the king's speech film analysis essay

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The King’s Speech

Inciting Event:  Watching Bertie, the Duke of York, go through another ineffective and humiliating “treatment” for his stammer with another respected doctor. Bertie’s wife Elizabeth gets the name of Lionel Logue, a speech therapist, and visits him to see if he can help her husband.

First Plot Point:  After a disastrous first meeting with Lionel Logue, and another stressful and humiliating meeting with his father, King George V, whom everyone loves, Bertie listens to a recording Lionel made of him (Bertie) reading Hamlet perfectly, with no stammering. Bertie realizes it’s possible. He can’t not try.

First Pinch Point:  Even before the death of their father the king, it’s apparent Bertie’s older brother David, the Prince of Wales, is going to make a very unsuitable king. After David is crowned King Edward VI, Lionel suggests Bertie would be a much better king. This is basically treason and Bertie says so, but Lionel pushes his point. He and Bertie argue, and Bertie breaks off their sessions.

Midpoint:  David abdicates and the thing Bertie has been dreading happens: He must become king, which means not just speaking in public, but being an inspiring leader, something he never dreamed he was capable of doing. But now he must.

Second Pinch Point:  Bertie calls in Lionel to help him get through the coronation. During the rehearsal, Bertie is informed Lionel is not an actual doctor. He’s embarrassed for training with someone who isn’t “qualified.”

Third Plot Point:  Lionel explains how he got into speech therapy and in the process shows Bertie that results are more important than “letters behind a name.” Bertie now has full confidence in Lionel, to the point that now he’s standing up to the people who had always intimidated him to defend Lionel. He’s embracing the role of king.

Climax:  With guidance from Lionel, Bertie gives the speech of his life, explaining to the country why they are going to war again so soon after the horrible experience of the Great War. This speech will define him as a king capable of leading his nation through its worst crisis. By the end of the speech, he believes it himself.

Climactic Moment:  After the speech, Bertie thanks Lionel, calling him “Lionel” for the first time, instead of “Dr. Logue.” For the first time, instead of calling him “Bertie,” Lionel calls him “Your Majesty.”

Resolution:  It’s very quick. Bertie goes out on the balcony with his family and we can see now that he’s fully embraced the role and responsibility of being king.

Notes:  Besides being well structured, this movie is a great example of how to introduce the tension right away, then keep raising it gradually by constantly upping the stakes through the course of the story. At the beginning of the movie, Bertie–and the viewers–don’t know that by the end he’ll be looking at the same goal, of successfully making a speech, but by then the stakes will be so much higher.

(Submitted by Marnie Werner.)

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"The King's Speech" tells the story of a man compelled to speak to the world with a stammer. It must be painful enough for one who stammers to speak to another person. To face a radio microphone and know the British Empire is listening must be terrifying. At the time of the speech mentioned in this title, a quarter of the Earth's population was in the Empire, and of course much of North America, Europe, Africa and Asia would be listening — and with particular attention, Germany.

The king was George VI. The year was 1939. Britain was entering into war with Germany. His listeners required firmness, clarity and resolve, not stammers punctuated with tortured silences. This was a man who never wanted to be king. After the death of his father, the throne was to pass to his brother Edward. But Edward renounced the throne "in order to marry the woman I love," and the duty fell to Prince Albert, who had struggled with his speech from an early age.

In "The King's Speech," director Tom Hooper opens on Albert ( Colin Firth ), attempting to open the British Empire Exhibition in 1925. Before a crowded arena and a radio audience, he seizes up in agony in efforts to make the words come out right. His father, George V ( Michael Gambon ), has always considered "Bertie" superior to Edward ( Guy Pearce ), but mourns the introduction of radio and newsreels, which require a monarch to be seen and heard on public occasions.

At that 1925 speech, we see Bertie's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), her face filled with sympathy. As it becomes clear that Edward's obsession with Wallis Simpson (Eve Best) is incurable, she realizes her Bertie may face more public humiliation. He sees various speech therapists, one of whom tries the old marbles-in-the-mouth routine first recommended by Demosthenes. Nothing works, and then she seeks out a failed Australian actor named Lionel Logue ( Geoffrey Rush ), who has set up a speech therapy practice.

Logue doesn't realize at first who is consulting him. And one of the subjects of the film is Logue's attitude toward royalty, which I suspect is not untypical of Australians; he suggests to Albert that they get on a first-name basis. Albert has been raised within the bell jar of the monarchy and objects to such treatment, not because he has an elevated opinion of himself but because, well, it just isn't done. But Logue realizes that if he is to become the king's therapist, he must first become his friend.

