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the mood in cchq this afternoon has just been absolutely toxic.nd as if it couldn't get any worse. yeah. >> what are you hearing from cchq because presumably they've all got tin hats on at the moment. >> i mean, most people do acknowledge and realise just how bad things are , but i think the bad things are, but i think the place was utterly silent after about 2 or 3:00 today, half people sort of left , and i about 2 or 3:00 today, half people sort of left, and i think most people just feel as though there's a sort of stench of death that's gripped the campaign. now, obviously , this campaign. now, obviously, this is an incident which nobody's suggesting rishi sunak , you suggesting rishi sunak, you know, had any knowledge of. so it doesn't necessarily cast any aspersions on him. but again, it sort of drags this whiff of sleaze and scandal back over the conservative party which they've worked so hard to shake off again. no, there's no sort of alleged criminality here. i think the problem is really just the optics and people thinking that people wer

will this cchq investigation be wrapped up any quicker than the official investigation?and will rishi sunak have an answer on this by the election, which, as we know, is in just ten days time? rishi sunak has said that he doesn't know of any other mps who are, tangled up in broiled in all of this. but perhaps you wouldn't really expect him to. he didn't know, of course, that his own pps was involved in this. he has made clear as well to journalists that he himself didn't put a bet on the date of the election. so i guess he can be counting some small blessings today at the end of another very, very difficult day on the campaign trail. >> indeed. thank you very much for all of that, olivia . i've for all of that, olivia. i've got to say, i mean, we touched on this betting scandal, when it started happening. it is such an appalling low rent way to kind of be remembered . what do you of be remembered. what do you feel about this? >> i'm all for betting. i used to work in a bookies and a casino, and i will reveal right now on gb news. i had a bet on the general election a yea

, oh, cchq during this campaign thinking , oh, wonderful, cchq during this campaign thinking, oh, wonderfult will help us. our narrative to stop labour majority take a step back. >> emma . >> emma. >> emma. >> right, even as a labour supporter , it's not healthy for supporter, it's not healthy for democracy, is it, to have one party with such a huge majority ? party with such a huge majority? you need a strong, proper opposition, don't you? you need oppositional voices. >> that's not no, no, no , not >> that's not no, no, no, not what was. >> that's not what was being said by labour. when you've been in opposition, you've said we need a strong opposition. >> we need a strong opposition in in parliament. but i really do want to take to task this concept of a super majority because it's actually an american concept and it has a very specific context , because very specific context, because in the american senate, in order to pass most legislation, you have to have 60 senators. and that's what's meant by the term supermajority in the uk parliament. one vote, 600 votes. it doesn't make any diff

and the gambling thing, of course, with senior people at cchq is really depressing.ecause i mentioned the conservative parliamentary candidate, but she's got a chance of being mp. but the people who are working for her, the volunteers, they're out till midnight, you know, they were out till midnight laughing envelopes, aslef envelopes, leafleting in very, very hot weather day in, day out. and when all this sort of thing goes on, it's heartbreaking because they don't get paid. you know, there's thousands and thousands of volunteers trying to elect conservative mps in the country, and they feel let down. and that is really sad. >> what would you say to previous conservative voters watching and listening to this programme , who feel that the programme, who feel that the tory party isn't conservative anymore , and that's why they're anymore, and that's why they're looking at reform? >> i'd say to them , don't let >> i'd say to them, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, because the reality is that it will let in labour. if you vote for reform, it will let in la

to suggest that the conservative position is deteriorating, and i think the various messages that cchqtried have fallen so flat, that the general dynamics of the election sort of pointing the way that the conservative party is position is only going to get worse, and in that sense, i know perhaps we've heard a bit too much about conservative figures betting in the last few days, but i would be willing to put a fiver on the conservatives coming third at this point as ghastly an outcome as that would be. >> stephen pound it keeps it keeps striking me that the kind of one event during this election campaign has been the rise of reform at the expense mainly of the conservatives. i mean, the conservatives began probably about 12 points clear of reform, and they're variously, you know, within a couple of points or in this latest poll, they are now behind reform. of course , one of the reform. of course, one of the paradoxes of this is the reason the liberal democrats appear to be doing so well is precisely because reform is doing so well. >> i know, and they would absolutely loathe it. they'

