Sir Keir Starmer declined to answer questions about Diane Abbott, while Rishi Sunak denied claims he is buying votes with a promise of cash for towns as campaigning entered its second weekend.
Both leaders on Saturday unveiled their parties’ battle buses, which will travel across the country before polling day on July 4.
The Labour leader launched his red campaign coach, emblazoned with the party’s key slogan “Change,”, in west London with a pledge to get people back to work.
Sir Keir refused to be drawn into talking about the Diane Abbott row, telling broadcasters in Uxbridge: “I dealt with that issue yesterday.”
The Labour leader on Friday finally gave the veteran left-winger the green light to stand for his party in the election, after days of questions over her future and party infighting overshadowed his campaign.
While Sir Keir sought to move on from the matter, Mr. Sunak attacked his Labour rival for changing his mind after having insisted the decision over Ms. Abbott’s candidacy was not up to him.
In a speech in front of the Tories’ blue battle bus on Redcar Racecourse, the prime minister said, “It confirms what we know about him: it’s that he doesn’t stick by anything he says.”
Mr. Sunak meanwhile batted off criticism that his pledge to give 30 towns £20 million was targeted mainly at Tory constituencies.
As part of the “levelling-up” scheme, the Conservatives pledged that local people, not those in Westminster, will decide how the money will be spent.
Some of the towns proposed to be added include Tamworth, Preston, Corby, Halifax, Bognor Regis, Newtown, Flint, Perth, and Newry.
More than half of the towns—17—standing to benefit were represented by Tory MPs in the last Parliament.
Asked about accusations that he is trying to buy votes there, Mr. Sunak told broadcasters: “These 30 towns come on top of the 70 towns that have been announced—that’s 100 towns across our country that are going to receive £20 million each.”
He said the methodology used to select the towns had been used “multiple times before” based on “an objective set of criteria,” including “levelling-up needs, looking at economic opportunities, skills, health, and life expectancy.”
Mr. Sunak also insisted he is “going right across the country” when asked about his campaign’s focus so far on seats that are being defended at the election by the Conservatives.
The Tory leader said he is the only one “that’s actually got a plan” to get people back to work as he dismissed Labour’s proposals.
Sir Keir announced a number of proposed employment support and welfare benefits reforms aimed at increasing the employment rate from 75 percent to 80 percent.
This includes a new combined national jobs and careers service, local plans for work, health and skills support, and a guarantee of opportunities for young people.
The Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the policy signals a “major step” towards a “high-quality, public employment service.”
“A rethink of our employment support offer is long overdue—and joining up health, skills, and work support is a common-sense priority for any party serious about building a healthier and more prosperous country,” Rachel Statham, associate director at the think tank, said.
Sir Keir launched the Labour battle bus alongside his deputy Angela Rayner, who then set off on a 5,000-mile journey to battleground seats.
Meanwhile, after a week of attention-grabbing stunts, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is taking the weekend off the campaign trail to spend time with his family.
Sir Ed wrote on X: “This weekend I get to do the most joyful and important thing I do: being a Dad.”
Nigel Farage, Reform UK’s honorary president, was out campaigning in Ashfield with candidate Lee Anderson.
Mr. Anderson, the former Tory deputy chairman, was the party’s only MP ahead of the dissolution of Parliament after his defection from the Conservatives.
George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain was launching its general election campaign in Ms. Rayner’s Ashton-under-Lyne seat.
