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EU referendum live: voter registration site crashes after Cameron-Farage debate EU referendum live: voter registration site crashes after Cameron-Farage debate
(35 minutes later)
7.35am BST
07:35
There are now several high-profile voices calling for an extension to the voter registration deadline after the gov.uk website crashed under the weight of demand last night.
Gloria De Piero, Labour’s shadow minister for voter registration, tweeted at seven minutes to midnight – the deadline – that more than 25,000 were online trying to register:
There are currently 26,629 people on gov.uk voter registration site trying to register - government MUST extend the deadline for 24 hours.
Yvette Cooper also argued that voters should be given more time:
If this is right, deadline must be extended. People can't be denied right to vote because computer says no https://t.co/dbzR3Zj0vY
7.29am BST
07:29
Rafael Behr, writing in the Guardian this morning, says that for some Leave campaigners, the lack of a firm Brexit plan is part of the appeal:
The Brexit camp has no idea what should happen. There is a plan to walk out and slam the door, but nowhere to go next. Turmoil is part of the appeal for leaders of the leave campaign, although they dare not advertise thrill-seeking among their motives. It makes them sound reckless.
They are reckless. For Boris Johnson, there is a career advantage in hastening the collapse of David Cameron’s premiership. Relations with Britain’s closest trading partners can be collateral damage in that campaign. There is nothing in Johnson’s record to suggest interest in the welfare of anyone who cannot advance his ambition.
Michael Gove’s case is more intriguing. The justice secretary is drawn to disorder as a purgative tonic – a moral enema for constipated bureaucracies.
Read the full article here:
Related: Brexit’s leaders want to smash the system – but they won’t pay the price | Rafael Behr
6.55am BST6.55am BST
06:5506:55
Morning briefingMorning briefing
Claire PhippsClaire Phipps
Welcome back, on another morning after the night of a not-quite debate.Welcome back, on another morning after the night of a not-quite debate.
Yesterday was ITV’s turn to host the prime minister and a Brexit-favouring rival in separate Q&A sessions, and this time David Cameron followed Nigel Farage on to the studio floor.Yesterday was ITV’s turn to host the prime minister and a Brexit-favouring rival in separate Q&A sessions, and this time David Cameron followed Nigel Farage on to the studio floor.
I’ve rounded up the key moments below, along with the rest of the news you need for another day on the referendum campaign. Andrew Sparrow will be along later to take his seat. Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.I’ve rounded up the key moments below, along with the rest of the news you need for another day on the referendum campaign. Andrew Sparrow will be along later to take his seat. Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.
The big pictureThe big picture
Last night’s ITV Q&A followed familiar themes for this campaign: immigration, the economy, accusations of scaremongering by both sides, and the question of sovereignty, with the consensus from political observers being that neither man was particularly hoiked out of his comfort zone.Last night’s ITV Q&A followed familiar themes for this campaign: immigration, the economy, accusations of scaremongering by both sides, and the question of sovereignty, with the consensus from political observers being that neither man was particularly hoiked out of his comfort zone.
Here’s the round-up of the debate from our Westminster team, and the verdicts from Guardian columnists.Here’s the round-up of the debate from our Westminster team, and the verdicts from Guardian columnists.
The debate does appear to have had a galvanising effect on some, though, with the government website to register to vote in the referendum – deadline: midnight Tuesday – crashing in the wake of the Cameron/Farage show. Reassuringly, the Cabinet Office tweeted at 12.57am (57 minutes past cut-off time) to say everything was working again nicely.The debate does appear to have had a galvanising effect on some, though, with the government website to register to vote in the referendum – deadline: midnight Tuesday – crashing in the wake of the Cameron/Farage show. Reassuringly, the Cabinet Office tweeted at 12.57am (57 minutes past cut-off time) to say everything was working again nicely.
Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron were just two of the voices calling for the deadline to be extended to allow frustrated would-be voters to sign up.Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron were just two of the voices calling for the deadline to be extended to allow frustrated would-be voters to sign up.
