Tory woes deepen into the final full week
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 gathers pace.
Hi, Anushka Asthana, ITV News’ deputy political editor here. With postal votes already being submitted and just 10 days until polling day, the countdown to the 2024 General Election is now very much underway.
On election night, my role will be to scour through the data as the results come in, so I've been looking through the 'battle boards' for all the parties to think hard about how we will tell the story.
Sources tell me that one of the reasons that Rishi Sunak decided to pull the chord early, and opt for a summer election, was to crystallise the decision for voters. He believed that when it was a choice between him and Keir Starmer, he would have a chance of closing the polling gap.
But as we enter the final week before the election itself, Conservative woes seem only to have multiplied, as the party face repeated warnings of meltdown and remain mired in a betting crisis that is showing no signs of going away.
This week, Labour will attempt to pile pressure on the Gambling Commission to release any more names linked to this growing scandal, while trying to keep playing safe on their own policy offering.
But they - along with all other parties - have faced heavy scrutiny today from the Institute for Fiscal Studies who have concluded that there is a 'conspiracy of silence' around the true state of the country's finances.
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 News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, with Robert Peston and me. 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.
Sunak ‘not aware’ of any other candidates caught up in betting scandal
Rishi Sunak said he was not aware of any other Tory candidates being investigated by the gambling watchdog, and ruled out that he was facing a probe himself.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the PM said the Conservative Party is holding its own internal inquiry into betting allegations, after reports that more people with connections to Sunak placed bets on the date of the election.
ITV News understands that on top of the five individuals already being investigated, the gambling watchdog is also looking into "many names" linked to the Conservative Party and the government who bet on the July election.
A cabinet minister said the scandal had become "a cloud" over the Conservative's election campaign.
Labour, meanwhile, has kept up the pressure on the PM. Sir Keir Starmer said Sunak’s parallel investigation into election gambling allegations was an effort to knock the story “into the long grass” and showed a “total failure of leadership”.
You can keep across the latest on the scandal on ITVX or our website.
Think-tank hits out at ‘conspiracy of silence’ on looming tax and spend decisions
A leading economics think-tank has accused Labour and the Conservatives of presiding over a "conspiracy of silence" on their respective economic polices.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has taken a close look at the party manifestos, and reported the "raw facts" of the economy - including that UK debt is at its highest level for 60 years - are being "largely ignored by the two main parties in their manifestos".
It said both parties had presented the public with a choice of either "higher taxes or worse public services", adding that voters have been left guessing over policy on tax and spending, and on the future size and shape of the state.
IFS director Paul Johnson added: "They [Labour and Conservatives] have singularly failed even to acknowledge some of the most important issues and choices to have faced us for a very long time.”
You can read what the IFS makes of the manifesto from all leading parties here.
Gender ‘ideology’, Scottish Tories and the NHS - Day 33 on the trail
The sensitive area of gender, trans issues and the classroom was a major talking point of Day 33 of the campaign.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he is opposed to “gender ideology” being taught in schools.
Asked during a visit to a school in Kettering if he would rip up the ban on teaching children and young people about “gender ideology” at school, the Labour leader said: “No, I’m not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools on gender.”
He vowed to make “further progress” on gender issues, as he sidestepped a question about women’s rights, something about which Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been vocal.
However, Rishi Sunak has said Labour’s policy on gender recognition would create “loopholes that would be exploited by bad faith actors”.
Speaking in Edinburgh at the launch of the Tory Scottish manifesto, he said: “What I’ve seen from the Labour Party is they’re going to undo all the progress that we’ve made on this issue, undermine the protections that we’ve put in place for women’s rights and their safety and security.”
He said Labour had never “properly cared or understood this issue”.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who was at an ambulance station to highlight his plans for the NHS, said the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate could be made less bureaucratic but important safeguards needed to be retained.
He told the PA news agency: “The Equality Act 2010 does provide for single-sex spaces and Liberal Democrats support that entirely. We want the guidelines to be clear for people.”
You can keep across the latest from the campaign on ITVX, on our website, and our ITV Politics social media channels.
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Farage reiterates Putin claims but insists he’s no appeaser
Nigel Farage has reiterated his claim that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin into invading Ukraine.
Speaking to ITV’s Tonight programme, the Reform UK leader said he felt “the ever, ever eastward expansion of Nato and the European Union was giving Putin a reason to go to war”.
He called for peace negotiations to begin to try to halt the fighting - something that has been ruled out by Ukraine.
He tells the programme: “We've tried of course through sanctions to weaken him, but all that's actually done is drive him into the arms of China.”
Watch The Leader Interviews - Tonight programme - at 7pm on June 24 on ITV1 and ITVX.
Brexit fall-out, finances and a unified Ireland dominate leaders’ UTV debate
The fall-out from Brexit, discord over calls for a united Ireland and Stormont’s perilous financial position dominated in the first major TV debate of the General Election campaign in Northern Ireland.
Senior representatives from Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance Party, Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP participated in the UTV debate on Sunday.
The line-up included three party leaders – the DUP’s Gavin Robinson, Alliance’s Naomi Long and the SDLP’s Colum Eastwood – while Sinn Féin was represented by John Finucane and the UUP by its deputy leader Robbie Butler.
You can catch up with the full debate on ITVX here and get the view from the spin room on who came out on top here.
What’s coming up…
Tuesday June 25: State Visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The Prince of Wales will greet the royal couple.
Wednesday June 26: Deadline to apply for a Voter ID certificate or a proxy vote for General Election. A proxy vote is for someone to vote on your behalf.
Thursday June 27: Junior doctors in England to go on strike. It will be the 11th walk out in the long-running dispute.
Friday June 28: Office for National Statistics to confirm first quarter GDP figures.
Thursday July 4: General Election day - polls open 7am, close 10pm.
And finally… rivals reunited to fight for new seat
When Jacob-Rees Mogg walks down Hanham High Street canvassing, there are either people wanting photos or people hurling abuse.
Either way, this senior Conservative politician is charming to all.
But according to the polls, he has a fight on his hands with his old rival, Labour's Dan Norris. He was MP for North East Somerset for 13 years before Rees-Mogg's victory in 2010.
Now they’re fighting for the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham. You can watch ITV West Country’s report from the constituency on ITVX and see who else is standing on the website.