General election latest: Tories hit by worst poll result since Truss as Starmer voices ‘respect’ for Abbott

Migrant fruit and vegetable pickers coming to the UK to work on farms are being bullied and sexually harassed, a report on the seasonal worker visa scheme has found.

Testimonies from workers detail rape threats and harassment in a “pervasive” environment of bullying and humiliation on UK farms, with workers reporting passing out due to work conditions and having wages withheld.

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An extra 100,000 families will be stung by a mortgage hike between now and polling day, new figures show.

More than 3,300 households a day will see their payments rise significantly before 4 July, and the average homeowner will have to fork out £240 a month more, or nearly £3,000 a year.

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A leaked document has revealed that the Lib Dems are set to launch a massive “tactical voting” push to try to squeeze the Labour vote in more than 50 Tory seats.

Sir Ed Davey’s party is hoping to regain its place as the third party in the Commons from the Scottish National Party and will be targeting at least 53 Tory-held seats in the so-called “blue wall” in the coming weeks.

A defiant Liz Truss has insisted she was not the worst prime minister - as she handed the unwanted accolade to Tony Blair.

The 48-year-old, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, oversaw the disastrous mini-Budget in 2022 that sent the markets into freefall during her 49 days in office.

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Businesses are “crying out for help to tackle skills shortages”, the shadow education secretary has warned.

Labour has re-stated its pledge to reform the existing apprenticeship levy, a charge on firms which have an annual wages bill of more than £3 million.

In an election campaign announcement fronted by Bridget Phillipson, the party pledged that a new growth and skills levy would give businesses “greater flexibility to invest in training courses that meet their skills needs, turbocharging investment in skills for the future”.

The announcement comes days after Labour was seen courting bosses, asking them to declare their support for the reformed levy, according to Sky News.

Sir Keir Starmer has said he has more respect for Diane Abbott than “she probably realises”.

The Labour leader was speaking following a row over whether the veteran MP could stand again in her London constituency.

“Although I disagree with some of what she says, in terms of the battles she has been through and the terrible insults she has had to rise above, I have actually got more respect for Diane than she probably realises,” he said in an interview published in The Observer.

Rishi Sunak’s election campaign has been dealt another hammer blow as a new poll shows Labour’s lead is at its highest level since Liz Truss’s premiership.

A survey by Opinium has Sir Keir Starmer’s party up four points to 45 per cent, with the Tories down two to 25 per cent, putting Labour on course for a landslide victory.

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A senior Liberal Democrat candidate has said the Government has “failed to fix our crumbling hospitals”.

The party’s manifesto will feature a pledge to “reverse cuts to the Public Health Grant” for local authorities in an “invest to save” bid, a spokesperson said.

Announcing the General Election pledge, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “The Conservative Party has decimated public health funding, leaving Britain with a ticking time bomb of health challenges.

“The public health crisis in our country has Rishi Sunak’s fingerprints all over it. He has slashed funding for vital local services that support children, failed to fix our crumbling hospitals and overseen a stark rise in health inequality.

“The Liberal Democrats would reverse these scandalous cuts and invest in empowering local communities and individuals to lead healthier lives. It is time to recognise that it is far cheaper to prevent ill health than to treat it.”

It has been a busy day for campaigning as both the Labour Party and the Conservatives launched their battle buses, set to drive across the country for the next five weeks.

The Reform Party, meanwhile, held a large event at the The Rifle Volunteer in Ashfield, Lee Anderson’s constituency. Both Mr Lee and Nigel Farage spoke at the event.

Below, you can see where Rishi Sunak, his counterpart Sir Keir and Mr Lee have been today.

Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage have held a Reform Party event in Mr Anderson’s constituency Ashfield.

The event from earlier today was held at The Rifle Volunteers pub in Sutton-in-Ashfield.