Cameron: We need a ‘Plan B’ in case Israel invades Rafah

The West needs a “Plan B” in case Israel presses ahead with an invasion of Rafah, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Lord Cameron is holding a press conference in Washington DC alongside Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State.

He told the briefing: “As we saw with the tragic killing of the World Central Kitchen workers, unless you have that deconfliction, other things like that could happen.

“We have a very clear Plan A for how we bring this conflict to an end - we have a temporary pause, we turn that into a sustainable ceasefire, we see Hamas leaders removed from Gaza, we see the terrorist infrastructure taken down. That is the way to have a political process that brings the war to an end.

“But if that doesn’t work, we have to think about what is Plan B? What can humanitarian and other organisations do to make sure that if there is a conflict in Rafah, people can achieve safety, they can get food, they can get water, they can get medicine and people are kept safe. And I think that’s something we are going to have to be looking at and talking about today.”

The Foreign Secretary also told the United States it is in the country’s best interests to unblock aid to Ukraine.

You can recap the press conference below, and join the conversation in the comments section here. 

06:00 PM BST

That’s all for today...

Thank you for joining us on another busy day in Westminster, Washington and beyond.

My colleague Jack Maidment will be back tomorrow to guide you through the day.

05:42 PM BST

Rachel Reeves denies that Angela Rayner is a tax avoider

Rachel Reeves was forced to deny that Angela Rayner is a tax avoider amid mounting pressure over the sale of her former council house.

The shadow chancellor said she had “full faith and trust” in Ms Rayner amid an ongoing row about her property in Stockport in 2015.

Greater Manchester Police is considering whether to look again at the issue of whether the Labour deputy leader should have been liable for capital gains tax.

Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether Ms Rayner deliberately avoided tax, Ms Reeves replied: “Angela has answered questions about this in quite some detail, and she’s also sought additional tax and legal advice.”

Ms Rayner strenuously denies any wrongdoing and has the backing of Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, who on Monday insisted he did not need to see legal advice that Ms Rayner claims exonerates her.

Read the full story here

05:20 PM BST

Lord Cameron: We must do ‘everything we can’ to strengthen Nato in 2024

Lord Cameron said the West had to do “everything we can this year” to strengthen Nato, including getting “everyone up to two per cent” of GDP on defence spending.

“[Ukraine] are fighting so bravely, they’re not going to lose for want of morale. The danger is we don’t give them the support that they need and I make that argument to anyone who will listen to me.

“I would argue it is extremely good value for the United States and for others, perhaps for five or 10 per cent of your defence budget almost half of Russia’s pre-war military equipment has been destroyed but without the loss of a single American life. This is an investment in United States security.”

05:17 PM BST

Lord Cameron: Our position on arms exports to Israel is unchanged

Lord Cameron said he had reviewed the most recent advice about Israel acting in line with international law.

“The latest assessment leaves our position on export licences unchanged, this is consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received, and as ever we will keep the position under review.

“Let me be clear, though, we continue to have grave concerns around the humanitarian access issue in Gaza, both for the period that was assessed and subsequently. We’ve seen a welcome increase in trucks with as Tony said perhaps as many as 400 going in yesterday, the highest since Oct 7, and of course public commitments from Israel to flood Gaza with aid. These now need to be turned into reality.

“Our position is in line with international partners. So far no like-minded countries have taken the decision to suspend existing arms export licences to Israel, and I’d add that Israel remains a vital defence and security partner to the UK. Our cooperation makes the UK and Israel more secure from external threats.

“We will continue to use this robust legal process to assess those legal issues and I would just add we don’t publish legal advice, we don’t comment on legal advice but we act in a way that is consistent with it.”

05:10 PM BST

Lord Cameron: Putin must fail - partly for the sake of the US

Lord Cameron insisted it was “not for foreign politicians to tell legislators in a foreign country what to do”, but added: “It’s just that I’m so passionate about the importance of defending Ukraine against this aggression, I think it is absolutely in the interests of US security that Putin fails in his illegal invasion.

