Cabinet minister Michael Gove was tasked with handling questions about fresh Tory Party turmoil over allegations of betting on the date of the General Election, instead of talking up the party’s housing policies as planned on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was forced to deny that a party official had suggested a future government could “flatten the whole green belt” to achieve its homebuilding plans.

Both the Labour and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey were visiting seats in Yorkshire on Thursday, ahead of their appearance on BBC1’s Question Time in York.