Rishi Sunak has been accused of “running scared” after he finally ruled out a genera election on May 2.
The prime minister told ITV West Country that voters across the UK will not have to go to the polls “on that day”.
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It brings to an end months of speculation and means the election is almost certain to take place in the autumn.
Senior Labour figures, and many Tories, wanted the general election to coincide with the local council polls in England and Wales on May 2.
But Sunak said: “In seven weeks’ time we have local elections, including in Gloucester where I was talking to them today. We have police and crime commissioner elections, we have mayoral elections.
“I’m squarely focused on those because they’re important and there’s not going to be a general election on that day.”
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Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “It looks like we have confirmation of Sunak running scared of an election in May.
“He knows that voters will not put up with this Conservative government’s failures on the NHS and the cost of living crisis any longer.
“That is why lifelong Conservative voters have switched to the Liberal Democrats in their droves and will vote for a hardworking local champion, rather than another Conservative MP who will take them for granted once again.”
Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator, said: “After 14 years of Tory failure, the British public have the right to expect an election to be called by 26 March and held on May 2.
“Until the day to call it has passed, we are prepared for the election to take place on the usual day in the election cycle.
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“Rishi Sunak should stop squatting in Downing Street and give the country what it desperately needs – a chance for change with a Labour government. The rime minister needs to finally come clean with the public and name the date of the election now.”
Sunak’s announcement means the election is likely to take place in either October or November, although he could go all the way to January next year.
However, Starmer said that should not be “conflated” with the anti-Semitism accusations Abbott faces over a letter she sent to The Observer which said that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people have never been “subject to racism”.
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She later apologised “unreservedly” for any “anguish” and said she withdrew the comments, but remains under investigation by the Labour Party.
Senior figures – including Ed Balls and John McDonnell – have called for Abbott to have the whip restored.
But on BBC Radio 2 today, Starmer insisted “that was for an entirely different issue” from the Hester row.
“That was allegations of anti-Semitism in relation to a letter, which is subject to an ongoing investigation which is separate from me,” he said.
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The Labour leader said the party “must support” Abbott and insisted she was a “trailblazer” as parliament’s first black female MP.
Presenter Jeremy Vine then said: “In some countries there would be a statue of her, and yet she may not be able to fight her seat in the next election if you don’t hurry up and resolve this.”
But Starmer said: “All I’m saying is the abhorrent language used by the Tory donor about Diane Abbott is abhorrent, needs to be called out, the money needs to be returned. That’s one thing.
“There is a separate issue, which is Diane’s own language, which is subject to a different procedure. I don’t think we can conflate the two at this stage.”
HuffPost UK revealed yesterday that there was no imminent prospect of Abbott returning to the Labour fold.
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But deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner later said she wanted to see the MP re-admitted to the parliamentary Labour party.
She said: “Personally, I would like to see Diane back but the Labour party has to follow its procedures.
“And for me, that is the most important thing – that we have made sure our party is fit to govern by making sure we have got complaint procedures that are robust and people can have confidence in.”
The move came hours after business secretary Kemi Badenoch broke ranks to do so and followed a day of confusion in Downing Street.
In a statement issued this evening, a No.10 spokesman said: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong.
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“He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted.
“The prime minister is clear there is no place for racism in public life and as the first British-Asian prime minister leading one of the most ethnically diverse Cabinets in our history, the UK is living proof of that fact.”
The Guardian reported yesterday that Hester said in 2019 that said Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.
At two separate Downing Street briefings for journalists today, the PM’s spokespeople also repeatedly refused to say Hester’s remarks were racist.
But pressure was piled on Sunak when business secretary Kemi Badenoch posted on X: “Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist.
“I welcome his apology. Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling. It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin.”
Hester, who runs health tech firm TPP, allegedly made the remarks at a staff meeting.
Talking about a female executive at another firm, he reportedly said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.
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″[The executive] and Diane Abbott need to be shot.”
TPP said Hester “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
In his first public comments on the row, Hester said “racism … is a poison that has no place in public life”.
He added: “The UK benefits immensely from the rich diversity of people – like my parents – who had roots in another land, religion and culture.
“We should celebrate those differences which have made us the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy. And we should have the confidence to discuss our differences openly and even playfully without seeking to cause offence.”
In a statement, Diane Abbott said: “It is frightening. I live in Hackney and do not drive, so I find myself, at weekends, popping on a bus or even walking places more than most MPs.
