'It's not over until it's over': England gives Rishi Sunak hope of glorious comeback (2024)

In the last hour, we've had the breaking news from the French parliamentary elections that Marine Le Pen's far right National Rally party appears to have come out on top in the first round of voting, according to exit polls.

We ask minister Bim Afolami if he is worried about that at all, and he replies: "I must confess that I haven't really been following the French election as closely as I might have done because I've been focusing on my own in this country."

Asked if a Conservative government would work with Ms Le Pen and her party, he replies that "Britain has to work with whoever is chosen as the leader of other countries".

He says "of course" they would work with whoever is elected in France.

Sky's Ali Fortescue puts it to him that Rishi Sunak has previously said Nigel Farage would work with Ms Le Pen, implying it would be a bad thing to do.

Mr Afolami replies: "We're not advocating for Marine Le Pen to win.

"What I'm saying to you is you cannot choose... who leads other countries."

The first UK political guest on tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Ali Fortesueis Treasury minister Bim Afolami, and we start by asking for his reaction to the Reform candidate in Erewash disowning his party to back the Tories.

Mr Afolami says: "Well, I'm glad he's seen the light."

He also says that he's glad that the candidate,Liam Booth-Isherwood, has made the point that only the Conservative candidate can stop Labour winning, which has been the Tory party's argument for weeks.

Asked if he would be glad if Nigel Farage decided to back the Tories, Mr Afolami says the Reform leader has "no intention" of switching sides.

He goes on: "I do find it quite curious, you know, this idea that Farage is somehow a Conservative. He spent 25 years trying to destroy the Conservative Party."

He adds that Reform is "designed to increase the power of a Labour".

Challenged on the fact that senior Conservatives like Suella Braverman and Sir Philip Davies have said they would welcome Mr Farage into the party, the minister says they are "in a small minority".

Here is the full list of candidates standing in Erewash:

• James Martin Archer, Liberal Democrats
  
• Liam Dane Booth-Isherwood (was Reform UK, but has quit party to back Tories)
  
• John William Kirby, Independent
  
• Brent Poland, Green Party
  
• Adam Thompson, Labour Party
  
• Maggie Throup, Conservative Party

Rishi Sunak is far behind in the national polls - just as England were trailing Slovakia in the Euros last-16 match that is still under way.

But just minutes before the full-time whistle, Jude Bellingham executed a stunning overhead kick to take the game to extra time - and the PM is probably hoping some similar magic can be worked in the closing days of this general election campaign.

He has tweeted that "it's not overuntil it's over" - which England has proved so far this evening...

Polls have now close in the French snap parliamentary elections - and turnout has surged to the highest in decades.

France's far right National Rally party was seen leading the first round of parliamentary elections with around 34% of votes, according to exit polls.

Pollsters IFOP, Ipsos, OpinionWay and Elabe found the left wing New Popular Front coalition was seen coming in second with around 29%.

President Emmanuel Macron's centrist bloc was in the third spot with between 20.5-23%.

We have live coverage on Politics Hub With Ali Fortescueon Sky News right now - and follow our dedicated coverage here:

Our daily politics showPolitics Hubis live now on Sky News with ourpolitical correspondentAli Fortescuehosting this evening.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Tonight will be a slightly different show, as we take in reaction to the result England's Euros match against Slovakia (when it concludes after extra time), and also the exit poll from the French parliamentary elections.

To discuss the Euros, we will be joined by our correspondents in Germany and here in the UK.

To dissect the French election, we will be joined from Paris throughout the show byFrench political commentator Agnes Poirier.

And as the UK general election campaign enters its final days, we will speak toTreasury minister Bim Afolami.

On Ali's panel are:

• Luisa Porritt, former Lib Dem MEP;
  
• Lucy Fisher, Whitehall editor at the Financial Times.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hubfrom 7pm every night during the election campaign on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.

Rishi Sunak has described Nigel Farage as a "Putin appeaser" - but speaking to ourpolitical editorBeth Rigbytoday, the Reform UK leader labelled it "a load of cobblers".

But he said Ukraine should enter peace talks with Russia, saying: "Wars end in two ways - either one side gets annihilated, literally annihilated, as happened, of course, to Germany in 1945, or there are negotiations."

He said he is "anti-war" and "against the warmongering parties of Labour and Conservative over the last 25 years".

