of westminster all across heart of westminster all across the uk . on today's show this the uk. on today's show this morning, diane abbott claimed she'd been barred from standing for the labour party. but later on, sir keir starmer said that's not true. after six unions had leaned on him once again with diane abbott, something doesn't quite add up . next. rishi sunak quite add up. next. rishi sunak has declared war on so—called mickey mouse degrees, which saddled students with debt and offered them little earning potential. he claims £910 million in savings would be better spent on apprenticeships, and we'll hear live and direct from rishi sunak himself at 4:25 pm. this afternoon and gb news has been out and about with lib dem leader ed davey again today. yesterday he was looking for floating voters in lake windermere. he took a tumble off a paddleboard . well, today sir a paddleboard. well, today sir ed got on his bike in wales. did he come a cropper once again? stay tuned to find out . and the stay tuned to find out. and the government claimed to have

blocked the sale of deadly zombie knives in 2016. but as knife crime continues to spiral , knife crime continues to spiral, gb news easily purchased two deadly 20 inch knives online with absolutely no idea. as for at any point , with absolutely no idea. as for at any point, our with absolutely no idea. as for at any point , our man with absolutely no idea. as for at any point, our man charlie peters has the exclusive and that's all coming up in your next hour . watch the show. next hour. watch the show. always a delight to have your company. day seven of the election campaign 36 days to go. so, keir starmer today was meant to be leading the charge, talking about nhs waiting lists. once again, the hard left of come back to haunt him. everybody is talking about diane abbott . is she in the party? is abbott. is she in the party? is she out of the party? will she stand? won't she stand? was it the unions that leaned on sir keir ? why has he buckled? what keir? why has he buckled? what on earth is going on at labour hq? and also rishi sunak has

declared war on mickey mouse degrees. why should taxpayers care about what students spend their money on? all of that's coming up in your next hour? want to hear from you? of course! get in touch to use your way and that's gbnews.com/yoursay. but first, let's get kicked off. it's your headlines. it's tatiana sanchez. >> martin. thank you. the top stories from the gb newsroom . stories from the gb newsroom. labour has not taken any decision to bar diane abbott from standing for the labour party. the mp reportedly told media that she'd been blocked from running with the party. but sir keir starmer said this afternoon those reports were not true . she had the whip withdrawn true. she had the whip withdrawn in april last year following comments she made about racism. she later apologised and an investigation concluded in december. she was a close ally of former leader jeremy corbyn and served as his shadow home secretary. it's unclear whether she'll contest her seat in hackney north and stoke

newington . the health secretary newington. the health secretary is calling on the labour party to condemn fresh strikes by junior doctors . it's after the junior doctors. it's after the british medical association confirmed another five day walkout starting on the 27th of june.the walkout starting on the 27th of june. the union says its demand for a 35% increase is only to make up for what it says is 15 years of below inflation. pay victoria atkins says that announcing strike action during announcing strike action during an election proves it's a political move, and not about patients or staff . patients or staff. >> junior doctors had a 10.3% pay >> junior doctors had a 10.3% pay rise last year. they walked out of negotiations towards the end of the year when i wanted to give them more. i've tried to keep the channels of communication open. i have gone over and above the junior doctors committee heads in order to produce a programme of work with nhs england to improve working conditions for junior doctors , because i understand doctors, because i understand they have genuine concerns. i want to help them and now i've entered mediation with them in good faith to try to find

solutions to this. but they walk away yet again . away yet again. >> sir keir starmer has thrown his support behind the welsh first minister, who is facing a vote of no confidence after less than three months in office. the welsh conservatives tabled the motion against labour's vaughan gething following months of controversy around donations dunng controversy around donations during his election campaign . during his election campaign. the vote is due to take place next week on the 5th of june. an investigation into severe turbulence that hit a singapore airlines flight last week has found that a rapid change in gravitational force caused the plane to suddenly drop the flight was forced to divert to bangkok when passengers and crew were suddenly thrown into the air, with some hitting the ceiling and walls. a 73 year old british man died of a suspected heart attack, while dozens of others were injured. the investigation's preliminary findings suggest the turbulence caused a sudden vertical acceleration, which saw passengers become airborne

before hitting the floor within just four seconds. rishi sunak and sir keir starmer will go head to head in the first televised debate of the election campaign next tuesday. the prime minister was aboard an overnight sleeper train to cornwall last night, unveiling a plan to create 100,000 new apprenticeships. university leaders have warned the policy could run down and undermine the higher education sector and deter people from studying for degrees. labour says apprenticeship achievements among those under the age of 19 have dropped by 50% since 2016, but education secretary gillian keegan says they're good for business. >> businesses know what skills they need. that's why we've worked with 5000 businesses to make sure we develop and designed this high quality apprenticeship system for from the last 12 years, so we have done everything to work with businesses to make sure that young people can be assured when they go on these apprenticeships, they will have apprenticeships, they will have a high quality experience and it

will be something that businesses need and we need the same in all of our university degrees. now, our universities are top class four out of the top ten universities in the world, and all of them will want that brand image to be preserved. and this goes a step to making sure that we do that . to making sure that we do that. >> nhs waiting list targets would be met within five years of a labour government. that's according to a pledge by sir keir starmer. the plan would see an additional 40,000 appointments in england each week during evenings and weekends, bringing wait times within the 18 week target. the tories called it more copy and paste politics and pointed to its plan to invest in nhs technology. but sir keir starmer says it will help health workers get on with the job. >> not the only thing that we do for the nhs, but just the first thing, which is to have 40,000 extra appointments and operation every week. so that means using operating theatres in the evenings and the weekends. so 40,000 will pay for that by

getting rid of the non—dom status completely. that's the special tax status for the super rich. that means they don't pay their tax in this country. i think if you live here, you should be paying your tax here. so we'll get rid of that. we also want to get in the money that isn't being paid in tax by those that are avoiding it. >> and a volcano in iceland is erupting once again for the fifth time since december. if you're watching us on television, you'll see it there now, spewing lava and smoke . the now, spewing lava and smoke. the outburst happened on the reykjanes peninsula , home to reykjanes peninsula, home to around 30,000 people just south of the capital reykjavik. previous eruptions have forced evacuations , closed key roads evacuations, closed key roads and even raised several houses in the grindavik fishing town . in the grindavik fishing town. for the latest stories, you can sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen or go to gb news common alerts. now it's back to .

martin. >> thank you tatiana. i've got absolutely loads to get stuck into today , so let's get weaving into today, so let's get weaving and we start with a huge controversy hanging over the labour party. sir keir storm has dramatically denied that diane abbott has been barred from standing as a labour candidate. a matter of hours after she claimed that that that was in actual fact the case. and the row has completely overshadowed labour's plans to reform the nhs, which she had hoped would dominate today's news agenda. we'll have more on that big story in a moment. but before that, the tories have announced yet another eye catching policy today, after plans for national service for 18 year olds and a boost for the triple lock pension , rishi sunak has said pension, rishi sunak has said a future conservative government would clamp down on what people have branded mickey mouse degrees and use the money instead, save to create 100,000 new apprenticeships at universities. >> great. and it makes a fantastic option for many

people. but it's not the only option. i'm not someone who believes that you have to go to university and all the apprentices i've been talking to this morning are proof of that, describing it as a best decision. they ever made. and what we do know is that there are university degrees that are letting young people down. independent studies say that around 1 in 5 people who are on degrees would have been financially better off not doing them. about 1 financially better off not doing them. about1 in financially better off not doing them. about 1 in 3 graduates are on non—graduate jobs, so actually , we are better off actually, we are better off providing those young people with the opportunity of a high quality apprenticeship. if the regulator will be given the powers to look at underperforming degrees, looking at the progression rates, the drop out rates, the earnings of people on those degrees, and instead we will use that money to fund 100,000 new apprenticeships. and that's an example of the bold action that i am prepared to take, because that's how we will deliver a secure future for everyone across our country. and in contrast , the labour party are contrast, the labour party are still clinging to the notion that everyone has to go to university and they want to halve the number of apprenticeships, and that is not the right way forward . the right way forward. >> well, let's speak to our

political editor, christopher hope. now he's been on the tory battlebus in the west country today. chris, there you are, ploughing along more road miles than alan whicker. i want to ask you a basic question on this one. why should the taxpayer care about what students waste their money on? we live in a free market. why is rishi sunak extending the state control to who can take what degrees and why ? why? >> hi martin, great to be on the show . i'm charging through devon show. i'm charging through devon on the way to another. the third of three stops here. we came overnight with the prime minister on the on the overnight sleeper train to penzance. we've been to liskeard and we're off now towards devon for another event which will bring to you live on your programme within an houn live on your programme within an hour. an hour and a half or so. yeah. why should the state get involved? it's a very, very good question. the government's concerned that the market for degrees has ballooned since the labour expanded it back in the 90s, so they reckon about 1 in 8 university places aren't really

worth the paper they're written on. in terms of the of the certificate at the end of it. and in fact, people are passing these degrees and they don't really need to have them. they are heavily in debt and they're better off doing apprentices. theideais better off doing apprentices. the idea is the office for students will look at what these degrees degrees are. see see what the drop out rate look at, look at what the job prospects are. and if that doesn't pass muster, they will axe them and spend the money saved from not providing them to on 100,000 apprentices. it's a neat idea, i think, to try and boost apprentice numbers and i think, yeah, but for many students it might be disappointing to find out that their degrees aren't seen to be worthwhile. i did ask we asked the prime minister today name one degree, which isn't worthwhile and perhaps diplomatically, he didn't do that. labour are saying, though , that. labour are saying, though, that. labour are saying, though, that the number of apprenticeships have fallen from 501,000 or so to 337,000. so they would say that the government has been ignoring apprenticeships for far too

long. >> and chris, why why is it do you think that they are avoiding the real elephant in the room? and it's this a lot of these degrees are abused by foreign students. we know there's a high dropout rate on some of these courses , and those visas are courses, and those visas are being used as a right to remain. we have like half a million foreign students coming in often on these types of degrees. yet the government is shying away from saying that today. i think if they did, voters would have a much clearer grasp of why this is important to them . is important to them. >> yeah, the government would say that they're doing what they can in terms of not allowing family members to come over to join students here. i think there's a wider problem. it's not just an immigration issue. i think there are a lot of these , think there are a lot of these, these these degrees, which don't really you could not do them and then not end up £30,000 or so in debt. and part of it is immigration. but i think it's a bigger it's a wider picture in terms of the government in this

case, martin. >> okay. chris, thank you. live from the conservative battlebus. and as you said, we'll be with the prime minister, rishi sunak, around about 4:30 live on the show. thank you chris. now as promised, let's get some more. now on the diane abbott debacle . now on the diane abbott debacle. and she said that she had been banned from standing as a labour candidate in july's election. but check out what sir keir starmer said when he was asked if miss abbott was indeed barred. >> no, that's not true. no decision has been taken to bar diane abbott . the process that diane abbott. the process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip. the other day. so she's a member of the parliamentary labour party and no decision has been taken barring her. >> well, let's go back now to our political editor, chris hope, on that battle. just to get his reaction on this. chris, sir keir starmer must be pulling his hair out today was meant to be about nhs reform , a central be about nhs reform, a central fighting ground for the labour party, where they hope to make

big gains. and yet here we are once again , reacting to the once again, reacting to the labour hard left . labour hard left. >> yes, it is somewhat confusing. this picture. don't forget diane abbott wrote a letter to the observer . she letter to the observer. she tried to withdraw it. it it likened the racism that the black black people had had received and jewish people and said it wasn't as bad for those who weren't black. she apologised for that, went through some training, was investigated. that training ended , back in the end of last ended, back in the end of last yean ended, back in the end of last year, and then nothing. we thought the investigation was ongoing. in fact, it was over. and then we found out that she has been given her the whip back so she can be an mp again. with two days before parliament is dissolved , a bigger issue is dissolved, a bigger issue is whether she's banned from standing to be labour, candidate at the election, she will be campaigning for labour, she says, but she's very dismayed. she says in a message on twitter today that numerous reports suggest she'd been barred as a

candidate. and that's the big issue. the clock is ticking right now for sir keir starmer , right now for sir keir starmer, we heard at lunchtime from a very eminent peer who made very clear that there will be a political price to pay for sir keir starmer, if he treats diane abbott with utter disrespect , abbott with utter disrespect, there are 48 hours to get it right. the problem with the labour's got let this problem to tick on for a long time. yes, diane abbott said some dreadful things, but she did apologise. she served the time outside the party. she is a totemic figure for the labour movement, the first black mp for 60 or 80 years, when she elected back in 1987, someone who's deeply admired for her long experience as an mp. despite these remarks, despite the fact she's closely tied to jeremy corbyn, she has that position in the labour movement. and that's a problem that jeremy, that sir keir starmer has got to address soon, i think, or he's storing up problems , i think, which will problems, i think, which will emerge if he becomes prime minister and the left start to find their voice again. >> okay. thank you chris. hope from that battlebus no doubt

we'll be back to you for more action from that bus throughout the show. thank you very much, chris. so let's cut now back to the studio. i'm joined by the former labour adviser, stella kidu. always a pleasure to have your company. starmer must be tearing his hair out. as i said, this was meant to be a flagship day on the front foot about the nhs. and here we are again, going back in time. we're dancing to the tune of the hard left. he must be exasperated by this. >> i'm not sure we're dancing to the tune of the far left. i think we are dancing to the tune of whoever person is the one who briefed the times ahead of the announcement, either by diane or by the labour party. we don't know who it is. the times article, which appeared online yesterday, claimed that it was already decided that diane abbott is going to be banned from running, abbott is going to be banned from running , that the whip will from running, that the whip will be, will be, will go back to her. of course, it is two separate bodies that decide whether the whip pretends that the chief whip office in parliament, whereas it is going

to be a labour party decision, and specifically the national executive committee and the leader of the labour party , who leader of the labour party, who would be to decide whether diane will be allowed to run again . my will be allowed to run again. my understanding is that there was a backroom deal between, the leader and diane that the whip would be restored and she would be allowed to stand down with dignity and then support whoever the next labour candidate is. because, remember , right now, because, remember, right now, the labour party has not selected a candidate for diane's constituency and maybe get a nice peerage for her time. >> six unions wrote. sir keir starmer today, six major unions basically leaning on him to allow her to stay within the party, talking about the fact that she was the first black woman ever elected to parliament. why does that matter 7 parliament. why does that matter ? and more to the point, should diane abbott even be in the party in the first place? let's go back to that letter she wrote to the observer in april 2023, where she basically implied

jewish people don't experience racism because they never they never had to sit on the back of a bus. you know, she she surely is precisely the sort of person that that if sir keir starmer is serious about cleaning up the labour party, she should get the boot. >> it was a very unfortunate letter. i don't think that's what she meant. i do think that there should be redemption for everyone who has shown good will. diane abbott went through the whole process. she did the anti—semitism course . course she anti—semitism course. course she did all of that. there are some other concerns that a lot of these are magically make you not racist. >> no. >> no. >> absolutely not. no. absolutely not. it doesn't make you not racist. but i'm sure, like yourself, i don't believe in cancel culture. i believe there should be forgiven for that. we should be able to be forgiving of people , especially forgiving of people, especially people who have served their party for 37 years. like diane abbott, and who have such a historic position in british politics. >> how many people on the labour left say, oh, i think we should allow people to mistake none? >> i say that i do not know. you know what i you? i agree with you. i have no time for people who will only be forgiving of their own side. this is not me.

i like to be forgiving of all sides and especially in politics. i think if we want to open up politics and make people more engaged , we need to make it more engaged, we need to make it so that a normal person who speaks plainly is allowed to make a mistake. >> do you think that getting jeremy corbyn out of the party undeniably , in 2019, corbyn was undeniably, in 2019, corbyn was the conservatives 12th man. people were so terrified of corbyn getting in. he was an asset to the conservative cause. he would be an asset to the conservatives. now he's gone. diane abbott surely is an asset to the conservative party. if she's still a part of the labour party, you win from the middle, you win from the centre . surely you win from the centre. surely it's the right thing for, for starmer to do to get rid of diane abbott? >> i wouldn't do it in his case. i think it shows he's determined to win. i believe him when he says that there was an official, an official decision taken. i'm pretty sure that people already had opinions about whether diane should stay or go. i'm pretty certain that for a lot of people, they were thinking, diane abbott is going to be a liability if we let her run or even if we don't let her run. we

just don't want to story about it. but the thing is, this has been a pr disaster for the labour party today. even though the labour party has been tried to be so, so careful in the last few months. and now we see this is dominating the airwaves . and is dominating the airwaves. and it is of course extremely unfortunate because, as i said, i think someone who has served the party for 37 years and the country for 37 years should be allowed to retire with dignity . allowed to retire with dignity. >> and the day is not yet over. jeremy corbyn launches his campaign at 7 pm. tonight in islington, north next door to diane abbott. do you reckon she'll show up to support him? >> i do not know if she will show up to support him, because diane abbott has officially said that she will support the labour candidate, whoever that is, in hackney north, her constituency . hackney north, her constituency. vie, see if she if she does , vie, see if she if she does, support jeremy corbyn's candidacy, then she would be kicked out of the labour party, which i'm sure is something she will want to avoid. i do not know formally whether if she shows up to a launch party that is considered support or not, because obviously there are long time friends. it's not like she's not allowed to meet with him right ? she's not allowed to meet with him right? but we'll see.

