Summary

  • Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is standing down, apologises for coming up short after Labour's heavy losses

  • Shadow chancellor John McDonnell tells Andrew Marr he "owns this disaster"

  • Wigan MP Lisa Nandy is considering a Labour leadership bid

  • It comes after the Conservatives are returned to government with an 80-seat Commons majority

  • SNP's Nicola Sturgeon warns Scotland "cannot be imprisoned in the union against its will" - as government rules out independence referendum

  • The government wants a vote on the Brexit bill before Christmas, says Conservative Rishi Sunak

  • Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove insists a trade deal will be finalised by the end of 2020 on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday

  • The government is looking at decriminalising non-payment of the TV licence, says Mr Sunak

  • MPs will return to Westminster on Tuesday

  1. Corbyn 'should have acted' over anti-Semitismpublished at 09:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Lord McNicolImage source, Sky News

    Over on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Labour’s former general secretary Lord McNicol says Jeremy Corbyn was “absolutely” to blame for the party’s poor showing at the election.

    He says Mr Corbyn should stand down immediately and the party should move to a caretaker leader, who can “actually put the pressure on Boris Johnson” while Labour holds a leadership election.

    Lord McNicol says he takes responsibility for some of the party’s decisions regarding how it has dealt with anti-Semitism but he says Mr Corbyn “could have and should have acted”.

    He says: “It’s fine to say we will have zero tolerance on anti-Semitism – that is correct – but what follows from that is leading by example.

    “This is something that started and rose under Jeremy Corbyn. It could have been and should have been eradicated.”

  2. McDonnell: I own this disasterpublished at 09:39 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    The Andrew Marr Show

    McDonnell

    Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is next up on the Marr show. Andrew Marr interviewed at his home yesterday.

    Asked to take responsibility for the defeat, Mr McDonnell says the result was "catastrophic", and adds: "This is on me. I own this disaster."

    He apologised to the "wonderful MPs" who lost their seats as well as the party's campaigners and "all those people who desperately need a Labour government".

    "If anyone's to blame, it is me - full stop."

    Asked about the reasons for the defeat, Mr McDonnell says: "I think it was Brexit that did it."

    He also blames the media for having "demonised" Mr Corbyn.

  3. McCluskey: Corbyn has changed British politics foreverpublished at 09:37 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    John Pienaar
    Pienaar’s Politics

    More from Len McCluskey who says Labour must "regroup" under a new leader - but he adds that Jeremy Corbyn has "changed British politcs forever".

    The Unite union leader adds that the party will "consistently now" offer an alternative to the "dire austerity that the Tories have been offering for years".

    "The politics of a radical alternative are popular," he says.

    Asked to name a policy mistake in the campaign, he does not single out an individual pledge but says the party should have "concentrated on specific issues".

  4. Burgon backs Long-Bailey as next leaderpublished at 09:36 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Richard BurgonImage source, Sky News

    Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon says he’s a great admirer of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn but says negative headlines about him were raised by “a minority” of constituents on the doorstep.

    He says people did have genuine concerns but he says “we did get more Labour votes” than in 2015, the problem was “the distribution of those votes”.

    He says Labour needs to listen to colleagues who lost their seats “and it’s important the party listens and reflects” or we won’t win the next general election.

    Rebecca Long-BaileyImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Rebecca Long-Bailey represented the Labour party in a general election debate in Cardiff

    Asked if he will run to be the next Labour leader, he says he has “made no secret” of the fact he would like shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

    He says she “understands northern Leave seats” and says “she’s somebody who can help us win back those votes that we lost”.

    “She would be a fantastic first woman leader of the Labour party.”

    He says he has been approached by colleagues about running for deputy leader and he says he will consider that over the next few weeks.

  5. Sturgeon warns Johnson a 'no' on referendum 'won't hold'published at 09:30 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    The Andrew Marr Show

    Nicola Sturgeon

    Asked what her response will be to Boris Johnson if he says a "no" to holding a Scottish independence referendum, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon replies: "That won't hold.

    "Actually I said this to him on Friday night. If he thinks saying 'no' is the end of the matter then he is going to find himself completely and utterly wrong."

    Ms Sturgeon and Mr Johnson spoke on the telephone about the issue on Friday.

    She suggests that if Mr Johnson is so confident in the union then he should allow it to be put to a vote.

  6. Sturgeon: I will pursue referendum plan I have a mandate forpublished at 09:26 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    The Andrew Marr Show

    Nicola Sturgeon

    SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon - whose party won big in Scotland in the election - believes the result gives her a mandate for another referendum on Scottish independence.

    She asks in what other kind of democracy would the party that lost the election - meaning the Conservatives, who did not do well in Scotland - "get to dictate" to the party who won.

    She says "Scotland has chosen a very different kind of future" to the rest of the UK.

    "I'm going to pursue the plan that I won a mandate for," she adds. "I think that's the democratic thing to do."

    Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, she confirms that she will this week set out "the detailed democratic case for the transfer of power".