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“I am a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway. But to hear someone talking like this is worrying.”
“The fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming.”
A spokesman for TPP, the tech firm Hester runs, said he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Downing Street repeatedly refused today to call the remarks “racist”, insisting instead that they were “unacceptable”.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister, who spent the day working in No.10, told reporters: “What is alleged and reported to have been said would clearly have been unacceptable, but we are not going to characterise further alleged comments from source reporting.”
But Badenoch broke ranks with the PM to make her views clear on X (formerly Twitter).
She said: “Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist.
“I welcome his apology. Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling. It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin.
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“MPs have a difficult job balancing multiple interests -often under threats of intimidation as we saw recently in parliament.
“Some people make flippant comments without thinking of this context. This is why there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition.”
MPs have a difficult job balancing multiple interests -often under threats of intimidation as we saw recently in parliament.
Some people make flippant comments without thinking of this context.
This is why there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition (2/2)
Meanwhile, health minister Maria Caulfield told the BBC: “I condemn these comments – I personally do find them racist- it’s not something we should be kind of excusing in any way.”
The comments were at odds with fellow ministers Graham Stuart and Mel Stride, both of whom sought to play down the row earlier today.
In his first public comments on the row, Hester said “racism … is a poison that has no place in public life”.
He added: “The UK benefits immensely from the rich diversity of people – like my parents – who had roots in another land, religion and culture.
“We should celebrate those differences which have made us the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy. And we should have the confidence to discuss our differences openly and even playfully without seeking to cause offence.”
Having quoted me accurately saying “I abhor racism” @guardian newspaper has just asked me to confirm that I made these following remarks at the same meeting 5 years ago that they reported on yesterday. They claim that I told staff:
In a statement, Diane Abbott said: “It is frightening. I live in Hackney and do not drive, so I find myself, at weekends, popping on a bus or even walking places more than most MPs.
“I am a single woman and that makes me vulnerable anyway. But to hear someone talking like this is worrying.”
“The fact that two MPs have been murdered in recent years makes talk like this all the more alarming.”
A cabinet minister has been condemned after he said people need to “move on” from a race row engulfing the Tory Party’s biggest donor.
Frank Hester, who gave the Conservatives £10 million last year, reportedly saidDiane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.
But work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said that while the remarks were “inappropriate”, it was not “a gender-based or a race-based comment”.wes
He added: “He has apologised and I think we need to move on from that.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Stride’s response showed the Tory Party was “rotten to its core and unfit for office”.
Former Tory adviser Sam Freedman said: “This line is so appalling that it can only be in use because Hester is demanding that they stick to his line.
“Mel Stride is not a stupid person. There is no way he thinks this is a good or reasonable line.”
Asked if the Tories should hand back the money Hester gave them, he said: “We can’t cancel anybody from participation in public life, or indeed donating to parties because they said something intemperate and wrong in their past.
“It’s not my decision, but I do welcome those who support the Conservative Party to ensure that we have Rishi Sunak – our first Hindu prime minister.”
Lee Anderson used to believe that MPs who defect to other parties should face being kicked out of parliament, it has emerged.
The former Tory deputy chairman announced this morning that he was switching to Reform UK.
Asked whether he would now call a by-election in his Ashfield seat, both Anderson and Reform UK leader Richard Tice said there was no need because the general election will take place soon.
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But in 2020, Anderson backed a private members’ bill calling for MPs who change parties to face a recall petition so their constituents could decide whether they should be forced to trigger a by-election.
The Recall of MPs (Change of Party Affiliation) Bill was debated by the Commons on September 2 that year.
Its proposer, Anthony Mangnall, said changing parties “is clearly a breach of the spirit of the contract between ourselves and our constituents”.
He added: “Parties are often more visible than the candidate, from their leaders to their cabinets and their manifestos. They act as a magnet to either attract or repel voters to or from to their cause.
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“So when a candidate who has campaigned using those logos, promoting that manifesto and supporting that leader switches sides, they are doing so against everything they told the thousands of voters they connected with during the election. This is not promoting democracy; it is degrading it.”
Anderson was one of 55 MPs who voted for the bill, which has not made it to the statute book.
But despite his previous stance, Anderson – who lost the Tory whip last month over comments he made about Sadiq Khan – today said he was switching sides because “I want my country back”.
He has already been removed from all Tory MP WhatsApp groups, and faced criticism from some of his former colleagues in the party.
However, Conservative backbencher Mark Pritchard told Sky News that “the door will always be left open” for Anderson is he wants to return.
