“Theresa May questioned Jeremy Corbyn’s patriotism yesterday as the two leaders clashed furiously over their strategy for Brexit. In an upbeat assessment of Britain’s prospects outside the EU, the Prime Minister said the UK’s ‘best days lie ahead’ – but she warned that Mr Corbyn would wreck hopes of a good Brexit deal as he ‘doesn’t believe in’ Brexit or Britain. The Labour leader later confirmed his soft approach to Brexit, saying that there were no circumstances in which he would take Britain out of the European Union without a deal. Mr Corbyn has faced repeated questions about his patriotism after previously refusing to sing the national anthem and voicing sympathy for the IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles.” – Daily Mail
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>Today: Douglas Carswell’s column: Ten reasons to vote for Theresa May next Thursday
>Yesterday:
“Ben Gummer is being lined up as the new Brexit secretary in a post-election reshuffle, with David Davis promoted to foreign secretary. Theresa May’s key calculation as she mulls over possible changes is whether Boris Johnson can be moved, according to senior Tories. The option of placing Mr Gummer in charge of the Brexit department is being canvassed by No 10, Whitehall sources have confirmed. Although he is not yet a cabinet minister, the Tory candidate for Ipswich and son of Lord Deben, who as John Selwyn Gummer was environment secretary, is highly rated by the prime minister. Ben Gummer already sits on the Brexit committee as part of his work ensuring that No 10’s priorities are being implemented across government departments.” – The Times (£)
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>Today: Iain Dale’s column: Rudd to the Treasury, a Gove comeback, McLoughlin to quit. What may happen in the reshuffle.
“Prime Minister Theresa May has told Donald Trump of her ‘disappointment’ at his decision to withdraw from the world’s first deal to tackle global warming. US President Trump said he would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a 190-nation agreement designed to curb rising global temperatures, claiming it was more about giving other countries a ‘financial advantage’ over theirs. Mrs May stressed that Britain remained committed to the agreement, Downing Street said in a statement. She refused to criticise Trump before he made the decision, saying he was free to pull out of the Paris Agreement.” – Daily Mail
Editorial:
>Today: ToryDiary: Our survey and the manifesto. How party members ranked the policies – from Brexit to the energy price cap. Full list.
>Yesterday: Ben Roback in International: More flipflops than Brighton Beach – why we can’t trust Trump on NATO
“It’s hard to think of a time when the Tories had more to boast about. In a continent mired in joblessness, Britain is celebrating the highest employment levels in its history. Why? Because Tories cut taxes and regulation, then reformed welfare. Jeremy Corbyn moans about the steep corporation tax cuts: why does no one explain to him that, as a result, corporation tax receipts are at an all-time high? Yes, the 50p top rate of tax was cut. This week, it emerged that the best-paid 1 per cent now pay 28 per cent of all income tax. No Labour government has ever squeezed more from the wealthiest.” – Daily Telegraph
“Senior allies of Theresa May believe that she is on course to win an overall majority of at least 80 seats despite the narrowing of the polls. The Conservative campaign is continuing to target Labour-held seats with large majorities, believing that the number of Tory MPs will rise from 330, the number when parliament was dissolved, to 365 or more. Meanwhile analysis of constituency visits reveals that the Conservatives are repeatedly deploying cabinet ministers in seats with large Labour leads, in a sign that the party believes it is still on track for a huge majority.” – The Times (£)
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Sketches:
>Today: Tina Stowell in Comment: We must learn the lessons of the uproar over social care
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Our survey. The Conservative election campaign fails to enthuse Party members
“The Tories were at war with the BBC over Left-wing bias last night as Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn prepared for a crunch debate on Question Time this evening. Conservative central office lodged a complaint with the corporation yesterday over the treatment of Home Secretary Amber Rudd by a TV audience described as ‘the most Left-wing ever’. The Tories are demanding that the BBC review its rules for audience selection for tonight’s Question Time debate in which the Conservative and Labour leaders will both field questions from the public.” – Daily Mail
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“Jeremy Corbyn will drag an extra 1.2 million family homes into the grip of inheritance tax if he wins the election, new figures suggested last night. In a move to target wealthier families, Labour will scrap Conservative plans to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million by 2021. Instead, the party confirmed it would reduce it from £850,000 to just £650,000 – a move which would slash the amount the middle classes can pass on to their children. The policy is not in the Labour manifesto, but appears in a separate costings document.” – Daily Mail
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>Yesterday: LeftWatch: Abbott’s Arithmetic 4) What price water nationalisation?
“Outside the traditional party campaigns, a grassroots group has led the way in adopting cutting-edge technology, canvassing techniques and vibrant branding to appeal to young voters. Momentum, the left-wing network of Jeremy Corbyn supporters, is running a tech-savvy campaign to get out the youth vote that will be crucial to Labour’s performance on June 8. It has combined its focus on digital tools with lessons from US organisers who worked on Bernie Sanders’s campaign in last year’s presidential election. Irreverent memes on social media and endorsements from high-profile figures are being used to stand out.” – The Times (£)
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“Labour is not actually winning, though you would never know it from the reaction in the party to its surge. Therein lies the secret of why this could have been Labour’s worst week in years. The prevailing, unspoken, assumption among Labour MPs before this election began was that it would be a condensed education in political reality for their membership. The Tories would throw a lot of mud, most of which would stick. Mr Corbyn would collapse under pressure and the electorate would deliver a damning verdict. All of that may yet happen but it no longer matters. The surge has changed everything because it is now so much harder to argue that Mr Corbyn’s brand of politics is not viable. Even if the result shows that it is not in fact viable that case is now lost, for the time being, in the Labour Party.” – The Times (£)
“Ruth Davidson has denied that Theresa May is a “wobbler” as she delivered an impassioned defence of the Prime Minister’s character in the wake of a series of about-turns and the Tory General Election poll lead being decimated. The Scottish Tory leader said the Prime Minister was a “serious person of government” rather than a “reality TV star” like the US President, Donald Trump. She said she had witnessed Mrs May’s “application” and “diligence” in 10 Downing Street and predicted she will “absolutely rise to the challenge” during the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. Rejecting claims that the campaign has showed the Prime Minister “crumbles” under pressure, Ms Davidson said she had stood firm against a second independence referendum and contrasted this with Jeremy Corbyn stating another vote would be “absolutely fine.”” – Daily Telegraph
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“Labour will try to form a minority government and rely on SNP votes to implement its policies in the event of a hung parliament, it said yesterday. Although the party insisted that it would strike “no deals” with the Scottish Nationalists or others, it said that it would challenge them to help Labour or face explaining to their supporters why they were letting the Tories back into government. After weeks of refusing to discuss its stance if there is an inconclusive result next Thursday, Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, committed Labour to a minority government. She spoke as the prospect of a hung parliament grew more feasible, with polls showing the party gaining ground on the Conservatives.” – The Times (£)
More SNP:
>Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Oil, fish, independence and Brexit – exploring the election in Scotland
“Making cannabis legal in the UK would improve public health, Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg claims. The decision would stop weed smokers from getting their hands on dangerous super-strength strains of the herb. This would protect them from the side effects of smoking ‘skunk’ such as schizophrenia and other mental health issues, he said. Selling cannabis over-the-counter would also generate £1billion each year in taxes and stop criminals from profiting on the illegal trade.” – Daily Mail
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