What we learnedWhat we learned
David Cameron does not think Brexit would be a boost to British sovereignty:David Cameron does not think Brexit would be a boost to British sovereignty:
It might give you the illusion of sovereignty to withdraw on June 23, but you’d find out, in area after area after area, things that affect our great country, we would have no say over.It might give you the illusion of sovereignty to withdraw on June 23, but you’d find out, in area after area after area, things that affect our great country, we would have no say over.
(With Peter Mandelson as his unlikely inspiration) Cameron said the British were fighters, not quitters:(With Peter Mandelson as his unlikely inspiration) Cameron said the British were fighters, not quitters:
Leaving is quitting and I don’t think Britain, I don’t think we are quitters, I think we are fighters.Leaving is quitting and I don’t think Britain, I don’t think we are quitters, I think we are fighters.
Despite previous insistences to the contrary, he does fear another bid for independence for Scotland:Despite previous insistences to the contrary, he does fear another bid for independence for Scotland:
Frankly I do worry about a second Scottish referendum if we vote to leave. You don’t strengthen your country by leading to its break-up.Frankly I do worry about a second Scottish referendum if we vote to leave. You don’t strengthen your country by leading to its break-up.
And he thinks the cross-party backing for Remain is an:And he thinks the cross-party backing for Remain is an:
extraordinary alliance of Greens and Liberals and the Labour party and the Conservative government, the trade unions, business large and small.extraordinary alliance of Greens and Liberals and the Labour party and the Conservative government, the trade unions, business large and small.
Nigel Farage doesn’t think GDP is all that important:Nigel Farage doesn’t think GDP is all that important:
Do you know something? There is more to this country, there is more about this community than just being competitive … What I’m saying is that it’s wrong, wrong, wrong for average decent people in this country, their living standards are falling by about 10%.Do you know something? There is more to this country, there is more about this community than just being competitive … What I’m saying is that it’s wrong, wrong, wrong for average decent people in this country, their living standards are falling by about 10%.
It’s about time we were not thinking about GDP, the rich getting richer, and think about ordinary decent people who are having a rotten time.It’s about time we were not thinking about GDP, the rich getting richer, and think about ordinary decent people who are having a rotten time.
Despite the row over his comments on the mass sexual assaults in Cologne – including criticism yesterday from Justin Welby, the archibishop of Canterbury – Farage thinks it’s a “tiddly issue”:Despite the row over his comments on the mass sexual assaults in Cologne – including criticism yesterday from Justin Welby, the archibishop of Canterbury – Farage thinks it’s a “tiddly issue”:
I’m used to being demonised ... I’m not going to stand and attack the archbishop of Canterbury but he would have done better to read what I actually said … It is a tiddly issue in this campaign. I knew the Remainers would come for me and inflate what I said out of proportion.I’m used to being demonised ... I’m not going to stand and attack the archbishop of Canterbury but he would have done better to read what I actually said … It is a tiddly issue in this campaign. I knew the Remainers would come for me and inflate what I said out of proportion.
And the Ukip leader doesn’t think the EU will be around in 20 years’ time:And the Ukip leader doesn’t think the EU will be around in 20 years’ time:
I think it’s done for, frankly … The project doesn’t work.I think it’s done for, frankly … The project doesn’t work.
What we didn’tWhat we didn’t
Cameron remains very reluctant to put a date on his ambition to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands and whether new restrictions on benefits might speed that along:Cameron remains very reluctant to put a date on his ambition to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands and whether new restrictions on benefits might speed that along:
I haven’t made a forecast, because frankly we have had pretty extraordinary years recently in the EU. The first five years I was prime minister, our economy created more jobs than the rest of the EU put together and so we have seen a lot of people coming to live and work here.I haven’t made a forecast, because frankly we have had pretty extraordinary years recently in the EU. The first five years I was prime minister, our economy created more jobs than the rest of the EU put together and so we have seen a lot of people coming to live and work here.
