clear message on 4 July that we won't tolerate it anymore."

Earlier, Mr Gething was in Wrexham launching the Welsh Labour manifesto.

Rishi Sunak's response to the betting scandal that has emerged during the course of the election campaign is not good enough, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has said.

Two Conservative candidates are facing an investigation amid claims they bet on the date of polling day.

Asked if the prime minister's response so far has been sufficient, Sir Ed Davey said: "I don't think it is actually, I think if people know the outcome of something and they bet on that, I think that's immoral. I don't think that looks.. I don't think it's right.

"Too often in this Parliament, we've seen the Conservative Party, sitting members of the Conservative Party, looking like they're in it for themselves, not for public service and what's in the best interest of the country. And so I hope you'll take some tougher action."

Speaking during a BBC election event on Thursday night, Mr Sunak said he was "incredibly angry" and anyone found to have broken the rules should face the "full force of the law".

Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West, is married to its director of campaigns, Tony Lee. The coupleare being investigatedby the Gambling Commission.

Ms Saunders said she "will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission" probe, while her husband "took a leave of absence" from his role on Wednesday night, a Conservative Party spokesman told Sky News.

It comes a week after the prime minister's close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr,admitted to putting a "flutter" on the election, saying this has resulted in "some routine inquiries" which he was co-operating with "fully".

The Lib Dems have called for the candidates caught up in the controversy to be suspended, something Mr Sunak has so far not done.

Put to him that the PM is not listening, Sir Ed responded: "Well, I hope he'll listen to the voters.

"I mean, you could tell in Question Time, we've seen it in some of the reporting that people are pretty angry about this and they want some real leadership.

"I think, you know, when things like this happen, you've got to stand up and, you know, yes, sometimes you have to apologise, admit the mistakes.

"But then show that you've learned. And at the moment he's not shown he's learned."

Rishi Sunak has once again been quizzed on the election betting scandal that has plagued the Conservatives over the last week.

The prime minister's close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, admitted to placing a bet on the election.

Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West, and her husband, director of campaigns Tony Lee, are also being investigated by the Gambling Commission.

Asked by LBC Wales on when he found out Mr Williams had placed a bet and whether he was confident no one in his cabinet has done the same, Mr Sunak said: "I was incredibly angry when I learned about these allegations. It's the same anger many of you watching will feel.

"It's right that they're being properly investigated. These are serious allegations."

"What I will say is that if anyone is found to have broken the rules, they should face the full consequences of the law."

Sky News then asked if Mr Sunak was comfortable with Tory candidates placing bets and if he was aware of any other candidates doing similar.

"There's not much more I can say," replied the PM.

"There are multiple investigations happening. It's right they're allowed to proceed. They're independent and necessarily confidential. There's also a criminal investigation and these are potentially criminal matters.

"If anyone is found to have broken the rules, they should not only face the full consequences of the law, but I will make sure they are booted out of the Conservative party."

A further question from GB News asks why Mr Sunak has not suspended the accused already, as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggests he would have done at the outset of investigations.

"These are really serious matters. Incredibly serious," says the PM.

"I've made it crystal clear that the allegations have made me very angry, but it is right that those investigations are allowed to conclude properly without interference from anywhere else.

"Then if anyone has found out to have done anything wrong, they can meet the full consequences of their actions."

The full list of candidates in Bristol North West:

• Caroline Gooch - Liberal Democrats
• Darren Jones - Labour Party
• Scarlett O'Connor - Reform UK
• Mary Page - Green Party
• Laura Saunders - Conservative and Unionist Party
• Ben Smith - Social Democratic Party

The full list of candidates in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr:

• Jeremy Brignell-Thorp - Green Party
• Oliver Lewis - Reform UK
• Glyn Preston - Liberal Democrats
• Elwyn Vaughan - Plaid Cymru (The Party Of Wales)
• Craig Williams - Conservative and Unionist Party
• Steve Witherden - Labour Party

Rishi Sunak is now making a speech before his Q&A session takes place.

The PM starts by saying that Wales has been let down by Labour, with poorer NHS waiting lists than England and poorer education records.

He also makes a jibe at Vaughan Gething for ignoring the vote of no confidence in him.

The PM then tells the audience to scrutinise Labour's policies and admits the Conservatives' shortcomings.

"I know you're frustrated with our party, frustrated with me," he says. "But do not let Labour waltz into office without scrutinising them.

"Without seeing what their policies would mean for country and your family security. Do you know what you're really going to get with Labour?"

Mr Sunak says he understands the frustrations of the public, but warns that "this isn't a by-election" and that a Labour government will do what they can to stay in power for longer than a single term.

He said: "Don't sleepwalk to 4 July. I know you want to send us a message, but this isn't a by-election.

"This will determine who governs our country for the next five years and potentially much longer.

"If Labour get in, they'll change the rules so it's much harder to get them out."

We're about to hear from the Welsh Conservatives as they launch their manifesto.

