Election latest: Sunak told to 'come clean' over election date bets - as party leaders face live grilling from voters (2024)

The Green co-leader says he does not support Just Stop Oil's tactic after the activist group sprayed Stonehenge with orange paint yesterday.

Sophy says the party wants a transformation and society, which it believes is necessary for humanity's survival, and asks if it is logical to take extreme measures, giving the example of Just Stop Oil's protest.

"No, I don't support that particular tactic," Adrian Ramsay says.

"What I would say is that I do defend the right to peaceful protest, because you only have to look at what's happened in countries where those rights to protests are clamped down on that, you know, you're not really living in a democracy."

He adds: "But what I would say is Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil are different organisations from the Green Party.

"We're about trying to achieve change through the political process, who are representing residents in Westminster and in councils around the country.

"I'm not here to speak for other organisations that will make their own decisions, and I don't always agree with their individual tactics."

That brings our coverage of tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge to an end, but the show will be back at 7pm tomorrow. Stick with us here for live updates and analysis from tonight's BBC Question Time event with the party leaders.

Greens co-leader Adrian Ramsay is now defending his party's proposal to increase tax on people earning more than £50,000 through changing national insurance for those who earn over that threshold.

"Our proposal is that national insurance is changed so that everybody pays the same percentage of their salary on national Insurance, regardless of what they earn," he says.

Mr Ramsay adds: "I'm not saying £50,000 is too high a salary.

"Someone earning £55,000 on our proposals would pay £5 extra a week, but let's look at what they'd get for that - because at the moment we have a situation where people are forking out for a private dentist because there's no access to NHS dentists, they're paying exorbitant rail fares, they're paying high energy and food bills.

"Green proposals are about tackling the cost of living crisis, and the causes of why people are having to fork out those things, and we'd all be better off overall if we put the investment in."

Let's move away from the betting scandal engulfing the Tory party and bring you tonight's leader interview....

The co-leader of the Greens rejects comparisons with Liz Truss for proposing to borrow COVID levels of money to fund his party's manifesto programme.

Speaking toSophy Ridgeon tonight's Politics Hub,Adrian Ramsay, who leads the party alongside Carla Denyer, doesn't reject they would spend £325bn over the course of parliament to invest in public services.

But he denies the suggestion his proposals could be likened to those put forward by the former prime minster, whose economic plans unravelled and forced her from office.

"Our proposal is that over the course of the parliament," Mr Ramsay says, "the extra spending that we would have on day-to-day spending would be funded by increased day-to-day taxes."

He adds: "This is money that's being borrowed for investment. Investment in things like our school buildings that are crumbling, hospital buildings."

The Green Party's manifesto, launched last week, promised to "mend broken Britain" through a programme of investment paid for by the "very richest" in society.

Scroll to the right in the interactive tool below to find out what the party has promised to do if they win the election.

During our panel debate, Conservative commentator Tim Montgomerie has called on Rishi Sunak to show some anger over the election betting scandal.

Mr Montgomerie says Tory activists who don't make any money from their involvement in politics and are "in it for the right reasons" will "see people at the centre [...] acting like spivs".

"I'm really frustrated about it," he adds. "I want the prime minister to get out there and embody this bit of anger."

Mr Montgomerie says the prime minister is usually "controlled, almost programmed" and "most of the time you don't want a prime minister who loses control".

But he adds: "Sometimes when you have a scandal, you want the prime minister,you want your leaders to go out there and thump the table and be as angry and as concerned about it as you.

"Because this affects all of us, all of us who are in politics, who believe politics is a noble thing, we're being dragged through the mud by scandals like this."

'It's like The Thick Of It'

Mick Lynch, secretary-general of the RMT, says he finds it "incredible" the Tories "are descending into this".

He says it is like an episode of political comedy The Thick Of It.

"You can't trust people who can't be left on their own with a betting app and think that the betting companies won't find out," he adds.

"If there's more of this we may get a concession of the election before a vote is put into a ballot box."

Allegations Tory candidates placed bets on the election date ahead of the announcement are "really not helpful," says the Conservative business minister Kevin Hollinrake.

Mr Hollinrake was asked about the scandal by our chief political correspondent Jon Craig.

Asked if he placed a bet, Mr Hollinrake says: "No I didn't, and I'm appalled to hear what's gone on in terms of other people doing that.

"It's obviously completely inappropriate and needs to be investigated."

He adds: "These allegations are really serious, and they're really not helpful."

PM told to 'come clean'

Jon also spoke to Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's shadow paymaster general, ahead of tonight's interviews with the leaders of the four major parties in the UK.

