British Politics – Live: Conservative MP Dan Poulter switches to Labor in plot to oust Sunak before general election

In a pre-election pitch to older voters, Keir Starmer vowed to maintain a triple lock on pensions for at least five years once he joins Downing Street.

The Labor leader said pensioners “deserve certainty” as he assured that the triple lock would be “protected for the duration of the next parliament” under the prime minister’s term.

The triple lock refers to a promise to increase the state pension each year in line with wage growth, inflation or 2.5%, whichever is higher.

It has been a feature of successive Conservative governments since it was announced in 2010, but its long-term future has been debated due to its cost.

Dr Dan Poulter has defected to Labor, claiming the Conservative Party has become a “right-wing nationalist party”.

But critics pointed to Mr Poulter’s record as a Conservative MP over the past 14 years, when the NHS was under great pressure.

Under, independent personpolitical correspondent of archie mitchell We examine Mr Poulter’s career as an MP and why he left the Labor Party.

Scottish Conservative Party leader Douglas Ross said Humza Yousaf was “done” even if he survived a forthcoming no-confidence vote with the support of Alba Party.

On Thursday, Mr Ross announced he would table a motion of no confidence in the prime minister, which other opposition parties, including the Green Party, said they would support at Holyrood.

on BBC Scotland program sunday show, Mr. Ross said: “As I told him in response to yesterday’s letter, he cannot continue as prime minister. He must resign.”

The Scottish Conservative leader continued: “Even if he survives, he will have the same number of votes as the Speaker who votes for the status quo, which does not preserve the confidence of the Scottish Parliament as a whole.

“Even if he manages to pull through with the support of Alex Salmond, it will end anyway.”

Wes Streeting said he hoped Dan Poulter’s defection would “send a signal” to disgruntled Tories that they “are welcome to join the Labor Party”.

“Attracting someone like Dan Poulter to a Labor seat before a general election is a sign not just of the state of the Conservative Party but of the strength of Labor.

“I hope this sends a signal to disaffected Tories looking for a political home that they are welcome to join us in the Labor Party.

“We want to unite the country, but the challenges are so great that we need to address the threats to our economy, the state of our public services, and this really dangerous and volatile world that we are witnessing. We must unite the country.”

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has given his thoughts on whether Humza Yousaf can survive a vote of no confidence.

my colleague sophie thompson Report:

Rishi Sunak is “bottling up” the general election and people are “tired of waiting” and “should get it done”, Labor’s Wes Streeting said, adding that the Prime Minister was “taking Downing Street with his fingernails”. I have no choice but to be dragged away.”

“As someone who has campaigned across the country for local elections, I can tell you that the most common question I get asked across the country is, ‘When do you think there will be a general election?’” the shadow health secretary told Sky News.

“People are crying out for a chance to pass a verdict on this government and vote for change.

“That’s why the Prime Minister planned an election earlier this year. That’s why he’s bottling it up now. That’s why he will have to be taken out of Downing Street by the end of the year.”

Rishi Sunak has been warned that defeats in the Tees Valley and West Midlands mayoral elections would cause ‘vultures to circle’, with restless Tory MPs agitating for a leadership challenge. ing.

Ben Houchen and Andy Street are the most powerful figures in the Conservative Party outside Westminster, and both have built major personal brands. The last time the seat was up for grabs in the 2021 election, Mr. Houchen won an astonishing 72% of the vote to Mr. Street’s 54%.

But in a worrying sign in the week before the next round of voting begins, pollsters are recording close races in both races, with Mr Houchen leading by a small margin in the Tees Valley, while Street is leading in the West Midlands. Mr. is slightly behind.

Chris Hopkins, director of polling firm Savanta, said that if both Conservative mayors lost, “the vultures would really flock to Rishi Sunak”, adding: “It will reflect how much footfall the Conservative brand has nationally. It will show whether we are leading the way,” he said.

“These two have essentially campaigned as independently as possible from the Conservative Party, and the fact that the races are so close is testament to the strength of their personal brands.

our political correspondent archie mitchell Here is the full report:

Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater has indicated her party will not change its mind about supporting a future no-confidence motion against Humza Yousaf.

on BBC Scotland program sunday showMr Slater said he would vote in favor of the motion.

She said: “At this point, I can’t imagine anything that could change that position. This was a spectacular act of betrayal.”

Asked if Mr. Yousaf would be able to persuade him to abstain if he presented him with policy proposals before the vote, Mr. Slater replied:[The Bute House Agreement] It was based on mutual trust and respect. I trust and respect many of her SNP colleagues.

“But Humza Yousaf himself broke it and will have to face the consequences.”

Home Office minister Chris Phillip has refused to set a cap on net immigration after former immigration minister Robert Jenrick called for net immigration to be capped at tens of thousands of people.

Philip told the BBC. Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “We are committed to significantly reducing legal immigration. We do not believe that large-scale low-skill migration is the right thing to do. What we want is more A small number of highly skilled immigrants.”

Asked about Mr Jenrick’s cap demands, he said: “I’m not in a position to sit here today and argue for a hard cap.

“But what I can tell you is that we have measures that were enacted and are still in place to reduce legal immigration by about 300,000 people a year. By increasing the number of dependents who can enter the country with immigrants.

“I think the British public wants to control and significantly reduce immigration, including both legal immigration and stopping illegal immigration.”