“I think it’s good for US jobs that we continue to back Ukraine with the weapons that they need. And I think in terms of how the United States, the United Kingdom as allies are seen around the world, there will be people in Tehran, in Pyongyang, in Beijing looking at how we stand by our allies, how we help them, how we stop this illegal and unprovoked aggression and working out whether we’re committed, whether we see it through.”

Lord Cameron said he was there to “make those arguments” and said those “right up against the fence with Russia” in eastern Europe were at stake.

“It’s so important that the outcome of all of this is a strong and secure Nato with full US and Atlantic support, rather than a setback for the Western alliance, a victory for Putin and a sense that we don’t stand by our allies and friends at that time of need. So that’s the spirit in which I’m here... I’ll make time for any people in Congress who would welcome a conversation.”

05:06 PM BST

Blinken to Israel: Other ways to deal with Hamas than Rafah invasion

Antony Blinken said aid to Gaza “needs to be sustained as long as necessary to ensure the people of Gaza have what they need to get by, and sustained as long as it takes to put in place something more permanent when this conflict comes to an end that can guarantee people are getting what they need and continue to rebuild Gaza”.

“There’s no date certain at all. This needs to not only happen, not only be sustained but it needs to continue as long as is necessary to provide for people in Gaza”.

Mr Blinken said he did not want to “pre-judge” ongoing discussions about a potential Israeli invasion of Rafah.

“I can tell you that we expect to have the continuation of those talks next week, I don’t anticipate any action being taken before those talks. For that matter I don’t see anything imminent. But there is a lot of work to be done and it remains our conviction that major military operations in Rafah would be extremely dangerous for civilians who would be caught in harm’s way. We share the commitment to dealing with the problem posed by Hamas, we believe there are other effective ways to do it.”

05:03 PM BST

Lord Cameron: My meeting with Trump was ‘entirely proper’

Lord Cameron insisted his meeting with Donald Trump was “entirely in line with [the] precedent of Government ministers meeting with opposition politicians in the run up to elections”.

He recalled meeting Mitt Romney when he was a candidate and Barack Obama meeting Gordon Brown in the same position.

“These things are entirely proper. But it was a private meeting, so I haven’t really got anything to add to your questions. But we discussed a range of important geopolitical subjects.”

The Foreign Secretary said he was “doing everything we can to help” secure the release of hostages in Gaza.

“Ultimately the people responsible for holding these hostages are Hamas. They could release the hostages now. I’m not involved in the minutiae of the negotiations but I know very big offers have been made by Israel to release loads of prisoners from their prisons in response to hostages being released. And we need the hostages to come home, we need the aid to get in, and it is Hamas more than anyone else that is standing in the way of that happening.”

05:01 PM BST

Blinken: Deconfliction mechanism ‘so important’

Antony Blinken said: “So important is putting in place a deconfliction mechanism so humanitarians can go about their work throughout Gaza without fearing for their security and Gaza, and so that we never see again the horrific loss with the attack on the Central Kitchen team just a week ago.

“This is a week very much in progress, and as I say we will judge it by its results and whether they are sustained... The initial steps are positive but a lot more needs to happen to make sure that people in Gaza have what we need.”

05:01 PM BST

Blinken: Deconfliction mechanism ‘so important’

Antony Blinken said: “So important is putting in place a deconfliction mechanism so humanitarians can go about their work throughout Gaza without fearing for their security and Gaza, and so that we never see again the horrific loss with the attack on the Central Kitchen team just a week ago.

“This is a week very much in progress, and as I say we will judge it by its results and whether they are sustained... The initial steps are positive but a lot more needs to happen to make sure that people in Gaza have what we need.”

04:59 PM BST

Cameron ‘remarkably tight-lipped’ on Trump meeting

Cameron was just remarkably tight-lipped about his meeting with Trump, given that we already know some of the topics that were discussed.

Foreign Office sources told The Telegraph last night that they talked about Ukraine and NATO, while Trump campaign sources added this morning that they touched on Brexit.

If the purpose of this meeting is to emphasise ties between the UK and US, regardless of political administration, then why not say that? Why focus so much on how the meeting was not unusual? The mystery of what exactly happened at Mar-a-Lago last night continues.