    She says she does not presume that everybody who voted SNP will back independence, but adds that it is not up to her or Boris Johnson to decide that question.

    Asked what else she will do, Ms Sturgeon says "I will take it step by step."

    Pressed over what those steps might be - or whether there will be any civil disobedience - Ms Sturgeon says she wants the process to be "legal" and "constitutional".

  7. Burgon: Labour 'underestimated' strength of Leave feelingpublished at 09:24 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon says it’s a “tragedy” that Labour didn’t win the general election

    He says many people’s lives will be worse off because the party didn’t win the election, adding that he’s “heartbroken” by this.

    He calls it a “disastrous” election result and says lessons need to be learnt by Labour.

    “We need to look at ourselves and at our performance and how we lost votes with humility and we need to analyse that.”

    He says the “biggest mistake” the party made was “underestimating the desire for people who voted Leave to leave the EU” but he defends Labour’s policy to hold another referendum.

  8. Media attacks on Corbyn 'seeped into psyche of people'published at 09:23 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    John Pienaar
    Pienaar’s Politics

    Continuing, Len McCluskey says Labour "failed to understand" the strength of feeling about Brexit in its heartland seats, where it was "seen as a Remain party".

    Pressed that the unpopularity of Jeremy Corbyn had also been a factor, he says it "became an issue" because he had been "attacked unmercifully" by the media.

    "When every single day, there are vicious personal attacks, and constant personal attacks on an individual, eventually that seeps into the psyche of people," he adds.

    However he maintains that all Labour's policies were "extremely popular".

  9. Burgon: Labour position on Brexit 'didn't work'published at 09:19 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Richard BurgonImage source, Sky News

    Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is the next guest to speak to Sophy Ridge.

    He says it’s important to listen to voices “like Caroline’s” but says “there are no easy answers” to the problems Labour have faced in the election.

    He says he accepts the party’s Brexit position “didn’t work” but he says the election was all about Brexit - and he doesn’t believe the next election will be.

    He says there’s no future for the Labour party if it “waters down” its opposition to the Tory cuts which are on their way over the next few years.

    He adds that he doesn’t believe “a single thing Boris Johnson says”, adding that Mr Johnson will say anything to get into power.

  10. McCluskey: Labour 'failed to break through' Brexit issuepublished at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    John Pienaar
    Pienaar’s Politics

    Len McCluskeyImage source, PA Media

    Unite union leader and Jeremy Corbyn ally Len McCluskey says Labour's heavy defeat on Thursday was a "devastating result" for the party.

    Speaking on Radio 5 Live's Piennar’s Politics, he says Labour now faces a "long haul back," but must now "choose a new leader and move forward".

    He says the challenge facing Labour had been to "break through" the issue of Brexit and move the campaign on to other issues.

    "Obviously we failed, and failed badly," he adds.

  11. Flint: Nandy and Long-Bailey 'worth looking at' to lead Labourpublished at 09:14 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Asked whether Jeremy Corbyn has taken enough personal responsibility for the election defeat, ex-Labour MP Caroline Flint says: "No."

    Asked who should be the next leader, she says: "I don't think it should be anybody who has had a hand in our Brexit strategy over the last few years."

    She also adds that: "I don't think it can be Corbyn without a beard."

    The only candidates she thinks are worth looking at, she says, are Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey.

    But even they have "got a lot to prove", she adds.

  12. Ex-Labour MP Flint: Corbyn and Brexit were the problempublished at 09:11 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Caroline FlintImage source, Sky News

    Caroline Flint, who lost her Don Valley seat to the Tories, says Jeremy Corbyn's leadership "undoubtedly was an issue".

    She says it "was because we were fighting on two very difficult fronts" - one about Mr Corbyn "and the politics that he's espoused since he became leader" and the other about Brexit.

    "Nearly on every doorstep Jeremy Corbyn came up as a negative," she says, saying voters "didn't trust him, they didn't believe him".

    She says Brexit also "came up time and time again too", saying the issue was "instrumental in losing Don Valley", which had been Labour since 1922.

    She blames shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer for leading the party "down the path" of another referendum.

    And she adds: "We shouldn't for one minute think that a change of leader is going to create an election victory for us."

    She says there was an "underlying scepticism" over Labour's policies, which she suggests were "offering everything to everybody".

  13. Davey: Sturgeon's glee at Swinson loss 'not very dignified'published at 09:03 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    DaveyImage source, Sky News

    Lib Dem deputy leader Ed Davey says the "whole party is deeply upset and disappointed" by Jo Swinson's departure from Parliament, after the SNP unseated her.

    "Jo was a friend and a colleague and I want her back in Parliament as soon as possible," he tells Sky's Sophy Ridge.

    "She has so much to offer British politics," he says, adding there is a "bright future" ahead for her.

    Mr Davey is also asked about SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's response to her party unseating Jo Swinson. Ms Sturgeon was seen celebrating and cheering in a live video on election night.

