General Election LIVE: Sunak regrets D-Day departure 'mistake' as Starmer says he 'makes NO apology' for campaigning for Corbyn

Sunak asked to reveal something 'personal' to viewers 

Answering a question about his previous “Dishy Rishi” nickname and urged to share something personal which might endear voters towards him, Rishi Sunak said: “I actually have an appalling diet because I eat an enormous amount of sugar, and I’m very unhealthy in that regard, which I was talking to someone earlier today about.

“They were completely shocked.”

The Prime Minister added: “They were genuinely surprised about the amount of Haribos, Twixes and everything else that I get through, particularly during an election campaign.”

Sunak reiterates promise of tax cuts for 'people at every stafe'

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has repeated his promise of “tax cuts for people at every stage of their life”.

Facing questions about the tax burden potentially being higher than it is now under a future Conservative government, Sunak said: “What our manifesto announced is the tax cuts for people at every stage of their life – for people in work, for people that are setting up small businesses, that are self employed, for those young people who wanna buy their first home, for pensioners and for families.”

Sunak faced laughter and boos from the audience

Rishi Sunak faced laughter and boos from the audience during his sit-down interview on Sky News.

Answering questions about the five pledges he made in January 2023, Sunak said: “The most important priority was the first one, because when I got this job, inflation was at 11% and I think everyone knows the last few years have been difficult, the impact that was having on all your bills.”

He faced laughter when he said: “It (inflation) was always meant to come down over time.”

The PM also faced questions about rising NHS waiting lists, up to 7.54 million from the 7.21 million level when he made the pledge.
He said: "We’ve not made as much progress on cutting waiting lists as I would have liked.

"That was something that I was keen to do, and it has proved more difficult for a number of reasons, obviously recovering from a pandemic is not easy."

He faced groans and boos when he said: “I think everyone knows the impact the industrial action has had, that’s why we haven’t made as much (progress).”

Sunak reiterates D-Day apology 

On his early departure from D-Day commemorations, Sunak reiterated his apology for his “mistake” before saying: “I was incredibly sad to have caused people hurt and upset, that was the last thing that I wanted to do. I hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me.”

Sunak said he has spoken to veterans about his party’s work to help them.

'It hasn't been an easy 18 months', Sunak admits

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, asked what is going wrong for the Tories, said: “Well, I’ve got to say it hasn’t been an easy 18 months in general but what I’ve done though is just keep going to try and do my best for people and that’s what I’m doing in this campaign.”

Sunak said he believes the country has “turned a corner”, adding: “We’ve got a clear plan for the future to make a difference to people – to cut their taxes, bring down immigration, to protect pensions.”

He added he will continue to “keep fighting hard until the last day of this election”.

Sunak squirms when pressed on migration

Sunak looked uncomfortable as he was pressed on the Tories' promise to cut migration. It was pointed out that the figures have gone up, with this year being a record year for crossings.

Responding, Sunak said: "Yes, they were down last year by a third they were down o overver the last 12 months by a little less than that.

"This year what wwe'veeve seen is one particular country, Vietnam, accounting for the majority of the ,asecrese. But actually the plans we've put in place last year show it is possible to make a difference.

"Before I got the job, everyone said it was impossible to get the numbers down at all. But we've showed that it is possible and now we have a clear plan to put a deterrent in place."

Pressed on the fact that this year is a record year, Sunak said: "If you look at the sum total of the time I've been PM, the numbers are down."

Sunak heckled by audience member on cost of living crisis

Rishi Sunak was heckled by an audience member in the first ten minutes of his sit down interview.

The audience member questioned the PM on the Tories' record on the cost of living crisis.

Responding, Sunak said: "I know things are not easy. Of course, I know that, they've been difficult for a while for all sorts of reasons. But what I set about doing was making things that little bit easier, that's why I set about bringing inflation down."

Starmer reveals 'biggest fear' if he becomes prime minister

On his biggest fear if he becomes prime minister, Starmer replied: “The only real fear I suppose I have is for my family.”