04:58 PM BST

Blinken: Biden has been very clear about our Rafah concerns

Antony Blinken insisted an “ongoing conversation” had been held with Israel about Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to invade Rafah.

“The President has been very clear about our concerns, our deep concerns about Israel’s ability to move civilians out of harm’s way, to care for them once they’re out of harm’s way and to have any kind of major military operation that doesn’t do real harms to civilians, to children, to women, to men.

“We are committed to ensuring that Hamas cannot govern or dictate the future of Gaza or anything else for that matter. But how Israel conducts any further operations in Gaza matters a great deal. We’re talking to them about alternative and in our judgment effective ways about solving a problem that needs to be solved, but doing it in a way that does not endanger the innocent.”

Mr Blinken said he expected further talks to be held with the Israelis next week, adding he needed to see “actual results” from Israel in the delivery of aid.

04:53 PM BST

Lord Cameron: We need a ‘Plan B’ in case Israel invades Rafah

On Israel and Gaza, Lord Cameron said the UK backs the hostages and their families, “now in day 185 of their appalling captivity”, going “hard” on delivering aid, “leading internationally” at the United Nations on a temporary ceasefire and bringing together countries that support a future peace process.

“The fourth part of our plan is to support Israel in its legitimate right of self-defence to deal with the Hamas threat, and it’s important that we support that.”

Lord Cameron said the UK and the US wanted to see 500 aid trucks and “deconfliction” in the West Bank.

“As we saw with the tragic killing of the World Central Kitchen workers, unless you have that deconfliction, other things like that could happen. We have a very clear Plan A for how we bring this conflict to an end - we have a temporary pause, we turn that into a sustainable ceasefire, we see Hamas leaders removed from Gaza, we see the terrorist infrastructure taken down. That is the way to have a political process that brings the war to an end.

“But if that doesn’t work, we have to think about what is Plan B? What can humanitarian and other organisations do to make sure that if there is a conflict in Rafah, people can achieve safety, they can get food, they can get water, they can get medicine and people are kept safe. And I think that’s something we are going to have to be looking at and talking about today.”

04:49 PM BST

Analysis: Lord Cameron has heard a message from America

Lord Cameron has just gone out of his way to point out that he hasn’t come to the US to “lecture anybody” or get in the way of Congress in passing a Ukraine spending bill.

That is because he has previously been accused of doing exactly that -- by Republican politicians who felt he had hectored them and patronised them over the war. In February, Lord Cameron write an op-ed in which he said he would “drop the diplomatic niceties” and urge Congress to pass the package. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the representatives he was addressing, told him to “kiss my a--”. 

It seems that message has very much been heard back in Whitehall.

04:48 PM BST

Unblocking Ukraine aid is in your interests, Cameron tells US

Speaking about support for Ukraine, Lord Cameron said: “In terms of the money they need and the support they need, perhaps nothing is more important than the supplemental the Congress is looking at the moment.

“I come here with no intention to lecture anybody or tell anybody what to do or get in the way of the process of politics and other things in the United States. I just come here as a great friend and believer in this country and a belief it’s profoundly in your interests and your security and your future, and the future of all your partners, to release this money and let it through.”

04:47 PM BST

Lord Cameron: We know what Ukraine needs to win

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is speaking following Antony Blinken.

“In a time of danger like this in international affairs, close alliances really matter and there is no closer alliance for us than our partner the United States... On Ukraine I want to echo what Tony said. Put simply we know what works, we know what they need and we know what is right for us. In terms of what works, we know that if we give the Ukrainians the support they deserve, they can win this war, they can achieve the just peace that they deserve.

“They’ve sunk 25 per cent of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, they’ve inflicted over 350,000 casualties on Russian armed forces who launched this unprovoked and unjustified aggression. And we know that if we keep on backing them, we can lead this to the right conclusion.