He acknowledged that Russia will have to return the territories it has forcibly taken from Ukraine, saying it "has to happen".

But he added: "I really do fear for what is going to happen to Ukraine, if this goes on for another three or four years."

Nigel Farage has previously described social media personality Andrew Tate as an "important voice" for men.

Sky'spolitical editorBeth Rigbyasked him about the comment in an interview earlier, and he repeated that Tate is a "huge voice for men".

The Reform UK leader added: "Doesn't mean I agree with him in any way at all. Doesn't mean that I'm not horrified by seeing some of the charges and the extradition that's probably going to happen."

Andrew Tate, along with his brother Tristan, have been charged with allegations ofrape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang - charges they deny.

But Mr Farage said he remains an important voice for young men, saying: "Why do you think he's got the massive following he's got? What do you think's going on here?

"And there are so many young men feeling that they aren’t allowed to be blokes in any way at all, and that's the gap that Tate is filling.

"And this is the problem, isn't it?"

He added that he does not support Tate "in any way at all", and the support he has "should worry you".

Our daily politics showPolitics Hubwill be live on Sky News from 7pm with ourpolitical correspondentAli Fortescuehosting this evening.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Tonight will be a slightly different show, as we take in reaction to the result England's Euros match against Slovakia, and also the exit poll from the French parliamentary elections.

To discuss the Euros, we will be joined by our correspondents in Germany and here in the UK.

To dissect the French election, we will be joined from Paris throughout the show by French political commentator Agnes Poirier.

And as the UK general election campaign enters its final days, we will speak to Treasury minister Bim Afolami.

On Ali's panel are:

• Luisa Porritt, former Lib Dem MEP;
  
• Lucy Fisher, Whitehall editor at the Financial Times.
  

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

WatchPolitics Hubfrom 7pm every night during the election campaign on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.

In the undercover report from Channel 4 looking at Nigel Farage's activists, one of them made comments deemed hom*ophobic.

A close aide to the Reform UK leader said when a police car passed that displayed a pride flag: "You see that f****** degenerate flag on the front bonnet? What are the old bill doing promoting that crap? They should be out catching nonces, not promoting the f******."

Asked what he made of those comments by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby, Mr Farage said: "Yeah, on the point the police should not show political symbols, agreed. On the point they should be doing stop and search. Agreed. Of course, I agree with that totally.

"On the language that was used - crass, drunken, vulgar, rude, wrong."

He said he was "very angry" and "furious" when he heard that his aide had made the comment because he "didn't expect him to do it".

Mr Farage said: "The football was on, and he was down a few drinks. We could all say silly things when we're a bit half cut."

Beth challenged him on that, but Mr Farage insisted that "people say all sorts of things when they're drunk and often don't even remember it the next day".

But he added: "It was, it was awful."

Rishi Sunak spoke this afternoon at theMachzike Hadath Synagogue in Golders Green, north London, and told the congregation that a government under his leadership will stand behind Israel.

Recalling the "horror" of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, he said he will "never equivocate on who was to blame for this ugly, abhorrent act of terror".

"I will be steadfast in standing by Israel in its time of need, and I will not try and bully Israel into making concessions that are not in its interests. Israel deserves to live in peace and security."

He called for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.

The PM also referenced Iran's attack on Israel in April, saying: "I am proud that I'm the first British prime minister to have ordered our military into action to protect the state of Israel, and I'm even prouder of the role our military played in ensuring Iran's missile and drone barrage did not succeed."

Mr Sunak also criticised the "shocking increase in antisemitism" in the UK since the 7 October attacks, and hit out at those who "blame Israel for defending itself, for doing what any state would do in response to such a horrific, barbaric attack".

"The whole fabric of our nation is under threat. This antisemitism is a sickness, and I am determined to confront it."

He pledged to "lead a long term effort" to do so, and "change our culture so we tackle the root causes of this hatred".

The PM said, if re-elected, he would "tell the police to take a zero tolerance approach to antisemitic hate crimes".

Finally, Mr Sunak hit out at Labour's plan to add VAT to private school fees, saying: "It is particularly wrong to put VAT on the fees of Jewish schools when there is not sufficient alternative provision in the state sector.

"Your values, education, hard work and enterprise are very British values, and they are also Conservative values."