He said his son is almost 16 years old and his daughter 13, adding these are “really difficult ages” for children.

He went on: “My only fear really is the impact it’s going to have on them.”

The Labour leader added: “I don’t fear the big decisions, in fact I relish the chance to change our country.”

Starmer says Tories have broken 'everything they've touched'

Sir Keir Starmer called for the Tories to be "booted out", saying they've "broken everything they've touched".

He said: "We've had a Government that is chaotic, its divided.

"They have broken everything they've touched. I don't know a period in history - and you will all think about this - where almost everything is now in a worse state than when they started in Government.

"This is not about Labour or Tory. If you leave your country in a worse state than when you came into Government, you should be booted out."

Starmer pressed on fuel duty and capital gains tax

On whether he would continue the fuel duty freeze, Starmer said: “That has to be decided budget-by-budget, but my track record is we’ve supported the cap on fuel duty every single time it has come up, but I want to do things differently.

“If we just do things in the same way that we’ve done for the last 14 years, we’ll end up in the same mess. I’m not prepared to do that.”

Asked whether he would increase capital gains tax, the Labour leader said: “That’s not in our manifesto, that is not a choice we’re making, that will not be unveiled tomorrow, there’s no surprises in our manifesto.”

Starmer says there will be 'no tax surprises' in the manifesto 

Sir Keir Starmer said: “We’re going to unveil our manifesto tomorrow – no tax surprises, there’s going to be no need to raise tax on the plans we’re setting out.”

On whether there would be a review of council tax banding in England, Starmer said: “Council tax is too high for many people, it’s been going up, it went up again this year, but that’s because the Government lost control of the economy.”

Pressed on a review, Sir Keir said: “I am not wanting to raise tax, I think people are taxed too much already.”

​Starmer heckled by audience member on economy

Sir Keir Starmer was heckled by a member of the audience who interjected to ask him about his plans for the economy.

He said there had been no discussion of the issue in the 20 minutes the interview had been going on.

Starmer thanked him for raising the issue, adding: "We've set out the big change that we want to make but also what the first steps are going to be on day one.

"The day after the election, we want to start on our first steps, stabilising the economy to make sure we never go through a cost of living crisis like this before. Set up Great British Energy so we keep your bills down."

Labour will not scrap two-child benefits cap, Starmer confirms

Starmer confirms that the Labour Party will not scrap the two-child benefits policy in his manifesto, saying there is not enough money to do so.

But he said there will be a strategy in place to tackle child povery.

He said: “The easiest thing in the world is what Rishi Sunak is doing – it’s to simply say you can have everything, unfunded commitments, unfunded promises, that’s what got us into this problem in the first place and working people are paying the price with higher bills, their mortgages. I’m not prepared to have a Labour government ever make that mistake again.”

Starmer receives round of applause after hitting out at Tories for tax rises

Sir Keir Starmer received a round of applause after criticising the Conservative Party for their record on tax.

He said: “The Tories are in no position to lecture anyone about tax rises."

“We’ve got the highest tax burden for 70 years and I think working people shouldn’t pay more tax. We will not raise their tax.

“What we need to do is get the economy going – there’s a reason that taxes have gone up so much in recent years and that’s because the economy is flatlining.”

The Labour leader earlier promised “a very forward-looking manifesto”.

Labour's manifesto will be a 'manifesto for wealth creation'

Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour's manifesto will be a "manifesto for wealth creation".

Asked about tax rises, he said: "Previous Labour leaders have pulled the tax lever every single time and driven up spending, I want to grow our economy. The manifesto tomorrow will be a manifesto for wealth creation.

"I'm not going to do what other Labour leaders have done and say 'We're going to pull the tax lever'."

Starmer makes 'no apology' for campaigning for Corbyn

Starmer has denied that the Labour Party has a problem when it comes to earning voters trust, saying he has "changed" the party.

He said he makes "no apology" for campaining for Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, saying: "I did campaign for Labour, of course I did.

"I wanted good colleagues to be returned to the Labour Party and wanted a party that was capable of change."