He said: “Lee will always be welcome in the Conservative Party if he decides to come back.”
There is a popular GIF currently doing the rounds in Labour WhatsApp groups.
It shows Justin Timberlake miming for the camera in the video for the NSYNC song It’s Gonna Be Me.
The commonly misheard lyric, however, has been changed to ‘It’s Gonna Be May’ to indicate when they think the general election will be. Yes, that’s what passes for humour in the Westminster village.
Despite all of the apparent evidence that it won’t be, senior Labour figures firmly believe the country will be asked to go to the polls on May 2, coinciding with the local council elections being held on the same day.
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With the party miles ahead of the Conservatives in the opinion polls, it’s easy to see why they want Rishi Sunak to get on with it.
But a surprising number of Tories also think that the PM should name the date for a little over seven weeks’ time.
The doctored Justin Timberlake lyric has become a popular gif in Labour circles.
If he does plump for May 2, the prime minister is going to have to get a move on and announce it.
Parliament would need to be dissolved by midnight on March 26, but time would be needed before then to deal with any outstanding legislation – a process known in the jargon as “wash up”.
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One theory doing the rounds is that Sunak will wait until his flagship Safety of Rwanda Bill is passed by the MPs before firing the starting gun on the campaign.
“We’ve been working on the basis he’ll get the lectern out in Downing Street at lunchtime on Saturday, March 23, by which time the Rwanda Bill will be done and so there won’t be much else to wash up,” one senior Labour figure told HuffPost UK.
One Tory MP said he believed the PM would name the date even earlier.
“I’m convinced it’ll be on May 2,” he said. “My guess would be he does prime minister’s questions on the 20th and then calls the election at 3pm that day.”
Rumours abound that ministerial diaries have been cleared for April to leave them free to campaign, while the Tory whip – which tells the party’s MPs about upcoming Commons business – only goes up to the 19th of that month.
A Conservative proponent of a May poll told HuffPost UK: “I think we’ve got a few favourable winds at our back right now and Labour are in a bit of a mess, so May is a better option than October.
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“It comes down to two questions: do you want the Conservatives or Labour to run the country, and who do you think has the best plan for the future.
“The truth of the matter is you’ve seen another tax cut in the Budget, while Labour are coming forward with more spending plans that will mean more taxes.
“We’ll also have got the Rwanda bill through, so that is where our strategic advantage lies – despite what the polls say.”
It is difficult to ignore the polls, however. Ipsos put support for the Conservatives at just 20% last week, while another poll yesterday had the Tories on 18%.
There are some Tories who think things could get even worse as the year goes on.
A former minister said: “The local elections in May will be really bad and cause lots of internal trouble for Rishi, so the way to avoid that is by having a general election on the same day.”
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A Tory aide added: “He definitely has to go in May. It will only get worse the longer it limps on.”
Rishi Sunak has a big decision to make.
WPA Pool via Getty Images
While Sunak has said his “working assumption” is that the election will take place towards the end of the year, he has also been careful not to rule out a May election, demonstrating that it is still in the mix as a possible date.
Given their healthy poll lead, Labour are understandably keen to get on with it.
“Staff in party HQ are being told every day that May is still alive,” said one Labour insider. “If the Tories don’t go for it, what is the point of them? It’ll just look like they’re sitting there waiting for something to turn up, rather than actually running the country.”
A Labour shadow cabinet member said: “We’ll also have another summer of small boat crossings, which would be a terrible election backdrop given Sunak promised to stop them.
“I just think he will conclude its better politically to go now rather than wait till the autumn.”
One leading pollster warned that going to the country now would be an act of “self-immolation” for the Tories, and that the PM might as well wait until the autumn in the hope that the political outlook is a bit brighter.
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But the truth is that Sunak has now entered the zone where there are no good options.
Ripping the plaster off and going for May may be marginally preferable to the slow, lingering political death of an October or November poll.
Either way, a thumping Conservative defeat seems all-but inevitable.
Commons leader Mordaunt used a bizarre defence today as Donelan came under fire from MPs.
She praised her colleague for refusing to accept the redundancy payment she was entitled to in 2022 when she was education secretary for just two days during the downfall of Boris Johnson.
Mordaunt said: “When [Donelan] was entitled to redundancy payments from being secretary of state, which was £16,000, she did not take that and handed it back to the department because it was the right thing to do.