The key exchangeThe key exchange
Quizzed by a woman in the studio audience over his Cologne comments, Farage resorted to the “calm down” tactics used by Cameron in the past:Quizzed by a woman in the studio audience over his Cologne comments, Farage resorted to the “calm down” tactics used by Cameron in the past:
Audience member: In light of the recent, horrific sexual assaults in Germany, you have basically suggested that a vote to remain is a vote for British women to be subdued to the same horrific assaults.Audience member: In light of the recent, horrific sexual assaults in Germany, you have basically suggested that a vote to remain is a vote for British women to be subdued to the same horrific assaults.
Farage: Well, just calm down there a little bit.Farage: Well, just calm down there a little bit.
Moderator Julie Etchingham: She asked it perfectly calmly.Moderator Julie Etchingham: She asked it perfectly calmly.
Audience member: I am calm.Audience member: I am calm.
Nigel Farage tells audience member to 'calm down' #ITVEURef https://t.co/EVIua9pngGNigel Farage tells audience member to 'calm down' #ITVEURef https://t.co/EVIua9pngG
Clarification of the nightClarification of the night
Courtesy of ITV’s Chris Ship, responding to Ukip MEP David Coburn’s tweet:Courtesy of ITV’s Chris Ship, responding to Ukip MEP David Coburn’s tweet:
The Remain campaign verdictThe Remain campaign verdict
Tory minister Anna Soubry said Farage had displayed an “awful, patronising, slightly chauvinistic attitude” towards the woman he told to “calm down”:Tory minister Anna Soubry said Farage had displayed an “awful, patronising, slightly chauvinistic attitude” towards the woman he told to “calm down”:
That’s the trouble with Nigel: he’s a prickly pear really, and he doesn’t like it up him when someone asks him a tough question.That’s the trouble with Nigel: he’s a prickly pear really, and he doesn’t like it up him when someone asks him a tough question.
Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson said the prime minister had done … OK:Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson said the prime minister had done … OK:
Cameron did his job adequately. The frustration as Labour politicians is that we could not talk about our distinct message on the EU that, yes, it’s a single market but it also offers full workplace protections and we don’t want a race to the bottom on workplace rights. But I guess we couldn’t expect David Cameron to make that case.Cameron did his job adequately. The frustration as Labour politicians is that we could not talk about our distinct message on the EU that, yes, it’s a single market but it also offers full workplace protections and we don’t want a race to the bottom on workplace rights. But I guess we couldn’t expect David Cameron to make that case.
The Leave campaign verdictThe Leave campaign verdict
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, which did not attend the debate after ITV invited Farage in place of an official campaign spokesperson, said Cameron had “told five outright lies”:Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, which did not attend the debate after ITV invited Farage in place of an official campaign spokesperson, said Cameron had “told five outright lies”:
He lied about being able to remove EU jobseekers without a job after six months, our ability to stop foreign criminals walking into the UK, our ability to deport foreign criminals, his pledge to restrict benefits and how much his government is investing in the NHS.He lied about being able to remove EU jobseekers without a job after six months, our ability to stop foreign criminals walking into the UK, our ability to deport foreign criminals, his pledge to restrict benefits and how much his government is investing in the NHS.
He still claims that Turkey won’t join the EU while his government is spending £1bn to help speed up their membership.He still claims that Turkey won’t join the EU while his government is spending £1bn to help speed up their membership.
Steven Woolfe, Ukip’s immigration spokesman, said Farage was the victor:Steven Woolfe, Ukip’s immigration spokesman, said Farage was the victor:
What I was surprised by was how weak David Cameron looked. His demeanour, his shoulders, even the way he was looking at the audience, showed this is a man under intense pressure. He couldn’t seem to answer the questions on immigration and was deeply confused about the question on the NHS.What I was surprised by was how weak David Cameron looked. His demeanour, his shoulders, even the way he was looking at the audience, showed this is a man under intense pressure. He couldn’t seem to answer the questions on immigration and was deeply confused about the question on the NHS.