Starmer says local councils to impose LTNs under Labour government

Local councils will continue being able to impose low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) under a Labour Government, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

He said it would be for "local authorities to decide" where LTNs are put in place, saying they are a "good idea" in some areas.

Asked whether he would block the creation of new LTNs if elected, the Labour leader said: "I think this is very much a matter for local people in their area to decide, according to their local council.

“So I don’t think the Government should be dictating what happens; it’s for local authorities to decide according to their local population.

Asked if he thinks LTNs are a good thing, Starmer said: "Outside a school, do I think it’s a good idea to have low traffic? Yes, I do. And I doubt that there’s a parent across the country that would say they want to get rid of low traffic outside of schools.

"It’s been in place for a very, very long time. When we were taking our children to primary school, I was very pleased to know that it was a low-traffic area.

"I would be very surprised if there’s a parent that says please can we have some fast cars going past our primary school."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

IFS issues warning over 'economic cost' of Green Party manifesto

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has issued a warning over the Green Party’s manifesto proposals, saying they will come with a “real economic cost” and increase disincentives to work.

The IFS said the party’s proposal to restrict income tax relief on pension contributions would hit nurses and teachers, although its deputy director, Helen Miller, described some of the plans, such as closing loopholes within inheritance tax, as “sensible”.

She added: “While a recurrent wealth tax could raise revenue it would be tough to implement. Restricting upfront income tax relief on pension contributions would also be difficult to achieve – and would hit a lot of workers on not terribly high salaries – many nurses and teachers for example.

“Many of the measures would combine to increase disincentives to work and to invest. Accounting for the fact that we would expect potentially large responses to such a significant increase in taxes, it is unlikely that the measures would raise as much revenue as expected.

“And while some of the measures are targeted at the wealthy, the effects of the package would be much broader. Most obviously, it would be impossible to raise over £90 billion from taxing carbon emissions without the effect being felt by everyone.

“It is clear where the Green Party’s ambitions lie – a much bigger role for the state, better-funded public services and, of course, a swifter transition to net zero.

“It is unlikely that the specific tax-raising measures they propose to help achieve all this would raise the sorts of sums they claim – and certainly not without real economic cost.”

Nearly 50 per cent of people say Tories 'deserve to lose every seat'

Polling conducted by Public First showed that 46 per cent of people said the Tories "deserve to lose every seat they have", including 24 per cent of those who backed the party in 2019.

Some 16 per cent said they neither agree nor disagree, while three per cent said they don’t know.

The polling, conducted between June 7 and 9, surveyed 2,011 UK adults.

Sunak attends a Lincolnshire school ahead of Sky News debate with Keir Starmer

Tories hit with warning ahead of first postal vote forms arriving - 'time is running out'

Tory peer Lord Hayward, told The Independent: "If the Conservatives are going to have an effect, for a fairly high proportion of voters the effect is now or not at all.”

Professor of political science at the University of Southampton Will Jennings said: "With people voting by post already, time is very much running out for the Conservatives.

"Roughly one-in-five voters will cast their ballot by post. This means that soon a large number of people will already have voted and the campaigns won't be able to change their minds."

Anas Sarwar SLAMS SNP's NHS record - 'an absolute scandal'

The Scottish Labour leader said: "The damage inflicted on our NHS by the SNP is an absolute scandal. SNP first minister after SNP first minister, SNP health secretary after SNP health secretary should hang their heads in shame for breaking something so precious to us all.

"The Labour Party will always defend the NHS...It’s in my DNA, but it’s also in the Labour Party’s DNA. We created the NHS, we saved it in 1997, and we will save the NHS again.

"Let me make this crystal clear to the SNP: A Labour government in the UK, and in Scotland, will never, ever privatise the NHS. It is our baby. Stop the scaremongering and the lies. Stop insulting the intelligence of people across Scotland.

"We will get out NHS back on its feet."

EXCLUSIVE: Private school headteacher BLASTS Labour's VAT plans

Nick Pietrek, head of Stafford Grammar School in the West Midlands told GB News: "Everybody seems to think that most independent schools are like Eton and Harrow and Winchester. That's just not the case."