>> okay. superb stuff. great to have you in the studio as ever. stellar chatting kiddo. always a delight. now we'll have lots more on the general election of course campaign throughout the show. and remember we'll hear live from rishi sunak, the prime minister, at around 4:25 this afternoon. and there's plenty of coverage on our website, gbnews.com. you've helped to make it the fastest growing national news website in the country, so thank you very much. now, £20,000 tax free has to be won in our great british giveaway giveaway, but you'll need to be quick as lines are going to close this friday. here's all the details that you need for your chance to win the wonga. >> it's the final week to see how you can win a whopping £20,000 cash. and because it's totally tax free, every single penny will be in your bank account to do whatever you like. with £20,000 in tax free cash really could be yours this summer . really could be yours this summer. hurry. as lines close on friday, you've got to be in it to win it for another chance to win £20,000 in tax free cash .

win £20,000 in tax free cash. text win to 63232. text cost £2 plus one standard network rate message or post your name and number two gb05, po box 8690. derby de19, double t, uk only entrants must be 18 or over. lines close at 5 pm. on friday. full terms and privacy notice at gbnews.com/win. please check the closing time if listening or watching on demand. good luck i watching on demand. good luck! >> now britain is in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, yet, shockingly, a gb news reporter has been able to buy 20 inch bladed zombie knives without a single id check. we'll have the exclusive story after this. i'm martin daubney on gb news, britain's news channel

>> earlier on breakfast. who

would be a politician? >> honestly, if you have to a make a fool of yourself. b be up for all the criticism and the scrutiny . scrutiny. >> just why would he do a stupid stunt like that when he was always going to end up in the water? >> they were only going to go onto a course that's got good quality earnings potential is only part of that. >> i mean, this is a clown show andifs >> i mean, this is a clown show and it's time to bring this circus to an end and only a labour government can do that. >> i easy was it to buy one of these. >> i mean, it was extremely easy. they have been banned several times in recent years, but i was able to purchase these two blades. a twin set of 20 inch blades from six. >> it's breakfast on gb news. >> it's breakfast on gb news. >> welcome back. it's 326. i'm martin daubney on gb news now. later this hour i'll have more proof of rip off britain. and this time we're paying over the odds once again , this time for odds once again, this time for diesel at the pumps. now to a

truly frightening and shocking story, a gb news reporter has been able to buy two zombie knives with 20 inch blades onune knives with 20 inch blades online without a single form of id check being asked for. the weapons have been used in countless killings in the uk in recent years, and charlie peters broke this story and he joins me now. charlie, welcome to the show. always a delight, an astonishing story. charlie. these these knives have been talked about as a political football . the conservative party football. the conservative party claimed to have banned them in 2016. and yet, charlie, you were able to buy them with complete and utter ease. that's right. >> martin and six different home secretaries have made a total of 16 announcements since 2015 about banning so—called zombie knives. the most recent announcement came in january , announcement came in january, and that was home secretary james cleverly saying that he was going to ban zombie style knives. it's an interesting change in terminology because the original bans the government

were discussing involved the definition of a zombie knife being something over eight inches a sharp point, a being something over eight inches a sharp point , a cutting inches a sharp point, a cutting edge, a serrated area, but also , edge, a serrated area, but also, crucially, violent language or emblems on the blade. now that meant there was a loophole in place for many years where retailers and indeed criminals could manufacture and purchase these blades without any oversight from law enforcement. it also meant that if police officers found so—called zombie knives in somebody's home, they weren't able to possess or destroy them because they were totally legal without that violent language or imagery on the blade. so that's a new change. but yesterday, sadiq khan, he said that the government had carried out a betrayal of young people and communities by not rushing forward. this ban on the knives because parliament is going to because parliament is going to be dissolved tomorrow. the amendments that james cleverly announced in january have not been included in the so—called wash up period , when the

wash up period, when the government can rush through any legislation before the general election occurs. that ban was meant to come in in september. it's now uncertain how that will work . there's also going to be work. there's also going to be a compensation scheme on the 26th of august, so people can get paid to hand in these blades. well, i purchased two of them with no online checks for my id and no checks on id in person. in fact, i wasn't even here when they were delivered, and still they were delivered, and still the courier handed over those blades to the person who picked them up. no id checks , no safety them up. no id checks, no safety checks. so that's been illegal since 2022. but i've spoken also to some police officers who've told me that it's not really the supply side. that's a problem. the main issue that they have with tackling knife crime is having confidence in proactive policing, feeling as though they can conduct stop and search to stop the people who would use knives inappropriately and dangerously on the streets. we all need knives. we need them in our kitchens, for our gardens and all the rest of it. and

they're not concerned about the sale of blades. if you get rid of zombie knives, people will use kitchen knives instead. they're more worried about that instead. well, in response to this situation, a conservative party spokesperson told me that they did not want to take lectures from sadiq khan about the situation. they said knife crime has risen by a shocking 20. last year in labour run london, they said khan was the only police and crime commissioner to miss police recruitment targets , failing to recruitment targets, failing to recruitment targets, failing to recruit 1000 extra officers. even with the money from the conservative government available for recruitment . they available for recruitment. they added that we banned zombie knives in 2016 and cyclone knives in 2016 and cyclone knives in 2016 and cyclone knives in 2019, and the sale of illegal knives online is a priority in the online safety act . they added that the choice act. they added that the choice in this election is clear stick to the plan with rishi sunak and the conservatives, who have dnven the conservatives, who have driven down crime by 54% since 2010, or go back to square one with sir keir starmers labour party, who have no plan to cut crime. well, in response to that, a labour party source also

told me that they had been urging the conservatives to cut crime for several years on their watch. they said knife crime has soared by a staggering 80% since 2015. they added that this is just another example of the tories chaotic failure to keep our country safe . it's time for our country safe. it's time for change. and they said that the next labour government will finally end the unacceptable delays in banning zombie knives, as part of our unprecedented mission to halve knife crime . mission to halve knife crime. with 100 new youth hubs to prevent young people from being drawn into crime, new youth mentors and swift actions and sanctions for those carrying knives. two very stark positions here. but the fact of the matter remains i was able to purchase two 20 inch blades with no safety oversight in person or online. >> charlie peters, another cracking exclusive yesterday was the grooming the grooming gang scandal in inquiry in oldham today. this well done mate. you're on a roll. thank you very much charlie peters, forjoining

much charlie peters, for joining me on the show . okay. now we are me on the show. okay. now we are going to the news now. still to come. there's lots more between now and 4:00. we're going to hear from sir ed davey in a few moments time. unfortunately, he hasn't fallen into the water today, but it gives an excuse to show these pictures again, doesn't it? there he is, about to look for floating voters in lake windermere. but first, it's your latest news headlines and it's tatiana sanchez . it's tatiana sanchez. >> martin thank you. the top stories this hour. labour has not taken any decision to bar diane abbott from standing for the labour party at the general election . the mp reportedly told election. the mp reportedly told media that she'd been blocked from running with the party. but sir keir starmer said this afternoon those reports were not true. she had the whip withdrawn in april last year following comments she made about racism . comments she made about racism. she later apologised and an investigation concluded in december. it's unclear whether miss abbott will contest her seat in hackney north and stoke

newington . the health secretary newington. the health secretary is calling on the labour party to condemn strikes by junior doctors after another five day walkout was confirmed starting on the 27th of june. victoria atkins says that announcing the strike during an election proved that it's a political move and not about patients or staff, but the union says its demand for a 35% increase is only to make up for what it says is 15 years of below inflation. pay now, london's evening standard newspaper is scrapping its daily print edition. the paper's history can be traced back to 1827, but it became a free commuter paper starting in 2009. in a memo to staff, the company said substantial losses have forced a change of direction. the daily paper is expected to be replaced by a free weekly edition . and a volcano in edition. and a volcano in iceland is erupting once again, the fifth time since december.

if you're watching us on television, you'll see it there now, spewing smoke and lava. the outburst happened on the reykjanes peninsula , home to reykjanes peninsula, home to around 30,000 people just south of the capital reykjavik. previous eruptions have forced evacuations, closed key roads and even raised several houses in the grindavik fishing town . in the grindavik fishing town. for the latest stories, sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen or go to gb news. com slash alerts . to gb news. com slash alerts. >> cheers! britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report . financial report. >> here's a quick snapshot of today's markets. the pound will buy you $1.2737 and ,1.1751. the price of gold is £1,840.83 per ounce, and the ftse 100 is at

8197 points. >> cheers, britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report . financial report. >> thank you tatiano. now remember, we'll hear live from the prime minister rishi sunak at around 4:25 right here on gb news. and in the meantime, if you want to get in touch with with us @gbnews, here's to bev turner tell you all about that. >> we are proud to be gb news the people's channel and as you know, we always love to hear your views. now there's a new way of getting in touch with us at gbnews.com/yoursay by commenting, you can be part of a live conversation and join our gb news community. you can even talk to me bev turner, or any of the members of the gb news family. simply go to gbnews.com/yoursay

>> welcome back. the time is 339. i'm martin daubney, and this is gb news. now, later in the show, i'll have news of a big development on the future of raf scampton. of course, the famous home of the dambusters. 2000 migrants had been due to be housed there, much to the anger of the locals . i love an update of the locals. i love an update from a councillor on the latest at raf scampton. now what have the liberal democrats been up to? i hear you all ask. well sir, ed davey has once again been risking life and limb on the campaign trail. yesterday sir ed tried his hand at paddle boarding and we all know what happened next. man overboard. there he is, floating voters in lake windermere. well, this morning he got on his bike and the big question was, would he be going to fall off? no. well done. that man. he can ride a bike now. this isn't just one big photo opportunity for the liberal democrats. of course ,

liberal democrats. of course, because they've pledged £1 billion in extra funding for the agriculture budget. and sir ed davey criticised the tories plan to clamp down on so—called mickey mouse degrees and create 100,000 new apprenticeships . 100,000 new apprenticeships. >> yes, i think the conservatives have really not thought this through properly. we need more apprenticeships , we need more apprenticeships, yes, but actually the conservative record is really poor. conservative record is really poor . they've let young people poor. they've let young people down time and again and since 2015 they've cut the number of apprenticeships for young people by 170,000. so this is a mission of failure. and the idea they want to bash our universities to cover up their failure is also quite shocking . liberal quite shocking. liberal democrats believe in apprenticeships. we believe in giving our young people a much better chance in life. the conservatives have failed to do that. >> the conservatives plan to fund those new apprenticeships by cutting university degrees. how would you fund apprenticeships ? apprenticeships? >> well, we're putting forward our policies in a costed way in a very responsible way. when our

manifesto is published and what you find with apprenticeships to give young people the best start and we need more apprenticeships , is you need to sort out the apprenticeship levy, talk to every business. they think it's not working. the conservatives have failed to reform it. they're not proposing the reforms that are needed and if we get that right, you can actually get a lot more apprenticeships, give a lot more young people chances in life, get the sorts of skills that business want without spending huge amounts of extra money. >> would you £1 billion for agriculture mean higher taxes for working people ? for working people? >> no. we're really clear that taxes are not going to go up for people. the conservatives have put them up so much to record levels in a cost of living crisis. the conservatives are now the high tax party in the uk , and that's a scandal. when we pubush , and that's a scandal. when we publish our costs of manifesto, we'll show where the money will come from. for policies like our £1 billion a year extra for farmers who've been betrayed by

the conservatives and, for example, we've been making it clear that the cuts in taxes to the big banks really need be to reverse. and the conservatives have favoured the big banks by £4 billion a year in tax cuts. that's not right. when people are struggling with conservative higher taxes. >> well, sir david's travelling around the country on yellowhammer one, the battle bus for the lib dems and gb news political correspondent has been along for the ride. and olivia joins me now. olivia, welcome to the show, sir. ed davey has been getting around by bus, by bike and by paddleboard. what's the latest ? latest? >> he absolutely has every single form of public transport, every form of transport ed davey seems to be using. we have now made a pit stop in bath. you can see the very picturesque royal crescent behind us. this obviously used to be the heartland of the liberal democrats. the south west was where the lib dems had almost all of their seats up until