“And we know what they need. We know they need air defences, the Ukrainian foreign minister was so clear about that in Nato, we know they need ammunition, there’s the excellent Czech initiative to bring forward ammunition... We know that they need support from Nato allies and a good outcome to the Nato summit which we were discussing this morning. And we know they need money in the form of the frozen sovereign Russian assets, and we’re making good progress on how to access that fund.”

04:43 PM BST

Why Blinken is talking about ‘burden sharing’

It’s interesting that Antony Blinken is talking about “burden sharing” between the US and Europe during the war in Ukraine. In reality, the US is the largest provider of support by far, but there is concern among Republicans that Washington is doing too much on Western security, while some European states refuse to increase their defence budgets.

Mr Blinken is sending the message to the UK that it is one of the US’s key partners because it is willing to invest. To a domestic audience, he is making the case that the US does not do these things alone.

04:43 PM BST

Blinken: We are working very closely on ceasefire deal

Speaking about the Gaza conflict, Anthony Blinken said Israel “has made important commitments to significantly increase the supply of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza”.

He noted that just yesterday more than 400 aid trucks were cleared to go into Gaza.

“What matters is results and sustained results and this is what we will be looking at very carefully in the days ahead, and that includes making sure that the assistance that gets into Gaza is distributed effectively throughout, not just in the south. It has to get to the north as well.

“Of course we have our own citizens who remain hostage in Gaza, held by Hamas. We continue to work very closely with Israel, with Egypt, with Qatar on getting an agreement that will result in an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages and create even better conditions for surging assistance to those who need it in Gaza.”

04:40 PM BST

Blinken: US needs to continue to ‘do our part’ in Ukraine

Anthony Blinken said it is a “great pleasure” to have Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, present.

“We’ve had an ongoing conversation, and ongoing consultation about the major challenges our country is facing together and today was a new chapter in our conversations.

“We of course reaffirmed the imperative of continuing to support and help Ukraine defend itself against the ongoing Russian aggression. I have to say the United Kingdom has been an extraordinary leader in this area since day one.

“The UK was the first country to formalise and finalise the bilateral security agreements that 30 countries have either now concluded negotiations on or are in the process of negotiating with Ukraine to help develop a future for us, one where it can deter aggression and defend itself in the future.

“We talked about ways to strengthen efforts to prevent the transfer of weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. This is an ongoing challenge and we also see weapons, we also see technologies, to support the defence industrial base in Russia coming from North Korea, from Iran, from China. This is an area of particular concern not only for the United States and the United Kingdom but for many of our allies and our partners throughout Europe.

“We also talked about the imperative of getting assistance to Ukraine now in terms of additional munitions - air defences, artillery, we both heard last week from the Ukrainian foreign minister at Nato about the immediate needs. Both of our countries are pressing ourselves and pressing others to do this.”

Mr Blinken said the additional funding request Joe Biden had made was “urgent” and “imperative”, hoping for a vote “as quickly as possible... When it comes to burden-sharing, I have never seen a better example in my time in government, now over 30 years. The United States has done extraordinary things for Ukraine. Our partners in Europe and across the world have done even more... We need to continue to do our part.”

04:20 PM BST

Slight delays expected to Cameron-Blinken press conference

Lord Cameron’s press conference with Antony Blinken is delayed by around 15 minutes, our US Editor Tony Diver hears.

04:19 PM BST

Coming up

Lord Cameron is set to hold a press conference in Washington DC alongside Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, with the Foreign Secretary expected to be grilled on support for Ukraine and arms sales to Israel.

You will be able to watch live at the top of this blog.

04:08 PM BST

Sunak condemns campaigners who targeted Starmer’s home

Rishi Sunak has condemned a campaign group for protesting outside Sir Keir Starmer’s London home.

Youth Demand, a group campaigning to end arms sales to Israel and to stop all new oil and gas drilling, protested directly outside the Labour leader’s home, holding a sign that stated “Starmer Stop the Killing”.

Mr Sunak tweeted in response: “I don’t care what your politics are, no MP should be harassed at their own home. We cannot and will not tolerate this.”

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, echoed a similar sentiment as he tweeted: “This is unacceptable. There is no excuse for harassing and intimidating politicians and their families in their homes.”