If the British monarchy is good for nothing else, it's superb at producing the subjects of films. "The King's Speech," rich in period detail and meticulous class distinctions, largely sidesteps the story that loomed over this whole period, Edward's startling decision to give up the crown to marry a woman who was already divorced three times. Indeed, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (as they became) would occupy an inexplicable volume of attention for years, considering they had no significance after the Duke's abdication. The unsavory thing is that Wallis Simpson considered herself worthy of such a sacrifice from the man she allegedly loved. This film finds a more interesting story about better people; Americans, who aren't always expert on British royalty, may not necessarily realize that Albert and wife Elizabeth were the parents of Queen Elizabeth II. God knows what Edward might have fathered.

Director Tom Hooper makes an interesting decision with his sets and visuals. The movie is largely shot in interiors, and most of those spaces are long and narrow. That's unusual in historical dramas, which emphasize sweep and majesty and so on. Here we have long corridors, a deep and narrow master control room for the BBC, rooms that seem peculiarly oblong. I suspect he may be evoking the narrow, constricting walls of Albert's throat as he struggles to get words out.

The film largely involves the actors Colin Firth, formal and decent, and Geoffrey Rush, large and expansive, in psychological struggle. Helena Bonham Carter, who can be merciless (as in the "Harry Potter" films), is here filled with mercy, tact and love for her husband; this is the woman who became the much-loved Queen Mother of our lifetimes, dying in 2002 at 101. As the men have a struggle of wills, she tries to smooth things (and raise her girls Elizabeth and Margaret). And in the wider sphere, Hitler takes power, war comes closer, Mrs. Simpson wreaks havoc, and the dreaded day approaches when Bertie, as George VI, will have to speak to the world and declare war.

Hooper's handling of that fraught scene is masterful. Firth internalizes his tension and keeps the required stiff upper lip, but his staff and household are terrified on his behalf as he marches toward a microphone as if it is a guillotine. It is the one scene in the film that must work, and it does, and its emotional impact is surprisingly strong. At the end, what we have here is a superior historical drama and a powerful personal one. And two opposites who remain friends for the rest of their lives.

Note: The R rating refers to Logue's use of vulgarity. It is utterly inexplicable. This is an excellent film for teenagers.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

The King's Speech (2010)

Rated R for language

118 minutes

Directed by

• David Seidler

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“The King’s Speech” Drama by Tom Hooper Essay (Movie Review)

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Introduction

The King’s Speech is a 2010 film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. It is a biographical drama that follows the life of King George VI, specifically, his speech problems and friendship with an Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. The movie was widely praised by the critics, got twelve Oscar nominations, and won in four categories: Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay (BBC News, 2011, para. 1-2). The story encompasses a wide variety of topics, such as friendship, love, honor, duty, family, society expectations, social hierarchy, and many others. Most importantly, it portrays the life of a person struggling to overcome a speech disorder and shows how the physical aspect of speech difficulties is linked to deeper, emotional issues and traumatic past.

The central problem of the main character is introduced right in the first scene, which is centered on the speech that Prince Albert delivered at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley in 1925. We feel the character’s perturbation from the beginning: he looks “as if attending his own funeral” (Bradshaw, 2011, para. 5). He fails to deliver a speech due to his severe stammering, and this event sets the foundation for the rest of the movie.

It is shown that the Prince has tried to treat his disorder but to no avail. He gave up the hope, which is why his wife Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, finds Lionel Logue and sets up an appointment for Albert. Lionel employs not only physical remedies for stammering; he helps the Prince to find the roots of the problem in his childhood, and to address the traumatic memories, which is why Bradshaw (2011) calls the approach “psychoanalysis, disguised as speech therapy” (para. 5).

The Prince’s speech disorder and therapy expose a set of interpersonal conflicts. For instance, his father, King George V, tries to rather aggressively persuade Prince Albert to try and solve his stammering problem, stressing the fact that he has to conform to the high expectations of the society. Prince Edward, Albert’s brother, on the other hand, is a “smooth, obnoxious bully” (Bradshaw, 2011, para. 9) and mocks his stammering.

