Farage, undercover filming and a fatal attraction?
Welcome to the daily ITV News digest direct from the campaign trail. Each afternoon we'll bring you analysis and insight from across the nation as the General Election 2024 enters its final stages.
Hi, I'm Fred Dimbleby and for the past few weeks I have been part of an ITV News team following Nigel Farage around the country.
For the most part, the Reform team have been buoyant as their poll ratings have increased.
But last night, at a rally in Lincolnshire, there was a very different feeling in the camp as the full details of Channel 4's undercover filming were revealed.
There have been a slew of stories over the past few weeks, including from ITV News, about offensive remarks said by Reform UK candidates.
But Farage has always distanced himself, saying that he has only been leader for a few weeks and had limited control of candidate selection.
This undercover filming hits much closer to home.
These are the volunteers campaigning for him in the constituency that could, after seven attempts, take him to the House of Commons.
The man filmed making homophobic comments was a close member of Mr Farage's team.
It raises the question, as posed on Loose Women this afternoon, why are these people attracted to the party and to its leader?
Before this all broke, he told us scandals about his candidates could be impacting the support for the party.
This feels on a different scale...
For more analysis on the day’s events, check out Talking Politics, our daily podcast from the campaign live from 4pm on ITVX, hosted today by Presenter Geraint Vincent, with Robert Peston and Anushka Asthana. Or watch on demand on ITVX or where you listen to your podcasts.
Thanks for reading and enjoy some of the best content brought to you by the rest of the ITV News team below.
Being called an 'effing p***' by Reform activist 'makes me angry', says Sunak
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has lambasted Nigel Farage after one of his Reform party activists was caught on camera using racist slurs.
Mr Sunak said: "When my two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an effing p***’, it hurts, and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer."
He added: "I don't repeat those words lightly, I do so deliberately because this is too important not to call out for what it is.'“
Essex police are now reviewing the footage.
The Reform UK leader defended his party after an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News revealed one canvasser calling for migrants crossing the English Channel to be used as “target practice” and another describing the Pride flag as “degenerate”.
While Mr Farage said the comments were "gratuitously offensive", he also said "these days, almost anything can be written off as homophobic". He later claimed on ITV’s Loose Women show that the footage was a “total set up”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Farage faces a “test of leadership” over the slurs.
You can watch some of the undercover filming from Channel 4 on ITVX.
Can Labour recover from a decline in trust from Muslim voters?
Jess Phillips was sitting with her team in the Labour Party office on Yardley Road in Birmingham discussing the new shape of her constituency, including the proportion of Muslim voters increasing from 25 to almost 40%, writes ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana.
In theory, the boundary changes had doubled her ‘notional’ Labour majority from 10,000 to 20,000. But Phillips, like many other Labour candidates in seats with similar demographics, is facing another challenge.
Labour has taken a serious hit when it comes to the trust of Muslim voters, in a story that is far more complicated and nuanced than often reported.
You can read more of what Anushka learned in the city on our website and listen to her discussing the ‘new Red Wall’ on our Talking Politics podcast.
How competence, not independence, could decide Scotland’s vote
The Times (Could Be) A-Changin in Scotland, reports ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand.
The question of independence always sparks fierce debate, but in recent years that debate has taken a backseat when discussing politics in Scotland.
It still frames the debate, but it doesn't dominate every argument to quite the same degree.
What people want to talk about in Cowdenbeath and Kirkaldy, we found, in the latest of our Fight For '24 series, were the political parties…
You can watch Paul’s full report on catch-up on ITVX.
Meanwhile, Scotland correspondent Peter Smith says that while polling suggests the race may well be nearly done in England, in Scotland, it’s altogether a much closer affair.
‘I’ll be the greatest prime minister of all time’
YouTuber Niko Omilana has told ITV News how he wants to be the 'greatest prime minister of all time' and says Rishi Sunak will never be able to 'reach out to young people'.
The social media star - with a following of 2million on TikTok and 5million on YouTube - was reportedly on the police's radar after it appeared he was running to be elected as an MP in 11 different constituencies.
It's an offence to stand in more than one constituency in a General Election.
But Niko told ITV News' Social Team: "I'm completely innocent though, I promise you that I have actually got people to change their names legally to Niko Omilana. Well vetted people who I believe are most like me.”
Watch what Niko has to say about running against Sunak in Richmond on the ITV News YouTube channel.
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Labour’s pension confusion and a bus arrives late - Day 37 of the campaign
Labour has been forced to deny it plans to stop people accessing a lump sum of their pension pot tax-free after Sir Keir Starmer suggested the entitlement would end.
The party indicated leader Sir Keir had accidentally confused different tax measures as it sought to clarify comments he made during a BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in with Nicky Campbell.
Over-55s were given greater flexibility over how they could access their retirement savings by pension freedoms introduced from 2015.
Asked if he planned to remove the option of people being able to withdraw 25% of their pension pot as a tax-free lump sum, Sir Keir replied: “It runs out in a number of years and we’re not going to renew it.”
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, asked how she thinks the Conservative Party election campaign has gone so far, told Sky News: “Well, it’s still going and we’re still fighting for every vote.”
Ms Keegan said the opinion polls have produced a “whole range of different views”, adding: “None of them looking like the best outcome for our party.”
In Scotland, John Swinney praised the generosity of SNP members as he launched his party’s campaign battle bus, promising to be “out on the road with my bus for the remainder of the election campaign”.
The bright yellow coach bearing the slogan “a future made in Scotland”, and a decal of Mr Swinney, was unveiled to the media at Calton Hill in Edinburgh.
Keep up with the latest from the campaign trail on our website, on ITVX and through our social media channels - and, of course, the Talking Politics week-day podcast.
VAT on private schools, phone ban, breakfast clubs: what’s promised on education?
This election campaign has seen fierce discussions around tax, the economy, immigration and the NHS, but there's one issue that hasn't had as much attention - education.
Aside from Labour's controversial plan to scrap the VAT exemption for private schools, not much of the political debate has focused on what the different parties are promising on education.
One teachers union says there's a "range of systemic crises in education", from crumbling buildings, to teachers recruitment and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
But how are the different parties promising to tackle this crisis? ITV News explains...
What’s coming up…
Saturday June 29: Armed Forces Day.
Wednesday July 3: Last full day of campaigning for parties.
Thursday July 4: General Election day - polls open 7am, close 10pm.
Friday July 5: The 58th UK prime minister will likely be elected.
And finally… the battle for Britain’s most marginal seat
There are tight races and then there is the tightest of races…
In the Bury North constituency, a handful of votes separated the Conservatives from the Labour party at the last election - 105, to be precise.
ITV Granada Reports spoke to a number of A-levels students - interrupting revision for, of all things, a politics exam - to get their views on how they’re feeling ahead of their first General Election.
Watch the report on ITVX here.