Read the full story here.

Scottish Tories pledge for "permanent removal" of export tariffs on sales of Scotch whisky to the US

Scottish Conservative Party chairman Craig Hoy said: "Whisky is one of Scotland’s continued success stories and is hugely important for helping to grow our economy. I’m delighted to be alongside the Scotch Whisky Association at one of our newer distilleries to toast the industry.

"The Scottish Conservatives will always be unwavering in our support for Scotch Whisky and our MPs elected on July 4 will be strong voices for them in Westminster."

It comes as recent figures show the sector contributed £5.3 billion to Scotland’s economy in 2022, while also supporting more than 40,000 jobs across Scotland.

Sir Keir Starmer says his first car was a Morris Minor

The Labour leader said: "My first car was a Morris Minor which I paid 125 quid for, but as the price suggests it fell apart pretty quickly.

"The second one was a Morris Minor, it was one of those ones with an extension on the back, those wooden ones, which was called ‘The Hedge’ because it was so dilapidated moss was growing out of it and that sort of thing. But I was very fond of that car until it too fell apart."

Asked if he would call himself a petrolhead, he said: "I wouldn’t say petrol head but I’ve always loved driving. For me, growing up, getting a car was the single most important thing in my life. It’s what I saved for and when I was a teenager it was my first and proudest purchase."

Rishi Sunak says he has 'not given up hope' of winning the General Election

Asked by journalists if the Tories had conceded defeat, the Prime Minister said: "No absolutely not. What you saw yesterday is we’ve put a manifesto forward which has got a very clear set of tax cuts for the country tax cuts at every stage of your life.

"Whether you’re working or setting up a small business, tax cuts when you’re trying to buy your first home, tax cut for pensioners, and tax cuts for families.

"And I’m really energised to now have a chance to put a very clear plan to the country and talk about all the things I want to do."

BREAKING: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage offered private security 

Nigel Farage has been offered additional security by the Home Office following incidents where a milkshake and other items were thrown at him during his campaign for the general election.

It comes after the Reform UK leader was targeted with a cup and another object while he was on a party battle bus in Barnsley, South Yorkshire on Tuesday.

Read the full story here.

Sir Ed Davey accuses Conservatives of allowing water companies to 'pump their filthy sewage' into rivers

The Liberal Democrat leader said: "We’ve seen the stats on sewage. It’s getting worse, not better.

"Their regulator has not been strong enough. It’s been there but the sewage scandal has happened while it’s been in place, so it needs to go."

Speaking about what powers the Clean Water Authority would have over Ofwat, the existing regulator, Sir Ed said: “It will have the powers of Ofwat and other powers from the Environment Agency, and elsewhere to really get to grips with this scandal.

"We don’t want to make water bill payers pick up the tab. I think the water companies have a moral obligation."

Adrian Ramsay SLAMS other parties for 'running away' from climate promises

Ramsey told the Party’s manifesto launch: "If you look at the other parties, the climate crisis has been pretty much absent from this election campaign so far. The other parties are running away from their promises on climate.

"Only the Greens understand that the solutions to the climate crisis are also the solutions to the cost of living crisis. The climate crisis is the most serious we face as a global community. Our commitment to you is that protecting our climate and nature lies at the heart of all of our policies. “

He added: “We would stop all new fossil fuel projects in the UK and cancel those that have been recently licenced like Rosebank. We would be more ambitious than any other party when it comes to renewable energy, investing to ensure that our energy can come from wind and solar power.

"A secure energy supply and action on the climate crisis go hand in hand."

Green Party admits that they know they 'will not form the next government'

Speaking at the party’s manifesto launch in Brighton and Hove, Ramsay said: “When the Conservatives are booted out of Number 10 on July 4 and Labour take over, we plan to be there in Parliament in greater numbers to speak up for you on the issues that you care about like a revitalised NHS, bold action on the climate and a fair economy.