Through his therapeutic sessions with Lionel, Albert realizes that his complicated relationship with Edward was one of the principal causes of his speech disorder. Nevertheless, the overall experience of the character is still affirmative due to many positive interactions. Elizabeth, for instance, is shown as a kind and loving wife who supports the Prince in all circumstances. The most significant relationship of the movie, however, is between Albert and Lionel.

Lionel Logue managed to considerably alleviate Albert’s impediment, despite having no formal qualifications and being a self-taught specialist (The Telegraph, 2010, para. 6). More significantly, however, he became his close friend. After the King’s death in 1952, Lionel received a letter from Queen Elizabeth, in which she “told Logue that her husband had owed him a debt of gratitude for helping him not merely with his stutter, but his whole life” (Walker, 2010, para. 2).

Despite the fact that the movie only covers one of the 25 years of this relationship (Glass, 2011, para. 11), the impact that Lionel had on Albert’s life is clearly shown, for it is Logue who helps the King to reach the resolution of his conflict.

In the climactic scene of the film, Albert has to deliver his first wartime speech as the new King in a live broadcast addressing the entire country. The success of the speech is momentous: the society sees King George VI as a weaker leader than his brother, primarily due to his public speaking issues. Moreover, it is clear that Albert doubts himself; he believes that he is a poor fit for the throne and feels incredibly anxious about leading the country. Both his wife and Logue provide reassurance he needs, and the King manages to deliver the speech successfully. The scene resolves not just the conflict between Albert and the society, but also his inner conflict: we notice the change in his confidence as he walks out to see the people applauding.

BBC News (2011). Oscars 2011: The King’s Speech reigns . BBC News . Web.

Bradshaw, P. (2011). The King’s Speech – Review . The Guardian . Web.

Canning, I. (Producer) & Hooper, T. (Director). (2010). The King’s Speech [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Momentum Pictures.

The Telegraph (2010). The King’s Speech: how Lionel Logue cured King George VI’s stammer . The Telegraph . Web.

Walker, T. (2010). Queen Elizabeth’s posthumous endorsement of Lionel Logue. The Telegraph . Web.

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IvyPanda. (2020, August 22). "The King’s Speech" Drama by Tom Hooper. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-kings-speech-drama-by-tom-hooper/

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IvyPanda . 2020. ""The King’s Speech" Drama by Tom Hooper." August 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-kings-speech-drama-by-tom-hooper/.

1. IvyPanda . ""The King’s Speech" Drama by Tom Hooper." August 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-kings-speech-drama-by-tom-hooper/.

Bibliography

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The King's Speech

A tale of friendship, transformation, and royalty's quest for equality

An uplifting and warm-hearted character study that owes as much of its delight to a charming performance by Geoffrey Rush as it does to a structure built upon depicting a Change Main Character who grows out of seemingly insurmountable odds ( Stop/Good ) to overcome his personal issues. Appearances are at the heart of issues within The King’s Speech , and the Duke of York (Colin Firth as Protagonist ) does his best to keep up the show by being the King his subjects so desperately need ([Story Goal of Being ). Bertie’s change develops as a consequence of his relationship with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist from the other side of the tracks who demands the two be treated as equals ( Obstacle Character Domain of Universe ). This unique perspective works wonders on the Duke’s personal issues of feeling less-than-equal in matters of royalty ( Main Character Domain of Mind ). Together, the two develop an unlikely friendship as they work to overcome Bertie's speech impediment ( Relationship Story Domain of Physics & Relationship Story Problem of Test ).

Decisions both bad and good (bad on the part of the Duke’s brother David (Guy Pearce) and good on the part of our Hero to continue services with Lionel) propel this film to its Triumphant ending ( Story Driver of Decision , and Story Outcome of Success ). While not overly complex, the film delivers a meaningful example of what can happen when one brings themselves into alignment ([Main Character Solution of Deviation by focusing on doing, rather than worrying endlessly upon the end results ( Obstacle Character Problem of Process ).

Oh, and a brilliant use of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony.

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The King's Speech

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The focus within the English curriculum on speaking and listening in a range of contexts, as well as the study of spoken English, makes The King’s Speech a highly appropriate film to stimulate discussion. As a British production, the film also makes an excellent focus for Media Studies, where students can explore promotional materials around the film’s release. The film can also be approached by students of History, as interesting stimulus for further discussion.

To accompany the film’s DVD and Blu-ray release, we have produced a curriculum-linked study guide that you can download. This guide is designed for use within English and Media Studies lessons at Key Stage 4 (14–16).

