Election news
- Bulletin:What you need to know from the campaign trail
- PM 'not worried' about polls showing Labour lead
- Starmer recalls hospital visit that made him 'really angry'
- Labour leader denies Abbott's barred from standing for party
- Sunak and Starmer to go head-to-head in first TV debate
- PM's pledges 'could send UK into recession', claims Labour
- Ex-Scottish health secretary suspended over £11,000 iPad bill
- Live reporting by Faith Ridlerand (earlier)Katie WilliamsandBen Bloch
Expert analysis
- Matthew Thompson:Why polls don't tell full story for Lib Dems
- Ashish Joshi:Labour's key advantage in NHS battleground
- Tamara Cohen:Starmer allowing Abbott confusion to rumble on
- Gurpreet Narwan:Farage already has eyes on elections to come
Election essentials
- Trackers:Who's leading polls?|Is PM keeping promises?
- Campaign Heritage:Memorable moments from elections gone by
- Follow Sky's politics podcasts:Electoral Dysfunction|Politics At Jack And Sam's
- Read more:What happens next?|Which MPs are standing down?|Key seats to watch|How to register to vote|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency's changing|Sky's coverage plans
What have we learnt about the election so far today? Here's your rundown this teatime
It's 5.15pm - here's your teatime rundown.
We're still in the early days of the election campaign, but there's been plenty of divisive policy announcements and rows making headlines.
Let us get you up to speed on everything you may have missed so far today - or you can listen to the latest episode of Electoral Dysfunction on your way home.
- Sir Keir Starmerhas been out and about in the West Midlands to promote his pledge to clear the backlog of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment within five years of government, if the party gets into power;
- In one moment, Sir Keir recalled a visit to Alder Hay hospital in Liverpool, which he said made him "really angry" - as he found outmore children are being admitted "to have their rotten teeth taken out than any other operation";
- His shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, told our political correspondent Tamara Cohen the NHS was "over-reliant" on overseas workers;
- But their message on the health service has been completely smothered by a lack of clarity on whether the veteran MP Diane Abbott will be able to stand for Labour at the general election;
- In short - Ms Abbott was suspended over a year ago due to comments suggesting Jewish people do not face racism, and that instead they suffer prejudice similar to "redheads";
- The party whip was restored yesterday - but she told Sky News that she has been barred from standing for the party at the election;
- The Labour leader said it in not the case, but "no decision has been taken";
- Later on, Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, warned of a "severe" threat to family finances of pledges made in the Tory campaign;
- Labour has essentially claimed that £71bn of pledged Conservative spending could hike the average mortgage by £350.
- Rishi Sunakis in the South West of England today promoting his promise to replace "rip-off degrees" with 100,000 apprenticeships each year by the end of the next parliament;
- Mr Sunak has lots of work to do to make up ground against Labour - an exclusive Sky News / YouGov poll reveals that the opposition is a whopping 27 points ahead;
- But the PM insisted he was "not worried", telling a Q&A in Devon the only one that matters is on 4 July;
- He was also quick to call for "transparency" from Labour over the Diane Abbott situation when speaking to broadcasters earlier;
- And the Home Office has been accused of having "little to show" for the money it has used on the Rwanda scheme, with a group of MPs claiming there is "not a credible plan";
- Elsewhere, Scotland's former health secretary Michael Matheson has been handed the most severe sanctions in Holyrood's history after racking up £11,000 roaming charges on his work iPad during a holiday in Morocco;
- The senior SNP MSP has been banned from the Scottish parliament for 27 days. He will also have his pay docked for 54 days;
- In Wales, theLib Demshave been launching their campaign with a pledge to provide £1bn of extra funding for agriculture;
- AndWelsh first minister and Labour leader could be facing a vote of no confidence after the Welsh Tories tabled a motion.
Here are a couple of other stories that may interest you tonight:
Stick with us for all the latest throughout the afternoon.
Coming up on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge
Our weeknight politics showPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgewill be live on Sky News from 7pm.
The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.
Tonight Sophy is in Grimsby, one of the Target Towns that will decide the election, and will be joined by farming minister Mark Spencer for the Tories and shadow social care minister Andrew Gwynne for Labour.
On Sophy's panel tonight are:
- Jeremy Armstrong, Daily Mirror journalist;
- Peter Craig, journalist who worked at the Grimsby Telegraph for 40 years.
Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.
WatchPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgefrom Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.
Until voters go to the polls on 4 July, the Politics Hub will be looking back at some memorable moments from previous general election campaigns.
Theresa May didn't have a great time during the 2017 campaign, and - with it ending with the Tories losing their majority in the Commons - it's fair to say she probably regrets ever calling the snap election at all.
One moment in particular went down infamy for the now former prime minister, as she repeatedly told journalists "nothing has changed" despite a screeching U-turn on controversial plans to get the elderly to pay for their social care.
It was perhaps the nadir of a campaign that had begun with her tipped to inflict a crushing defeat upon Labour, her decision to run a presidential-style campaign with her front and centre backfiring spectacularly.
Previous entry: 'I agree with Nick'
PM: 'I'm not worried about the polls'
Back to the PM's Q&A, Rishi Sunak is asked about the opinion polls, which have shown the Conservatives trailing 20 points behind Labour for a number of months.
He says: "The only poll that matters is the one on 4 July, when all of you get to choose our future, that's the one I am focused on.
"And as you can see, I hope, I am working my socks off to talk to as many people as I can over the next five weeks."
Mr Sunak adds: "I'm not worried about the polls."