04:01 PM BST

Good afternoon

Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through the rest of the day.

03:51 PM BST

Lord Cameron and Donald Trump discussed Brexit at Mar-a-Lago meeting

Lord Cameron and Donald Trump discussed Brexit at their Mar-a-Lago summit last night, The Telegraph has been told.

A Trump campaign source said the pair discussed a range of topics including “the upcoming US and UK elections, policy matters specific to Brexit, the need for NATO countries to meet their defense spending requirements, and ending the killing in Ukraine”.

The meeting was a joint dinner between Lord Cameron, Mr Trump and Dame Karen Pierce, the UK ambassador to the US.

“President Trump, Secretary Cameron and Ambassador Pierce also discussed their mutual admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II,” the campaign said.

03:45 PM BST

Varadkar makes way for ‘Tik Tok Taoiseach’ after playing down €400bn Irish unity bill

An estimated €400 billion over 20 years is a “small price to pay” for a united Ireland, Leo Varadkar has said in a farewell interview before his successor was appointed today.

Simon Harris, dubbed the “Tik Tok Taoiseach” because of his canny use of social media, officially took over from Mr Varadkar after being confirmed by the Irish parliament.

Ireland’s youngest-ever prime minister is expected to name his cabinet this evening.

You can read the full story here. 

03:26 PM BST

Tory MP: ECHR ‘setting itself up as a legislator in place of elected governments’

A Conservative MP claimed the European Court of Human Rights was “setting itself up as a legislator in place of elected governments” after it made a landmark ruling on climate change.

The Strasbourg court ruled today that governments have a duty to protect people from climate change (see the post below at 15.13).

Danny Kruger, the co-chair of the New Conservatives group, said the UK should leave the ECHR.

He tweeted: “The Strasbourg Court is setting itself up as a legislator in place of elected governments. The ECHR has been bent out of shape by activists & politicians who want to seem progressive & internationalist by junking both nations and democracy. We should leave.”

03:13 PM BST

Governments have a duty to protect people from climate change, European judges rule

The European Court of Human Rights has made a landmark ruling that governments have a duty to protect people from climate change.

In a case brought by a group of elderly Swiss women, the Strasbourg judges ruled that Switzerland was not doing enough to tackle climate change.

The ruling is binding and can trickle down to influence the law in 46 countries in Europe including the UK.

You can read the full story here. 

03:01 PM BST

Lord Cameron to hold press conference in Washington DC

Lord Cameron is in Washington DC today to urge the US to agree a new military aid package for Ukraine.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to hold a press conference alongside Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, later this afternoon.

As well as Ukraine, Lord Cameron is likely to face questions on the Gaza conflict and the supply of weapons to Israel.

02:39 PM BST

Rwanda plan ‘unravelling by the day’, claims Labour

Labour has demanded Rishi Sunak provide “urgent public answers” about reports that accommodation in Rwanda earmarked for Channel migrants has been sold (see the post below at 13.33).

Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, said: “The half a billion-pound Rwanda scheme is a failing farce, which will only cover less than one per cent of asylum arrivals.

“Now it seems there will be even less capacity to house those that are removed. The Tories’ so-called plan is unravelling by the day and taxpayers are footing the bill. It’s time for change.

“Labour has a credible plan to break up the gangs smuggling people on boats, send people back who have no right to be in Britain - and strengthen our borders once and for all.”

02:20 PM BST

Sunak and Kagame ‘looking forward’ to Rwanda flights taking off in the spring

Rishi Sunak discussed his Rwanda migrant deportation plan with Paul Kagame, the country’s president, during talks at No 10 today, Downing Street said.

The two leaders “looked forward to flights departing to Rwanda in the spring”, No 10 said in a readout of the meeting issued this afternoon.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The leaders also discussed the pioneering UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership which will break the business model of criminal gangs risking lives at sea, and the Prime Minister updated President Kagame on the next stages of the legislation in Parliament.

“Both leaders looked forward to flights departing to Rwanda in the spring.”