You should also knowYou should also know
Poll positionPoll position
Findings today from the Pew Research Centre indicate that euroscepticism is on the rise across Europe. Greeks, in particular, are not all that keen on the EU right now:Findings today from the Pew Research Centre indicate that euroscepticism is on the rise across Europe. Greeks, in particular, are not all that keen on the EU right now:
CHART: Favorable views of the EU, 2004 to 2016 https://t.co/FsADUUPMo7 pic.twitter.com/exZ6e3hQ1nCHART: Favorable views of the EU, 2004 to 2016 https://t.co/FsADUUPMo7 pic.twitter.com/exZ6e3hQ1n
The Pew study found only 6% of British respondents would be in favour of transferring more power to the EU.The Pew study found only 6% of British respondents would be in favour of transferring more power to the EU.
Overall, 70% of Europeans in the nine EU nations surveyed (excluding the UK) think Britain leaving the EU would be a bad thing, with only 16% branding it positive.Overall, 70% of Europeans in the nine EU nations surveyed (excluding the UK) think Britain leaving the EU would be a bad thing, with only 16% branding it positive.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times poll of polls has Remain on 45% and Leave on 43%.Meanwhile, the Financial Times poll of polls has Remain on 45% and Leave on 43%.
DiaryDiary
Read theseRead these
Alice Thomson in the Times is not impressed by the rash of online quizzes that claim to help voters determine if they’re Innies or Outies:Alice Thomson in the Times is not impressed by the rash of online quizzes that claim to help voters determine if they’re Innies or Outies:
They are also part of a trend that feels alien to British politics: direct democracy. Most British voters don’t want to choose their mayors or police commissioners; many are already fed up with this referendum and don’t quite understand why we are holding it. They don’t yearn for yet more referendums on abortion, defence spending or going to war. The British are still more or less believers in Edmund Burke’s representative democracy where ‘your representative owes you his judgment, and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion’.They are also part of a trend that feels alien to British politics: direct democracy. Most British voters don’t want to choose their mayors or police commissioners; many are already fed up with this referendum and don’t quite understand why we are holding it. They don’t yearn for yet more referendums on abortion, defence spending or going to war. The British are still more or less believers in Edmund Burke’s representative democracy where ‘your representative owes you his judgment, and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion’.
We prefer to delegate our democracy to the politicians and party we think will make the best go of it rather than tick boxes. If they make a bog of it we will complain; otherwise we want to get on with our lives until the next election.We prefer to delegate our democracy to the politicians and party we think will make the best go of it rather than tick boxes. If they make a bog of it we will complain; otherwise we want to get on with our lives until the next election.
George Eaton in the New Statesman says last night’s debate was an illustration of why Cameron is the prime minister and Farage has failed (seven times) to become an MP:George Eaton in the New Statesman says last night’s debate was an illustration of why Cameron is the prime minister and Farage has failed (seven times) to become an MP:
If there were no dramatic gaffes from Farage tonight, his performance confirmed his profound limitations. Though he struck populist blows against ‘the rich getting richer’ and Jean-Claude Juncker … he failed to offer the reassurance that a Brexit-sceptic public craves. ‘No deal is better than the rotten deal we’ve got at the moment,’ he declared on the economy, a line perfectly crafted to alienate risk-averse voters …If there were no dramatic gaffes from Farage tonight, his performance confirmed his profound limitations. Though he struck populist blows against ‘the rich getting richer’ and Jean-Claude Juncker … he failed to offer the reassurance that a Brexit-sceptic public craves. ‘No deal is better than the rotten deal we’ve got at the moment,’ he declared on the economy, a line perfectly crafted to alienate risk-averse voters …
The Ukip base will have lapped it up but centrist voters will have been unimpressed. Farage again showed why he is a 15% politician, not a 50% one.The Ukip base will have lapped it up but centrist voters will have been unimpressed. Farage again showed why he is a 15% politician, not a 50% one.
