Election latest: 'Man with no integrity' - Labour takes aim at Rishi Sunak after latest party donation figures (2024)

We're getting some reaction to the Douglas Ross U-turn now.

SNP campaign director, Stewart Hosie, said it was a "day of shame for the Tories".

He bemoaned "three-jobsDouglas Ross taking a seat from David Duguid to keep his third salary at Westminster.

"The way the Tories have treated Mr Duguid is indefensible. The nasty party just got nastier."

The people of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East "deserve a dedicated, full time MP and localchampion", he added, before endorsing his candidate Seamus Logan.

Mr Logan himself said:"Irrespective of our politicaldifferences, it's clear David Duguid cared very deeply about his constituents - and his treatment at the hands of the Tory party will outrage many local families.

"I wish him a swift and full recovery."

"I give a commitment to people across Aberdeenshire North and Moray East that, if I'm elected on 4th July, I will be a champion for everyone who lives here - and I will always put the interests of our constituencyfirst."

A major rescue operation was launched this morning in the Channel after it was reported that a migrant boat was in trouble.

Around 80 migrants have been rescued after the boat got into difficulty, according to the Press Association.

Some of the group are thought to have been pulled from the water.

Coastguard and lifeboat crews were called to help Border Force during the incident off the Kent coast on Thursday morning.

Sky News understands there are no fatalities or serious injuries at this stage.

A spokesperson for the Coastguard said they were "coordinating the response to a small boat incident in the channel".

"Coastguard helicopters from Lydd and Lee-on-Solent and RNLI lifeboats have been sent," they added.

An RNLI spokesperson said: "Dover RNLI all-weather lifeboat and Walmer inshore lifeboat were tasked by HM Coastguard to launch this morning (6 June) to an incident in the English Channel."

Read more here.

It has been "quite the 12 hours" in Scottish politics, says our Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies, after a U-turn by Douglas Ross on his decision to stand in the general election.

The situation is "really awkward" for the Scottish Conservatives after David Duguid claimed in a statement last night that he had been blocked from standing by the party.

Gillies says speculation had swirled about whether Mr Ross would go for the seat - and he'll now face "accusations of backstabbing and what discussions really have been happening behind closed doors".

In a statement posted to X last night, Mr Duguid appeared to be disappointed not to be selected.

"We haven't got a straight answer quite yet and we are hoping to get that very shortly around whether Douglas Ross has actually had a conversation with David Duguid," says Gillies.

"But this is difficult for the Conservative Party.

"Douglas Ross was trying to strike a pretty sombre tone.

"He said he didn't see himself being in this situation given he's U-turned on his pledge... so let's see what he's got to say to try and defend himself."

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has officially announced his plans to stand at the general election.

In a news conference, Mr Ross said he will today put himself forward as a candidate for the new seat of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

He paid tribute to his colleague and former Scotland Office minister David Duguid, who announced he has not been selected to stand for the party. Mr Duguid has recentlydeveloped "significant health issues", Mr Ross said.

"Unfortunately, and with real regret, the party management board concluded that David could not proceed as our candidate for the new seat," said the Scottish Conservative leader.

He added that after thinking "long and hard" and "considering all the options" for the past 12 hours, he has decided to put himself forward to run.

The constituency will be "competitive" and a "hard-fought contest" between the SNP and Scottish Conservatives, Mr Ross said.

"I've decided I need to lead from the front," he added.

"I will stand in the seat and I intend to beat the SNP, just as I've done in the past, so we can get focused on the top priorities of local people."

Mr Ross said he expected the SNP to "throw absolutely everything they've got" at him. But he said if local people "come together", the Tories can "keep the Nationalists out".

The other candidates standing in the constituency are:

• Ian Bailey, Liberal Democrats;
• Andrew Brown, Labour;
• Seamus Logan, SNP.

Rishi Sunak is speaking now at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, where the 80th anniversary of D-Day is being commemorated.