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Semantic Change Analysis on Film “the King’s Speech”

Linguistics and Elt Journal

Semantic Change is the meaning of a word can indeed change through its use in a metaphor, and it is often mentioned as one of the significant factors in semantic change. Based on the types of semantic change, they are divided into four types namely generalization, specialization, pejoration and amelioration. This research aims to analyze semantic change by characters on the film The King’s Speech written by David Seidler to find the types of semantic change by using qualitative research, and the data were collected through the film script especially from the characters in the film. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher found two semantic change such as the semantic change of generalization reaches the highest number with 10 data (62.5%). It implies that the characters in the film gave the words which were containing the meaning of a word is broadening to include new concepts. The range of its meaning increases so that the word can be used in various contexts with a broa...

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When changes happen to the meanings of words, we speak of semantic change. Meanings of words can be extended creatively (a possibility afforded by the human cognitive system), or their meanings can change through reanalysis, chiefly but not exclusively during language acquisition. Any speaker without direct access to the intent of the speakers around him or her must figure out what words mean from the contexts in which he or she encounters them. As Nerlich (1990: 181) puts it, " Words do not convey meaning in themselves, they are invested with meaning according to the totality of the context. They only have meaning in so far as they are interpreted as meaningful, in so far as the hearer attributes meaning to them in context " (emphases in original). If an interpretation of a word different from the intended interpretation is possible, and if this new interpretation is the one seized upon by the listener or learner and entered into the lexicon (" new " from the point of view of other speakers, that is), semantic change has happened. Limiting the term " semantic change " to such reinterpretations, or reanalyses, naturally and correctly excludes the everyday creative synchronic extension of meanings mentioned above (the latter not usually considered as constituting " language change " ; see further below). Textbooks in linguistics commonly list various types or categories of semantic change. 1 Although below I will be arguing that they are not very helpful for our understanding, an introductory discussion such as this one would be incomplete without taking them into account and briefly reviewing the types most commonly referred to: i Metaphoric extension. A metaphor expresses a relationship between two things based on a perceived similarity between them. When a word undergoes metaphoric extension, it gets a new referent which has some characteristic in common with the old referent. Words denoting body parts commonly undergo metaphoric extension: the head of an animal is its frontmost part, so one can also speak of the head of a line; the head of a person is his or her highest part, so one can speak of the head of a community, the person having the highest standing. Similarly, we speak of the foot of a mountain, the leg and back of a chair, the knees of a bald cypress, being on the heels of victory, and the heart of a palm. Another cross-linguistically common metaphor is the use of verbs meaning 'grasp, take hold of' in the meaning 'understand,' as English grasp, get, German fassen, begreifen, Mandarin li n g, huì. ii Metonymic extension. Metonymic extension results in a word coming to have a new referent that is associated in some way with the original referent. The two referents here stand in a contiguity relationship with one another, rather than in a similarity relationship as with metaphoric change. When we say, " The White House issued a bulletin, " we do not mean that the actual building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue engaged in this action; rather, we are referring to certain people associated with that building, that is, the executive branch of the US government. The phrase White House thus can refer to both the physical structure and the people associated with it; this latter meaning is a result of

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The King's Speech

56 pages • 1 hour read

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Summary and Study Guide

The King’s Speech is a 2010 non-fiction book about King George VI and how he was treated for a speech impediment by the Australian Lionel Logue . Their unlikely friendship is credited for saving the British monarchy during a difficult time in world history. The King’s Speech was co-authored by Mark Logue (grandson of Lionel Logue) and Peter Conradi (an accomplished author of historical nonfiction) as an accompaniment to the Oscar-winning 2010 film of the same name. 

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The book begins in May 1937. King George VI wakes up on the morning of his coronation, already nervous. The British monarchy is facing “one of the greatest crises” (16) in its history following the abdication of Edward VIII. Also in London, an Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue wakes up and begins to travel to the coronation with his wife Myrtle. The King is expected to deliver a speech, and the stammer he has suffered from since childhood has made this a difficult prospect. The streets are packed as the crowds gather to watch the ceremony. The coronation goes well. That evening, Logue travels to Buckingham Palace to help the King prepare for a radio broadcast. The next day, the King’s speech is hailed as a success.

Logue was born in Adelaide in 1880. He develops an interest in elocution and begins to perform speeches onstage for rapt audiences. He meets and marries a woman named Myrtle, and the two have a son together. They travel the world in 1908, leaving their son Laurie at home. They plan to move to Britain but do not do so until 1924. Logue becomes famous in Australia for his skills as a speech therapist. 

