Described by critics as on the Labour right, Akehurst’s defence of Israel’s actions in Gaza has upset many in party and without

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During the Jeremy Corbyn era, some of the leftwing leader’s fiercest critics gave up and left the Labour party: not so Luke Akehurst.

Behind the scenes, Akehurst was doing what he has been doing since he was a 16-year-old political activist – organising to get his wing of Labour back on the front foot and later to help cement Keir Starmer’s control over the party.

Radio presenter says he will not ‘suffer death by 1,000 cuts’ over clip in which he said he did not like living in Kent town

The radio presenter Iain Dale has withdrawn his bid to be the Conservative candidate for Tunbridge Wells after he was found to have said he did not like the town.

Dale, a longstanding Tory supporter, had resigned from his job on LBC to stand as a candidate in the Kent seat but said he was “not willing to suffer death by 1,000 cuts” over his comments.

Brexit campaigner suggested he and prime minister should ‘have a conversation’ after favours he had done Tories over the years

Rishi Sunak has ruled out a deal with Nigel Farage after the Reform politician suggested they should “have a conversation” before the election.

Farage has held back from running as a candidate for the Reform party, which is led and funded by Richard Tice, but on Wednesday he extended an olive branch to Sunak in an interview with the Sun, telling him: “Give me something back. We might have a conversation.”

Exclusive: Robert Hayward, who identified ‘shy Tories’ in 1992, suggests the party is winning support from undecided voters

Some of the polls before the general election may be overstating Labour’s huge lead over the Conservatives, a Tory election expert has said.

According to Robert Hayward, a peer and former MP who first identified the phenomenon of “shy Tories” before the 1992 election, his analysis of local election results suggests that the Conservatives are getting more support from voters who say they are undecided than is showing up in the polls.

MP for Telford, who is standing down at general election, tweeted support for Alan Adams in further blow to Rishi Sunak

The Conservative MP Lucy Allan has been suspended from the party after saying she will back Reform UK at the general election, in a further blow to Rishi Sunak and his faltering campaign.

The MP for Telford, who announced last year that she was standing down, was suspended from the Conservatives after posting a tweet saying she would support her local Reform candidate in the coming contest.

After some tetchy interviews the PM flew to all four nations, while Starmer and Davey focused on voters’ desire for change

Far from the bedraggled figure who announced an election outside No 10, Rishi Sunak positively bounced into a biscuit factory for his first stump speech of the election campaign.

He had given a tetchy performance on the broadcast round on Thursday morning, bristling at those challenging his economic record and failure to carry out his Rwanda plan.

First campaign day marked by concerns about ‘plants’ in audience and PM putting Euros foot in mouth in Wales

Rishi Sunak has taken questions from two men dressed in hi-vis clothing at a warehouse in Derbyshire who turned out to be Conservative councillors.

The prime minister was visiting a biscuit distribution centre in the marginal constituency of Erewash, where he gave a stump speech to people who appeared to be employees of the business.

The next six weeks or so will see the leaders of the political parties make their case to be the next prime minister

• Sunak takes gamble by calling election for 4 July

Three unions say not enough done since about 60 women wrote to ministry last year to allege sexual assault, harassment and abuse

Three civil service trade unions have written to the Ministry of Defence to call for an independent inquiry into sexual harassment of women in the defence sector, saying it needs to make its workplace safe for female staff.

The unions, led by Prospect, and joined by academics and women’s rights campaigners, said not enough had been done to address the problem since about 60 senior women at the MoD wrote to the department last year to allege sexual assault, harassment and abuse by male colleagues.