Addressing the some 2,000 guests and veterans, the prime minister says: "We are here to honour the service of those who did [serve]."

He references several veterans and praises their resolve and sacrifice. Three of those he mentions are in attendance.

"We are humbled to be with you and for what you did that day, we will always be grateful," Mr Sunak says.

He praises their humility, adding that it is what makes them "the best of us".

"You risked everything, and we owe you everything.

"We can and we must pledge to never forget."

He asks those who can to rise as Dakota planes fly overhead, and leads a round of applause for the veterans in attendance.

Labour says Rishi Sunak has "proven he is a man with no integrity" after accepting another £5m donation from Frank Hester.

Party chair Anneliese Dodds said the prime minister was "too weak to return the money donated by a man who has made violent, misogynist, and racist remarks which belong nowhere near our politics".

"If Rishi Sunak had a backbone he’d have cut ties with Frank Hester months ago, returned the money and apologised properly to Diane Abbott," she said in a statement.

"Voters have a chance to turn the page on 14 years of sleaze and scandal on 4 July and vote for change with Labour."

'Sunak must personally intervene'

The Lib Dems have also had their say on the issue, with deputy leader Daisy Cooper saying: "How low can Rishi Sunak's Conservatives go?"

She said spending the money would mean the party is "proudly funded by a man who made the most appalling racist and sexist comments".

"Ultimately the buck stops with Rishi Sunak. Sunak must personally intervene and make sure not a penny of this money is spent," said Ms Cooper.

Diane Abbott says a decision by the Conservatives to accept another donation from businessman Frank Hester is an "insult" to her and "all black women".

As we reported in our 8.36 post, the latest Electoral Commission data shows Mr Hester - who previously said Ms Abbott made him want to "hate all black women" and "should be shot" - has donated a further £5m to the Tories.

In a post to X, Ms Abbott said:"Rishi Sunak belatedly admitted Frank Hester's remarks that 'I made him hate all black woman and should be shot' were racist.

"Now it turns out Sunak accepted a further £5 million from him.

"An insult to me and all black women."

Douglas Ross is to stand to be the Conservative candidate in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency, Sky News understands.

It comes after former Scotland Office minister David Duguid revealed he had not been selected to stand in the seat for the Scottish Conservatives.

Mr Duguid had a recent bout of ill health and spent several weeks in hospital, butsaid he was looking forward to being involved in the election campaign.

Mr Ross has previously said he would not seek to become an MP, focusing instead on his role as an MSP at Holyrood.

John Healey has declined to say whether Labour will rule out raising taxes such as stamp duty and capital gains tax.

It comes after Jeremy Hunt challenged Sir Keir Starmer to explicitly say he will not hike property taxes if Labour win the election.

"There are dozens of specific taxes, the ones that are most important are those that cost working people the most," Mr Healey said.

Pressed on the issue, he repeated that Labour will not "raise taxes on working people" and said the party's plans "do not require us to start looking at raising taxes across the board".

He then repeatedly declined to answer questions on whether Labour will raise capital gains tax and stamp duty.

"I'm not going to go through a list, we could be spending the next hour doing this," he said.

"Where we have plans to change the taxes, we've spelt those out and we've said what that money that we can raise will be used to do," he added.

Shadow defence secretary John Healey says he is "disappointed" that blocked Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen has decided to stand as an independent.

Ms Shaheen, who initially won the Labour nomination for Chingford and Woodford Green, said she felt "disenfranchised" by the decision to remove her as a candidate, and accused the party of embodying a "hierarchy of racism".

Mr Healey said he understands why she is "disappointed" but added that she went through "the process that all of us as candidates for Labour have had to go through".

"I'm disappointed she's standing as an independent and one of the really big changes that Keir Starmer has brought in... is to make sure that any allegations are treated through an independent process.

"Any suggestion that there are partial treatments for some people is entirely wrong."