02:08 PM BST

Braverman ‘disappointed’ Rwanda properties earmarked for migrants sold

Suella Braverman said she was “disappointed” that properties earmarked for migrants deported from the UK have been sold to local buyers in Rwanda (see the post below at 13.33).

The former home secretary told LBC: “I’m disappointed to read that expectations have fallen and that the Rwandans are now selling off some of those properties, because the way the plan should work – and the plan that I put forward to the Prime Minister – is that we need to have a large number of flights going to Rwanda on a regular basis, with a large number of passengers on them.”

01:33 PM BST

Rwanda sells homes earmarked for migrants due to deportation flight delays

Properties on a new housing estate in Rwanda earmarked for migrants deported from the UK have been sold to locals amid delays in flights to the central African nation.

Some of the 163 affordable homes on the estate in the capital Kigali have been sold off as the Government has been forced to redraw its plans after the Supreme Court ruled that the scheme was unlawful as Rwanda was unsafe for migrants.

The housing developer ADHI-Rwanda behind the terraced homes in the Bwiza Riverside estate was quoted by The Times as saying 70 per cent of the homes had been sold to “private people who want to live in them”.

The Rwandan government disputed the figure but did not deny the sales. It said that it was just one of the housing options where migrants will live alongside Rwandans.

You can read the full story here.

01:12 PM BST

Hunt: 2024 is ‘the year for the economy to bounce back’

Jeremy Hunt said “this is the year for the economy to bounce back” as he responded to improving retail sales figures.

Total UK retail sales were up by 3.5 per cent in March, year-on-year, above the three-month average of 2.1 per cent and the 12-month average of 2.9 per cent, according to the British Retail Consortium-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.

The Chancellor tweeted: “Positive signs in today’s retail sales data from [the British Retail Consortium] – sales in March up 3.5 per cent from last year.

“And with inflation down from 11 per cent to 3.4 per cent, this is the year for the economy to bounce back.

“To help, we’re backing retailers by raising the VAT threshold and slashing their business rates bills by 75 per cent for another year.”

12:50 PM BST

Sir Ed Davey urges UK to hold Ukraine summit of European leaders

Sir Ed Davey has called for the UK to host a summit of European leaders to bolster support for Ukraine and to look at seizing frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv.

Responding to Lord Cameron’s meeting with Donald Trump (see the post below at 12.08), the leader of the Liberal Democrats said: “If the US cannot, Europe must.

“The West is divided. The spectre of a second Trump presidency has Putin rubbing his hands. We only have one option: to stand with our Ukrainian allies, as they seek to bravely resist Russia’s illegal invasion.

“The UK must now show leadership and convene a summit of European leaders, to kick start seizing Russian assets for the good of Ukraine.”

12:24 PM BST

Pictured: Paul Kagame, the Rwandan President, arrives at No 10 for talks

12:08 PM BST

David Cameron meets Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Lord Cameron and Donald Trump met to discuss the war in Ukraine, Nato and the Middle East yesterday in the first summit between a senior UK Government minister and the former president since he left office in 2021.

The Foreign Secretary flew to Florida to meet Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, in a move the Government said was “standard practice” for opposition leaders ahead of an election.

The two men discussed Ukraine, the war in Gaza and the future of Nato, after Lord Cameron publicly distanced himself from the former president’s remarks on the alliance earlier this year.

You can read the full story here. 

11:37 AM BST

Ex-minister urges Tories and Labour to commit to 3pc defence target

James Heappey, the former armed forces minister, said the Conservatives and Labour should commit to spending three per cent of GDP on defence in their election manifestos.

The Conservative MP for Wells told the BBC: “The UK should step up and show some leadership within the European parts, or even the non-US part of Nato, and should commit 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending at the Nato 75th anniversary summit in Washington this summer.

“And I would hope that both of the parties that hope to form the government after the next general election would have a three per cent commitment in their manifestos for delivery in the next parliament.”

11:17 AM BST

Starmer extends lead over Sunak on ‘best PM’ question

Sir Keir Starmer has extended his lead over Rishi Sunak on the question of who voters believe would be the better prime minister.

