TRANSCRIPT
It’s already been a campaign full of gaffes and its only day two.
Here’s Rishi Sunak in a Welsh Brewery talking about the upcoming European Football Championships.
“Looking forward to the football?” followed by laughter
It’s a sore point in Wales… because they didn’t qualify.
The Prime Minister was much more comfortable talking about immigration and his scheme to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Despite the plan being passed by parliament weeks ago and hundreds of millions of pounds spent on it, Mr Sunak has conceded there won’t be any deportation flights before voting day.
And is trying to turn the delay into a vote-winner.
“We’ve started detentions. Airfields on standby. The escorts are ready. The caseworkers are churning through everything. So all that is happening. And if I'm re-elected as your prime minister, those flights will go to Rwanda. We will get that deterrent up and running."
Labour has described the scheme as an expensive gimmick and plans to scrap it.
Keir Starmer would rather the campaign focus be on the economy and cost-of-living pressures.
"For a government to leave after 14 years our country with living standards worse than when they started is absolutely unforgivable."
While Labour has consistently led in the polls for months now, to win a majority it will require a swing bigger than any recorded in modern British political history. It’s not impossible, but it’ll be tough - meaning the Liberal Democrats think they could be kingmakers.
They’re not ruling out a coalition with Labour if it means kicking the Tories out.
The Scottish National Party launched its campaign… its leader, Johin Swinney, has only been in the job a fortnight.
“On July 4th - Independence Day - make sure your voice is heard. I suspect over the next 6 weeks we’ll see the Tories and Labour really going at it. They’ll be going hammer and tongs against each other… I’ll also be going hammer and tongs, but not against anyone, I’ll be going hammer and tongs to put Scotland first.”
Then there’s Reform UK - essentially a rebadged Brexit Party.
While Nigel Farage won’t stand for them, the party’s running in almost every seat.
Leader, Richard Tice:
“Reform UK is going up and up in the polls with our common sense policies to save Britain, whilst the Tories have been sinking in the polls."
Something Rishi Sunak’s very much aware of.
Expect him to talk about immigration as much as possible, as he tries to stop traditional Conservative voters heading further to the right.