has gambling row, rishi sunak has tried, belatedly, i feel, to get on the front foot by organising a cchqvestigation to run parallel to the official investigation into these candidates , who have alleged to candidates, who have alleged to have gambled on the date of the election campaign, suspend the candidates because, as he says, actually no one's been accused of anything in a court of law. >> they're innocent until proven guilty. these are just allegations at this stage. just allegations at this stage. just allegations at this stage. >> keir starmer, interestingly, we asked him about this earlier because we were sort of talking to colleagues and saying, hang on a minute. angela rayner wasn't suspended when she was under investigation . but you, under investigation. but you, keir starmer, are saying that these tory candidates should be suspended while under investigation. starmer says that these candidates have basically admitted what they've done. and so an investigation is a bit different . i'm not sure different. i'm not sure i particularly agree with that. but anyway, rishi sunak is

i'm hearing rumours that cchq conservative headquarters is half empty.ative party is run out of conservative party is run out of money. yes. there's a kind of a sense of the morale is collapsing around the conservative party look, if the conservatives don't get this thing back on track, we're looking at a defeat worse than 1997. we're looking at the biggest defeat for the conservative party in the history of general elections. and on if that were to happen. you know , all bets are off. you know, all bets are off. i mean, reform could easily end up maybe replacing the conservatives next week. and if they do , how's that going to they do, how's that going to change the dynamics of the, a general election? and after the general election? and after the general election, you know , general election, you know, whoever ends up inheriting this mess from rishi sunak, how are they going to fend off rishi sunak and reform and reconnect with those 2019 boris johnson voters ? i mean, it's a nightmare voters? i mean, it's a nightmare for the conservatives. >> you know

the new idea from tory cchq is to target individuals in swing states.turn the ship around, because currently we're looking at an enormous landslide for the labour party. so i think it could work here. maybe they're hoping it will work anyway. >> staff a promise even i i'm going to stay tuned for that one. christopher hope, thank you very much for that, where are you at with all of this political debate in the run up to the election? are you still switched on? are you still undecided? do these kind of conversations and debates help shape your thinking, or have you already made up your mind? get in touch and tell me after the break. junior doctors again .do . do you still support this or not? hello, everybody. i'm michelle dewberry with you until 7:00 tonight. alongside me, my panel remains . tonight. alongside me, my panel remains. i've got the former tory minister, robert halfon, and the former labour minister, bill rammell. let's talk. junior doctors, because, you know, in england they are going to strike again. i mean, this started again. i mean, this

we don't have, some of it's private information held by cchq.e several dozen seats that maybe several dozen seats that may go either way with a thousand votes here, a thousand there. yeah. in previous elections, there have been the case of, i think it was 80,000 votes decided the election in 2017 or 2019. but you have so he obviously they've got data to say that if you can swing the swing the vote for the tory party in these seats , then you party in these seats, then you can you can make the difference. he's not saying beat labour. he may be he might be saying don't give them the blank check he's talking about which is which is this this three figure landslide. but fascinating. he's saying that and clearly the focus now in cchq in the final week is to try and target those 150,000 votes, which might mitigate what could be a annihilation of the tory party next week. >> and chris, presumably, there are two major barriers he faces . are two major barriers he faces. first of all, apathy. conservative voters who don't want to get off their backsides

cchq has the issue sensitively? cchq has tweeted this morning, we know what a woman is.t ? culture wars, isn't it? >> no, it builds on our track record of treating these issues sensitively and with compassion, as of course, we should. but ensuring that our laws are right, our guidance is right to protect the safety and security of women and girls and the wellbeing of our children. and i think that's paramount in all of our minds. that's why i prioritise publishing guidance for schools. i heard a lot from teachers about wanting guidance from the government about how to deal with these issues. we provided clarity in that space, ensuring, crucially, that parents are put at the heart of those conversations can't be excluded from those. and now saying that we will change the equalities act so that providers of single—sex spaces, whether that's refugee, is for women who have suffered from domestic abuses or single sex sports, can ensure the safety and security of women and girls. >> nigel farage says he has a big announcement this afternoon. how much do you fear that he's goin