    "She's not very dignified, is she?" Mr Davey says.

    "I think... taking glee in someone else's defeat in the way that she does... isn't appropriate for the First Minister of Scotland."

  14. Davey blames 'fear factor' of Corbyn for poor Lib Dem resultpublished at 08:58 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Ed DaveyImage source, Sky News

    Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem deputy leader - whose leader Jo Swinson lost her seat and announced she will step down - says it’s "too early" to rule himself in or out of standing again for the leadership of the party.

    The election result was "tough", he says.

    "I’m going to ensure that we review the general election, learn those lessons and make sure we’re fit to oppose the Boris Johnson government," he says.

    Discussing the reasons for the Lib Dems' result, Mr Davey suggests the Labour Party may be to blame.

    "It can be very difficult for Liberal Democrats to make progress when there's a hard left" leader of the Labour Party, he says.

    He claims that the "fear factor" of electing Mr Corbyn "was a massive issue".

    "There were a lot of liberal Conservatives who really don't like Brexit or Boris Johnson but they fear Jeremy Corbyn even more," he says.

    Challenged on whether he's just blaming Mr Corbyn but there must be other factors, Mr Davey replies: "You're asking for me to rush to early judgement."

    He says he would have done "exactly what Jo did on the Brexit question" but suggests: "I think we didn't get the other messages over.

    "We didn't get beyond the Stop Brexit message," he adds.

  15. Gove: Flint would have been best for Labourpublished at 08:52 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Michael GoveImage source, Sky News

    Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is asked who he would like to be the next Labour leader.

    That's for them, he says, but add: "The person who would be best is Caroline Flint" but "she is no longer eligible".

    Ms Flint lost her Don Valley seat in the election to Conservative candidate Nick Fletcher.

    Caroline Flint
  16. Gove: No independence referendum for Scotlandpublished at 08:46 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Michael Gove is questioned on whether Scotland will be granted another referendum on independence, after a surge in support for the Scottish National Party in the election.

    Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has said her gains show there is a mandate for another referendum.

    "We are not going to have an independence referendum in Scotland," says Mr Gove.

    "We had a referendum on whether Scotland should be separate in 2014," he says.

    "We were told that referendum would settle the question for a generation."

    The Cabinet Office minister adds: "Scotland is stronger in the UK. You can be proudly Scottish and proudly British together."

  17. Gove 'confident' trade deal will be agreed within deadlinepublished at 08:45 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    GoveImage source, Sky News

    Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is pressed on the deadline of December 2020 - set out in the Conservatives' manifesto - to agree a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. Will that be possible?

    Mr Gove says he is "confident" that the government will "conclude all the details of a new relationship" by the end of the transition period.

    "Quite a lot of the detail that we need to negotiate is already laid out in the political declaration," he says.

    Asked what will be in the Queen's Speech, Mr Gove says it will include "a recognition that the National Health Service is the number one focus of this government when it comes to domestic policy."

    He says there will be legislation for a "NHS funding guarantee".

    He added that the government would tackle the problem of inequality of economic opportunity in the UK by investing more in areas outside of the south and east of England.

  18. Gove: I won't speculate on Brexit bill votepublished at 08:37 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Sky News

    Michael GoveImage source, Sky News

    Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is asked on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme when MPs will get a vote on Boris Johnson's Brexit withdrawal agreement.

    "I won't get into speculation about the precise date," he says, adding there will be a Queen's Speech next week.

    He says there will be an opportunity to vote on the bill "in relatively short order".

    Asked on whether the vote will be before Christmas, Mr Gove replies: "I do not want to pre-empt the announcements that will be in the Queen's Speech."

  19. Corbyn apologises over heavy Labour defeatpublished at 08:26 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    Jeremy CorbynImage source, Reuters

    Our top story of the day is on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party suffered a heavy defeat in this week's election.

    Writing in the Sunday Mirror and the Observer, he acknowledged the party's failings in the poll and said he accepted his responsibility for it.

    In his open letter to the Mirror on Sunday, external, Mr Corbyn said: "I will make no bones about it. The result was a body blow for everyone who so desperately needs real change in our country.

    "I'm sorry that we came up short and I take my responsibility for it."

    But Mr Corbyn insisted he remained "proud" of the party's campaign, and that it had offered a message of "hope" in the election.

  20. The papers: Johnson's 'Whitehall revolution' after election winpublished at 08:23 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2019

    The papers

    Some of Sunday's front pages picture the moment Boris Johnson found out he was heading for a landslide election victory - as the findings of the exit poll were revealed at 22:00 GMT on Thursday.

    The Mail on Sunday describes how the Prime Minister leapt to his feet, shouted with joy, and was congratulated by his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds.

    The Sunday Telegraph observes that their table had beer, coffee and snack pots at the ready.

    The paper also reports that Mr Johnson is planning a dramatic overhaul of Whitehall , externalin a drive to demonstrate that his government "works for the people".

    Read our round up of the papers here.