Politics latest: Cameron warns Israel against Rafah invasion - and blasts Labour over defection (2024)

Thanks for following on another busy day in Westminster.

We'll be back tomorrow, but until then, here's what you missed:

Join us from 6am for all the latest political news.

If you missed today's episode of Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips - don't fret!

You can watch the show in full - including interviews with Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron and Labour's Jonathan Ashworth - in the clip below...

In January 2023, Rishi Sunak made five promises.

Since then, he and his ministers have rarely missed an opportunity to list them. In case you haven't heard, he promised to:

• Halve inflation
• Grow the economy
• Reduce debt
• Cut NHS waiting lists and times
• Stop the boats

See below how he is doing on these goals:

An Israeli arms embargo is "not a wise path" and the UK and America are "in a totally different situation", the foreign secretary has said.

Lord Cameron told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips Show that it would be "extremely dangerous" for Israel to attempt a major offensive in Rafah.

But asked if the UK would follow in the US's footsteps and halt the supply of weapons to Israel if launches an attack on the southernmost city of Gaza - a crucial route for aid - he said the UK and American "are in a totally different situation".

"The United States is a massive bulk state supplier of weapons to Israel, including, you know, 1,000lb pound bombs and all the rest of it," he said.

"The UK provides less than 1% of Israel's weapons and is not a state supplier. We have a licensing system and those licences can be closed if it's judged there's a serious risk of a serious international human rights violation."

You can read more from Sky News below:

A total of 120 people crossed the Channel on three small boats yesterday, on what was the hottest day of the year so far.

This is a significant drop on 221 on Friday and 211 on Thursday.

Arrivals typically soar with the warmer weather, which is set to end at 1pm today when thunderstorms will sweep in across parts of Wales and western and central England.

The Met Office has warned: "Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

"Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life."

More than 9,000 people have arrived in the UK on small boats this year.

Following the defection of the Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke to Labour, Beth, Ruth and Jess discuss the surprise move and whether it could have been handled differently by Sir Keir Starmer.

They also talk about Beth's interview with the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and his warnings about Reform UK.

Plus, how significant was the defeat of former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street? Beth and Jess were both there to tell the story.

And they answer a question on Labour and the Muslim vote, and what the party can do to restore confidence and trust.

Email Beth, Jess, and Ruth at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

👉Listen above then tap here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts👈

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the trackerhere.

Former chancellor and education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he did not regret accusing journalists of smearing him when reports first emerged of HMRC's investigation into his tax affairs.

Asked by the BBC whether he regretted the comments, Mr Zahawi said: "No, because the smears were so wide - things like the National Crime Agency, which I've never ever had any dealings with or any investigations from."

The outgoing MP for Stratford-on-Avon said it was a "really tough choice" to stand down from parliament at the next election.

Mr Zahawi added: "The heart said keep going and the head said it's time to let a younger, more energetic person fight a pretty vital election for my party.

"It's a wonderful seat - best seat in parliament - and I think it's deserving of a young, energetic Conservative - the list will be as long as my arm."

By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent

"If you don't stand for anything, then you fall for stuff like this."

That was Lord Cameron taking the opportunity on Sky News this morning to attack what he branded was Labour's "opportunism" over right-wing Dover MP Natalie Elphicke's defection this week.

Her defection has now become a real headache not for the Tories but for the Labour leadership and specifically the judgement of Sir Keir Starmer.

New allegations have emerged on Sunday, from the former justice secretary Robert Buckland, that Natalie Elphicke tried to influence a court case involving her ex-husband and predecessor in Dover, Charlie Elphicke.

Ms Elphicke has branded this as all nonsense and we have now ended up in a situation without a lack of substantial evidence of he said, she said.

And while Labour has a point in asking why Mr Buckland didn't raise this earlier, the bigger question remains: did the Labour leadership make the right call in allowing Ms Elphicke to defect?

While this specific allegation is new, Ms Elphicke was previously temporarily suspended from the Commons and told to apologise after using official Commons stationery to write to senior judges in pre-sentencing.

She was also forced to apologise for comments she made supporting her ex-husband in relation to some of the victims.

And all this aside, Ms Elphicke has spent years attacking Labour and Labour policies from the right - it is therefore not a surprise that many MPs are not best pleased.

Far from it, those on the left of Labour are increasingly vocal about their disdain for her and her inclusion in the parliamentary party.

Many point out that the Labour's broad church doesn't at the moment include Diane Abbott.

Criticism like this might only grow louder.

And so it all becomes very difficult for the Labour leader. Ultimately it was his call. Maybe it seemed too good a political win to ignore past concerns about Ms Elphicke.

But did Sir Keir properly weigh up the possible reaction inside his party, the damage it might do to the party's reputation and more importantly the questions he would raise about his judgement?

The UK economy is no longer in recession, according to official figures.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a better-than-expected 0.6% between January and March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Economists had predicted the figure would be 0.4%.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it showed the economy had "turned a corner".

He told Sky News's Ed Conway: "I am pleased that while there's more work to do, today's figures show that the economy now has real momentum, and I'm confident that with time, people will start to feel the benefits of that.

"We've had multiple months now where wages are rising, energy bills have fallen, mortgage rates are down and taxes are being cut... I'm pleased with the progress that we're making."

Mr Sunak added: "I am confident the economy is getting healthier every week."

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