Sunak’s decision to call early election one of ‘most stupid political misjudgments’ in history of politics, says Tory – UK politics live

Former Tory party chairman Jake Berry says former prime minister must have taken leave of his senses' when he called election

The former home secretary James Cleverly has defended his record as he reacted to the latest Home Office figures which showed the outgoing Conservative government granted 286,382 work visas in the year to June 2024, 11% down on the previous year (see more details in post at 10.41)

Home Office data also showed the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats fell by almost a third in Rishi Sunak's last year as prime minister.

When I said I was going to cut migration, I meant it. Visas down, small boat arrivals down, cut the backlog & cut the asylum grant rate. It's not about words, it's about delivery.