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By the time the Logue family moves to Great Britain, they have three sons. The country is still recovering from World War I and an economic recession. Logue sets up a speech therapy practice. He develops a number of key techniques to treat speech impediments. 

The future King George VI is born in December 1895. His grandmother is Queen Victoria. With his brother, he is raised mostly by nurses and governesses, leading to a distant relationship with his parents. Whereas his brother is charming and fun, he has developed a terrible stammer. Bertie (as he is known) attends naval college and does not excel. His father is eventually proclaimed King. Bertie struggles to give speeches and frequently falls ill. In adulthood, Bertie slowly becomes his father’s favorite while his brother argues with the King and has developed a reputation for socializing. Bertie meets Elizabeth, and they marry, which pleases Bertie’s father, though his stammer remains an issue. Public speaking makes him incredibly nervous. One speech ends in humiliation for Bertie. Logue hears him speak and believes he can help. Bertie has sought medical advice, but it has always failed him. At Elizabeth’s request, Bertie agrees to meet with Logue.

Logue and Bertie meet at Logue’s office. Logue declares that he can cure the stammer but demands that his patient apply a tremendous amount of effort. They meet often, and two well-delivered speeches are seen as evidence of improvement. A royal trip to Australia goes very well, and Bertie is commended for his speech. The lessons continue.

Logue takes Myrtle to the Palace, where they are presented at court. Bertie’s improvement is noted in the press, though Logue declines to answer questions on the matter. The story is eventually published, and Logue is credited for his work, becoming famous. Bertie continues to toil and the beginnings of a real friendship between him and Logue emerge.

The narrative moves into the 1930s. Bertie is becoming more involved in the monarchy while his daughters are becoming world famous. He visits Logue less frequently but remains in touch. The Great Depression affects both men’s families. King George V dies in 1936, precipitating change for both men.

Edward takes the throne as a popular King, but his romantic relationship with twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson is scandalous. When he announces that he wants to marry Wallis, he is told it is not possible. Edward abdicates the throne. Bertie takes the throne as his brother leaves the country. Bertie becomes King George VI. His speech impediment is now an even bigger issue, even if his treatment has been going well.

Logue helps the new King prepare for his coronation. There will be a speech to the crowd and a radio broadcast for the Empire. Rehearsals do not go well, though the Queen is a calming influence. A back-up recording is made from practice speeches in the event that something should go wrong.

Both speeches are a triumph. Logue continues to help the King prepare his speeches. The monarch’s new workload is notably draining. The King delivers a Christmas day speech in the mold of his father, which Logue helps prepare. They spend Christmas day together, and the King gives Logue a present as a means of thanking him. Myrtle returns to Australia, where she is treated like a celebrity. Everyone wants to know about her husband’s work with the King.

As Europe moves closer to the Second World War, the King travels to Europe. He delivers speeches and meets with President Roosevelt. Logue grows closer to the royal family, and when the King returns from America, they chat informally about the trip while preparing for a speech.

The Second World War begins. The Logues’ Bavarian cook returns to Germany. Air raid sirens encourage everyone to move to shelters. The King and Logue prepare a special radio broadcast to reassure people. Rationing is introduced. The Christmas speech becomes a yearly tradition.

The war continues. The King’s hair is beginning to grey as he and Logue prepare a speech for Empire Day. Logue listens to the speech, marveling at the progress the King has made. The King is proud. The Nazis are winning in the war. Logue’s eldest son is conscripted. London is bombed. Logue assists with another Christmas speech. As he listens, he stops following along because he realizes that there is no need.

By 1943, the war has turned in the Allies’ favor. The King visits North Africa. All three Logue boys are now serving in the military. Logue’s business suffers due to the war and the King donates £500 as a means of thanking Logue. They prepare a speech for the eve of D-Day, which is a great success. The war continues, as does the bombing of London. The King delivers the Christmas speech without Logue, and it is a great success.

The Allies win the war. The entire country celebrates. Later, while Logue is undergoing surgery, Myrtle suffers a heart attack. Logue is devastated. Logue continues to work, though he sells the large (and now empty) family house. He is lonely and develops an interest in psychics. The King’s daughter marries, and the King’s health worsens.