weekends and evenings to try and return conservative mps found out some of the people at the very top of cchqdry bits, absolutely livid, conservative activists are furious. claire ainsley, did care summer to the right thing in booting kevin craig out today? he the right thing in booting kevin craig out today?— the right thing in booting kevin craig out today? he took really ruick and craig out today? he took really quick and decisive _ craig out today? he took really quick and decisive action - craig out today? he took really quick and decisive action in - quick and decisive action in contrast— quick and decisive action in contrast to _ quick and decisive action in contrast to the _ quick and decisive action in contrast to the way - quick and decisive action in contrast to the way rishi . quick and decisive action in- contrast to the way rishi sunak took some _ contrast to the way rishi sunak took sometime _ contrast to the way rishi sunak took some time to — contrast to the way rishi sunak took some time to come _ contrast to the way rishi sunak took some time to come to— contrast to the way

a bunch of people around cchq, the conservative campaign headquarters and number 10, who clearly knewtion to place a bet for profit . now, what's a bet for profit. now, what's important is to distinguish that from entirely different, entirely legitimate, entirely reasonable stuff where people have just put a flutter, you know, if they're in an unwinnable seat and they put a flutter on themselves or, or in alister jack's case where, you know, he, he i think he placed three bets or something, two of which he's lost on one of which he's won. >> but what about those people saying this morning? you know, thatis saying this morning? you know, that is actually unacceptable here he is doing a very serious job when the country is facing a very serious challenges, mucking around, having a flutter on the future of the country. a lot of people don't find that funny or acceptable. >> i don't think it's supposed to be funny, but i don't think it's i seem to think it was a joke, but i think about how much money he'd made. >> £2,100? well if only i had the money to be able to put a steak on sufficien

and we've now had, you know, protection officer, we've now had the, number 10 director of sorry, the cchqnow placed a bet, allegedly. and of course, the parliamentary private secretary as well. and so a number of key aides have placed bets on this. and, of course, you know, mps now are furious with this. and one of them is texting me yesterday and said, hang on a sec. they were gambling with our future and they've all placed bets on results. so there seem to be taking these very serious issues about their own colleagues future with a degree of frivolity, which many found very irritating and concerning to say the least. >> and there is an article in guido fawkes, the political website, saying gambling commission officials suspected of leaking against the tories has previously praised starmer and work for labour. is there any chance this is just a political stitch up ? political stitch up? >> i think that i think that there's an issue about the law and actually, have they committed anything wrong? i think the police thing is a different issue because it's about issues of public officials an

and if i was in cchq tonight, i'd be clipping up the exact two minutes that you started the show withand playing it repeatedly on every channeli playing it repeatedly on every channel i could, because exactly. >> there are big questions about keir starmer, about what he stood for as a politician. and i think right now you need an energetic campaign, because this isn't so much about is keir starmer going to be prime minister? he is going to be prime minister. it is rather a battle for the future of the conservative party, and whether the tory party is going to be a viable electoral force after july the 4th. >> susanna, you don't think he wants to win? d no, i don't i've said this before, patrick, and i'll say it again, i think rishi sumac has given up. >> i think he's realised the job is not as quite as glamorous and exciting as he thought it was going to be. i think he realises he could make a lot of money now he's become prime minister on the speaking circuit as an adviser to business all kinds of charitable organisations, so on and so forth. i think he's desperately had enough. and

. >> joana jarjue your union jack house, mine is cchq, specifically the people who run the conservativesas been got verified. tick, as if it's an an impartial verification account. so it's basically their own little spin account that they've got their own logo pretending as if they're actually giving people facts after the debates when really all they're doing is just promoting themselves and passing it off as something else. >> they did it last election as well. yeah, they did it in 2019. >> armstrong union, jackass mines honorary because it's an old brit, but it's jill biden. >> she's constantly rolling her husband out who is clearly quite ill and should be telling him to step down and do the right thing for america, but also do the right thing for himself because he's obviously in ailing health. turn against her husband. >> that's not a no. >>— >> that's not a no. >> but do the right thing for your husband, for goodness sake. >> come on. no, no. >>— >> come on. no, no. >> love him. no >> love him. no >> but she love would be the greatest act to say to him, stand down. you're ill, joe.