“I would just remind people of that. I think that speaks volumes about the honourable lady’s character and how much she values the fact that it is taxpayers’ money that we are talking about.”
The House of Lords has inflicted another five defeats on the government’s Rwanda bill.
It means peers have defied Rishi Sunak to amend his flagship legislation 10 times this week.
The government will call on MPs to vote to overturn the amendments when the Safety of Rwanda Bill returns to the House of Commons later this month.
The five defeats tonight included moves to prevent modern slavery victims being deported to Africa against their will, and restoring the ability of the courts to decide whether Rwanda is a safe country.
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On Monday night, the Lords voted to ensure the legislation is fully compliant with domestic and international law.
Dick Newby, the Lib Dem leader in the Lords, said: “Time after time, this Bill has been proved to be deeply flawed, yet this Conservative Government continues to promote a policy that frankly is unworkable.
“We are calling for Sunak and Cleverly to seriously consider the changes this House has called for. It is far too dangerous to ignore these amendments because lives are at stake.
“The Government should now accept that the policy is fatally flawed and will do little to solve the sky high asylum backlog.”
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The Safety of Rwanda Bill is designed to overcome legal challenges to past attempts to send asylum seekers with a one-way ticket to the east African country.
The bill would compel judges to regard Rwanda as safe, and give ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions.
The policy is central to the prime minister’s hopes of convincing voters he can “stop the boats” crossing the English channel.
The government hopes once the bill passes flights will be able to take off by the spring, but that timetable now looks in disarray.
The science secretary, Michelle Donelan, wrongly accused Professor Kate Sang of expressing sympathy for the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, on X (formerly Twitter).
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The professor then took out a libel action against the cabinet minister, which was settled with Donelan agreeing to pay damages – with the public purse picking up the bill.
It has now emerged that the payment was £15,000, which the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said was paid “without admitting any liability”.
“There is an established precedent under multiple administrations that ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister, as was the case here,” the department said in a statement.
“The Secretary of State received the appropriate advice from relevant officials at all times.
“A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action, no matter what the result would have been.”
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The government is yet to reveal the full legal costs of the incident, and Donelan is now facing calls to resign from the University and College Union.
The minister misinterpreted a social media post where Professor Sang posted a link to a Guardian article about the aftermath in the UK after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
At the time, Donelan also wrote to the UK Research and Innovation government agency (UKRI) suggesting Professor Sang and a second academic Dr Kamna Patel had shared extremist material.
Both faced a lengthy investigation by the UKRI.
Donelan retracted her accusations in a post on X on Tuesday afternoon this week.
She said: “I have never thought or claimed that Professor Sang, or any member of the Board, committed a criminal offence.
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“I fully accept that she is not an extremist, a supporter of Hamas or any other proscribed organisation and I note that an independent investigation has concluded that there is no evidence that she is. I have deleted my original post to my X account.”
Professor Sang’s legal representative confirmed this week that Donelan has now withdrawn her false allegations and agreed to pay damages and costs to the academic.
The academic herself said the cabinet minister “made a cheap political point at my expense and caused serious damage to my reputation”, adding: “I propose to donate part of the damages she has paid to a charity.”
The Liberal Democrats also suggested Donelan’s salary – £159,38 year, including her £86,584 MP pay – should be docked.
The party said that amount of money could have funded 5,928 free school meals or 357 GP appointments.
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My statement on recent correspondence relating to Research England’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expert Advisory Group. pic.twitter.com/Fn3xRdwjxX
— Michelle Donelan MP (@michelledonelan) March 5, 2024
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle said: “It is outrageous that £15,000 of taxpayers money has been spent on the Science Secretary calling a scientist a terrorist sympathiser on social media, without any evidence at all.
“Michelle Donelan should be embarrassed, she should apologise, and she should repay the full amount back to the taxpayer. Her conduct falls so far below that expected of a minister.
“It is emblematic of this Tory government’s arrogance and recklessness that a Minister is forcing the taxpayer to pick up the legal bill for hurling abuse at a scientist online.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said this incident was “nothing short of a scandal”.
She said: “If Michelle Donelan had a shred of integrity left, she would pay for this bill out of her own pocket instead of asking taxpayers to pick up the tab. If she refuses to do so, Rishi Sunak should dock her pay.
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“This news will come as a kick in the teeth to people who are seeing their finances clobbered by the cost of living crisis while local health services are on their knees.
“This is yet another scandal that proves it’s time to kick this sleaze-ridden Conservative Government out of office for good.”
