Election latest: Rishi Sunak heckled by GP at the end of 'torrid day'; Nigel Farage accused of 'bigotry' during debate (2024)

The prime minister is not the only one whose feet are being held to the fire over D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations.

Northern Ireland's first minister has been criticised for not attending, with only deputy going instead.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said it had been an opportunity for Michelle O'Neill to act as a first minister for all.

"With men from across the island being remembered, I am disappointed that the deputy first minister was alone in Normandy and the other half of the joint office was absent.

"When we consider how so many from this island have only been able to openly remember their grandparents' war efforts in recent years, this was a missed opportunity for leadership and reconciliation."

He continued: "The first minister should recognise it was a mistake."

Mr Robinson also accused Rishi Sunak of undermining "the authenticity of the speech" he made at the British Normandy Memorial by departing early.

A spokesperson for the Executive Office said: "The Executive Office [TEO] receives many invitations and endeavours to attend as many events as possible.

"TEO is represented by the first minister, deputy first minister and junior ministers.

"This week, TEO was represented at events including the D-Day commemorations; business awards and the Your Time to Shine female leaders celebration event."

Crime is the last theme of the BBC's debate, with one audience member raising the issue of knife crime.

The Green Party's Carla Denyer says not all crime can be tackled by being "tough", explaining a generation of young people have grown up with services like youth centres closing.

Nigel Farage says "stop and search" must be done "in a very tough way".

"We are seeing a societal decline of law and order in this country," he says.

The Liberal Democrats' Daisy Cooper says the model of policing must be changed, with more community policing engaging with families and faith groups.

She says stop and search can be useful, but "suspicion-less" deployment of it has been used to target people.

Penny Mordaunt, the Conservatives Commons leader, says knife crime in London is "top of the list", but the host points out the West Midlands has a higher rate.

"We need more police and we need police who are embedded in communities," she says.

Labour's Angela Rayner says education and reversing cuts to neighbourhood policing is needed.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, of Plaid Cymru, says decision-making should be made closer to communities, calling for more devolution.

Stephen Flynn, of the Scottish National Party, says tackling poverty as a driver of crime is required, and those in poverty have been failed by the government.

The final 30 second concluding statements are under way. Angela Rayner goes first. "If you want change, vote Labour," she says, though it's as though she's memorising a script rather than talking with passion.

Carla Denyer, of the Greens, says Labour are offering more of the same and Labour has changed into the Tories. She got better as the debate went on. Iorwerth is lively and will have done his party some good here.

Penny Mordaunt is polished. "For a more secure future, vote Conservative," she says. She's been class here and shows why for the Tories, she's an underused asset. Daisy Cooper mentions sewage in rivers for the first time this evening. Why so late?

The last word goes to Nigel Farage, who says that unlike the others he doesn't need an autocue. He's right about that. He's been impish throughout, clearly enjoying himself. We'll see a lot more of him in this campaign. That's why he became party leader, of course!

We're staying with the BBC's seven-way political debate between senior figures in the UK's political parties.

"What matters to you more: Economic growth or successful climate policy?" asks an audience member.

Mr Farage says climate policies like net zero are unrealistic and unaffordable.

"Nigel is going to keep your fact-checkers busy for a little while. Farage has been misleading you... so much of what he said there is simply untrue," says the Greens' Carla Denyer.

She criticises Labour for dropping a £28bn green investment pledge earlier this year.

Labour's Angela Rayner says there will be investment including insulating homes and creating green jobs, but oil and gas will be part of the future.

The SNP's Stephen Flynn says Westminster is betraying future generations and his party maintains its commitment to net zero.

"We are facing an ecological emergency", and economic growth can come with tackling it, says the Liberal Democrats, calling for a national insulation scheme.

"Nothing is more important than protecting the environment that you will be living in in future," says Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth.

The Conservatives' Penny Mordaunt says moving to green policies too quickly will "destroy supply chains".

Let's not forget the two lesser known politicians in this line up, Carla Denyer, of the Green Party, and Rhun ap Iorwerth, of Plaid Cymru. At times they've struggled against the big hitters, but they've had their moments, Denyer on climate and ap Iorwerth on tax.

The Plaid leader, a member of the Welsh Senedd, is a good speaker and reveals he used to be a journalist. A proper job! Tall with a chiselled face, he has matinee idol looks and a healthy tan. Must be the Welsh climate! Denyer speaks with passion too.

But it's Mordaunt who is dominating this debate, now with a powerful attack on Labour's energy policy, dismissing the party's plan for a new company called Great British Energy, as "GB - giant bills".

Here we go again, another shouting match between Labour and the Conservatives. With Rayner, in a bright red dress, and Mordaunt, wearing Margaret Thatcher blue, standing next to each other, it makes it easier for them to clash with each other.

