Britain’s fateful election offers no good choices
The FT View says the UK needs a political realignment, a swing back from the extremes to the centre. It needs a parliament ready to put aside three years of trench warfare in search of constructive consensus. It needs internationalist, pro-business MPs who recognise that even outside the EU club, Britain can — and must — remain a liberal, open European power.
The gulf in trust between the public and the political class has never yawned so wide. The main parties have put ideological purity before the good of Great Britain. Neither can command our support.
What the papers say
Most of the UK newspapers lead with Andrew Neil’s challenge to Boris Johnson over the prime minister’s refusal to agree to an interview with him on the BBC.
The veteran journalist said the theme of the interview would be trust, and why throughout Mr Johnson’s career, in politics and journalism, even those close to him have deemed him untrustworthy. Mr Johnson has evaded a grilling with the BBC veteran who has interviewed the other party leaders.
• “How can anyone trust him?” asks the left-leaning Daily Mirror as Mr Johnson denies he is avoiding scrutiny. While the Metro leads with: “Over-ready and set to grill”.
• The Times reports on the four Brexit party defectors backing the Conservative candidates while the Daily Mail’s headline is: “Brexit party bigwigs urge: Vote Boris!”
• Wealthy homebuyers are ignoring political uncertainty to snap up million-pound properties across the country, reports the Times.
• The Guardian writes of the rising toll of measles, with 10m cases worldwide and 142,000 deaths recorded last year. The paper also highlights strikes in France as 800,000 public sector employees march against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
• The Daily Telegraph splashes with a quote from the Jewish Labour Movement over allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour party.
Good morning
Welcome back to the FT’s coverage of the UK general election.
With less than a week to go to the vote, sterling opened flat against the US dollar after hitting a seven-month high yesterday.
We will be blogging throughout the evening as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and prime minister Boris Johnson lock horns in their final TV debate this evening.
Check in for the latest news and analysis from the FT’s team of journalists during the day.
