Election latest: Farage's Tory rival 'sorry to hear' about milkshake attack (2024)

Welcome to the "spin room" at the ITV studios in Salford where Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will do battle in the first TV debate of the 2024 general election campaign.

We're inside Granada TV’s "Coronation Street Experience" - and for all those who love the soap opera of politics, the one-hour showdown between the Conservative and Labour leaders is sure to provide gripping drama.

There's no VAR in this contest, but the referee with the task of keeping order is Julie Etchingham, a Sky News presenter from 2002 until late 2007 and who hosted leaders' debates in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections for ITV.

Here in the spin room, top politicians, including senior cabinet and shadow cabinet ministers, will later join party spin doctors in striving to persuade the media that their candidate was the winner.

Among the top-level politicians expected are, for the Tories, cabinet veteran Michael Gove and rising star Victoria Atkins and, for Labour, the witty and wily Jonathan Ashworth.

Earlier, the prime minister travelled to the north-west by train, arriving at Manchester Piccadilly station at lunchtime, casually dressed and accompanied by a vast entourage of No 10 backroom staff and party officials.

For the past three days he has been out through a gruelling programme of preparation by his team, with the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden playing the Labour leader in rehearsals.

Sir Keir, who spent the morning campaigning in nearby Bolton, has also been put through a fierce programme of rehearsals, with a relatively unknown member of his staff, Tom Webb, reputed to be a good mimic of Tory prime ministers, playing Mr Sunak.

The Labour leader, of course, as a former Director of Public Prosecutions, is more used to addressing judges and juries than a TV audience, but will no doubt attempt to deploy the forensic interrogation style he uses at PMQs in the Commons.

Mr Sunak, meanwhile, as the underdog in the opinion polls will be urged by his team to take the gloves off and throw insults at Sir Keir like "Sir Softy" on crime and immigration, "Sir Flip Flop" on his opponent's U-turns and "Sir Fear Starmer" over his reluctance to take part in more than two TV debates during this election campaign.

Popcorn at the ready. Here we go!

Diane Abbott has welcomed her formal endorsem*nt by the national party as the Labour candidate in Hackney North and Stoke Newington.

A row has been ongoing for over a week over the treatment of the veteran left-winger, after briefings the leadership wanted to bar her.

Sir Keir Starmer had denied this was the case, and eventually said that she would be free to stand the constituency after the party whip was restored last week.

Today, the party's National Executive Committee met to endorse their candidates, and Ms Abbott's candidacy was formally approved.

In a post on X following the news of her endorsem*nt, she wrote: "My local party and I welcome my endorsem*nt today as Labour candidate for HN&SN [Hackney North and Stoke Newington].

"Looking forward to campaigning for Labour victory. The Tories have decimated our communities & our country.

"Time for a change!"

By Jennifer Scott, political reporter

The best thing about elections is we get to come to you, find out what you want to see from your politicians in your local area - and watch you challenge them about the issues that matter to you.

Tonight will be a blockbuster example as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer go head-to-head in the first TV debate of the campaign, hosted by ITV.

We can't reveal where the location is yet - although our very own chief political correspondent Jon Craig spotted Mr Sunak getting off a train in Manchester earlier.

But needless to say, Westminster is on the move.

I spotted political heavyweights gathering at a central London train station this morning, grabbing their sandwiches, getting some "fresh air" before the journey, even revealing their whereabouts through their Wi-Fi hotspots.

The fact is these events have the ability to inspire the most memorable moments of the campaign - "I agree with Nick" anyone? - and, more importantly, give the leaders a chance to change the course of their electoral journeys.

And despite last night's YouGov poll for Sky News predicting a wipeout for the Toriesafter 4 July, there is still a long way to go before either of these men secure the keys to Number 10.

We will be there throughout the afternoon and evening, so stay tuned for all the updates - and behind the scenes gossip - from this mega moment in the 2024 general election.

For now though, I'm going to tuck into my egg and cress sarnie, and see who else I can spot…

We've just heard from Nigel Farage for the first time since a banana milkshake was thrown over him in Clacton.

The Reform UK leader stood in front of the party's battle bus, holding a McDonald's banana milkshake aloft in front of the cameras.

He told the crowd of journalists: "My milkshake brings all the people to the rally."

That is a reference to the 2003 R&B hit by Kelis with the popular lyrics: "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard."

The home secretary and his Labour shadow have condemned the incident that saw a drink thrown over Reform UK leader and candidate Nigel Farage.

James Cleverly said the "assault" was "unacceptable", adding: "There is no excuse to resort to behaviour like this. We may disagree, but we debate, and then we vote. That's democracy."

Labour's Yvette Cooper added: "Disgraceful assault on Nigel Farage today.

"Completely unacceptable and wrong. No one should face intimidation or assault in an election campaign.

"Thank you to the police for responding."

Two people have been arrested after Nigel Farage had a milkshake thrown over him as he left the Moon and Starfish pub in Clacton today.

Essex Police said in a statement that they were called to the area at around 2.10pm after "it was reported a man had a drink thrown over him as he left a premises in the area".

The force said: "A 25-year-old woman, from Clacton, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.

"While officers were responding and making this arrest, a second individual, a man, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

"Both individuals remain in custody for questioning."

By Matthew Thompson, correspondent

As far as Lib Dem stunts go, today's wasn't the most ambitious.

We were treated to a giant game of jenga in leafy Greater Manchester.

Each wooden piece painted blue, to give yet another slightly imperfect metaphor for the Tory "blue wall" that Sir Ed Davey is so keen to see collapse.

I've written before about how Lib Dem strategists see stunts as integral to the campaign, carving out precious air time for them in a media cycle geared mostly around Labour and the Conservatives.

But quite how integral was only pointed out to me as I examined the designs on the Lib Dem battle bus.

Little icons reflecting a variety of policy areas are printed on the side: a hospital, a pound note, scales representing justice. So far, so obvious.

But why on Earth is there a dinosaur? What policy could possibly be referenced by a clown face?

I was baffled, until one aide pointed out that a handful of the icons referred directly to stunts the party had recently performed.

So there you have it. Stunts are so key to this campaign for the Lib Dems that they literally put it on the side of a bus.

The Conservative candidate in Clacton, where Nigel Farage is standing to become an MP, has condemned the fact that his opponent had a milkshake thrown on him.

Giles Watling wrote on X that he is "sorry to hear" about the incident.

"We may disagree, but every candidate has the right to campaign without fear of violence or intimidation!" he added.

The other candidates for Clacton are:

• Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, Labour;
• Natasha Osben, Greens;
  
• Matthew Bensilum, Lib Dems.

We've just had some reaction from the now chairman of Reform UK to someone throwing a milkshake over Nigel Farage.

In a post on X, Richard Tice wrote: "The juvenile moron who threw a drink over Nigel has just gained us hundreds of thousands more votes.

"We will not be bullied or threatened off the campaign trail."

As you can see in our previous post, Nigel Farage had a milkshake thrown over him today.

This isn't the first time it has happened.

Back in 2019, when he was the leader of the Brexit Party - and campaigning for the European Elections - a man threw a £5.25 banana and salted caramel milkshake from burger chain Five Guys over him.

That ended up being a very costly move for the man in question, who was arrested at the scene - and ended up paying £350 in compensation to Mr Farage.

You can read more on that attackhere.

And five years prior, the then UKIP leader was egged by a protester on a campaign visit to Nottingham.

That was also ahead of European elections.