Speaking about what we can expect, Mr Ashworth joked: "What we won't get is Sir Keir Starmer saying he's just been down the bookies placing bets on when the election debate will be, but I think there are questions for Rishi Sunak tonight.

"He has to come clean and tell us who knew about this election date. Has he asked his staff, his MPs, his cabinet ministers, whether any of them placed bets?

"It's insider trading. It's a scandal."

All bets are off as Rishi Sunak prepares to face a live TV audience amid dire opinion polls and a new cronyism scandal.

The polls are suggesting a Tory wipeout on 4 July and his campaign chief has been forced to flee the party’s HQ over allegations his wife - a Conservative candidate - bet on the election date.

Ominously for the PM, both the polls and the betting scandal could get worse. Tory support in opinion polls continues to fall and gambling industry sources are expecting "more names" to emerge.

The format of tonight's two-hour BBC Question Time programme at York University is a half-hour grilling from a live audience for Sir Ed Davey, John Swinney, Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Sunak, in that order.

On gambling, the Lib Dem leader is already demanding a Cabinet Office inquiry, while the Labour leader says Tory candidate Laura Saunders - wife of the party's campaign chief Tony Lee - should be suspended.

We can expect more attacks on the PM's handling of the scandal from the three opposition leaders. Mr Sunak, meanwhile, will be challenged on the allegations of corruption and cronyism for the first time.

That's because he's made no public appearances on the day of this latest TV showdown with voters.

Sir Keir, on the other hand, did some campaigning in York ahead of the TV programme. That's what party leaders usually do ahead of these programmes, campaign near the venue for their TV appearance.

We know from last week's Sky News Battle For Number 10 event in Grimsby that a TV audience can be feisty and unforgiving when confronting a party leader pleading for their votes in an election.

At times, Mr Sunak looked crestfallen, as if the row over his D-Day snub to veterans in Normandy had badly damaged confidence and morale.

But we also know Mr Sunak is capable of coming out fighting against Sir Keir, as he did in the first TV debate of the campaign, launching the £2,000 Labour tax grab onslaught that has dominated Tory attacks.

So faced with the twin nightmares of horrendous opinion polls and a betting scandal that could yet get much, much worse, which Mr Sunak will turn up to do battle with his opponents?

All bets are off.

We'll have live updates and analysis from the programme, starting at 8pm, here in the Politics Hub.

As Sophy outlined, the election campaign has been waylaid by a betting scandal engulfing the Conservative Party.

Two Tory candidates are being investigated by the Gambling Commission over alleged wagers placed on the date of the 4 July contest.

And more political figures are being looked into over bets placed on the election date, a gambling industry source has told Sky News.

It risks throwingRishi Sunak'scampaign into further turmoil after it emerged Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, is being looked into by the watchdog.

She has worked for the party since 2015 and is married to the Conservative Party's director of campaigns, Tony Lee.

Mr Lee "took a leave of absence" from his role on Wednesday night, a Conservative Party spokesman told Sky News.

It is not known how much money Ms Saunders placed or when the bet was made.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, she said she will be "cooperating with the Gambling Commission" investigation.

It comes a week after the PM's close parliamentary aideCraig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, was revealed to have placed a bet on a July election date three days before it was official.

Read more from our political reporter Alix Culbertson:

If I was going to make a bet on the general election, I wouldn't have put any money on this.

The Tory party's director of campaigning taking a leave of absence from his job over an alleged bet made by his wife on the timing of the election.

Oh, and she also happens to be a Conservative candidate.

There's not much I can say at the moment with an investigation ongoing.

But… what on Earth is happening?

Just when you think this election campaign couldn't get any more ridiculous… it does.

Our weeknight politics showPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgeis live now on Sky News.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Tonight features Sophy's second interview with party leaders, this time we've gotAdrian Ramsayfrom the Greens.

Ourchief political correspondentJon Craigwill also be catching up with Tory and Labour candidates ahead of the BBC's Question Time special, which will feature Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Ed Davey, and John Swinney.

And on Sophy's panel tonight are:

• Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary;
• Tim Montgomerie, founder of Conservative Home.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgefrom Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.

Our weeknight politics showPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgewill be live on Sky News from 7pm.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Tonight features Sophy's second interview with party leaders, this time we've got Adrian Ramsay from the Greens.

Our chief political correspondent Jon Craig will also be catching up with Tory and Labour candidates ahead of the BBC's Question Time special, which will feature Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Ed Davey, and John Swinney.

And on Sophy's panel tonight are:

• Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary;
• Tim Montgomerie, founder of Conservative Home.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hubfrom 7pm every night during the election campaign on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.