2015, and in 2015, as punishment, it seemed, for the clegg cameron coalition voters turned away from the lib dems. they still hold this seat of bath, but the surrounding areas are almost all blue. ed davey hopes that that won't be the case for much longer. the lib dems tactic in this election is firstly to focus on quite niche issues, which actually really concern ordinary people on the ground, and which the liberal democrats believe. neither the tories or labour are talking about enough. one of those issues, which we heard a lot about yesterday on the lib dem campaign trail, was sewage and pollution in the water. now we know that this comes up time and again as an issue which particularly rural communities are deeply, deeply worried about. and the liberal democrats promised that they'll put it front and centre in their manifesto. another issue is the dentists drought, another problem which really, really plagues particularly rural communities and particularly families with children . i think families with children. i think we can expect to hear a lot more about that over the course of

the lib dem campaign. the other tactic that the lib dems are adopting is really fiercely targeting conservative seats. the liberal democrats are giving labour a pretty easy ride in this election. you won't hear ed davey criticise keir starmer very much. instead what the lib dems hope to do is pick up about 30 or 40 seats from conservatives from places which have been sort of lifelong conservative seats , but areas conservative seats, but areas where the liberal democrats are hoping that people just will not vote tory this time round. that's the tactic . let's see if that's the tactic. let's see if it works. >> thank you olivia. live from bath with the lib dems. now as we saw a few moments ago, sir ed davey has given us some great entertainment with his exploits this week. but david cameron also had a bit of a nightmare. yesterday the foreign secretary visited a pub in macclesfield. there is pulling a pint in the flowerpot . look at it. it's all flowerpot. look at it. it's all froth, no substance. is that like the man himself? now, to be fair, he swooped in swiftly and

drank the evidence before it settled out. because otherwise, if he served that in macclesfield, i know, mac, you'd have ended up wearing it. do you want a flake with that? look at it. it's more ice cream than beer. it. it's more ice cream than beer . now, if you drive a diesel beer. now, if you drive a diesel car and you thought that you were being overcharged when you filled up, guess what? you're absolutely right . filled up, guess what? you're absolutely right. i'm martin daubney on gb news, britain's news channel

>> gb news is britain's election channel. >> and when the big stories break, we're tackling them on britain's newsroom when we disagree and we disagree a lot. even livelier than normal . even livelier than normal. >> we don't disagree that much. we do. >> his comedy, though, is revolting . i knew her, and like revolting. i knew her, and like you, that explains beverley turner's temperament. >> it's a bit frosty in here, isn't it? we'll have one of me, one day, for dartboard practice, britain's newsroom on gb news, weekdays, 9:30 am. gb news. >> the people's channel, britain's news channel .

britain's news channel. >> welcome back. your time is 349. i'm martin daubney and this is gb news now. 4:00 i'll have all the news on the seventh. full day of the general election campaign. don't forget, we'll hear live from the prime minister. rishi sunak at around about 4:25, right here on gb news. he'll be holding a question and answer session in the same manner as we saw yesterday with keir starmer and rachel reeves facing the music, facing the public live and unfiltered. we'll carry that fully live here on gb news at around about 4:25. now. sir keir starmer said today that a labour government would slash waiting lists, although nobody ended up talking about it because they were talking about diane abbott . were talking about diane abbott. but more than 7 million people in england are currently waiting for nhs treatment. we went out and about in worcester to ask voters who do you trust more on

the nhs, the labour party or the conservatives >> i'd say i trust labour more conservatives have had quite a few years now to, put their mark on the nhs system , and we're on the nhs system, and we're going backwards, not forwards . going backwards, not forwards. >> well we've had you've only had conservatives haven't you, for the last 14 years. so we haven't really got anything to go haven't really got anything to 90 by haven't really got anything to go by with, with the labour. so they've got five years. let's see what they can do in five years. >> i think once, once the labour government get in, if they get in there will be the unions will be straight in to try to get all the deals that they want because they financed labour. >> i mean, who do you trust more on the nhs still? >> i trust the conservatives more than i would the labour. >> i mean, who do you trust more on the nhs? >> well, neither of the big parties. >> i think it's time they give the independents and the smaller parties a chance. i won't be voting for either.

>> fascinating vox and that i think, is going to be a key, key issue. who do you trust? not just about the nhs, but everything defence, education, the economy, trust is a key issue and it seems all of the polling is telling us something is very, very wrong with trust in this country. it seems that the none of the above party is the none of the above party is the current choice you trust the most. people don't seem to trust most. people don't seem to trust most of the big players. if you look at the polling , some look at the polling, some polling out on trust, 44% trust the labour party most to run the country, 23, the conservatives. but on who would you trust to be the next prime minister? this is fascinating . 34% trust sir keir fascinating. 34% trust sir keir starmer to be the next pm. 18% trust rishi sunak. that's 52. the others or don't know 5248. it's the new brexit. people don't seem to trust any anybody to run the country that is going

to run the country that is going to be a huge, huge battleground getting out there on the somme. this is why they are spending so much time on the road, because there are so many people. i believe , who still don't know believe, who still don't know how they're going to vote. a poll out today offered some some lifeline to the conservatives putting them now only 12 points behind. previously it's been 20, 24 points. we'll have the director of that polling company in the studio at around about half past five. is there a way back for rishi sunak? is there a way back in terms of trust for those floating voters ? that's those floating voters? that's what they're hoping to fight for reform. meanwhile is rising now to third in the opinion polls. the sky news poll puts them on third. nigel farage making a lot of noise yesterday around immigration, both legal and illegal. and today we saw the reform party issuing a dramatic legal challenge to this idea of scrapping vat on private schools that the labour party are

putting in. but the nhs is a key battleground and that is what we asked people about earlier on. we asked them about it earlier on and they don't seem to trust anybody. i've got a few of your your essays here on sir keir starmer. james says this starmer is trying to send the tough guy message by distancing himself from diane abbott and her great friend jeremy corbyn, both of whom are yesterday's people. how will the real left respond? they will the real left respond? they will demand massive wage awards and test his resolve. no, james. fair point. six unions wrote to sir keir starmer earlier. was it them that changed his position? if they're doing that before the election , what will happen if he election, what will happen if he becomes prime minister and anthony adds this vote reform uk if you want real change, labour won't change anything. kathy, as this what's happening with the liberal democrats i hear you ask. they just keep seeming to fall in the water. thank you very much for those points and we'll have loads more throughout the rest of the show, of course. get in touch with your comments

as gbnews.com/yoursay. now don't forget in around about 25 minutes time, at 4:25, we'll hear from the prime minister live and direct here on gb news. what will he have to say ? will what will he have to say? will he convince those people who don't trust anybody who don't know how to vote? will he get their vote? i'm martin daubney on gb news brit school channel now it's your weather with annie shuttleworth. >> a brighter outlook with boxt solar sponsors of weather on . gb news. >> good afternoon. welcome to your latest gb news weather update . sunshine and showers update. sunshine and showers will continue this afternoon. they could turn quite heavy, particularly in the east with a risk of thunderstorms . in the risk of thunderstorms. in the west, though, it is turning a little bit drier. that's as high pressure is slowly starting to build in from the west. but in the east, that's where low pressure is in charge and where we're close to that area of low pressure up to the eastern areas

of scotland. that's where the showers will be quite slow moving into this evening. so further impacts from the rain are possible overnight. and that rain is going to push southwards through the night, bringing a risk of some heavy showers into parts of wales and northern england by tomorrow morning. further south, though, it should stay fairly dry overnight and it will be another mild start to the day and fairly dry across the day and fairly dry across the south first thing, so some early sunshine is possible here. we've got a northerly wind developing on thursday and so it will be a bit of a cooler day for most of us, and where we're more sheltered from that northerly wind across the central belt, southern areas of scotland , there's a chance of scotland, there's a chance of some brightness. first thing, especially across southeastern areas of northern ireland as well. but many areas will see a bit of a cloudy start to the day, with some outbreaks of heavy rain, possibly into parts of wales central areas of england across the south coast as well. there could be some heavy showers breaking out first thing, so a mix of sunshine and showers once again on thursday, but the showers will become much more focused across eastern areas where we're still close to

this area of low pressure, bringing that more unsettled and cooler weather. but into the west we start to see that drier and finer weather developing and so it should be a fairly bright and dry afternoon for many western areas of the uk tomorrow. temperatures a little lower than today. tomorrow just into the mid to possibly high teens. into the mid to possibly high teens . but in into the mid to possibly high teens. but in the sunshine it will still feel pleasant enough. now through thursday evening. rain will likely continue across eastern areas into the west, though that dry and fine weather is developing and that is the theme as we head towards the end of the week and the weekend, with more in the way of sunshine developing and temperatures rising towards the low 20s, that warm feeling inside and from boxt boilers sponsors of weather on

gb news. >> very good afternoon to you.

it's 4 pm. and welcome to the martin daubney show on gb news. we're broadcasting live from the heart of westminster all across the uk. coming up this morning, diane abbott claimed she'd been barred from standing for the labour party. but later, sir keir starmer said that's not true. after six unions had allegedly leaned on him once again with diane abbott, something doesn't quite add up . something doesn't quite add up. next up, rishi sunak has declared war on so—called mickey mouse degrees, which saddle students with debt and offer little earning potential. he claims £910 million in savings will be better spent on apprenticeships, and we'll hear live and direct from rishi sunak, the prime minister, at around 425 and 2000 asylum seekers were due to move into raf scampton. of course, the historic home of the dambusters missions. well, we'll have an important update from a local councillor on the ground, a story which i know you very much care a lot about, and that's all coming between now and 6 pm.

was the show day seven of the election campaign only 36 to go? i know we're chalking them off. we're about to go to rishi sunak, the prime minister, at about 4:25, he'll face the music, he'll face the questions. he'll be talking directly to voters , unfiltered. what will voters, unfiltered. what will they ask him and will it help you to change or make your mind up about your how you're going to vote? a huge amount of people seem undecided , added. as many seem undecided, added. as many as 48% don't trust either rishi sunak or sir keir starmer to be the next prime minister. their votes are up for grabs. can the prime minister convince them? we'll find out in about 25 minutes time. of course. we want to hear from you. have you seen anything yet on this campaign trail that's making you change your vote? who are you going to vote for and why? what are the issues that matter to you? get in touch the usual way.

gbnews.com forward slash your say. but before all of that is your headlines with polly middlehurst . middlehurst. >> martin thank you and good afternoon to you. well the top story today labour it says hasn't taken any decision to bar diane abbott from standing as an mp for the party. the mp reportedly told media that she'd been blocked from running with the party. but sir keir starmer said this afternoon those reports were not true. she had the whip withdrawn in april last year following comments she made about jewish people not suffering racism. but after an internal labour party investigation, the whip was restored yesterday. miss abbott had apologised for her comments and had been sitting as an independent mp. in the meantime . independent mp. in the meantime. well, miss abbott was a close ally of the former labour leader jeremy corbyn and served as his shadow home secretary. it's unclear whether she'll contest her seat in hackney north and stoke newington as soon as we

get any news on that, we'll have it right here on gp news now. the health secretary today called on the labour party to condemn strikes planned by junior doctors . it's after the junior doctors. it's after the bma confirmed another five day walkout starting on the 27th of june.the walkout starting on the 27th of june. the union says its demand for a 35% increase is only to make up for what it says is 15 years of below inflation pay well, the health secretary, victoria atkins, says that announcing strike action during announcing strike action during an election proves it's a political move and not about the welfare of staff. junior doctors had a 10.3% pay rise last year. they walked out of negotiations towards the end of the year when i wanted to give them more. i've tried to keep the channels of communication open. i have gone over and above the junior doctors committee heads in order to produce a programme of work with nhs england to improve working conditions for junior

doctors , because i understand doctors, because i understand they have genuine concerns. i want to help them and now i've entered mediation with them in good faith to try to find solutions to this. but they walk away yet again. an inquiry into crimes committed by former paediatric nurse and serial killer lucy letby will not be streamed live to the public. letby was sentenced to 14 whole life orders for murdering seven babies in her care and attempting to kill six others. lawyers for the families of her victims had argued for the inquiry to be streamed in an effort to counter the spread of what they called grossly offensive conspiracy theories. but the inquiry's chairwoman says there's a risk of breaching court orders, which prevents the identification of several people involved. and that comes after articles appeared in us media questioning some of the evidence in the case. an investigation into severe turbulence that hit a singapore airlines flight last week has found that a rapid

change in gravitational force caused the plane to suddenly drop thousands of feet. the flight was forced to divert, in fact, to bangkok when terrified passengers and crew were thrown in mid—air, with some hitting ceilings and walls. 173 year old british man died of a suspected heart attack while on the trip of a lifetime , while dozens of of a lifetime, while dozens of others were badly injured. the investigation's preliminary findings suggest the turbulence caused a sudden vertical acceleration, which saw those passengers become airborne themselves before hitting the floor within just four seconds. back to politics and sir keir starmer has thrown his support behind the welsh first minister, who's facing a vote of no confidence after less than three months in office. the welsh conservatives tabled the motion against labour's vaughan gething following months of controversy around donations during his election campaign. the vote is due to take place next week on

the 5th of june, and nhs waiting list targets would be met within five years of a labour government . that's according to government. that's according to a new pledge by sir keir starmer. the plan would see an additional 40,000 appointments in england each week, he says. dufing in england each week, he says. during evenings and weekends, bringing wait times within the 18 week target. the conservatives called it more copy and paste politics and pointed to its plan to invest in nhs technology. but sir keir starmer said it will help health workers get on with the job. >> not the only thing that we do for the nhs, but just the first thing, which is to have 40,000 extra appointments and operations every week. so that means using operating theatres in the evenings and the weekends. so 40,000 will pay for that by getting rid of the non—dom status completely. that's the special tax status for the super rich. that means they don't pay their tax in this country. i think if you live here, you should be paying your

tax here, so we'll get rid of that. we also want to get in the money that isn't being paid in tax by those that are avoiding it . it. >> and just lastly, a volcano in iceland is erupting once again, the fifth time since december . the fifth time since december. if you're watching on tv, take a look at these pictures here of the lava spewing up from the volcano. and of course the associated smoke as well that's hanging in the atmosphere in the area. the outburst happened on the reykjanes peninsula that's home to around 30,000 people. they're just south of the caphal they're just south of the capital, reykjavik. previous eruptions have forced people to be evacuated from their homes, closed key roads and even raised several houses to the ground in the grindavik fishing town on the grindavik fishing town on the coast. that's the news. for the coast. that's the news. for the latest stories, do sign up to gb news alerts. scan the qr code on your screen or go to gb news. com slash alerts . news. com slash alerts. >> thank you polly. now the campaign trail continues and

we'll be hearing from the prime minister, rishi sunak , in devon minister, rishi sunak, in devon within the next 20 minutes. so make sure you stay tuned for that. and it comes as rishi sunak met broadband apprentices in cornwall today, after the tories announced plans to crack down on so—called mickey mouse degrees . well, let's speak now degrees. well, let's speak now to our political editor, christopher hope, who's on the tory battle bus in the west country. chris, welcome to the show. you're not in the battle bus now. you have landed. good. the prime minister due to speak in a round about 17 minutes time. it's been a busy day wore on. mickey mouse degrees and a boost in the polls for rishi sunak. what's the mood on the ground ? ground? >> well, that's right, martin. i'm now in devon where we will see. the pm will speak to us in 20 minutes, when he'll be setting out his plan. almost a semi. quite a second rally of this, of this election campaign overnight . we came down with him overnight. we came down with him on the riviera express on the sleeper train. he got on board. he got off. he didn't get the choppen he got off. he didn't get the chopper. he travelled with us. he enjoyed it. he bought his

bacon sandwiches. martin at the end.he bacon sandwiches. martin at the end. he didn't eat on camera, though. not like ed miliband in 2015. since then he's been talking a lot about these mickey mouse degrees, as they call him in the tory party. 1 in 8 university places they think aren't don't are not really necessary to be taken by by young people because they don't really yield the good jobs you can get. and they left the leave people with heavily in debt. they want those to be scrapped by the offices for students. that's a new power for that regulator . and instead there'll regulator. and instead there'll be 100,000 new apprenticeships. is the idea £910 million in cost savings? that's the idea , and savings? that's the idea, and so, yeah, he's pushing it very hard. he's been with apprenticeships today. he's been rewiring the telecoms operation in liskeard. he did so well that the engineer said, if you want another job you can the engineer said, if you want anotherjob you can be a telecoms engineer. well that might be the case on on july the 5th, before we get to that, chris, there has been some good news overnight. jl partners, a poll came out. has the tories now just 12 points behind the

labour party? it had been as high as 18 points. and the claiming i'll have the director of jr partners in the studio later on to ask him on that poll. they're claiming this is a result of national service and the pensions boost. seems that the pensions boost. seems that the oaps are shoring up the conservative vote mood. is that being reflected by rishi sunak? is he in a good mood ? is he in a good mood? >> he's definitely upbeat. he's definitely up for it. he told us last last friday he was fired up for the challenge and he seemed quite jolly today, again, you know , he's always upbeat and know, he's always upbeat and enthusiastic and when he's rewiring a rural broadband box, he loves it and punches the air when he gets it right, yeah. that jl partners survey is interesting. it's for the rest is politics that that the podcast alistair campbell and rory stewart 18 point lead for labourin rory stewart 18 point lead for labour in april. 15 point in may. 12 point in june. it just makes you think if the tories had hung on and had an election in september, those polls might have them as neck and neck. anyway, we are where we are.

