In today’s newsletter: What a spate of offensive comments from volunteers and candidates reveal about the Reform UK agenda – and how they might affect its support

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Good afternoon. You’re safe here: after this sentence, there will be absolutely no mention of what happened in American politics last night. We now go live to Britain, where everything is totally fine, and Nigel Farage is desperately trying to distance himself from some of the most flagrantly racist political campaigners you will find this side of a National Front rally.

More on what to make of Reform’s problem with its own people, and a truly horrifying general election diet, after the headlines.

Economy | The UK economy grew at a faster rate than previously thought in the first quarter of 2024, handing the next prime minister an improved economic backdrop. The data confirmed that the UK was the fastest-growing economy in the G7 during the first quarter after a short recession in 2023.

Labour | Stamp duty will rise for first-time buyers next year if Labour wins the election, the party has confirmed, as it plans to allow a temporary tax break enacted by the Conservatives to expire. A party spokesperson said on Friday it would allow the threshold for stamp duty to fall back to £300,000, after it was raised to £425,000 in 2022.

Conservatives | Rishi Sunak’s most senior adviser has been interviewed as a witness as part of the Gambling Commission’s investigation into widespread betting by Westminster figures on the date and outcome of the general election. Sources told the BBC that Liam Booth-Smith was not a suspect and had not placed a bet himself.

Apathy and antipathy towards all parties is a growing trend in UK elections. But with a week to go, undecided voters could prove critical to the result. Archie Bland reports