Tory donor Sir John Hall was unveiled as a Reform supporter today, just a week before the election, in the latest blow to Rishi Sunak.
He joked that it was the first time a Newcastle boss would get a round of applause in Sunderland, before repeating his claim that the migrant crisis on the Channel coast 300 miles to the south was 'an invasion' and demanded more 'stop-and-search' by police to cut knife crime - a tactic whose use has been controversial because it is seen to unfairly target black people.
The ex-Newcastle United chairman, who has given the Conservatives more than £500,000, was unveiled by Nigel Farage at a campaign rally in Wearside today attended by around 1,000 people. A JL Partners survey conducted between June 21 and 24 found that Reform was down three points to 15 per cent, with the Tories up two to 25 per cent.
After the event at Rainton Meadows, Sir John said the Tories had been a failure for the last 14 years.'The Reform party are the only ones I feel who are going to speak about saving my English culture.' A JL Partners survey conducted between June 21 and 24 found that Reform was down three points to 15 per cent, with the Tories up two to 25 per cent