looking at the numbers though, tories are up two points and reform down one point. that's fascinating, i think, because i do wonder whether the air is coming out of the reform balloon with the decision by nigel farage not to stand as a tory as a as a reform uk candidate at the election, i wonder if that's part of it, but labour still do have a commanding lead. this is one poll, not a trend yet. they are miles behind, still in the polls. the tory party >> and chris, can i ask you about diane abbott? of course . about diane abbott? of course. sir keir starmer out today wanted to make the nhs and waiting lists his key piece of delivery and instead , once delivery and instead, once again, fire fighting around the old hard left. tell us about the debacle, the changing situation throughout the day. chris >> well, and we are no where near resolved on that issue . the near resolved on that issue. the diane abbott, of course, likened the experience of jews and black people saying that that it's

been far worse for black people over history. she apologised for that. she was suspended by the labour party. she under understood under, undergone some form of anti—semitic training to understand what she said. she has served her time and yet the labour party said there was still no investigation ongoing despite it being resolved at the back end of last year. fast forward to this week. they have given her the whip back. she is now a labour mp for one day before the parliament. the parliament is dissolved tomorrow but she can't stand as a labour candidate . she is very, very candidate. she is very, very upset by this, she says in a statement . she's delighted to statement. she's delighted to have the labour whip restored to be a member of the parliamentary labour party. i will be campaigning for labour victory and that's important because jeremy corbyn now launches his independent campaign in north islington tonight . that means islington tonight. that means that on on what she says, diane abbott might not be with him. but then she says he's very dismayed that numerous reports say have him barred as a candidate. now keir starmer

martin denies that. no, that's not true. keir starmer says on the election trail no decision has been taken to bar diane abbott. the process that we were going, going through , ended with going, going through, ended with the restoration of the whip. no decision has been made about barring her. this is a problem. i think diane abbott is a particular person in the labour movement. she is someone who is much admired on the left. and i think more broadly across politics as being the first black mp for six years, elected 1987, she is of the left. but politics, everyone has different ideas. she has done her time and served her time for those remarks about jewish people , remarks about jewish people, jonathan gerlis, the tory deputy chairman . he says sir keir chairman. he says sir keir starmer is flip flopping. a man who says one thing and one and one thing, one minute, one thing the next. he does look confusing. why can't sir keir starmer come clean about diane abbott status? she is important in the party. and just finally, lord woolley, a crossbench peer. martin, he says labour will pay a political price if they treat diane abbott with utter disrespect. they have 48 hours

to get it right. the clock is ticking on keir starmer, martin. >> it's an absolute debacle and once again, chris hopes something doesn't quite add up about diane abbott. thank you very much for joining about diane abbott. thank you very much forjoining us. and of course we'll cross later to you in the show, chris, hope. and now coming back to that topic of mickey mouse degrees , i'm joined mickey mouse degrees, i'm joined now by tom richmond. he's the director of the think tank ed sukh and the former government adviser for the department of education. tom, welcome to the show. a pleasure to have you. can you help me out with something here? why should the government get involved with what degrees people take and what degrees people take and what they waste or spend their money on? it's a free market. why is the prime minister getting involved in people's individual choices? >> it's a great question . >> it's a great question. >> it's a great question. >> it's a great question. >> i think a lot of it comes down to student debt levels. >> if you do a three year university degree, you can end up now 50 to £60,000 in debt. and clearly there's a lot of young people going to university and a lot of young people

finishing degrees going. was that really the right choice for me? i'm now laden with this debt into my 20s and 30s. what am i going to do about it? so it's perfectly legitimate for the government to say we want to crack down on these courses. the problem is , how are they going problem is, how are they going to know which are the good courses and the bad courses around the country and not make any mistakes and accidentally close down a course which has really well, supported by students around the country. it's a really difficult thing that the government are going to try and do. >> and tom, what they could have said, which people talk about all the time on gb news, there's all the time on gb news, there's a feeling there's lots of proof, actually. there's a body of evidence that a lot of these so—called mickey mouse degrees are used by foreign students as are used by foreign students as a way of getting a toehold into the united kingdom. they're often jacking in their course after a year, staying on in the country , seeing it as a back country, seeing it as a back doon country, seeing it as a back door, a university route into the country . if the prime the country. if the prime minister had said that and clamped down on that , that would clamped down on that, that would be clear and easy to understand. i'm still struggling to understand why the government would save money. if people don't do degrees .

don't do degrees. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> this is one of the strange things about today's announcement. the prime minister saying we're going to give the office for students, the university regulator , the university regulator, the ability to close down courses that we don't think are good enough. but of course, that doesn't stop those same students from rolling on a different course . it doesn't stop students course. it doesn't stop students from elsewhere in the world coming to the uk and still paying coming to the uk and still paying to study that course. so are we really going to be better off with a university system after these changes? i'm not sure that we will. and the fact that a prime minister says he's going to use things like graduate salaries to work out which courses are the poorest performers. i'm not convinced that's a very good idea either. funnily enough , our research has funnily enough, our research has shown that the degrees that lead to the highest earning jobs are based in london. well, if you start closing down courses, therefore that don't lead to good salaries, you're going to start closing down universities outside london and in large numbers. and we can really kiss goodbye to levelling up at that point, because that's not going to end well for a lot of young people who are based in more rural areas, based in the north, based in the south west. i just don't think the prime minister's got the right formula, even though it's absolutely right to say, are these degrees delivering good value?

>> huw thomas an excellent point. and another point the prime minister is making today. we can all agree, i think, that more apprenticeships is a great idea. practical skills with a wage. people aren't getting into debt. but rather than going for this, this, this stick approach of clamping down on universities, how about just making apprenticeships more desirable, make them more incentivised, put some real government money into that to build the skills that britain needs so we don't have to import them. >> it's a great point and that's why i was a bit sort of bittersweet about the prime minister's announcement today, because we've had apprenticeships for young people falling in numbers for years . we falling in numbers for years. we had them falling when the prime minister was the chancellor. a few years ago. we've got them falling when rishi sunak is prime minister now , but he prime minister now, but he hasn't chosen to do something about it. and so when he announces today that in 5 or 6 years from now, we might get some more apprenticeships for young people? i don't look at that as a very ambitious announcement, to be honest with you, that really feels like you're sort of kicking the problem into the long grass a little bit, even though he's absolutely right to say we need

more apprenticeships. young people saying we're going to get them 5 or 6 years down the road when he could have done something about it when he was chancellor a few years ago. it's not a great look, and i'm not surprised to see the labour party really sticking the boot into him today, saying you had the chance to do it and you chose not to. so what happened, rishi and tom, one thing that i got really passionate about in my political campaigning before this job was trying to get the working classes into university places the least likely demographic to attend all across the uk, especially boys. >> 20 years at the bottom. there's been no initiative to help them . instead, it seems our help them. instead, it seems our universities are for sale to the highest bidder and those bidders come from overseas domestic students, particularly the working classes, are simply pnced working classes, are simply priced out of the market. don't you think it would have been a clear initiative to help those people? people like me, coal miners, sons? i don't think i'd go to university these days . go to university these days. >> yeah. and that's why over the past couple of years, we've seen applications to universities start to fall. everyone thought when we had £9,000 tuition fees back in 2012, there'd be a

collapse in university numbers. but actually students did keep applying. but i think now with the level of debt going up and up and up and it getting pretty hard to find a good job, we've obviously got, you know, after the pandemic, our labour market is still not in great shape. we still have some people trading in jobs that aren't really going to exist in ten years from now. there's lots of challenges at the moment , there's lots of challenges at the moment, and i just don't see how the prime minister's ambition is really going to start solving those things. we need to make sure that people from working class backgrounds don't have any barriers to finding a good quality university course or a good quality apprenticeship. so the prime minister saying, we're going to start trying to mess around with university degrees and then somehow get some more apprenticeships a few years down the road just doesn't stack up for me, even though i love the ambition. but it's not really tackling the root of the problem. >> tom richmond i think you've absolutely hit the nail on the head.i absolutely hit the nail on the head. i think somewhere in there today there was a great opportunity, a great opportunity to level up the class ceiling and to help those at the bottom to tackle visas being abused by foreign students. but did the prime minister quite hit the

mark? i'm not so sure. tom richmond, thanks for joining us. excellent guests. please come back on the show again now. i'll have lots more on that story at 5:00, and there's plenty of coverage on our website , coverage on our website, gbnews.com. and you've helped to make it the fastest growing national news website in the country. so thank you very much . country. so thank you very much. now £20,000 has to be won. tax free in our great british giveaway. but you need to be quick as lie—ins are going to close this friday. well, here's all the details that you need for your chance to win the wonga. >> it's the final week to see how you can win a whopping £20,000 cash. and because it's totally tax free, every single penny will be in your bank account to do whatever you like. with £20,000 in tax free cash really could be yours this summer. hurry as lines close on friday, you've got to be in it to win it for another chance to win £20,000 in tax free cash . win £20,000 in tax free cash. text win to 63232. text cost £2

plus one standard network rate message or post your name and number two gb05, po box 8690. derby de19 double tee uk only entrants must be 18 or over. lines close at 5 pm. on friday. full terms and privacy notice @gbnews .com. forward slash win. please check the closing time if listening or watching on demand. good luck . good luck. >> now do not go anywhere because very soon the prime minister will be facing the pubuc minister will be facing the public and we will bring you this event live and direct. don't go anywhere. i'm martin daubney on gb news. britain's news channel .

now, just a few minutes time. rishi sunak will be taking place. a q&a session

in the south—west of england will cross that live when it happens. now, the prime minister has been meeting apprentices there today as he pledged to create 100,000 more apprenticeships by scrapping so—called mickey mouse degree courses. well, i'm joined now by gb news senior political commentator nigel nelson . nigel, commentator nigel nelson. nigel, welcome to the show and we may have to crash out to go to the prime minister, but ahead of that, do you think this is a valid attack point? i just spoke to a think tank adviser whose advised the government, he says, doesn't quite understand why sunak has gone for these courses. if people want to choose a silly course and waste their money, surely that's their own choice . own choice. >> well, in a sense, in a sense, i think he's right. one can't be against the idea of creating 100,000 more apprenticeships. that tony blair's idea that, half of all young people should go to university is clearly not right. i mean, some people should go into into jobs, the apprenticeship sort of lead the way, lead the way into that. the

question about about what, rishi sunakis question about about what, rishi sunak is actually saying is what does he think universities are for or now? what they should be for or now? what they should be for is to teach students critical thinking. and as institutions themselves ulez as places to increase the sum total of knowledge. so if you study ancient history , you won't ancient history, you won't automatically go for a job as an archaeologist. for instance . so archaeologist. for instance. so it's not just about about preparing people for work, but where you have courses where people are constantly dropping out that really don't don't do any good at all. then there is a case for the office of students to be able to close those. now they already have that power , so they already have that power, so it's difficult to see what see how much further rishi sunak is going by simply putting it into law . law. >> do you think it would have been a clearer and a an easier to understand and a vote winning pledge? instead of saying, we're going to close these degrees because people are wasting their money to say, actually , we know money to say, actually, we know that a lot of these degrees are

being used by foreign students as a way of getting into britain for a cheap amount of money. it's a university pass into the nafion it's a university pass into the nation . often they're dropping nation. often they're dropping out of the courses, going on to do other things , but overstaying do other things, but overstaying their visas and becoming part of british society. if it was a clear clampdown on the abuse of these courses that way, it would have been clear to understand . i have been clear to understand. i just don't understand how the government saves money if people don't spend money on city degrees . degrees. >> well, i mean, you've got a problem with foreign students. i mean , the government are already mean, the government are already trying to clamp down on foreign students coming here by stopping stopping their dependents coming with them . the difficulty with with them. the difficulty with thatis with them. the difficulty with that is that it's foreign students who predominantly fund universities, because they pay much higher tuition fees. so 4 in 10 students are from abroad . in 10 students are from abroad. now, if you get rid of those people who are bringing in all that money, the problem you've got is, is how do you keep

tuition fees down for british students? at the moment, they're spending just under £9,000. if you haven't got that income coming in from abroad, it's likely that those fees will end up, will end up rising . up, will end up rising. >> but but nigel, we've we've seen a sunday times investigation. we've seen a whole raft of evidence showing us the universities are courting foreign students, are actively pursuing them because they want the increased money. they're not bothered about. british students who pay less money as soon as they became businesses. they want to sell to the highest bidder. and as a consequence, you can say that foreign students keep universities afloat. i put it to you, foreign students are keeping british students, particularly the working classes, who the government used to care about. they're keeping them out of university. they are the least likely demographic of all to attend university in britain. white working class men . white working class men. >> yes. i mean, you're right there, and it's a question of getting that balance. right. but the problem is going to be is

unless you want the taxpayer to put more funding into universities, then for their income, the only way they can get it is with foreign students. and you're absolutely right. there have been courting foreign students. there's also been tory government policy until they reversed it. i mean, the idea was that the tories wanted to get 600,000 more foreign students in by 2030. now they've changed their mind because of the controversy over immigration. but there is still this issue here. how then do you actually fund your universities, it's something that probably both parties need to take head on, because there is still a big question mark over that. >> and maybe, maybe it's the legacy of the tony blair years education, education, education. and now are we overeducated or we simply oversupply young people with degrees? and are they finding out 9000 £500,000 thick end of debt and they're in a very, very competitive job

market, realising, well, i should have done something else. and that brings me on to the next point. apprentice ships. i think we all can agree, irrespective of political stripes, we need better trained british workers to be doing the jobs that need to be filled. so surely an incentive of to do them, you know, putting taxpayers money into that would be a solid use of public money. >> yes, i think you're right. and i think that that tony blair was a bit overambitious when he when he went on about education, education, education and that it is clearly not right for half of all young people to end up in university. it doesn't suit everybody. so, the government has increasingly been trying to get people into apprenticeships , get people into apprenticeships, ships. there's also labour party party policy at this election. and yes, that's where we should be. concentrate resources to give young people decent jobs in the future. >> okay. can i quickly ask you about the diane abbott situation? we're still waiting