there does that work mean , i sort of respect work mean, i sort of respect cchq for trying to have somese the mood inside the building has been pretty, pretty dour of a sort of funereal otherwise . i did wonder when i otherwise. i did wonder when i was watching it whether perhaps these two cabinet ministers were auditioning for a future potential podcast they might launch if, they don't manage to hold on to their seats at the general election. >> that's a really interesting way of looking at it. and, aubrey, whilst we've got you, what are your thoughts on the debate that we saw last night? who came out as the clear winner for you? >> well, i mean, the clear loser was probably rishi sunak , the was probably rishi sunak, the man who wasn't really in the room because he was criticised on all sides at the top of the debate by people including one of his own cabinet ministers, penny mordaunt, and the winner, probably in a format like that. it's sort of nigel farage is for the taking because he is somebody who is there to sort of, say, a plague on all of your houses. of, say, a plague on all

. >> and patrick, there was some tweets going around today from tory insiders suggesting that cchq whout up candidates, spads, a useless spad. in one case, i quote in rather safe seats , and the criticism was seats, and the criticism was that they've not learned their lesson from the past couple of years. they just don't get it. they're trying to pack those safe seats with one nation tories, when arguably some would suggest they need proper right wingers, absolutely . wingers, absolutely. >> and that's one of the most disillusioning things i think, you know, use the phrase one nation, which is their preferred moniker . but nation, which is their preferred moniker. but many of us think of them as no nation tories because we will have no nation left if they're the ones steering the main right of centre party. i think the conservatives are in shock after nigel farage, announced yesterday that the volt farce and that he was standing in a seat and he was leading , i standing in a seat and he was leading, i think standing in a seat and he was leading , i think the one thing leading, i think

behind his defection from the conservatives to ukip in 2014 was he was shown a list internally at cchqwell, where nigel farage stood in 2015. he lost, of course, to craig mckinley , who's now standing mckinley, who's now standing down. but of course labour is strong in that area as well, so that might be why he might not go for south thanet . the other go for south thanet. the other option, hartlepool. well that's interesting. now that's where richard tice stood in 2019. it's currently a tory seat but labour richard tice move away from it. >> well boston he's gone to boston and skegness, another demographically very favourable seats towards reform uk. >> one of the highest brexit votes in the country there. but hartlepool is an interesting one because if you want to come through as a third party, you need two other parties to have a reasonably strong base. it can't be a sort of one versus one. it's got to be a more marginal for the other two. so his big hope would be coming through the middle . those are the sorts of middle. those are the sorts of seats that we need to look at. >> is t

it seems now that cchq, the conservative campaign headquarters, agrees. >> let's be clear. montgomeryshire, admitted placing a bet yes, of £100 at 5 to 1 on the date of the general election. he was the prime minister's parliamentary private secretary, which means effectively , he's his bag carry effectively, he's his bag carry with him at virtually every meeting would be privy to all the big decisions, whether it's a foreign decision. so he knew he had privileged inside information, insider trading bang to rights. he should have been suspended on the spot. >> it does seem that this decision was inevitable and the pressure was growing more and more candidates were simply baffled, baffled that it's took this long, that there wasn't hard and fast action against it. and in some ways it sort of has this similar ring to what happened with partygate. after all, this is not rishi sunak placing bets. this isn't people in the cabinet, it's that sort of rung below. it's the people that are tangentially involved. craig williams of course, this sort of bridge between parliament and the

or has he been deployed by cchq there are rumours that boris will get involved in this general election gone straight for the throat of nigel farage. but in typical nigel farage manner, he hasn't pulled his punches. he's he's roared straight back. >> yeah, well i think rishi sunakis >> yeah, well i think rishi sunak is labouring under the pressure of having absented , pressure of having absented, absented himself early from d—day. >> and then this betting scandal which is still unfolding. and i think he thought he could put in the big dog or whatever the expression is about boris johnson put in the big dog to take down nigel. but boris is record on just about everything is not clean and boris is as as we say, you know, as we all know, pivots from one position to another . and they should have to another. and they should have done their due diligence on what he said before. and nigel's absolutely right to call boris out on this . and i have to ask, out on this. and i have to ask, you know, what is boris's ideology , obsession with ideology, obsession with ukraine? he has changed his posi