The King delivers his final Christmas speech in 1951 and dies in his sleep a short time later. He and Logue corresponded up until his death. Logue recovers from his own illness to write to the Queen, mourning the loss of her husband. Princess Elizabeth is crowned Queen Elizabeth II. Logue dies in 1953 as a result of kidney failure. He does not survive to see Elizabeth’s coronation, though he is invited.

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This is beyond the remit of the Gambling Commission, which began the initial probe, and now falls to the police.

This means the prospect of mainly Conservative candidates, including the prime minister's closest aide, potentially being interviewed under caution, maybe even this side of election day.

You could see how tetchy the subject made Rishi Sunak in the interview with the broadcast pool earlier today.

Read Sam's full analysis here:

With our coverage here on the Politics Hub drawing to a close, here's everything you need to know as the election campaign entered its final week - and a sneak preview of what we have coming up tomorrow. 

• Sir Keir Starmer  has told Sky News there is "no evidence" private schools will be forced to close due to  Labour's plans to impose VAT on them ;
• Speaking to  Sky's Sophy Ridge,  the Labour leader defended his party's education policy to use the money to support state schools;
• He also vowed to "hit the ground running" should he become prime minister, saying cutting NHS waiting lists would be Labour's first priority in government.
• A Reform UK campaigner has been filmed saying migrants crossing the Channel should be used as "target practice";
• In   footage recorded by a Channel 4 undercover reporter , the same campaigner used a racial slur against Rishi Sunak;
• Another Reform figure was filmed making homophobic remarks ;
• Party leader Nigel Farage has described comments in the footage as "very wrong".
• Rishi Sunak  has refused to say if he told one of his closest parliamentary aides the date of the election  before he placed a bet on it ;
• Craig Williams , who has now been suspended as the Conservative candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr,  admitted  he "committed a serious error of judgment" but "not an offence";
• The  Metropolitan Police  have issued an update on their investigation into bets being placed on the date of the election - there are now  seven officers under investigation;
• Meanwhile, Mr Sunak's most senior adviser in Downing Street has been interviewed in the investigation. Sources have emphasised to Sky News that he is not a suspect.

Join us tomorrow morning for a new episode of Sky's  Electoral Dysfunction   podcast - and this time we've got someone very much outside the Westminster bubble.

Joining our  political editor  Beth Rigby   and  Ruth Davidson  this week is none other than  Rylan Clark .

👉  Tap here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts  👈

The next government is being urged to tackle an "appalling" rough sleeping crisis as new figures show a record high in London. 

A total of 11,993 people were seen rough sleeping in the capital in the year to March, according to the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) statistics.

That is the highest figure ever recorded on the database, and marks a 58% increase compared to 10 years ago.

The "appalling" increase reflects a "crisis, both in the capital and across the country", said Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, the membership body for frontline homelessness services in England, which manages the Chain database.

He said the next government "must create a cross-government plan to prevent rough sleeping and homelessness through delivering genuinely affordable and secure homes quickly, whilst making sure there are a diverse range of properly-funded homelessness services to help people address the root causes of their destitution and move on from rough sleeping for good".

The St Mungo's homeless charity said the next government must "treat homelessness as an emergency and prioritise it in their first 100 days".

According to the latest available figures for England, published in February, the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in 2023 was 3,898 - more than twice that of the figure in 2010.

Racist and homophobic remarks filmed as part of a Channel 4 investigation   during the Reform UK campaign were "inappropriate," chairman of the party Richard Tice has said. 

Speaking at a Reform UK event in Boston with party leader Nigel Farage, Mr Tice said: "We put a statement out and it's all self-explanatory in the statement.

"The reality is that we're a fast-growing movement, and when you've got unpaid volunteers, some people behave inappropriately. And they're gone."

In footage recorded by a Channel 4 undercover reporter, a Reform UK campaigner has been filmed saying migrants crossing the Channel should be used as "target practice".  He also used a racist slur against Rishi Sunak (see previous post).

Another Reform figure was filmed making homophobic remarks.

Mr Farage has described remarks in the footage as "very wrong".

A Reform UK campaigner has been filmed saying migrants crossing the Channel should be used as "target practice". 

In footage recorded by a Channel 4 undercover reporter , the same campaigner used a racial slur against Rishi Sunak. 

The clips were recorded in Clacton, where Reform leader Nigel Farage is a candidate. 

Responding to the footage, Mr Farage has said the comments were "very wrong".

"There was an activist that said some pretty unpleasant things," he said.