to cross live to the prime minister. sir keir starmer was on the stump today. he wanted today to be about nhs waiting lists, a key area where we know the voters trust the labour party more than the conservative. instead he's been swept aside again by the diane abbott debacle or the labour party are going to be continually haunted by the hard left until they kick them out . left until they kick them out. >> well, it does it does look a bit like it, but i do think this one has been handled really badly , now, if the labour party badly, now, if the labour party is a broad church and it's so broad that it can have people like natalie elphicke in it, then surely it can have a place for diane abbott too. so what shouldn't be happening is this kind of confusion over whether or not she'll be able to stand. now, keir starmer was technically accurate today . he technically accurate today. he by saying that there's been no decision to bar her from standing to be an mp again, that thatis standing to be an mp again, that that is a job for the national

executive who will actually approve candidates. but even so, diane abbott obviously is confused herself whether or not she'll be allowed to stand or whether she's been banned from standing . my own view is, yes, standing. my own view is, yes, she should be allowed to stand. >> okay, i'll ask you why. why is that? for example, she was expelled from the party for a letter she wrote in the observer, which you'll be well familiar with. but i repeat for the viewers. and that is, she said, that is true, that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads , can experience racial redheads, can experience racial prejudice, but they are not all their lives subject to racism. in pre—civil rights america, irish people, jewish people and travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus, and with a flick of a wrist , she with a flick of a wrist, she dismissed anti—semitism. she dismissed anti—semitism. she dismissed the apocalypse. she equated sitting on a bus to the execution of millions of jews. for this, she wasn't kicked out of the party. why are people so keen to have her back? if that

happened to somebody in the conservative party about a different racial minority , then different racial minority, then everybody on the left would be screaming for their head and for them to have been toast many, many moons ago. why do the left stand by diane abbott? >> i think what diane diane said, and not for the first time, was incredibly clumsy , and time, was incredibly clumsy, and yes, you're right, that's the reason for her suspension from the from the party, and but in her defence, what she did do was admit that it was a clumsy response. she apologised immediately. and the question, obviously, is whether she's now served out her punishment for doing that , i mean, you could doing that, i mean, you could argue that there is a debate to be had around this and whether or not all racism is equal or some or some is different. nigel farage on sunday was doing that very thing when he was talking about british values, that he said there was a material difference between west indians and muslims. for instance , you

and muslims. for instance, you know, he was talking about about data about things like fatwa and jihad and attitudes to homosexuality. >> nigel, we have to leave it there and stick around because we're still waiting for rishi sunak. but before that , it's sunak. but before that, it's time for your latest news headlines. and it's polly middlehurst. >> thanks very much. the headunes >> thanks very much. the headlines this hour, labour has not taken, they say, any decision to bar diane abbott from standing for the labour party. the mp told media that she'd been blocked from running with the party. but sir keir starmer said this afternoon those reports weren't true. she had the whip withdrawn in april last year following comments she made about racism. later she apologised and an investigation was concluded in december. it's under unclear now whether miss abbott will contest her seat in hackney north and stoke newington. the health secretary is calling on the labour party to condemn planned strikes by junior doctors after another

five day walkout starting on the 27th of june. the government is saying that announcing a strike dunng saying that announcing a strike during an election proves it's political and not about staff . political and not about staff. but the union says its demand for 35% increase in pay is to make up for what it says is 15 years of below inflation. pay and london's evening standard newspaper is scrapping its daily print edition. the paper's history can be traced back to 1827, but became a free commuter paper starting in 2009. in a memo to staff, the company said substantial losses have forced a change of direction. the daily paperis change of direction. the daily paper is expected to be replaced by a free weekly edition, and if you're keeping on events , eye on you're keeping on events, eye on events, particularly on the volcano in iceland, it has erupted once again, the fifth time since december . if you're time since december. if you're watching on telly, take a look at this spewing lava and smoke coming from the crater. the outburst happening on the reykjanes peninsula, home to around 30,000 people just south of the capital reykjavik. previous eruptions have forced

people to leave their homes and close roads, and even damaged houses in a nearby fishing town. we're keeping an eye on that one for you. in the meantime , don't for you. in the meantime, don't forget sign up to gb news alerts. scan the qr code on your screen, or go to gb news. comments . comments. >> thank you. poorly putting out loads more still to come on our election special. and of course we're crossing soon to the prime minister, rishi sunak. but first, there's a new way to get in touch with us. and here's bev turner with all of the details. >> we are proud to be gb news the people's channel. and as you know, we always to love hear your views. now there's a new way of getting in touch with us at gbnews.com/yoursay by commenting , at gbnews.com/yoursay by commenting, you can be part of a live conversation and join our gb news community. you can even talk to me, bev turner or any of the members of the gb news family. simply go to gb news comedy slash your say

>> welcome back. your time is 440. i'm martin daubney on gb news now. still waiting for the prime minister, rishi sunak, to appean prime minister, rishi sunak, to appear. when he does, will cross live and direct ahead of that . live and direct ahead of that. i'm rejoined now by gb news senior political commentator nigel nelson. again, as we await the appearance of rishi sunak. he's keeping us waiting. let's talk , if we could, nigel, about talk, if we could, nigel, about what the labour party would like to us be talking about today, if diane abbott hadn't hoved into view once again. and that is sir keir starmer is keen to tell us about nhs waiting times and how the labour party would cut them. what's the detail? yeah well the idea, the idea is 40,000 extra hospital appointments and scans a week under labour. >> now the nhs, i think , as you >> now the nhs, i think, as you said earlier, was is sort of labour's great strong point. and today the, the polling

organisation ipsos released its first campaign tracker and the nhs is now the top issue with voters cost of living comes second, whereas before it was always cost of living. so labour on the right track to actually make a big thing out of out of health. the idea is that this would be paid for by a crackdown on tax dodgers, and also extending the tax on non—doms by closing a number of loopholes. now, if it works, they should be able to get this off the ground pretty quickly. there's been a pilot scheme at guy's and saint thomas's in london, and they managed to get evening and weekend working . this is the weekend working. this is the overtime by doctors and nurses in place within six weeks. >> nigel, do you think we just saw wes streeting, the shadow health minister on screen? there he's been quite radical with some of the things he said. in fact, he's sounded a bit like nigel farage at times. he's toying with the idea of a partial privatisation, or at

least allowing people to pay to go private . we're going to go go private. we're going to go private and we've got to cut out because we're going now live to new york. president trump is speaking ahead of his hush money trial . trial. >> it shouldn't be brought and it certainly could have been brought seven years ago. not in the middle of a presidential election. it was all done by joe biden. this judge contributed to joe biden and far worse than that. but i'm not allowed to talk about it because i'm a gag order far worse than that by a thousand times worse than that, the worst i've ever heard. but i can't talk about it. it'll be talked about, but i'm not allowed to talk about it. but it'll be talked about in the history books. what's happening here is weaponization at a level that nobody's seen before, ever . that nobody's seen before, ever. and it shouldn't be allowed to happen. so i'll stay around here. this is five weeks and five weeks of really essentially not campaigning. although i took a big lead in the polls over the last few weeks. something's

going on because i think the people of this country see that this is a rigged deal. it's a weaponized deal for the democrats to hit their political opponent . forjoe democrats to hit their political opponent. forjoe biden, democrats to hit their political opponent . forjoe biden, the opponent. forjoe biden, the worst, the worst president in the history of the united states. he's destroying our country. he's letting millions of people from jails, from prisons, from insane asylums, from mental institutions, drug dealers pour in venezuela. if you look at their crime statistics, they've gone down 72% in crime because they're releasing all their criminals into our country because of this horrible president that we have. and then they have a protest of robert de niro yesterday. he's a fool. he's a broken down fool standing out there. and he got he got mugged. he got mugged yesterday. he got a big dose of it. but i just want to say it's a very unfair trial. i should have never happened . if it was have never happened. if it was going to happen, it should have happened seven years ago. as you

know, bragg didn't want to bring it. the southern district didn't bnng it. the southern district didn't bring it. the fec didn't bring it . this judge didn't even let it. this judge didn't even let us use the number one election attorney . he's us use the number one election attorney. he's making us use the number one election attorney . he's making the rules. attorney. he's making the rules. he doesn't know anything about elections. he doesn't know anything about voting and vote counts. he doesn't know anything about this stuff . that's not his about this stuff. that's not his profession. we had the leading election expert in the country, brad smith , ready to testify. brad smith, ready to testify. wouldn't let him do it. brad smith, ready to testify. wouldn't let him do it . they wouldn't let him do it. they wouldn't let another gentleman who represented and you know very well you saw it. it was the worst. i think i've ever seen. and he were treated on the stand. bob costello wouldn't let him talk about all of the hundreds of emails that he was sent by a gentleman, another gentleman who i can't mention because i'm gagged . every time because i'm gagged. every time i speak to you, you ask me simple questions. i'm not allowed to give you the answer because i'm gagged by this judge. but we have a very, very serious problem here. i mean, our country is going bad. and

remember, and let me just leave you with this. this is all because of joe biden and his. and i don't even think it's him. i don't think he's smart enough to think about it. but it's the people that surround him in the office. they're smart, they're fascist, they're communist, but they're smart and they're ruining our country. but we're going to win this election on november 5th. it's going to be the most important day in the history of our country. we're going to take back our country from these fascists and these thugs that are destroying us with inflation and with everything they do. how stupid they are allowing 15, 16, 17 million people into our country totally unvetted , totally totally unvetted, totally unchecked. we're going to bring back our nation november fifth. remember, most important day. okay, that was donald trump in new york. >> now we're crossing into rishi sunak live in the southwest, but i don't need the mic. >> welcome . >> welcome. >> welcome. >> you're right. give me a hug. >> you're right. give me a hug. >> all right. >> all right. >> okay. hi, everyone . hello. >> okay. hi, everyone. hello. hello. hello. perfect. look thank you. rebecca. thank you.

simon. you guys are very lucky in these two. they are fantastic champions for their local communities and for all of you. rebecca, you may have know, has secured something like £20 million of levelling up investment for term works in wellington, as well as getting 500 more police officers on the street and a brand new hospital upgrade. and simon simon has reopened honiton police station. right, that's all done now , right, that's all done now, hasn't he? and last time i was here we were celebrating cullompton station coming back onune cullompton station coming back online and he has secured £30 million to upgrade the water treatment works at sidmouth, which i know was an enormous priority for all of you. so if you don't mind joining me and saying a very well done to these two for everything they do for their local area. thank you guys i >> -- >> now. >> now. >> i also wanted to say an enormous thank you and congratulations to all of you and nick. i don't know where you are at the back there, but it's such a privilege to be able to spend some time with you, your family and your team here. it's

thanks to businesses like yours that we have now overtaken the netherlands, france and japan to become the fourth biggest export economy in the world. that is an extraordinary achievement and it's down to people like you and all your hard work. so thank you for that and we're actually doing more to support you. you may have seen recently, i announced we're going to increase our defence spending to 2.5% of gdp because we live in a more dangerous world. and as part of that increase, we're going to invest more in our defence industrial base here at home, supporting jobs and companies like yours. so a massive thank you from me to all of you for everything that you have done. now look , it's been have done. now look, it's been difficult the last few years. you know, that i know that we had a pandemic, then a war in ukraine and everything that that did to impact all of you. but i hope that you saw throughout all of that, that i had your back, whether it was with the furlough scheme or the support that we provided with energy bills . i provided with energy bills. i wanted to be there for all of

you and your families and collectively , thanks to your collectively, thanks to your hard work and your sacrifice, we've got through it . and now we've got through it. and now you can see that things are pointing in the right direction. inflation down from 11% to 2. wages have been growing faster than prices for almost a year now. energy bills falling , the now. energy bills falling, the economy growing faster than all our major competitors this year. and that shows that the plan we put in place is working. and when i said i would restore economic stability, that's what we've been able to do. and that's what you get with the conservatives because we have a plan, we stick to the plan and that stability has been restored. so the question now for all of you is where do we go from here? who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future for you and your families ? the choice at the families? the choice at the election is whether we build on the progress that we've made, or whether we go back to square one with no plan and no certainty.

the only certainty you have with the labour party is that they're going to run out of your money and put up your taxes as clear as night follows day. now we've had the people at the treasury tot up all the spending commitments that they've made . commitments that they've made. and if you do all of that and you see what the black hole is, it amounts to £2,000 for every working family in our country in higher taxes, £2,000. and that is not going to deliver any financial security for any of you. and i don't want to see that happen . now. i touched that happen. now. i touched earlier on the world that we're living in. i don't need to tell you, we live in perhaps the most dangerous and uncertain time that we've seen since the end of the cold war russia, iran, north korea, china and axis of authoritarian states working together in a way that threatens our values, our interests , not our values, our interests, not just abroad, but here at home too. and that is going to have a real impact on us threatening the integrity of our borders, amongst other things. and these uncertain times call for bold action and a clear plan to chart

action and a clear plan to chart a course to a more secure future. and that's what i'm intent on delivering. and i take our borders. we're the ones that have put a bold plan on the table. the rwanda scheme. why? because we've got to make it crystal clear that if you come to our country illegally, you won't be able to stay and you will be returned to a safe alternative so we can stop people coming here in the first place. now across europe, the penny has dropped that that is a right approach. multiple other countries now agree that that's the right thing to do, but the one person who hasn't got that message is keir starmer. he wants to release everyone that we've detained, cancel the flights , offer an amnesty to flights, offer an amnesty to illegal migrants, making us the soft touch of europe and a magnet for migrants across the continent. so whether it's on that or any other of these issues , there's absolutely no issues, there's absolutely no way you can trust the labour party to keep our country and our borders safe and secure. now, keir starmer wants you to believe that this election is over before it started. the

result is a foregone conclusion . result is a foregone conclusion. ian. well, i'm going to work very hard every single day to earn your trust. and you know what? i don't think you, the british people, like being taken for granted . and if you think for granted. and if you think about it, the last few days, first week of this campaign, you've seen what we're about, bold actions to transform our country, a modern new form of national service to provide skills and opportunities to young people , foster a culture young people, foster a culture of service, make our society to cohesive , strengthen our cohesive, strengthen our country's resilience and security . yesterday, an security. yesterday, an announcement to protect pensioners make sure that they're not taxed, raise the thresholds for them and then today, a new announcement on apprenticeships stop young people going off to degrees that aren't going to support them or pay aren't going to support them or pay their way, and instead use that money to create 100,000 more high quality apprenticeships or big ideas that will deliver a secure future. and what have we heard from the labour party ? not a from the labour party? not a single new idea in the last week, not a single new idea that

they've put on the table at. and, you know, that's that's the track record of keir starmer and the labour party. this is someone who was happy to abandon every single promise that he made to become labour leader as soon as he got the job. what makes you think that he won't do exactly the same thing if he became prime minister, and if he can't stand for anything himself , how can he stand up for all of you? and in contrast , , how can he stand up for all of you? and in contrast, as you can see, we've got a clear plan. we're prepared to take bold actions, and that's how we're going to deliver a secure future for all of you and everyone else across the country. and i'm working hard for a country where we can all have confidence in ourselves , in our communities, a ourselves, in our communities, a renewed sense of pride in our country , a britain where all of country, a britain where all of your hard work is rewarded and we keep cutting your taxes, and where the opportunities that were there for the previous generation are there for the next. and a country where, above all, your safety and defence is assured, that is the secure future i want for all of you.