"Because with more green MPs in Parliament, we will push Labour to stop backtracking on their promises. We will be there to drive them to be braver, to be more ambitious, not to take timid baby steps towards change but to actually do what’s necessary to fix our country and get us back on track."

Finishing off their speech, he said: “So this is our offer to voters – a manifesto that lays out exactly what real hope and real change looks like.

"An ambitious but realistic plan for the future that we can be proud of."

Green Party lays out pledge to nationalise water and energy companies

The Greens have pledged to nationalise private water companies, railways and the big five energy companies.

Denyer said: "This would end the rip off of rising bills, appalling service and shareholders trousering millions."

She added: "We can’t go on with an economy where most people are working harder and yet getting poorer while inequality keeps growing."

Adrian Ramsay says the Greens want to build a 'brighter Britain'

The Green Party co-leader said their manifesto "isn't more of the same", but "a look at what things could be like, and soon, if we're willing to invest at the rate necessary and to be bold and ambitious".

He said the Greens reject the "pessimism of the other parties".

Denyer added the manifesto offers "real hope, and real change".

Green Party pledges to end right-to-buy scheme and build 150,000 new social homes a year

Speaking at the manifesto launch in Sussex Cricket ground in Hove, Denyer says the Green Party would end the right to buy scheme.

She said: "We can't have an economy where people are getting poorer." The party pledged to build 150,000 new social homes a year and invest to "mend broken Britain."

Ramsay says he believes Labour will be in power and he will push them to "stop backtracking on their promises" and will drive them to "be more ambitious".

Green Party manifesto launch imminent

The Green Party are set to launch their manifesto in Hove, East Sussex imminently. The party is set to announce the rising of National Insurance rate to eight per cent on annual wages above £50,270.

A new wealth tax would see a one per cent charge on all assets worth more than £10m declared in a self-assessment tax return, increasing to two per cent on assets above £1bn.

You can watch live coverage of the launch from co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay on GB News here.

Professor John Curtice says Brexit and culture war issues driving wedge between voters

The professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and polling expert said: "It is often suggested that now that Brexit no longer dominates the political agenda, that the battle for votes has reverted to being simply a contest between left and right.

"However, the terrain in which the parties are fighting is now a two-dimensional space in which issues of culture and identity, including Brexit, are as important as the divide between left and right."

He added that the next government will also need to address the concerns of a population that is "as doubtful as it has ever been about the trustworthiness and efficacy of the country’s system of government."

Hunt says he is '1,500 votes away' from losing his seat in Godalming and Ash

The Chancellor told Bloomberg: "There’s all to play for...this seat is probably going to be won or lost by the Conservatives by 1,500 votes or fewer."

According to House of Commons data going back to 1906, no Chancellor of the Exchequer has ever lost their seat in a general election.

Full list of candidates standing in Godalming and Ash

• Graham Richard Drage - Reform UK
• Paul Follows - Liberal Democrats
• Jeremy Hunt - Conservative and Unionist Party
• Ruby Tucker - Green Party
• James Walsh - Labour Party
• Harriet Williams - Women's Equality Party

Eamonn Holmes SLAMS Grant Shapps over tax

Eamonn Holmes vented his fury on GB News about a tax many “don’t know about” as he grilled Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

The comment came about during a discussion about the Tories pledging a 2p tax cut in their election manifesto.

Read the full story here.

Grant Shapps suggests PM missed international D-Day event because 'no British veterans' were there

The Defence Secretary told Sky News: "[Sunak] was there meeting British veterans. The part that he didn’t attend had no British veterans at it at all. He has rightly issued his apology for it."

The Prime Minister has previously insisted he "absolutely didn’t mean to cause anyone any hurt or upset" and “I just hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me."

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron was the senior UK politician at the event on Omaha Beach in Mr Sunak’s absence.

Sir Keir Starmer says 'Labour is the only party truly on the side of drivers'

Labour has pledged to slash car insurance costs for millions of drivers, as well as clearing the UK's backlog of potholes and improve the development of infrastructure.