A new Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey, conducted on April 7, gave Sir Keir a lead of 15 points, up by one point when compared to the company’s previous poll on March 31.

Some 44 per cent of people said the Labour leader would be a better PM for the UK while 29 per cent picked Mr Sunak.

11:10 AM BST

Reform UK hits highest ever level of support in new poll

Reform UK has hit its highest ever level of support in a new general election poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies.

The survey, conducted on April 7, put Reform on 15 per cent of the vote which was up by one point when compared to the company’s previous poll on March 31.

Reform was six points behind the Tories who were down by one point to 21 per cent of the vote.

Redfield & Wilton Strategies said the 15 per cent number for Reform was the party’s “highest vote share in our polling to date”.

Meanwhile, Labour maintained its comfortable first place position, receiving 44 per cent of the vote, down by two points, giving the party a 23 point lead over the Tories.

10:47 AM BST

Reeves has ‘full faith and trust’ in Rayner amid house sale row

Rachel Reeves said she has “full faith and trust” in Angela Rayner and is confident the deputy leader of the Labour Party has paid the tax owed on the sale of her council house.

The shadow chancellor told BBC Breakfast: “Angela is a good friend and a colleague of mine and I have full faith and trust in her.

“She has answered questions about this and I have confidence that, you know 10 years ago, she paid the right amount of tax when she sold her home.”

Ms Rayner continues to face scrutiny over her living arrangements a decade ago. She has refused to publish the tax advice she received in relation to the sale of the property.

10:29 AM BST

Poor public finances will ‘constrain’ Labour government, says Reeves

The shadow chancellor said the state of the public finances will “constrain” what a Labour government would be able to do.

Rachel Reeves told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is the worst economic inheritance since the Second World War and it will constrain what an incoming government could do but there’s always choices to be made.

“And the choices that I’m announcing today are that we will strengthen the rules to ensure that non-doms pay their fair share of tax and we will crack down on tax avoidance and ensure the tax code is fully complied with to bring in over £5 billion a year by the end of the Parliament.”

10:18 AM BST

Labour would ‘ramp up’ HMRC staff numbers ‘pretty quickly’

Rachel Reeves said she could “ramp up” the number of HMRC staff “pretty quickly”, as part of Labour’s plans to crack down on tax avoiders (see the post below at 10.06).

The party has said it will invest up to £555 million a year in boosting the number of compliance officers at HMRC to increase productivity.

When asked how long it would take to boost staff, the shadow chancellor told BBC Breakfast: “You can ramp it up pretty quickly. At the start you might need to bring in extra resource but then you need to train people up within the government to do this work.

“This isn’t rocket science, previous governments have managed to close that tax gap, as it’s called.”

10:06 AM BST

Labour to close inheritance tax loophole for non-doms

Labour will close an inheritance tax loophole for non-doms and target tax-avoiders to pay for its spending commitments on schools and the NHS.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, will announce the move on Tuesday, with the money raised set to fill a funding hole created when the Tories copied Labour’s plans by scrapping the non-dom tax regime in last month’s Budget.

Labour will go further and stop current non-doms from being able to move their money into an offshore trust before the ban comes into place in April next year and avoid paying inheritance tax.

You can read the full story here. 

09:45 AM BST

Braverman ‘strongly rebuts’ suggestions Israel may have breached law

Suella Braverman said she “strongly rebuts” suggestions that Israel is in breach of international law over its actions in Gaza.

The Tory MP for Fareham told LBC: “I have probed and I have tested, I’ve been very near to the border in Gaza and I am convinced – and I say this as a former attorney general who dealt with matters of international law and military action – that I very strongly rebut suggestions that Israel is in breach of international law, that there’s a genocide, that there’s a forced starvation.

“Quite the contrary. Israel is doing a huge amount using technology, sophisticated methods, and a lot of care to minimise civilian casualties, to get aid into Gaza and to comply with international law.”

09:31 AM BST

Braverman ‘fully expects’ Sunak to lead Tories into next election

Suella Braverman appeared to rule herself out of a Tory leadership bid.