that's a secure future i want for our country and with your support, i would be delighted to deliver it for you. thanks very much . all right. deliver it for you. thanks very much . all right . right. okay. much. all right. right. okay. we're going to open it up to some questions. so i don't we're going to open it up to some questions . so i don't know some questions. so i don't know who's got the mic or who's going to go first. but i'm looking around. yes, miss. >> my name is caitlin. my question for you is if we are to bnngin question for you is if we are to bring in national service as a readily available service for 18 to 20 year olds, how are you going to ensure a contingency plan for those kids? essentially. so that they have the support they require when they come back? mental health support , housing, physical support, housing, physical support, housing, physical support, physio , all of those support, physio, all of those benefits and accommodations that you need to make in order for them to be able to integrate back into society after they've completed their service. >> are you talking about young people, caitlin, who go and join the military component of it?

yes. okay, great. what do you think about this idea by the way? >> undecided. it doesn't have all the factors to it just yet, i'm waiting to see more of the facts, more of the figures and also, i think more of the plan before i put a full opinion to it. >> okay, great. well, let me tell you a little bit about it now, because it's something i'm really excited about and i've been talking to people about it wherever i've been over the last few days. so what's going to happenis few days. so what's going to happen is every young person is going to have a choice of what to do so they can either choose to do so they can either choose to do so they can either choose to do the military component, which will be for a year, and that will be highly selective and competitive. no one will be forced to do it, but it will be something that people choose and apply something that people choose and apply to do. and as i said, it will be selective and competitive. the alternative, which most people will end up doing is to do roles in civic resilience. so think about search and rescue, first aid, supporting elderly people as many did during covid. so with the a range of different options. but overall, the idea is that young people get a new

range of skills and opportunities that will set them up for life. and i don't know about you, but i think service gives you purpose. so beyond the skills that that you get as a young person, you'll have that that ability to contribute to something that's bigger than yourself. and i think that is a wonderful, a wonderful thing. and in the process, everyone doing this together will foster that culture of service more broadly across the country. and ensure that our society is more cohesive. because if you're drawing everyone from lots of different backgrounds to do the same things together, i think that would be a wonderfully positive thing. and then, of course, having lots of people over years training all of these things and have that experience, whether it's on the armed forces side or the civilian side, it will mean that our country overall will be more resilient and secure to face the dangers and secure to face the dangers and the things that come down the line. so that's the rough plan for how it's going to work. and your broader question about how do we integrate people back into civilian life? i think presumably you're asking a little bit more also about

people who have been in the armed forces more generally. and i know there's lots of vets here. and thank you all very much for your service. now, i'm determined to make this the best country in the world to be a veteran. and that's why for the first ever time, there's a veterans minister sitting in our cabinet around the cabinet table, johnny mercer, you may have heard about him, and johnny knows. and i've told him, i said, whatever you need from the rest of these people around the cabinet table, you just get it from them. so whether it's support with their health care, which you touched on, mental health or physical health, and that's why we have programs like op courage and op restore to help veterans with that, whether it's support for veterans with housing when they come out of the armed forces. and we have op fortitude for that to help them there. and the last one that we just introduced is something called op prosper, which is to support people leaving the armed forces into fantastic jobs. like all of you have here. and at the event that we just did when we talked about that, i was saying to the companies, i said the best business decision you could make to all the ceos that were

there . i said the best business there. i said the best business decision you could make is to hire a veteran , because those of hire a veteran, because those of you that have served have an enormous amount of skills and experience which are unique. and so to companies, we need to get more companies to realise that they don't have to hire someone from the armed forces that have an act of charity or giving something back. they should do it because it's an incredible business decision, because all of you bring an enormous amount to the table. so that's what we're working towards . and so we're working towards. and so we're working towards. and so we're making progress more to do. but i'm determined to get there. so this is the best place in the world to be a veteran. good right. who's who's next. >> yes i'm lindy , as a mature >> yes i'm lindy, as a mature apprentice we have we have to evidence english and maths at gcse level without certificates . gcse level without certificates. our employees have to sit. the functional skills exam could you look at taking higher qualifications into account? for example, an engineering degree surely proves that they have these qualifications. >> yes. that sounds like a very good practical suggestion, so i'll take that. i'll take that away . and funnily enough, i was away. and funnily enough, i was talking to someone just this

morning actually, when i was in cornwall, where i have to say the weather was not as nice as it is here, so we were happy about that , and it was, it was about that, and it was, it was incredibly inspiring. i was speaking to an older gentleman who had done exactly that later in life. he had tried a few times unsuccessfully, and kept going to get his functional skills qualification, which we support in maths and in english. and i think i've been talking a lot about the importance of maths. i mean, you all know that here you work in a technical business, but more generally we just need more people to be more familiar with maths at any stage in their lives. and one of the things that i've done, which is a small thing, but has put more funding for people who at any point in their life want to either reset their maths gcse or indeed pick up a functional skills qualification later in life. because my general view is look for people who are prepared to work hard, who want to gain new skills. i want to have their back because that is the best

way to give them the opportunity to build a more secure life for them and their family, and actually talking to the gentleman earlier today, it wasn't just the financial security that the job had brought him, that when he'd done his functional skills qualification lie—ins, it was a confidence and the fulfilment that it had given him personally. and it was a really inspiring story. and you're right about people who are more mature getting the support they need. and i will certainly take away your very practical suggestion about making it easier to recognise all those things . all right. who's next? things. all right. who's next? who else have we got ? oh, gosh. who else have we got? oh, gosh. oh yes . oh yes. >> yes. >> yes. >> hi, daniel, i hear a lot about you talking about apprenticeships and then also pensioners, but if you sort of look around this room, a lot of people are just bang in the middle, what are you going to be doing for us? you're gonna be doing for us? you're gonna be doing for us? you're gonna be doing for the people that maybe already have homes or already have mortgages, already have those commitments. we don't need

to get up. we just need to be able to maintain ourselves together. >> yeah. no, that's great question. well, i think looking around the room, many of you will have kids hopefully who will have kids hopefully who will benefit from what we've announced on apprenticeships today. and indeed many of you will have parents and grandparents that will benefit from the announcement we made on pensions yesterday. but the most important thing i can do for all of you who are in work is to make sure that your hard work is rewarded, right? that's what i believe . that's type of country believe. that's type of country that i want to build. and that's why as soon as it was possible, i wanted to start cutting your taxes. and that's what we're now doing. all the things that you just talked about. right. i want to make sure that the end of every month, you've got more money in your bank accounts, and that i couldn't do that when i first got this job, because i had a job to get inflation down right. it was 11% when i first got this job. all the impact it had on all your bills, energy bills. but now we stuck to our plan. inflation is back to normal. economy is growing again . wages are rising again. and that's why we're now able to start cutting your taxes. so for

someone on an average salary of about 35 k it's a £900 tax cut this year, which hopefully will give you the confidence to think the future is better and my simple pitch to you would be we're making enormous progress now. the economy has turned a corner. you remember how hard it's been for a few years, or at this point now, where we can start looking to the future with more confidence. so for people who are working hard, like all of you, right, you stick with us. we're going to keep cutting your taxes to give you that financial security to buy your home, move home, have a holiday, do whatever it is you want to do, and the alternative on offer, because all elections are a choice, right? the alternative on offer is a party that is going to put up your taxes. right? as i said, as clear as night follows day, right? the labour party have got a million things that they said they're going to spend money on. they don't have the money to pay for it. and that means you're all going to pay for it in higher taxes. and i don't want that. i want you to have a more financially secure future where your hard work is rewarded and your hard work is rewarded and your taxes are being cut, and

thatis your taxes are being cut, and that is the most important thing that is the most important thing that i that is the most important thing that! can that is the most important thing that i can do for you. and we're on the cusp now of really being able to look forward with confidence that we can do even more than we've done. good. all right. any other questions? oh, right. any other questions? oh, right. fine. oh, yes. go for it. >> miss paul, i'm a technical buyer here. >> i don't necessarily disagree with anything you've said here today, what i do see in the mornings is these polls. today, what i do see in the mornings is these polls . yeah. mornings is these polls. yeah. and you're quite way behind labour at the moment. how much confidence do you have that those polls are a true reflection of six weeks time . reflection of six weeks time. and my other question is, if you're not prime minister in six weeks time, will you be a season ticket holder at saint mary's ? ticket holder at saint mary's? >> in knowledge. right. so look, thank you for agreeing with the things that i'm saying. first of all, that's really that's nice to hear and i appreciate that.

and look, the only poll that matters is , is the one on july matters is, is the one on july 4th when all of you get to choose our future, right? that's the one that i'm focused on. and as you can see, i hope i am working my socks off to talk to as many people as i can over the next five weeks and talk about all the things that we've been talking about, all the things that we've been talking about , the big things talking about, the big things that matter, the choice ahead of you and what i can do to make you and what i can do to make you and what i can do to make you and everyone else's life better and deliver that secure future. and i'm not worried about the polls, right? i'm out there talking to people , there talking to people, actually thoroughly enjoying myself. i just got the i got the i got the sleeper train last night down from london, which was quite the experience , which was quite the experience, which is fun. and we've had i've had a great day and i'll be doing this every day between now and july 4th. when i started last week . 4th. when i started last week. but but you know, this is great. this is the start of my devon campaign. how about that one? we'll say that. but look , we'll say that. but look, because i think we are at a really important moment and you guys know that working here, the world is more uncertain and dangerous than it's been in decades. so i think this is a

pivotal moment for the country. and having just got through quite a tricky time, we've done all of that together. you guys have worked hard , you have worked hard, you sacrificed. we've got through it. and that's why i'm determined to build on the progress we've made and deliver a more secure future for you. but that doesn't happen by just saying it right . and that's the saying it right. and that's the choice for all of you at this election. is who do you trust to stick to a good plan? who do you trust to take the bold decisions that are going to deliver that more secure future for you? you can't just will it into being, or i can't wave a placard around saying change and expect that to deliver change, right? and that hopefully over the next few weeks , i'll be able to convince weeks, i'll be able to convince all of you that i'm the one that's prepared to take the bold action, whether it's national service, whether it's protecting pensioners, apprenticeships today. all those things are bold things raising defence spending again, something that the labour party have not matched either you believe the world is, you know, dangerous or it isn't. and if you do, why aren't you matching our pledge to increase defence spending to reform the welfare system, to get to net zero in a more proportionate way

that prioritises your bills and our energy security to secure our energy security to secure our borders with bold things like the rwanda scheme. that's what i'm about. bold ideas, sticking to the plan that's working, delivering a secure future . and actually, i'm future. and actually, i'm already a season ticket holder at saint mary's. although fair to say, i don't get to any games. i don't get to any games. but my family were all at wembley at the weekend and yeah, it was a it was a very good result. nerve wracking. last 15 minutes. so i am looking forward to watching some more. premier league football next season. you're a football fan. >> yeah, i'm swindon town's okay. way to go. >> yeah . no it was it was very >> yeah. no it was it was very good. no we had we had a massive my extended family clan were all at wembley and sending me lots of good videos and having a good time. it was an amazing moment. so very emotional about that. very happy about it. all right. good. right. i think we've got to do some questions from the media. so let's start. we've got bbc. >> thank you. chris mason bbc news prime minister there's no doubt you're meeting plenty of people out and about. >> but are you changing many

minds. >> well look chris, you can see we're having a conversation here, but i'm determined to talk to as many people as i can across this country over the remaining weeks of this campaign. that's how i started it. and as you've heard, i'm thoroughly enjoying myself. i'm enjoying having conversations with people about the things about the things that matter. yes, i am changing minds everywhere. i've been today, talking about the things that we've announced over the past few days. bold ideas are going to transform our country for the better and deliver a secure future to everyone here. national service will be one of the most extraordinary things that happens to our country, the skills and the opportunities it will provide young people the culture of service that it will foster the way it will make our society more cohesive and strengthen our resilience . strengthen our resilience. right. | strengthen our resilience. right. i don't think there will be a single idea as big as that in this election campaign. that's what i'm about. that's what i'm about doing bold things, building on our plan thatis things, building on our plan that is working economically to deliver a more secure future and

people are responding to it. i've had so many people talk to me about national service, right. they're excited about it. i've had people are saying, well, wish you can extend it to my kids. they're too old now, but it'd be good for them, right? so people are excited about what that will mean for our country. our announcement yesterday on pensioners to ensure that pensioners don't pay tax on their state pension, and we raise the threshold for pensioners , labour haven't pensioners, labour haven't matched that. there's going to be a retirement tax if labour win the next election. i don't want to see that happen. today's announcement saying, hang on, we shouldn't be letting young people down by sending them off to degrees that don't work for them. we should use that money and fund high quality apprenticeships that you've got here at businesses like this. i've been meeting dozens of apprentices today, all of whom have said that was the best decision that they made. and i want more young people to have that opportunity. so look, we're only one week into this. we're already putting big ideas on the table . the choice at the table. the choice at the election is clear. you've got no ideas, no plan from the labour party . we're the ones that are party. we're the ones that are going to deliver a secure future. and i'm going to keep talking to people for the rest of this campaign. all right. next, who have we got? gb news.