This morning, a YouGov poll for Sky News suggested Labour had extended its lead over the Tories to 27 points - read more below:
NHS 'over-reliant' on overseas workers, says shadow health secretary
The NHS is "over-reliant" on international workers and Labour would train more home-grown nurses and doctors, the shadow health secretary has said.
Wes Streeting told reporters the practice of recruiting staff from countries with a shortage of health workers was "immoral and unethical".
He ruled out changes to the visa rules to make it easier for international staff to bring dependents with them, in order to help fill shortages.
Speaking on the campaign trail in Worcester, he said: "We've got to bring down net migration and if I'm the health and social care secretary, I'll be able to help [shadow home secretary] Yvette Cooper to do that."
NHS guilty of 'unethical' recruitment
He said he was "proud the NHS is an international workforce", citing the example of a student from Nigeria he heard from at a hospital today.
"People like her have built the NHS over generations, and we're lucky to have them," he said.
"But I think under the Conservatives, we've had an overreliance on international students and workers from overseas in our health and care system. And that's risky because we've got a global shortage.
"So we shouldn't assume that pool of talent will always be there for us to draw on.
"We are also recruiting in some cases, staff from Red List countries identified by the World Health Organisation as having serious shortages.
"I do not want to see that happening. I think it is immoral. It's unethical."
There are 55 countries on the WHO Red List, mostly in Africa, including Nigeria, but also Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Heath and social care organisations in England are not supposed to actively recruit from those countries unless there is a bilateral agreement to support managed recruitment activities.
Sunak takes questions from voters
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is holding a Q&A with voters in the South West of England, continuing a trend that appears popular with both major party leaders in this election campaign so far.
He begins by declaring that the Conservative plan has "restored stability", while pointing to a "black hole" in the financial proposals of the Labour Party.
Mr Sunak turns to Rwanda, saying the "penny has dropped" across Europe that the third-country approach is the right one to make.
"The one person that hasn't got that message is Keir Starmer," he says. "He wants to release everyone that we have detained, cancel the flights."
The prime minster says there is "absolutely no way" you can "trust the Labour Party to keep our borders safe and secure".
Turning to the Q&A section of the campaign event, Mr Sunak is asked about national service - and how he will ensure that those taking part will have proper support on their return.
He hits back with his own question, before providing the questioner with more details about the pledge - which will be a military placement, or a volunteer scheme.
On a return to civic life, Mr Sunak says he is determined to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran. He points to support with housing and jobs.
Next, the prime minister is asked what he can offer to young and middle-aged people - who will not benefit from apprenticeship or pensions schemes.
He says the most important thing he can do is "make sure that hard work is rewarded" by cutting taxes.
PM to hold Q&A with voters
Like Sir Keir Starmer did earlier, Rishi Sunak will shortly be holding a Q&A with voters about his plans for the country.
We'll bring you updates from the event here in Politics Hub - and you can watch along in the stream at the top of the page.
Analysis: Why ugly poll numbers don't tell the full story for Lib Dems
By Matthew Thompson, news correspondent
On the surface, today's YouGov poll for Sky News shouldn't make pretty reading for Liberal Democrats.
It has them static on a mere 9%, trailing even Reform UK, who sit on 12%.
Compare that to the heady heights of 2010, when the Lib Dems were regularly polling above 25%, and you'd think it would be of some concern.
But when I asked party leader Ed Davey about it this morning, he seemed very relaxed, telling me: "It's the elections that matter."
Allow me to offer an explanation for this sang-froid.
In 2019, the Lib Dems ran a disastrous campaign, promoting then-leader Jo Swinson as the next prime minister. They won a mere 11 seats.
This time the strategy is different.
They aren't exactly ignoring the national picture, but for a few years now they have been building their strength in a few key areas: largely Tory-facing seats in the South of England, and SNP seats in Scotland.
It's what psephologists call "efficiency": getting the most out of each vote by concentrating them in certain constituencies.
That's what explains the fact we can see Reform UK out-polling the Lib Dems, and yet predict they will win many fewer seats.
Reform's support is more thinly spread - a significant disadvantage in a first past the post election.
National polls, while not insignificant, are therefore less important to Ed Davey's fortunes than the ruthless mechanics of our voting system.
'We've had a tough time', admits SNP leader
By Jenness Mitchell, Scotland reporter
John Swinney has been speaking to Sky News today as he hits the campaign trail in Scotland.
Never mind the suspension of the SNP's former health secretary (see previous post), one of the things we asked him about was a recent poll from Survation for True North, which put the party behind Scottish Labour.
If replicated come election day, the SNP could see their Westminster seats plummet to just 16.
The SNP won 48 seats at the last general election in 2019, but defections and a by-election defeat have reduced its tally of MPs to 43.
The drop in popularity comes amid an ongoing Police Scotland probe into the SNP's finances, which has seen former first minister Nicola Sturgeon arrested and released without charge and her husband Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement of party funds.
Mr Swinney admitted: "We've had a tough time for the last couple of years and that's bearing out in the polls.
"I'm just in the door - I've only been SNP leader for three weeks.
"I'm trying to build things back up. I've brought my party back together again. We're a united force, and I've got a cohesive team working with me."
Ex-Scottish health secretary suspended over £11,000 iPad bill
Scotland’s former health secretary Michael Matheson has been handed the most severe sanctions in Holyrood’s history after racking up £11,000 roaming charges on his work iPad during a holiday in Morocco.
The senior SNP MSP has been banned from the Scottish parliament for 27 days
He will also have his pay docked for 54 days.
He admitted his sons had been watching football on it after initially wrongly saying he had been doing work on the device.
