British Election Diary: Integrity and Accountability? Don't bet on it | John Crace

There is less than a week left. Everyone, including most politicians, will be breathing a huge sigh of relief. You may wonder why Rishi Snack chose a six-week campaign when he has little to say and little record to defend. It's as if he's already given up and just repeats his moves.

Labor also did not look energized by being a clear favorite to win a majority of seats next Thursday. Their main goal was to do as little work as possible. To not rock the boat and allow the Tories to self-destruct. To be fair, it seems like it's been a successful strategy so far, but the past few weeks haven't felt particularly enjoyable. Keir Starmer knows he is going to inherit a mess and is desperate not to raise expectations too high, so his arguments often sound like this: Vote for me. Things will get a little less crappy.

Even Ed Davey seems to have been affected by the coma. His election theme park stunts are increasingly looking like he is on the move. One person who is certainly enjoying himself is Nigel Farage. He has been addressing 1,000-strong rallies in Newton Abbot and Houghton-le-Spring, and one poll suggested Reform could win 18 seats. How much Farage would enjoy being leader of a small party in the House of Commons where his voice is not particularly important is another matter. If anything, his well-paid media engagements in Britain and the US could be curtailed. Unless, of course, he appears rarely.

Campaign Moments of the Week

It's a clear winner, not just as a moment of the week, but as a highlight of the entire campaign. The Labor candidate knocked on the door while campaigning in his Hull East constituency. A man answered. Turner was asked if he would vote Labour. No, he said. Can he ask why not? Carl asked. confident. Because you're going to tax condoms. I couldn't vote for a party that taxed condoms. It's clear that someone passes a significant amount of money every week. Turner looked confused. As far as he remembers, that wasn't what Keir Starmer promised. Although he promised not to rule out increases in income tax, national insurance and value-added tax. Turner's aide, who eventually went out with him, put two and two together. Perhaps he was confusing it with non-doms. Ah, the man said. Like the Prime Minister's wife? accurately. A Labor voter has been brought back safely.

Bets of the week

A more politically savvy party leader would have tried to get the issue out of the way by suspending the two Tory candidates who are being investigated for gambling on insider knowledge. Instead, Sunak allowed the story to run its course for two weeks before taking action. By then it was too late. There are times when that happens, Rishi! It only makes sense if you assume he was actively trying to lose the election. On Thursday he was repeatedly asked by Sky News reporter Sam Coates whether he had told Craig Williams the election date in advance. A very simple question, you might think. One that could be answered with a yes or no. Instead Sunak hummed and laughed. It was not right to comment, he said. The ongoing investigation and all that. It’s ridiculous. Talk about trying to make yourself look guilty. But the gambling scandal has now moved from insider trading to actively foolish betting, which is perfectly legal. Keir Starmer has taken the whip off a Labour candidate who had placed a small bet on himself to lose. Not to be outdone, Tory candidate Philip Davies is said to have also bet $8,000 on himself to lose. Go big, Phil. Go big.

Planter men Bill and Ben. With Little Weed. Photograph: Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA MediaTV Debate Moment of the Week

Easy. It was the moment when presenter Mishal Husain announced that we were through and the BBC showdown between Sunak and Starmer was over. A grateful nation could finally relax and watch the Euros again. We had a number of variations on the debate. We had a head-to-head with the two major parties. A seven-way debate. One-on-one interviews followed by questions from the audience. We had a debate with Chris Philipp once. Never again. And in all of these debates we never really learned much about anything. Who was the brightest performer? Sunak was abrasive, liked to shout at people and patronise the audience. Starmer was a bit of a slob and slow to react. But nothing really changed the dial. Everyone was too media-educated for that to happen. The broadcasters loved them as the main beneficiaries. They made them feel important. But in most of the country they were turned off. Sound and fury mean nothing. The last BBC debate this week was no exception. It was just Sunak and Starmer shouting at each other without saying much. Keir got the best line though. I told Sunak he wouldn't be so out of touch if he had made the effort to listen to people. Arm.

Mel Stride Award

This is a gong to the Tory minister who volunteers to step up into the incoming fire of the morning media round to explain why everything is going so terribly well. And once again, the winner is Mel Stride. Once again, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has found himself the only Cabinet Secretary willing to take on a regular role for the team. It can be assumed that Sunak promised peer status in his resignation honors list. If so, that person probably deserves it. No one has suffered more humiliation. But the question remains. Where are all the other ministers? James Cleverly and Victoria Atkins put their heads above the parapet exactly twice. They will most likely be knighted and damaged respectively. But Jeremy Hunt? He is still nowhere to be seen. I can't remember a previous election campaign where the sitting Prime Minister didn't appear in the media at all. It was as if he was embarrassed by his record. Lord Big Dave had plans of his own. He only appears at moments where he can turn good and evil into bad, such as D-day. Think about it. The worse Number 10's successors look, the more leniently the country will treat them. I have news for you, Dave. We do not forget austerity and Brexit. Meanwhile, others like Steve Barclay and Lucy Frazer may not exist. For Monday's Sun debate, the Tories dispatched Chris Heaton-Harris to spin it for them. And he's not even a candidate. Hello beautiful people. Chris said as he came in. This is a man who has already checked out.

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Racism debate of the week

It's natural. Nigel Parage likes to portray himself as a changed man these days. She is the one who gets a lot of blame. His previous comments supporting Vladimir Putin were misunderstood. Only on Thursday did he renew his xenophobic comments, criticizing migrants for blocking every road in the southeast, but in reality it was because he wanted a better life for them. If only it were somewhere else. Naiji insists Naiji is now a completely sound person. So while several reform candidates have had to be ostracized for racist comments, and this week an undercover investigation by Channel 4 found that one of Parridge's supporters in Clacton had made openly racist and Islamophobic comments, it always bothers him. It would be amazing.

Scam of the Week

You may remember that when Rishi Sunak became chancellor, his first speech was a promise to govern with integrity, professionalism and responsibility. It worked. He was there again during the BBC debate on Wednesday. I asked him why anyone should believe a word he said. Rish! He claimed to be trustworthy because he always told the truth. Despite his full support for Liz Truss, he even issued a warning to the country. So what should happen in the minutes after the debate ends? The Tory press office sent out a slew of tweets pretending to be independent personal finance organization Tax Check UK at They quickly buzzed, and soon their tweets included health warnings. But that didn't stop them. This Friday morning I received two emails from Tax Check UK talking about a labor tax increase. Integrity, responsibility and professionalism are important. When your back is against the wall, anything is possible.

Will you please vote for me now? Photo: Victoria Jones/Rex/Shutterstock

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