>> prime minister, thank you for taking my gb news. the mistake targets on the nhs waiting list is one of your biggest regrets . is one of your biggest regrets. you've said that isn't the fact that junior doctors are striking in the days up to the general election, an indictment of your time in office? >> i am in this to make sure all of you get the health care that you need. i love the nhs. i'm from an nhs family. my dad was a gp, my mum was a pharmacist and i've worked incredibly hard to get the waiting list down. and you're right, i wish we had made more progress and the strikes were made that very difficult. but waiting lists are coming down now. thanks to all the investments we've put in and the things that we're doing, and i know we can make more progress. but today's action by the junior doctors on the same day as the labour party are having a health day does slightly ponder the question as to whether this is politically motivated . it's hard politically motivated. it's hard to escape that conclusion, given the timing and to call a strike in an election campaign, especially as we found a

constructive resolution with the remainder of the nhs workforce. we started with a million nhs workers under the agenda for change deal, including physiotherapists and many others, and most recently we reached an agreement with the consultant doctors. so it's just the junior doctors that have failed to find resolution with the government, and that's in spite of them already being offered a pay deal that is worth, on average, a 10% increase, a 10% increase already. and we were prepared to keep talking. so, look, i think that the timing of this makes it look incredibly political in an election campaign on the day that labour have their health day and everyone else has managed to find a resolution with the government, so it's extremely disappointing that they haven't done that . but i they haven't done that. but i don't want any of you to doubt my commitment to the nhs . and my commitment to the nhs. and again, what have we heard from the labour party today? right. they won't condemn the strikes. right. and they're not prepared to take any difficult decisions. and the contrast is crystal

clear. right. and i'm just going to keep working, doing what i believe is right for this country. and that includes doing what i think is right for the nhs. okay. and then lastly, we've got time for one more. >> and that was rishi sunak. >> and that was rishi sunak. >> they're taking questions live in devon from a workforce there and an expansive talk talked about the economy overtaking france and netherlands and japan. it's been a difficult few years, he said. but the plan is working. he put a figure on the labour party taking £2,000 off every working family. labour party taking £2,000 off every working family . as sure as every working family. as sure as night follows day, he said they will run out of your money. that's bob. talk about socialism. there and raise your taxes. but he claimed he's enjoying himself. he's working his socks off and i want to talk now with our gb news senior political commentator, nigel nelson. nigel, welcome back. you no doubt were listening in to rishi sunak there. i want to mention a specific point. rishi sunak mentioned at the end. there he was questioned by gb news political editor christopher hope on the timing of these junior doctor strikes.

the labour party , of course, the labour party, of course, today launching its nhs plan, although that was overshadowed by the hoo—ha around diane abbott. but rishi sunak very clearly saying he feels that these junior doctor strikes seem incredibly politically motivated. and he said it doesn't seem a coincidence that these strikes have been announced on the same day as the labour party was talking about the nhs . what's your thoughts on that? >> well, because of trade union laws that you've only got a six month window as a mandate for holding a strike. anyway, obviously what we don't know is whether or not the junior doctors would have chosen this date, regardless of the general election . the problem has been election. the problem has been all along is that the government won't sit down and talk to them and negotiate with them properly . so until that happens, they've been able to settle other parts of the health service by doing that, nurses consultant its junior doctors are another matter , and the important thing

matter, and the important thing was to sit down and talk to them. now, obviously during a general election campaign, they can't do that now. >> we've seen already today the letter written to sir keir starmer from six union general general secretaries on the topic of diane abbott, general secretaries on the topic of diane abbott , the unions of diane abbott, the unions hoving into view as a political force already. and now junior doctor strikes backed by unions. is this a taste of things to come under sir keir starmer if he gets in the unions once again flexing their muscles? a lot of people think that's how the labour party used to be around. is that how it's going to be ran in the future? >> well, even under keir starmer , the unions are part of the labour movement , so of course labour movement, so of course you'd expect them to have an opinion on whatever it might be, that they've been quite outspoken on. on keir starmers plan for workers. there are some unions, notably unite, who are not very happy about that, that is not stopping the labour

leader actually continuing with the plan. so yes, you will get get the unions being vocal , you get the unions being vocal, you will get the unions playing a part in a future labour government, but they're not, you know, it's a question of tails and wagging dogs and so on. i don't think that they are in control of the labour party quite clearly, the labour leadership is okay. >> nigel aslef, thank you for your insights as ever. thank you very much. now, the prime minister, of course, was speaking just now in devon. let's speak to a former tory mp who used to represent a devon constituency , mr neil parish. constituency, mr neil parish. neil, welcome to the show. always a delight to have your company. a very robust comment. i felt there from rishi sunak at the tail end of that question and answer session, when asked by gb news political editor chris hope if he felt the junior doctor strikes were timed specifically to harm the conservative party, he was clear , he said yes. he feels that they clearly seem incredibly politically motivated .

politically motivated. >> yes. >> yes. >> i mean, it was nice for me to see rishi sunak in, you know, part of what was my old constituency, a very good military company there that makes military operations. i better not mention their name , better not mention their name, but, but it was good to see him there. and i think he was making it absolutely clear that, you see, when you ask for 35% as the junior doctors of asked for, and i know they have, you know, lagged behind over the years , lagged behind over the years, but it's just not reasonable in the economic climate to ask for so much. and i think the trouble is, you know, nigel made the point that the government should be talking to the junior doctors more. but i think until they ask for a more reasonable settlement, and i can understand the reticence of the government not to go anywhere near the 35. and of course, most of the health service has settled for the ten, 12% that they've been offered. so i think the junior doctors are politically motivated . and, it is a general motivated. and, it is a general election. they've got the right to strike. so they have struck. but it will be interesting . and

but it will be interesting. and that's where because i do quite often a panel with nigel on mark dolan show, and we're very often having a little , disagreement, having a little, disagreement, but i think the tail will wag the dog, if labour gets in because the unions will get much more powerful. they're already you know, showing their, their their teeth, tails and teeth a bit a mix up of my metaphors. but you know where i'm. i'm coming from . coming from. >> yeah. i wanted to ask you on that point, neil parish, because today a letter was written by aslef to unite the num , cwu and aslef to unite the num, cwu and the fbu. they wrote to sir keir starmer on the issue of the suspension of the whip from from diane abbott, and that seemed to have forced something of a u—turn. and now the junior strikes , junior doctor strikes. strikes, junior doctor strikes. the unions are flexing their muscles. the unions seem to be coming to the fore. a lot of people saying that they remember the old days of the labour party, when they were when they were in the country. the unions had a huge stronghold. we've hardly had a functioning train service for these past few

years. is this a taste of things to come? do you fear ? to come? do you fear? >> it may be, and i think, you know, with diane abbott, i've got quite a lot of sympathy for diane abbott because while i don't agree with what she says, and we're on sort of completely different wings of the political scale, what i would argue is that she should be able to make those comments. i was always quite independent, but i made quite independent, but i made quite strong comments and i think she should be able to. and she'd gone through the disciplinary process and then to be sort of offered the whip back. but it's a day late, so you can't actually stand as a labour mp. and this is supposed to been going on for five months and, you know, and, keir starmer says he knew nothing about it. well, either , you know, the well, either, you know, the labour party has run in the most peculiar way and the leader is not told of what the national executives doing, or he did know what was going on and should have made a decision long ago so that diane abbott, you have made a decision long ago so that diane abbott , you know, that diane abbott, you know, could have stood if she wished.

because you see, once you get the once you get your party whip back there is nothing stopping you then standing. but of course, if you are a day late to be able to invite, you know, ask to be considered as a candidate, then they are excluding her. and i think it's all very you know, i think it's all very you know, i do feel quite a lot of sympathy for diane abbott because she is actually quite a nice woman. i, i like her as an individual, like they don't agree with her, her politics, but that doesn't matter. you see, parliament works because it's full of people of all sorts of wings of politics where we should debate . and i just fear should debate. and i just fear with keir starmer, that he will perhaps come down on the people hard that he can control, but will he be able to control the unions? i don't think he will, actually, once he's because he will, he's very likely to get into power. it's just by how many , and of course, if he's in many, and of course, if he's in power with a lot of majority vie, then the unions will become much more vocal than if he gets

into power with a smaller majority , because he will not be majority, because he will not be so secure. so it's interesting when people come to cast their votes just to remember that perhaps it's not a good thing ever on either side to be honest with you, to have massive majorities, because then democracy is very difficult, to, to work because that particular party can just railroad anything it likes through parliament. >> okay. thank you very much, neil parish, for joining >> okay. thank you very much, neil parish, forjoining us on neil parish, for joining us on the show. and a most unexpected act of political charity there towards diane abbott. always a delight to have you. thank you very much. now let's speak to the man who asked. thank you. and now let's speak now to the man who asked that final question to the prime minister about the junior doctors strike. and of course, it's gb news political editor, christopher hope.chns political editor, christopher hope. chris excellent question there. chris. you put the prime minister on the spot, and we got the conversation onto who is really in control. the prime minister there very clearly saying he felt these junior doctors strikes were politically motivated . chris hope, can you motivated. chris hope, can you

hear us? chris, welcome to the show. we were just saying there the final question that you asked the prime minister set the tone there. you he's he seemed tone there. you he's he seemed to indicate very clearly he felt that these strikes, the timing of the junior doctors strikes were politically motivated. chris we'll come back to chris when we when we effectively establish communications. that was a great question. we'll make sure we get the full response from chris obe and the reaction to what happened after we cut back. now £20,000 has to be won in our great british giveaway , in our great british giveaway, and you need to be quick as lie—ins are going to close on friday, here's all the details that you need for your chance to bag the cash. >> it's the final week to see how you can win a whopping £20,000 cash. and because it's totally tax free, every single penny will be in your bank account to do whatever you like. with £20,000 in tax free cash

really could be yours this summer . really could be yours this summer. hurry. as lines close on friday, you've got to be in it to win it for another chance to win £20,000 in tax free cash . win £20,000 in tax free cash. text win to 63232. text cost £2 plus one standard network rate message or post your name and number to gb05 , po box 8690. number to gb05, po box 8690. derby day one nine, double t, uk only entrants must be 18 or oven only entrants must be 18 or over. lines close at 5 pm. on friday. full terms and privacy nofice friday. full terms and privacy notice @gbnews .com. forward slash win. please check the closing time if listening or watching on demand. good luck . watching on demand. good luck. >> now stand by for an important update on the future of raf scams and of course, the historic home of the dambusters. 2000 asylum seekers were due to be sent there . will it be saved? be sent there. will it be saved? i'm martin daubney on gb news. britain's news channel

welcome back. it's 524. i'm martin daubney on gb news now. let's get more on rishi sunak now. and he's asked whether the junior doctors strike that was announced earlier today was politically motivated. and let's speak now to the man who asked the prime minister that precise question. gb news political editor , chris holmes. chris, you editor, chris holmes. chris, you put the prime minister on the spot there about the timing of these junior strikes, and the prime minister hit back in no uncertain terms. he thinks this is politically timed and motivated . motivated. >> that's right martin, there's been a real he's he knows that's one of the targets. he's set himself to cut those nhs waiting lists significantly. that never happened last year. he blames the strike action. his critics say well paid doctors and nurses and consultants properly, and you will then get a better service in the nhs. now the clearly the tories are very

concerned about this strike action. five days of strike action. five days of strike action going into july, the fourth polling day. and they're saying in the pm they're saying after being questioned by me for gb news that he sees as being politically motivated. he says today's action by the junior doctors on the same day as the labour party are having their own health day by that, he means they're wes streeting is out and about. they're wes streeting is out and about . keir starmer talking about. keir starmer talking about. keir starmer talking about cutting waiting lists. does slightly ponder the question as to whether this is politically motivated . it is politically motivated. it is hard to escape that. in conclusion, given the timing of the calling of the strike in the election campaign. so i think that shows the gloves are off. i think certainly what will be a very difficult week for the government . they're trying to government. they're trying to blame the labour party or these the unions , for doing a the unions, for doing a politically motivated strike, i should say. martin, while i'm with you, get on the bus with the pm's team again. i with you, get on the bus with the pm's team again . i heard the the pm's team again. i heard the first time we heard that term retirement tax . and that relates retirement tax. and that relates to the fact that the tory party has said that pensioners will not pay income tax on the state pension, which they expected to after about 2027, 2028. because of the increase, the expected

increase in the state pension due to fiscal fiscal drag on those thresholds being frozen. labour have not made the same pledge that term. retirement tax you might get used to over the next five weeks. >> chris. so excellent question down there in devon, our defence company soldiering on on the campaign trail. company soldiering on on the campaign trail . thank you for campaign trail. thank you for yourinput campaign trail. thank you for your input as ever, chris hope. excellent stuff . there's loads excellent stuff. there's loads still more still more to come between now and 6:00. i'll speak to labour's shadow minister for social care on how they hope to turn around the nhs . okay, but turn around the nhs. okay, but before that we've got some breaking news because we've got two developing stories related to the aviation sector with our homeland security editor, mark white. mark, what do you have for . us? for. us? >> paul international airport in amsterdam with the airport authorities confirming that one person has died after being

sucked into a nearby aircraft engine that was idling on the tarmac. >> there at schiphol airport. we understand that this was a klm flight that had just landed at this busy international airport, that that at some point someone was clearly too close to that engine intake and was sucked in and died from their injuries. the incident witnessed by horrified passengers on the aircraft as well, of course, these engines , they are very these engines, they are very dangerous indeed. they are very powerful. and that's why there's always warning signs to stay well away from these engines. and of course, ground staff at any airport will know that in advance. so there will be an investigation underway to find out just how this individual came. so close to an engine that he was actually sucked in, to that aircraft engine. now, the

other piece of breaking news we have for you is confirmation of direct action that is going to take place over the summer months, the busy holiday period targeting the aviation sector. just stop oil, that activist group planning to target some of the busiest airports in the country in the last two weeks of july. so we knew they were planning a summer campaign. now we've had it confirmed that those direct action assaults on a number of airports will begin in the last, two weeks of july. and alarmingly , as part of the and alarmingly, as part of the direct action they're going to target airport terminal buildings, but they are also going to attempt to get airside. now, we know from this previous breaking story that we brought you just how dangerous the environment is airside with the movement of aircraft around these busy international airports. so that will ring

alarm bells, of course, for the airport managers and security staff who have to keep these airports safe, but confirms for you that just stop oil, the activist group , planned to activist group, planned to launch a series of direct action protests targeting heathrow, gatwick and other busy airports dunng gatwick and other busy airports during the last two weeks in july. >> surely mark white, that means the police have got to step up and start treating airports as places of extreme national security. we've seen before just stop oil protesters causing chaos at heathrow. faced with arrests, surely the police have got to clamp down on this. >> yes, absolutely. and the police will be following this very carefully, trying to monitor and gather evidence with the move , to at some point the move, to at some point hopefully moving in and disrupting this activity because martin, of course, there's a disruption to people's hard earned earned holiday breaks.