against against the advice of other senior members of the party machine, but also that people within cchqave not really taken this seriously . and really taken this seriously. and it sort of reinforces the view, i think that a lot of people have , which is that far too many have, which is that far too many people in the conservative have treated politics like a parlour game, actually, that they don't think , first and foremost, not think, first and foremost, not even about what's in the best interests of the country . but, interests of the country. but, you know, you're thinking about what exactly is it that one does when one puts £100 bet on something, it's about your personal dopamine hit. it's about getting one over on the bookie. it's about scoring the most minuscule of wins, which in the privacy of, you know, you and a betting app, fine doesn't really matter. but of course, when everybody else sees that and they think, this was supposed to be top secret, it was supposed to be highly organised and it is about the future direction of the entire nation. and what was the first response o

and i think we'll be great concern at cchq at the poll last night.n this week to squeeze that reform vote just haven't had that effect at all. so very worrying times for the party indeed. >> so on the screen we've got the gb news people's poll. this was done with the daily mail as well, a number of seats predicted to be won by each party at the general election. now, the labour party predicted to win 493 unless by some miracle , that is. well, i mean, miracle, that is. well, i mean, who knows? there seems to be lots of divisions in the labour party. they've been arguing over diane abbott most of the week . diane abbott most of the week. >> absolutely. labour have had a stinking week. >> we've had to. diane abbott fair. we had this energy announcement yesterday which fell flat on its face. but labour's issue is they don't actually have to do anything at the moment. if labour sits on their hands for the next five weeks, i think they would be the decisive winner. it's not going to be a vote in favour of keir starmer. i think people seem as dull as dishw

but mr sunak did tell us that he felt it was organised by cchq this is what. >> well, it's great thatdidates in videos and letters which have been coordinated by the campaign . i know that will make a difference. and of course, every week he's making the case in his column and making sure that everyone understands that what a labour government would do to this country and why it's important that everyone votes conservative. and i'm glad he's doing that . doing that. >> that's the prime minister earlier on the coast of north devon , making it very clear that devon, making it very clear that he thinks that boris johnson is doing him some help and some support. we've just been meeting with rishi sunak with farmers further inland in north devon. he's made very clear he's he tried to tempt some sheep to be fed by him, but they kept running away . some would say running away. some would say there was a metaphor there with there was a metaphor there with the way the electorate are treating him and his party in this campaign. but we'll treating him and his party in this campaign . but we'll l

there in cchq conservative campaign headquarters.another hit on that morale? >> definitely . and it's some of >> definitely. and it's some of the people involved in it are the people involved in it are the precise people that he frankly needs on board, of course, you know, as you say, there will be people saying, why would he go to a ball? but those are labour supporters. those are not the people who's going to try and, attract . so overall, try and, attract. so overall, it's just another example of rishi sunak , frankly, just not rishi sunak, frankly, just not being that political. and also it also adds to the charge that's being made about him that he is getting. he's sort of getting through until the election , but doesn't seem to election, but doesn't seem to care about what happens to the party afterwards , and this seems party afterwards, and this seems yet another example of that. >> well, thank you very much indeed. we'll have to speak again . we've got to go now. but again. we've got to go now. but anna mikhailova, deputy po

everything we're hearing out of the cchq headquarters is that already everyone is pretty despairing , fact that election. but the fact that reform has now leapfrogged the conservatives particularly given that the conservatives, you know, haven't had a particularly terrible few days. i mean, since d—day, there was hope that they might be recovering a little bit with their with their kitchen sink, as people are calling it. manifestos were throwing everything at the manifesto. they're hovering around 18 points. reform of now leapfrog them to 19. it is very unlikely that that reform polling will actually convert into seats in the house of commons. the reform party is still a very new party, and obviously this election was called sort of six months earlier than they were expecting. and so they don't really have the kind of campaigning infrastructure in place to be able to focus on specific seats. so it's quite likely that what will happen is reform might pick up 1 or 2 seats. it looks likely that farage will win clacton, and it could be that tice manages to win , skegness as well. but it w