Moving from migration to "working people" now, with an audience member asking senior party figures at the BBC's seven-way debate who will allow them to work to live, not just work to survive.

Labour's Angela Rayner says the country has been "at the mercy of global energy prices" and Liz Truss's mini-budget.

She says a publicly-owned energy company will bring down bills and create jobs.

Penny Mordaunt, the Conservative leader of the House of Commons, says the economy is "doing much better" and "we have got to cut taxes".

Ms Rayner says the government has raised taxes to record levels for 70 years.

"Yeah, we have, and we hated putting taxes up," says Ms Mordaunt.

There is some back and forth, and interruptions, between Ms Mordaunt and Ms Rayner, with some finger pointing from the former.

Audience laughs at Green candidate's joke

"Well that was terribly dignified, wasn't it," says the Green Party'sCarla Denyer when the dust settles, to some laughter from the audience.

She says there is an "inequality crisis", pointing out that some have become wealthier while many struggled in recent years.

Ms Denyer calls for a green economy to bring in jobs and bring down bills, such as a nationwide insulation programme.

A £15 minimum wage is required and the two-child benefit cap should be removed, she says.

Reform's Nigel Farage again calls for immigration to be brought down to net zero and taxes to be cut for middle-incomes.

"To hear Penny Mordaunt, whose government have put the tax burden up to the highest in this country since 1948, pretending they're a tax-cutting party, frankly, it is dishonestly on a breath-taking scale."

Stephen Flynn, from the SNP, draws attention to "cuts baked in" by austerity.

He says there is a "conspiracy of silence" over Brexit, saying it has put up food bills.

"That is why at this election you need to ignore the snake oil salesman who delivered Brexit," he says, pointing to Mr Farage.

It's getting personal now as Nigel Farage turns on his comedy routine with witty quips about his political opponents - and Angela Rayner retaliates by calling him a clown. Boom, boom!

Farage says Sir Keir Starner is "really dull" and "Blair without the flair". He says the real Labour leader is here at the debate: Angela Rayner. The prime minister, he chortles, is "slippery Sunak".

Labour's deputy leader says Farage is a "clown personality", like Boris Johnson and goes on to attack the former prime minister over "party-gate" and breaking lockdown rules during COVID.

Then the Lib Dems' Daisy Cooper is embarrassed when she's asked: "Do you remember going back on your tuition fees pledge?" Sheepishly, she replies: "That was a sore point for us." A bit of honesty! Hurrah!

Sure enough, Penny Mordaunt launches into the Tories' £2,000 Labour tax grab attack and sparks a bitter shouting match with Angela Rayner, who seems to come to life and fights back.

Presenter Mishal Husain struggles to keep order and claims the statistics watchdog has disputed Rishi Sunak's claim, first made in Tuesday's leaders' debate, but Mordaunt takes no notice and ploughs on.

It's the most heated clash of the debate so far and the whole showdown is really sparky now. Stephen Flynn then gets in his best attack so far, condemning Brexit and the silence of the Labour Party on the issue.

The other party representatives are doing better now. And when a member of the audience asks why nothing ever gets done despite politicians' promises, for a moment Penny Mordaunt is lost for words and laughs nervously.

Angela Rayner seems a bit subdued as the debate turns to a question on the NHS and she comes under attack from Stephen Flynn of the SNP.

Not surprisingly, given the battle between the SNP and Labour in Scotland, Flynn is targeting his attacks on Rayner. She sounds as thought she's been coached on Labour policy as is just parroting the official line.

But then Rayner gets spontaneous applause when she attacks Mordaunt for supporting Liz Truss. Mordaunt then comes back by returning to her attack on Rayner on Trident. Mordaunt is winning against Rayner so far.

But we haven't yet heard Mordaunt deploy Rishi Sunak's TV debate attack on Labour's £2,000 tax grab, which Sir Keir Starmer claims is a lie. We're bound to hear it soon, surely?

Explosive start by Penny Mordaunt! She's on fire! On the first question, on defence, after surprisingly bland opening statements from Angela Rayner and Daisy Cooper and Nigel Farage repeating his "unpatriotic" charge against Rishi Sunak over his D-Day snub, Penny says the PM was "completely wrong".

Ouch! No wonder Number 10 sees the Commons leader as a threat. But then she's back on message as she launches into a tirade against Angela Rayner and her previous voting against Trident renewal.

Mordaunt and Rayner are standing next to each other at one end of the podium and they start the debate by going at each other in a heated argument on the defence issue.

This is the Penny Mordaunt show so far. The other party representatives are on spiky form too, but only Nigel Farage has challenged Mordaunt so far.