there's millions, many millions of pounds that it will cost airlines and airport businesses as well. and then aside from that, breaking in airside is going to be very dangerous indeed.the going to be very dangerous indeed. the potential for harm, not just to themselves, but of course to innocent members of the public and airport staff. >> thank you. mark white, two breaking stories there. tragic death in amsterdam and just stop oil. summer chaos for british travellers . mark white thank you travellers. mark white thank you for those stories. now, in a few moments time , i'll speak to a moments time, i'll speak to a counsellor in scampton about the future of the historic dambusters base. but first, it's time for your latest news headunes time for your latest news headlines and it's polly middlehurst . middlehurst. >> the headlines this hour. the prime minister has been hitting out at plans by junior doctors to stage another strike next month. speaking at an election

campaign event just moments ago, rishi sunak said the five day walkout was politically motivated and not in the interests of patients or staff . interests of patients or staff. >> today's action by the junior doctors on the same day as the labour party are having a health day, does slightly ponder the question as to whether this is politically motivated. it's hard to escape that conclusion, given the timing and to call a strike in an election campaign, especially as we found a constructive resolution with the remainder of the nhs workforce. >> and as you've been hearing, there are reports one person has died after being sucked into a plane engine at amsterdam's schiphol airport . reports in schiphol airport. reports in dutch media suggesting the incident happened earlier on today , though the exact today, though the exact circumstances are still, we understand , under investigation understand, under investigation and gb news can reveal that environmental activists planned to target the uk's busiest airports over the last two weeks of july. another story you've

been hearing in just the last few minutes as well, from mark white, just stop oil planned to target airports including heathrow and gatwick at the height of the summer getaway in order to cause maximum disruption. the group, also running a series of online courses aimed at encouraging and informing volunteers on how best to carry out its protests. those are the headlines. for the latest stories, do sign up to gb news alerts. scan that qr code on your screen right now, or go to gb news .com/ alerts . to gb news .com/ alerts. >> cheers! britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report, taking our daily look at today's numbers for you now and the pound buying you $1.2709 and ,1.1758. >> the price of gold is £1,839.45 an ounce, and the ftse 100 has closed for the day today

at 8183. >> cheers britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report . financial report. >> nike apollo now it's big news on the historic home of the dambusters and the raf airfield in scampton in lincolnshire is to become a national heritage site. 2000 migrants had been due to be housed there, but it's been reported that the home office has agreed to cut the number of asylum seekers to 800. well, joining me now to discuss this is the conservative councillor for scampton, roger patterson. roger, welcome to the show. we're just about to be joined by roger. this will be seen as something of a victory , seen as something of a victory, of course, a story we've been covering for many, many months here on gb news 2000, local asylum asylum seekers being sent to the area with no consultation, no nobody was asked in the area and indeed an encampment was outside the area

for many, many months. the locals simply said the area cannot cope. the public services wouldn't be able to cope. i'm now joined by the conservative councillor for scampton, roger patterson. roger, thank you for joining us. 2000 was the target 800? is the new number still not the entire victory the local community was hoping for ? community was hoping for? >> no, but i mean for us, for people like myself and others in the in the area that have been working on this for 15 years, planning for the day when the base closed, it is a victory and any victory of any sorts is good for the community. it's good for our futures and for lincolnshire. obviously it's not ideal lincolnshire. obviously it's not ideal, but , the home office will ideal, but, the home office will say anything. i mean, they've got 29 planning conditions to meet before they can even put anybody on there in the limited time they've got. >> i'm doubt they're never going to meet them . so i put money on to meet them. so i put money on it. i doubt they'll ever be any immigrants turn up there. but the home office says one thing

and then completely does another. but for the residents and for all of us whose main concern is our future, this is fantastic news. >> and so can you talk us through how that would work , it through how that would work, it sounds great that the that the site would be a national heritage site. roger. but how can you have a national heritage site? cheek by jowl with 800 asylum seekers next door ? asylum seekers next door? >> well, i can understand why i understand is the two of the hangars and the airfield and where you're looking at now on the screen, there , nearly 90% of the screen, there, nearly 90% of it will be handed over to the council for handing over to scampton holdings, who's the relevant partner there, and the home office will move further away from that area into the buildings that were housing airmen not so long ago, but be refurbished . but, they're refurbished. but, they're nowhere near finished , but nowhere near finished, but they'll be moving into a small

area of the site away from scampton holdings . the vast scampton holdings. the vast majority of the site, the airfield, the hangars, eventually everything else will come to scampton holding. so they'll be kept well away from they'll be kept well away from the development site itself , and the development site itself, and scampton holdings can get on and deliver now. >> the locals that we've been speaking to over the months, rogen speaking to over the months, roger, they don't want a single asylum seeker to be at this base. you just intimated to the fact that that probably will be the case. are you going to keep pushing to try and make sure that no asylum seekers turn up there, or do you think this feels like a compromise from the home office? a fait accompli 800 will have to be accepted , well, will have to be accepted, well, it is a compromise. obviously, the council's had to compromise with the home office and they've had to compromise as well. but we've got our victory in the fact that we've got what we wanted , which is the £300 wanted, which is the £300 million plus redevelopment . million plus redevelopment. >> but the fight goes on, we're not going to give up trying to

stop them coming. >> it isn't the right place for them. the base is, is nowhere near ready, they spent millions and millions of pounds. >> they've wasted millions on this , those, portacabins you've this, those, portacabins you've been seeing there . they're not been seeing there. they're not going to be used. >> they complete white elephants . they've spent god knows how much money on that. >> taxpayers money, my guess is , >> taxpayers money, my guess is, because there's an election. they've got this sorted now , they've got this sorted now, which is great news for us. and it's thanks to west lindsey council. district council, sally grindrod smith , our director of grindrod smith, our director of planning and regeneration, who's been absolutely fantastic throughout all of this and all of our team. i mean, they have been absolutely amazing. the support residents. >> okay, roger parson, we have to leave it there . conservative to leave it there. conservative councillor for scampton a victory of sorts . it's not 2000, victory of sorts. it's not 2000, but 800 asylum seekers to go to historic raf scampton now. moving on in a few moments time

i'll hear from a member of the labour shadow cabinet on the controversy surrounding diane abbott. i'm martin daubney on gb news, britain's news

welcome back. time! it's 541. i'm martin daubney and this is gb news. now to a huge controversy hanging over the labour party. and sir keir starmer has dramatically denied that diane abbott has been barred from standing as a labour candidate. a matter of hours after she claimed that she was being barred. while the row is overshadowed completely . overshadowed completely. labour's plans to reform the nhs, which they had hoped would dominate today's news agenda. to discuss this , i'm now joined by discuss this, i'm now joined by andrew gwynne, who's the shadow for minister social care. andrew, welcome to the show. so today was a day when sir keir starmer was meant to lay out the plan for nhs waiting lists to cut them right back, and once again, the labour party has been

bitten on the backside by the hard left. >> well, no, we have set out our policy in respect of the nhs and it's about getting those waiting times and waiting lists down. >> look, we've done it before . >> look, we've done it before. when we inherited the nhs in 1997, it was on its knees , not 1997, it was on its knees, not quite in the worst situation that we will likely inherit, on july the 5th. but it was, it was up there with where we are now. it had record for high then waiting times, record high waiting times, record high waiting lists , and when we left waiting lists, and when we left office we had the lowest waiting times, lowest waiting lists and lowest and highest patient satisfaction, in the nhs history. so we've done it before. we know the scale of the challenge , we know what needs to challenge, we know what needs to be done, and that's why we're talking about investing £1.3 billion to get those waiting times down, to get those waiting

lists down, to get extra appointments. 2 million extra appointments, over the course of the next parliament, utilising spare capacity in the independent sector, as we did . independent sector, as we did. between 1997 and 2010. okay. andrew. andrew, many people as possible. >> andrew, you completely dodge my question . so i'm going to my question. so i'm going to have to put it to you again. diane abbott has called sir keir starmer a massive headache today. the left of the party keep doing this. jeremy corbyn did it. he was booted out first, diane abbott said she was booted out. then six union general secretaries write to sir keir starmer. and hey presto, she's back in. who's in control? >> know the simple fact is that, diane abbott has had the labour whip restored. that means she is a labour member of parliament until parliament is dissolved at the end of this week , all labour the end of this week, all labour mps have to go through a

process, of reselection because because we're so close to the general election and the dissolution of parliament, that will be a curtailed process. but diane abbott will have to go through the same process that every other labour mp seeking re—election has to go through. keir starmer said no decision has been made on on diane abbott. so we just have to be a little bit patient and let things take their natural coui'se. >> course. >> okay, andrew, let's talk now about further union involvement. the prime minister rishi sunak moments ago on gb news, claimed that the timing of the junior doctors strikes in his mind were incredibly politically motivated. he's accused accusing the junior doctors, unions and the junior doctors, unions and the paymasters of specifically and deliberately putting these strikes into the middle of a general election campaign to prevent him from hitting his nhs waiting list targets. what do you say to that?

>> well, look, it makes an easy headline, doesn't it? but the, junior doctors , and their, junior doctors, and their, organisations are not affiliated unions to the labour party. so to suggest that anything like paymasters is just utter, utter nonsense. but look, the reason we have these strikes, regrettably taking place is because we've had a government so tin eared on these issues, refusing really to negotiate , to refusing really to negotiate, to sit down, to try and draw a line under these, issues, to try and resolve them to try and work through. that's what negotiations are about, and that's what should have happened. instead, they've dialled up the rhetoric and really wound things up. now what we need to do is we need to get everybody around the table , and everybody around the table, and we've been saying this for months. we need to listen to the concerns . we need to understand concerns. we need to understand how we can move to addressing some of those concerns, particularly about, the terms

and conditions that, junior doctors have to work under, there isn't. and andrew, let me, let me money to solve these issues. but just listening and working. >> okay. andrew, can i specifically holding it andrew, can i specifically put the question to you then because the tories have offered 10% pay rise, junior doctors wanted 35% pay rise, junior doctors wanted 35% pay rise. the country can't afford a 35% pay rise. just say that you were in power. you might be in power in a in a few weeks time. they're going to come knocking on your door asking for a pay rise. how much is the labour party going to pay them? >> well, look, i'm not in the business of doing shadow negotiating on gb news. the fact is we will sit down with the junior doctors. we will listen to their concerns, and we will try and work through their concerns. there's not going to be a bottomless pot of money, and people have to understand that the economy we inherit, the government finances we inherit, the department for, health and social care that we inherit will not have lots and lots of money

at its disposal. so we have to sit down, listen to those concerns, and work through those concerns, and work through those concerns constructively. i don't want to see strikes in the nhs , want to see strikes in the nhs, and quite frankly, it's a disgrace that rishi sunak has allowed these strikes to continue through his intransigence and the intransigence and the intransigence of his health secretaries. okay, we'll have to leave it there. >> andrew gwynne, the shadow minister for social care, thank you very much for joining us. thank you. on gb news now is rishi sunak about to pull off the biggest comeback since lazarus? well i'll speak to a pollster whose company says that labour are now only 12 points ahead of the tories. i'm martin daubney on gb news, britain's news channel

welcome back 551. now, rishi sunak has received a major election boost after an opinion poll slashed labour's

polling lead to just 12 points. well, the poll was conducted by jl partners. he's labour's smallest lead since early february. let's hear now from the director of jl partners, scarlett mccgwire scarlette, welcome to the show . they welcome to the show. they thought it was all over. apparently it's not. now could this be a miracle lifeline? >> well, our poll does show signs of tightening, both in terms of the headline poll in that we started this in april and the labour party had an 18 point lead that has now gone down to a 12 point lead on the last month. >> it is within the margin of error, but since april it is significant. >> that is being driven, it seems, by some underlying factors. so for example, the conservatives performing much better with the over 65 than they had previously done. obviously over 65 is a much more likely to vote. and also there are signs not just with our poll but with other pollsters too, that conservative 2019 voters views towards rishi sunak are warming up a little from a low base.i warming up a little from a low base. i think all that being said, yes , there are signs that said, yes, there are signs that the polls might be tightening, that our poll might be tightening. however for a 12 point lead for labour would still be very bad for the

conservative party. and overall, there were quite a lot of bad news for the conservatives in this poll in terms of whether people were happy to be happy to see rishi sunak back as prime minister, they wouldn't. and in terms of their views of rishi sunak and keir starmer, there wasn't that much good news for rishi. sorry, but yes, it does show that potentially maybe if things go further things could improve a bit. >> so scarlets, things like national service, the pension boost seems to be ticking boxes with the older voters . what with the older voters. what about reform. they launched their their plan yesterday . their their plan yesterday. nigel farage was down in dover. are they showing any uptick that a reform is an interesting question. >> they are actually slowing slight downward ticks not just in our poll but across the board. reforms seem to be slipping back a little bit on their previous performance. they might have peaked already. i have to say it might be quite a different picture . had nigel different picture. had nigel farage decided to stand as an mp, decided to front the campaign more directly, i think then they could have seen a bounce , but at the moment bounce, but at the moment they've actually seen a dip in their support and we might see that fall away. i think what's going on is that increasingly these voters, we know reform

voters are overwhelmingly former conservative voters are thinking about the choice between rishi sunak and keir starmer and actually concentrating their minds and thinking, i would rather vote for rishi sunak to keep labour out of government, or at least that's what we're hearing. >> so, so briefly, sean, if this election is anything like 2019, we may see those wavering conservatives going back to the blue camp and not taking the gamble on risking keir starmer getting in. >> there is a pattern in general elections of smaller parties having their votes squeezed, and thatis having their votes squeezed, and that is certainly going to be the conservative strategy for the conservative strategy for the rest of the campaign. let's see if they do it. >> superb stuff. an excellent campaign. and that could be the ray of sunshine that maybe rishi sunak needs out on the campaign trail today. scarlett mccgwire director j trail today. scarlett mccgwire directorj l panos, thank you very much for joining directorj l panos, thank you very much forjoining me in the studio. a fantastic end to the show. well, thanks for joining me on the show today. it's been action packed out and about . action packed out and about. we'll be doing the same tomorrow andindeed we'll be doing the same tomorrow and indeed all the way through now for the next 36 days, on your excited 36 days to go till the general election. that's all from me for now. dewbs& co is up next, of course, six till 7 pm.

but don't forget, please to join us from 6 am. tomorrow. it's breakfast, of course, with stephen and ann, followed then by britain's newsroom at 930. and then it's tom and emily with good afternoon britain from midday. then it's my ugly mish back at 3 pm. till six. i'm martin daubney and this is gb news. dewbs& co next. now it's your weather with annie shuttleworth. >> a brighter outlook with boxt solar . sponsors of weather on . solar. sponsors of weather on. gb news. >> good afternoon. welcome to your latest gb news weather update. sunshine and showers will continue this afternoon. they could turn quite heavy, particularly in the east with a risk of thunderstorms. in the west, though it is turning a little bit drier. that's as high pressure is slowly starting to build in from the west, but in the east that's where low pressure is in charge . and when pressure is in charge. and when we're close to that area of low

pressure up to the eastern areas of scotland, that's where the showers will be quite slow moving into this evening . so moving into this evening. so further impacts from the rain are possible overnight. and that rain is going to push southwards through the night, bringing a risk of some heavy showers into parts of wales and northern england by tomorrow morning. further south, though, it should stay fairly dry overnight and it will be another mild start to the day and fairly dry across the day and fairly dry across the south first thing. so some early sunshine is possible here. we've got a northerly wind developing on thursday, and so it will be a bit of a cooler day for most of us, and where we're more sheltered from that northerly wind across the central belt, southern areas of scotland, there's a chance of some brightness. first thing, especially across southeastern areas of northern ireland as well. but many areas will see a bit of a cloudy start to the day, with some outbreaks of heavy rain, possibly into parts of wales central areas of england across the south coast. as well, there could be some heavy showers breaking out first thing, so a mix of sunshine and showers once again on thursday, but the showers will become much more focused across eastern areas where we're still close to

this area of low pressure, bringing that more unsettled and cooler weather. but into the west we start to see that dry and finer weather developing, and finer weather developing, and so it should be a fairly bright and dry afternoon for many western areas of the uk. tomorrow temperatures a little lower than today. tomorrow, just into the mid to possibly high teens. but in the sunshine it will still feel pleasant enough. now through thursday evening. rain will likely continue across eastern areas into the west, though that dry and fine weather is developing and that is the theme as we head towards the end of the week and the weekend with more in the way of sunshine developing and temperatures rising towards the low 20s, that warm feeling inside from boxt boilers sponsors of weather on

things to do today. then follow all the twists and turns of the campaigning. worry not, we will bnng campaigning. worry not, we will bring you up to speed on it all. and i've got to say, one of the strangest goings on is all the confused mixed messages re whether diane abbott can stand as a labour candidate or not. do you think she should be able to also another one out of the hats literally pulling them like rabbits? new tory pledges, i mean. but this time it's about the so called mickey mouse degrees. apparently the tories are going to scrap them and invest instead in a hundred thousand new apprenticeships. would that get your vote? >> you're joking. not another one. >> yes, brenda. love another one. a junior doctors strike i'm talking about. this will be the 11th one in just over a year. for five days. this time right up until the 2nd of july. it's definitely not political though. honest. do you support this move or not? also, a protest last night have seen multiple police

officers heard the issue that