The former Cabinet minister told LBC: “I’m not thinking about any kind of leadership campaign.

“Rishi Sunak is our Prime Minister, I fully expect him to lead us into the next general election.”

09:12 AM BST

Braverman doubts Sunak would take UK out of ECHR

Suella Braverman has expressed doubt that Rishi Sunak would ever take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The Prime Minister hinted last week that he could take the UK out of the ECHR if it were to block his Rwanda migrant deportation flights.

He said controlling immigration was more important than “membership of a foreign court”.

Asked if she could see that happening, Mrs Braverman said: “I was calling to leave the ECHR back in 2022. When I was home secretary I was constantly urging the Prime Minister to take bolder action and go further.

“He did regularly disagree with me on many of the suggestions that I made to him. My view does still stand. Ultimately to regain control of our borders properly and faithfully to the British people we do need to ultimately leave the European Convention on Human Rights.”

Asked directly if she believed Mr Sunak would pull the trigger on leaving the ECHR, the former home secretary told LBC: “Judging from my conversations with him, he never agreed with me on the proposition that I just set out now.”

08:56 AM BST

Sunak’s Rwanda plan ‘won’t deliver’, says ex-home secretary

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan will not deliver regular deportation flights filled with hundreds of passengers, according to Suella Braverman.

The former home secretary said she believed “token” flights might happen but only a small number of people would actually be sent to Rwanda.

As a result the policy will not be a deterrent to small boat Channel crossings, she argued.

“The point is that I have got a fundamental disagreement with the Government on the plan as it stands today,” she told LBC this morning.  
“I do believe that we may well get a flight off, a token flight, with a low number of passengers on it to Rwanda.

“That is not deterrence. The only way we generate a deterrent effect to stop people getting on the boats and coming into the UK illegally is regular flights with hundreds of passengers on those flights being sent to Rwanda on a regular basis.

“I am afraid the plan as it stands today won’t deliver that.”

08:38 AM BST

Tories not in a ‘good’ state under Sunak’s leadership, says Braverman

The Conservative Party is not in a “good” state under Rishi Sunak’s leadership, Suella Braverman said.

The former home secretary was asked during an interview on LBC this morning how she believed Mr Sunak was doing as Tory leader and as Prime Minister.

She replied: “Listen, it is a very difficult job that he has got on his hands and I don’t envy him and he is working hard and he is a diligent man.

“I have been very clear, however, that the state of the party is not a good one and I have been urging him for some time to change course.”

08:30 AM BST

UK must not ‘walk away’ from Israel, says Braverman

The UK must not “walk away” from Israel and stop selling the country arms, Suella Braverman suggested this morning.

There have been growing calls for the UK to suspend the sale of arms after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers including three Britons last week.

But Mrs Braverman, the former home secretary, said UK support for Israel should continue.

Asked if the UK should stop selling arms to Israel, she told LBC: “I don’t think the fact that these tragedies happen is a reason to walk away from Israel and stop selling arms to Israel because of that broader battle that they are engaging with.”

08:28 AM BST

Suella Braverman: Tories ‘heading for defeat’ at general election

The Conservative Party is “heading for a defeat” at the general election, Suella Braverman warned this morning.

The former home secretary said she hoped the Tories will “change course” and be bolder on key issues like tax and migration as she argued the current offer to voters is “insufficient”.

Asked about what the Tories could expect at the contest, Mrs Braverman told LBC: “I am very concerned. I am very concerned about what poll after poll demonstrates. It is my job, and I sought to do this as home secretary, to speak honestly, to speak the truth even if it may be uncomfortable.

“I owe that to the people who have sent me to Parliament and I owe that to you and so the honest truth is that we are heading for a defeat, to put it mildly, at the general election. I very much hope that we change course and that we improve the offer to the British people.

“Ultimately measures on tax cuts, measures on migration, measures on national security and social cohesion and extremism are insufficient by this Government.

“We need to go further, we need to demonstrate to the British people that we are on their side, that we are serious about stopping the boats, that we are actually serious about curbing unprecedented levels of illegal migration and unfortunately we haven’t managed to do that.”

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