"Very very prejudiced, very wrong.

"He's somebody who turned up to help ... all political parties encourage volunteers."

He added that the campaigner in question would "not be welcome back" and that the two other figures featured in the footage would also no longer be working with the campaign. 

In the footage, the undercover reporter captured canvasser Andrew Parker talking about people coming ashore at Deal in Kent.

Mr Parker said: "Army recruitment - get the young recruits there, with guns, on the f****** beach, target practice. F****** just shoot them."

Mr Parker said in a statement, sent to Channel 4 News: "I would like to make it clear that neither Nigel Farage personally or the Reform Party are aware of my personal views on immigration."

He added: "I have never discussed immigration with either Nigel Farage or the Reform Party and that any comments made by me during those recordings are my own personal views on any subject I commented on. At no time before I was sent out to canvass did I discuss my personal views with any representative of the Reform Party UK or Nigel Farage."

Another Reform figure was filmed reacting to a Pride symbol on a passing police car.  

He says: "You see that f****** degenerate flag on the front bonnet? What are the old bill doing promoting that crap?"

The other candidates for the Clacton constituency are:

• Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, Labour;
• Matthew Bensilum, Lib Dems;
• Craig Jamieson, Climate Party;
• Tony Mack, independent;
• Natasha Osben, Greens;
• Tasos Papanastasiou, Heritage Party;
• Andrew Pemberton, UKIP;
• Giles Watling, Conservatives.

Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.

With just a week to go, the Tories and Labour have taken a drop, while support for Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats is on the rise.

Read more about the tracker  here .

The panel discussion is now turning to the Conservative Party's election campaign. 

Sky's  election commentator  Adam Boulton   says it has been "dreadful", adding Rishi Sunak "hasn't brought anything to this campaign". 

A series of missteps have dominated the headlines from the outset when Mr Sunak announced the election in the pouring rain.

But as the campaign enters its final week there may now be a moment of respite for the Conservatives, Adam says. 

"Almost the best thing about this campaign is the most irritating for a lot of people," Adam says.

"He's timed it to coincide with the Euros, with Wimbledon, with Glastonbury, which actually means the last week, it'll have to be a pretty big gaffe for anyone to notice."

That brings tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge to an end - the show will return tomorrow with Ali Fortescue . In the meantime, stick with us here for more news and analysis through the evening.

By Ashna Hurynag , news correspondent

The battle for Scottish votes is all to play for.

An exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News has Labour on 35% in Scotland and the SNP on 29%.

The latter are closing the gap, but if all goes this way on the night, such a result would mean big gains for Labour.

But the biggest gutter punch is dealt to the Conservatives who YouGov has on 11% and level with the Lib Dems.

But attitudes change when voters consider where to cast their ballot in the 2026 Holyrood elections.

As of the 18 June, voter intentions shifted to 28% for the SNP, 24% Labour, 10% Conservatives and 7% for the Lib Dems.

This tells us Scots treat UK and Scottish elections differently. 

It also suggests the former creating an opportunity for a protest vote - a cry of frustration at 14 years of Tory governments at Westminster, or the firing of a warning shot at the SNP’s record after 17 years at Holyrood.

But so many are still undecided.

1,059 people over 16 were surveyed by YouGov between the 20 and 25 June, exclusively for Sky News, and 14% of people surveyed have changed how they plan to vote over the past four weeks.

Of those, 37% say it was down to how the parties and their leaders have conducted themselves.

The NHS and health care are the key issues, followed by the cost of living next, the economy in general, immigration, and Scottish independence.

Rishi Sunak's most senior adviser in Downing Street has been interviewed in the investigation into bets by Conservatives on the date of the general election.

Liam Booth-Smith, Downing Street chief of staff, was interviewed last week by senior Gambling Commission officials and questioned about who knew about the timing of the election.

Sources have emphasised to Sky News that Mr Booth-Smith is not a suspect in the gambling investigation and was interviewed as a witness and was "asked for help".

Described as the prime minister's most trusted ally, Mr Booth-Smith has worked for Mr Sunak since he was chancellor, when his fondness for leather jackets earned him the nickname "the Treasury Travolta".

According to a Gambling Commission insider, Mr Booth-Smith was interviewed by "senior officials within the Gambling Commission, more senior than investigators".

Sky News has also been told there are currently no plans to interview the prime minister as part of the investigation into bets on the election date.

Read more here:

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