In its latest manifesto pledge, the Labour Party has set itself as the party on the side of drivers, aiming to make major headway with several factors it claims the Conservatives failed to address during their time in power.

Read the full story here.

Sunak facing increased pressure after early D-Day exit

The Prime Minister issued a public apology after skipping the main international event in Normandy in order to record a TV interview.

Footage of him arriving at the ITV interview showed him apologising for keeping journalist Paul Brand waiting, saying that the commemorations he did attend "just ran over."

The timing of the interview on June 6 was suggested by the Conservative Party because Sunak had already planned to leave Normandy before the major event attended by world leaders including Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney said: "This is proof that Rishi Sunak simply didn’t care enough to stay in Normandy. How he brushes this off is frankly insulting. Rishi Sunak does not deserve to be Prime Minister.

"Honouring the sacrifice of our veterans should be a privilege, instead Sunak treated it as an inconvenience."

BREAKING: Man charged with using threatening behaviour towards Nigel Farage

A spokesperson from South Yorkshire Police said Josh Greally, 28, has been charged with using threatening behaviour towards Nigel Farage after objects were thrown at the Reform UK leader while he was campaigning in Barnsley.

Read the full story here.

Campaigning resumes across the UK for all major parties

• Rishi Sunak is campaigning for the Conservatives in North East Lincolnshire
• Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport minister Louise Haigh are setting out Labour’s plans to bring down costs for drivers
• Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is campaigning in Warwickshire this morning and in Surrey in the afternoon
• The Green Party is launching their manifesto in Hove this morning

Sunak and Starmer to go head-to-head in Grimsby tonight

The Prime Minister and the Labour leader will go head to head to win a during Sky News’ leaders special.

It comes after Mr Sunak unveiled a £17.2 billion package of tax cuts at the Silverstone motor racing circuit on Tuesday. Labour said the Tory plans would push up borrowing, risking increased interest rates and rising mortgage costs.

The Tories promised to cut a further 2p off employees’ national insurance by April 2027 and abolish the main rate of the tax for the self-employed entirely by the end of the parliament.

Grant Shapps says they are fighting to prevent Labour 'supermajority'

The Defence Secretary told Times Radio that in order to proper accountability “you don’t want to have somebody receive a supermajority” along the line of Tony Blair’s in 1997.

He said: "In this case, of course, the concern would be that if Keir Starmer were to go into No 10, it will either be Rishi Sunak, or Keir Starmer there’s no other outcomes to this election, and that power was in some way unchecked, it would be very bad news for people in this country.

"A blank cheque approach allowing someone to do anything they wanted, particularly when their particular set of plans are so vague, and they say ‘change’, but you have no idea what they actually want to change to, other than the fact that they’ve outlined plans which would cost £2,094 to every working family in this country."

Green Party pledges to raise taxes for 'most wealthy'

Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the party intends to change the "conspiracy of silence" on taxes by creating a fairer system and asking those "with the broadest shoulders" to pay more.

Ahead of the party's manifesto launch in Hove today, he said: "There is a conspiracy of silence between the main Westminster parties at this election.

"Labour and the Conservatives would rather hide their plans for cuts to public services than confront the need for a fairer tax system that asks those with the broadest shoulders to pay more – including the very wealthiest in society, who have grown even wealthier over the last 14 years.

"If people are to have access to an NHS dentist or a GP appointment, if we are to create warm, secure homes for all and fund the green transition to tackle the climate crisis and create the jobs of tomorrow, we must be honest today."

Reform UK just one point behind Tories in bombshell new poll

A new poll released after Rishi Sunak’s manifesto launch shows Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party is just a point behind the Tories.

The survey, by YouGov, puts Labour on 38 per cent, with the Tories on 18 per cent, Reform on 17, Liberal Democrats on 15 and the Greens on eight.

Meanwhile, a Redfield and Wilton survey asked who would be the better leader of the opposition to a Labour Government. Farage came out on top by a whisker, on 28 per cent, just slightly ahead of Rishi Sunak on 27 per cent in a blow to the Prime Minister.