Election latest: Starmer avoids weighing in on US election - as minister admits 'none of' polls look good for Sunak (2024)

Sir Keir Starmer is asked on the BBC about Nigel Farage - and it is put to him whether the Reform UK leader is racist.

The Labour leader says he doesn't want "call him names".

He does say, however, that comments which have come from Reform UK campaigners are racist, and condemns them.

You can read more about that below:

Speaking on BBC radio, Sir Keir Starmer is asked about the tax-free lump sums people can take from their pensions.

According to Hargreaves Lansdown, "this applies to the tax-free element of certain lump sums, capped at £268,275 - amounts exceeding this allowance are taxed at your marginal rate".

Sir Keir says: "It runs out in a number of years, and we're not going to renew it."

He then says, however, that Labour would review the plans in two or three years when they come up for renewal.

This, Sir Keir says, is not something he can promise now due to the economic conditions.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is speaking on BBC radio to callers.

But the interview begins with questions about the debate in the US overnight - for which Joe Biden has been criticised.

Sir Keir says he has "enough on his plate" with his own election campaign.

But he says he will work with "whoever is president".

The Labour leader praises the "historic" nature of the relationship between the UK and the US.

And he says he doesn't think it would be "helpful" to comment on the contest on the other side of the pond.

Asked about previous comments shadow foreign secretary David Lammy made about Donald Trump - which were extremely critical - Sir Keir distances himself from the remarks.

SNP leader John Swinney is speaking to broadcasters this morning.

As a member of the Scottish parliament, he is not standing for election this month.

He has implored voters in Scotland to support his party to face up to what he says is an inevitable Labour win.

Exclusive polling for Sky News carried out by YouGov shows Labour is currently on 35% in Scotland, compared to 29% for the SNP - a slight narrowing in the gap (read more here).

Mr Swinney says: "I think the election essentially has been decided in England.

"The Labour Party has a commanding lead over the Conservatives south of the border, and it's a certainty that Keir Starmer is going to become the next prime minister.

"But in Scotland, there's a hotly contested election between the SNP and the Labour Party.

"If they want to make sure that decisions about Scotland are made in Scotland for Scotland, then they've got to vote for the SNP because it's only SNP votes and SNP voices in the House of Commons that will hold the Labour government to account, given that they're going to win hands down in England."

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones is out for Labour this morning.

Speaking to Sky News, he is asked about Labour's financial plans - especially with the tax burden at a 70-year-high.

Mr Jones says that, if his party wins, they will "inherit the county as it is - not as we might like it".

The situation on tax thresholds is put to the Labour man.

By keeping the levels at which people go up income tax bands frozen, more and more people end up paying higher taxes as wages naturally increase.

This effect has been dubbed a "stealth tax rise", and has led to greater proportions of people paying higher income tax rates than previously.

Mr Jones says: "We would like to unfreeze them, but of course we have to be able to afford to do so.

"And we've not done that at this point in the election because the money's not available right now to be able to do that.

"And that's why when you point to the Conservative Party's promise to change thresholds for certain voters, it's very clear that that's not a promise that anyone can believe, because the money's not there to pay for that commitment"

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

This is day 39 of the campaign.

Jack and Sam talk about the leaders' final weekend, they discuss how Reform are continuing to be in the headlines, and following the Trump vs Biden debate, they look at the rest of the world, including the upcoming French election.

Email Jack and Sam: jackandsam@sky.uk

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

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has defended people gambling - as long as they do not rely on insider information.

This comes as the election betting scandal in the Conservative Party rumbles on.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Keegan says: "I do not place bets on anything, least of all politics."

She adds that she doesn't know if "most MPs" are gamblers - adding that "clearly some will be".

"Betting is part of what many people do - and if you're placing a bet on an unknown outcome then, you know, that's something that people do all day, every day.

"But obviously where it's a problem is if you're placing bets on inside information."

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is giving a frank summation of her party's situation in the election.

The Conservatives have remained around 20 points behind at Labour, and in some polls have fallen behind Reform.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Keegan says the election campaign is "still going" and they are "still fighting for every vote".

"But clearly, you know, if you look at the 100 or so polls that have been done since the election was called - I think is by far the most polls that we've ever had done - then you've obviously got, a whole range of different views and none of them, looking like the, you know, the best outcome for our party."

The minister, says however, there are a large number of people who previously voted Tory that no longer want to do so.

She says: "So what we're trying to do is make sure we get round to as many of those voters as possible."

There was 0.7% growth in the UK's GDP between January and March this year, the Office for National Statistics as said.

The ONS previously estimated the expansion was 0.6% for this period.

But it has now confirmed they previously underestimated.

These figures came on the back of a short technical recession last year - which means two quarters of contraction in GDP.

The improvement in growth was driven by the services sector, with slightly stronger activity in the professional services, transport and storage sectors.

The Conservative Party is continuing to attack Nigel Farage and Reform over comments he made about the war in Ukraine.

Mr Farage said last week that the West had provoked Russia into invading.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Rishi Sunak denounced Mr Farage as "wrong".

"What he said was wrong, it was completely wrong.

"It plays into Putin's hand.

"This is the guy who used nerve agents on British streets, he's doing deals with North Korea.

"That is who we're talking about here.

"This kind of appeasem*nt is very damaging not just for our security, but the security of our allies that depend on us and it emboldens Putin further."

The Telegraph says Mr Farage responded by saying: "Being against the Iraq and Libyan wars and predicting the Ukraine war is not appeasem*nt.

"I'm horrified by what Putin has done."

The Tory party has hammered this point as Reform support swells while backing for the Conservative Party recedes.

This - and saying a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour - are their two main attacks against Mr Farage.