We'll be hearing from David TC Davies and prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Stay tuned for the latest updates from north Wales.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream above, at the link below - and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

Jeremy Corbyn has told Sir Keir Starmer to "own" the fact that he helped design the former Labour leader's 2019 manifesto.

Sir Keir was a key figure in My Corbyn's team five years ago, but now says he "never thought they would win" the 2017 or 2019 elections.

During last night's Question Time election special, Sir Keir claimed that Mr Corbyn would have been a better prime minister than Boris Johnson, had he been elected.

When asked about Sir Keir's claims, Mr Corbyn told the Evening Standard: "He didn't say that at the time. He never hinted at that, or intimated that at any stage to me.

"We did press conferences and events together in the 2019 election.

"He was part of the shadow cabinet that agreed the manifesto, and part of the Clause V who agreed the manifesto. Own it. I was there, he was there… and there were witnesses."

Last week, Mr Corbyn accused Sir Keir of trying to rewrite history with his comments on the pair's working relationship.

"You have to be honest about what you said, what you did in the past, and carry on from there," Mr Corbyn added.

"I think it's a bit sad really. Why doesn't he just say 'Well, this is what I did at the time'?"

Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.

It currently shows a drop in support in recent days for Labour and the Tories - with a jump for Reform and the Liberal Democrats.

Read more about the tracker here.

Our deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard are back with their guide to the election day ahead.

This is day 30 of the campaign. Jack and Sam discuss the betting scandal clouding the Tory campaign, last night's Question Time and Labour's Rachel Reeves opening up.

👉Tap here to follow Politics at Jack and Sam's wherever you get your podcasts👈

The Conservative Party is seen as "tawdry", Ruth Davidson has said, as two of its candidates are being investigated over alleged bets placed on the election date.

The Gambling Commission islooking into two Tory candidates over alleged wagerson the date of the 4 July election.

An industry source has told Sky News that "more names" are being looked into, but police are so far "not involved".

Speaking on theElectoral Dysfunctionpodcast with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, and former broadcaster and presenter Carol Vorderman, the former leader of the Scottish Tories waded into the fallout of the alleged betting scandal.

"What an absolute sh*t show. Firstly, I mean, how tawdry is it?" she said.

She described it as akin to "insider trading" and criticised Rishi Sunak's response, saying he had repeatedly failed to get out in front and take control of events.

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Welsh Labour's manifesto launch kicks off in Wrexham with words from the party's former leader Neil Kinnock.

Mr Kinnock is welcomed with a warm round of applause and he wastes little time attacking the Conservatives on their economic policy and "crashing the economy" with a "mad budget".

"That's not national prudence," Mr Kinnock says, "that's national pillage".

Introducing Rachel Reeves, Mr Kinnock says he understands why the shadow chancellor can't make economic promises without saying where the money is coming from.

"Her caution is not fear or lack of ambition," he says.

"In the conditions that Labour will inherit in our country right now, caution is common sense. Caution is the truth. Caution is honesty, not fear."

Ms Reeves starts by telling the crowd about her connections to Wales and the family she has living in the country.

She says: "I love Wales (..) but I know that, to really prosper, Wales needs to change."

Ms Reeves says Labour has a costed plan for Wales, unlike the Conservatives who "disrespect devolution and disregards Welsh interest".

She says that Britain, and Wales, faces a "simple choice" in less than two weeks.

"[You face] five more years of Tory chaos and the decline it brings or a changed Labour Party, restoring stability and fighting every day for the interests of working people," she says.

Shadow secretary of state for Wales Jo Stevens follows, telling those in attendance that the foundation of Welsh Labour's offer to voters "is a changed relationship between Wales and Westminster".

She says: "We'll enhance protection for Welsh devolution, so no UK government can ride roughshod over it in the way that the Conservatives repeatedly have.

"We'll explore new powers over youth justice and probation, and decisions about structural funds spent in Wales will be made in Wales once again."

Ms Stevens also reaffirms Welsh Labour's commitment to the steel industry in Wales.

She says she will not allow Port Talbot Steelworks to close, avoiding the "decades of scarring" caused by the closure of Shotton steelworks in 1980.

Vaughan Gething then takes to the stage and speaks about the Llay Miners Welfare Institute building that Welsh Labour have launched their manifesto in this morning.

"The history of this building and the mining community that it once served, goes to the very core of the promise being made to the people of Wales today," he says.

"The institute was built through miners contributions. A penny a week. A proud community investing in their future."

Mr Gething goes on to talk about Gwaith Tech, Welsh Labour's work plan for the country that, he says, "will help us to deliver better pay, protection and progression for Welsh workers to build on the best practices of our best businesses".

"And this is personal to me," Mr Gething adds. "As a shop steward and as a trade union lawyer, I've seen the damage that is done to people and to our nation's prosperity, to bad working cultures, unfair practice and discrimination."

The First Minister ends by saying the phrase we've heard a few times already this morning: "Two Labour governments working for Wales, replacing rivalry with respect."