In the Scotsman, Scott Macnab says EU campaigners on both sides could learn from the – sometimes exceedingly detailed – agendas of the Scottish referendum campaigners:In the Scotsman, Scott Macnab says EU campaigners on both sides could learn from the – sometimes exceedingly detailed – agendas of the Scottish referendum campaigners:
No one can say Scots didn’t give all the issues a good run around the course. In the current EU referendum voters say they don’t have enough information. In the Scottish referendum, they complained of being swamped with too much.No one can say Scots didn’t give all the issues a good run around the course. In the current EU referendum voters say they don’t have enough information. In the Scottish referendum, they complained of being swamped with too much.
Perhaps more fundamentally, Scots at least did get an impression of the kind of role the new independent Scotland would fill in the world, a left-of-centre, Scandinavian-style social democracy with a focus on excellent public services and, perhaps, higher taxes. This is a challenging concept to get across two years on in such a brief campaign. But if the Leave side fails to hold its current polling advantage and loses on 23 June, perhaps the absence of any real sense of the UK’s place in the world outside Europe will prove a fatal shortcoming.Perhaps more fundamentally, Scots at least did get an impression of the kind of role the new independent Scotland would fill in the world, a left-of-centre, Scandinavian-style social democracy with a focus on excellent public services and, perhaps, higher taxes. This is a challenging concept to get across two years on in such a brief campaign. But if the Leave side fails to hold its current polling advantage and loses on 23 June, perhaps the absence of any real sense of the UK’s place in the world outside Europe will prove a fatal shortcoming.
Baffling claim of the dayBaffling claim of the day
It’s churlish to chide twitterers for bad grammar, I know, but then again Ukip did also tweet this about how essential it is to be able to speak English properly:It’s churlish to chide twitterers for bad grammar, I know, but then again Ukip did also tweet this about how essential it is to be able to speak English properly:
The choice is between a free independent the country, or one which cannot control it's destiny #ITVEURefThe choice is between a free independent the country, or one which cannot control it's destiny #ITVEURef
Celebrity endorsement of the dayCelebrity endorsement of the day
YouTube vloggers Jamal Edwards and Louise Pentland have been unveiled as questioners in a referendum debate to be held next week, hosted by YouTube, the Telegraph and Huffington Post, and featuring Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Alex Salmond and Liz Kendall.YouTube vloggers Jamal Edwards and Louise Pentland have been unveiled as questioners in a referendum debate to be held next week, hosted by YouTube, the Telegraph and Huffington Post, and featuring Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Alex Salmond and Liz Kendall.
The Telegraph says (the “YouTubers” quote marks are very much the Telegraph’s own):The Telegraph says (the “YouTubers” quote marks are very much the Telegraph’s own):
The two online video bloggers have 3.2 million subscribers between them … The hope is that these successful “YouTubers” could help reach young people and engage with them about the referendum in a way in which conventional media cannot.The two online video bloggers have 3.2 million subscribers between them … The hope is that these successful “YouTubers” could help reach young people and engage with them about the referendum in a way in which conventional media cannot.
The day in a tweetThe day in a tweet
The deadline to #RegisterToVote in the #EURef has now passed. If you did not register, you cannot vote in the EU Referendum.The deadline to #RegisterToVote in the #EURef has now passed. If you did not register, you cannot vote in the EU Referendum.
If today were a song ...If today were a song ...
It would be Carole King’s It’s Too Late, 504 gateway timeout error or no 504 gateway timeout error.It would be Carole King’s It’s Too Late, 504 gateway timeout error or no 504 gateway timeout error.
And another thingAnd another thing
Would you like to wake up to this briefing in your inbox every weekday? Sign up here!Would you like to wake up to this briefing in your inbox every weekday? Sign up here!
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