A senior advisor to Kamala Harris admitted internal polls showed the vice president was never ahead of Donald Trump in the battleground states, and that they were running on hope on Election Day. David Plouffe said from the moment Harris entered the race she started behind Trump and that he was ‘surprised’ to see public polls showing her in the lead. ‘I mean, I think it surprised people because there were these public polls that came out in late September, early October, showing us with leads that we never saw,’ he said.

Labour will need to loosen immigration rules to find an extra half-a-million construction workers required to meet its housebuilding target, economists have warned. Ministers are pledging to build 1.5million new homes over the next five years – equivalent to 300,000 per year – and have proposed an overhaul of planning rules in order to meet their ambition. But Capital Economics have said the Government will also need a further 500,000 construction workers in England to fulfil their goal.

Taylor Swift has released a new batch of $16 tickets with ‘no view’ for her final three shows in Vancouver next month. The singer is wrapping up her Eras tour in the city and the new tickets seated behind the stage have been put on sale much to the delight of fans. Despite the fact there is no view of the stage, fans were undeterred as they penned: ‘Imagine paying $15 for a seat with no view and still hearing the best concert of your life’.

JK Rowling claims the BBC is ‘spitting in women’s faces’ by naming Barbra Banda as Women’s Footballer of the Year despite failing to meet gender eligibility rules. Zambia and Orlando Pride striker Banda won the title as she received the most votes from BBC Sport website readers after being included on a five-player shortlist. But Banda’s place in the running for the annual prize was criticised by women’s rights groups because she was previously left out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 by team bosses over allegedly having high testosterone levels.

Luton is reeling from the news that Vauxhall is set to sever its long-held link with the town – after parent company Stellantis announced plans to shut the car maker’s factory after 120 years. Stellantis, which also controls the Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen brands, has blamed government EV sales targets for the decision to shutter the factory, which first opened in 1905 and has been making vans for almost a century. The Luton factory had been set for a retooling to make the electric version of the Vivaro van before the plug was pulled on Tuesday afternoon – to the shock of workers, some of whom have worked at the plant for decades.

A female fire brigade worker has sued for harassment after her male boss made a remark about his wife having a Mulberry handbag just like hers. Tayba Amber accused Martin McCarthy of being a ‘𝑠e𝑥ual predator’ after his comment during a meeting about her return to work from sick leave, an employment tribunal heard. After noticing the high-end fashion accessory, he asked her if she would later be going to the Mulberry shop – where bags can cost more than £1,500 – and said he had spent a ‘considerable amount of money’ on handbags for his wife.