Election news
- It's the last day to register to vote - read our handy guide
- Bulletin:What you need to know this evening
- Public think Farage would be a bad PM - poll
- Sunak looks to counter Lib Dems|But suffers ewe-turn at farm
- Former Dragons' Den star endorses Labour
- 'Change for the better': Scottish Labour unveil manifesto pledges
- Live reporting by Samuel Osborne and (earlier)Faith Ridler
Expert analysis
- Tom Cheshire:The data behind the public's view of immigration
- Darren McCaffrey:PM's trip to luxury village shows no seat is safe
Election essentials
- Check parties' manifesto pledges:Conservatives|Greens|Labour|Lib Dems|Plaid Cymru|Reform
- 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:Who is standing down?|Key seats to watch|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency is changing|Guide to election lingo|Sky's election night plans
It's 5pm and here is your evening rundown.
First, an important reminder that today is the deadline to register to vote. We have put together a handy guide if you still need to sort it out and make sure you can go to the polls on 4 July - find it here.
Here are the key points from today's election news...
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives are in north Devon, where Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron struggled to feed a flock of sheep;
- The prime minister took questions from farmers and went on to say it has been "a real privilege" to understand the contribution they make to society, though the Lib Dems said his charm offensive was "too little too late" as they eye up traditional Tory strongholds in the region;
- Meanwhile, despite him representing a major threat to Mr Sunak and the Tories, a poll has found more than half of the public thinkNigel Faragewould make a bad prime minister.
- Sir Keir Starmer is in Hampshire, where he and the Labour Party are continuing their week focused on the economy - today, sharing their plan for the British high street;
- The Labour leader gave a campaign speech at a cricket ground in Reading where he said he was hoping for a "summer of change", and was endorsed by former Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis;
- Earlier, Sir Keir refused to rule out raising council tax for "working people" - and committed to a public inquiry on the Nottingham attacks;
- He also said only parents with children on a special educational needs (SEN) plan will be exempt from paying VAT on private school fees;
- In Scotland, Anas Sarwarhas today launched Scottish Labour's manifesto, with a focus on improving the future for young people in the country;
- He also confirmed that Scottish Labour is against the two-child benefit cap, despite there being no plans to scrap the measure if Labour wins the keys to Downing Street.
- Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was in Eastleigh, where he discussed sewage - and claimed the Tories would "fail in opposition" just as he says they have in government;
- And on a day of special coverage of the migration crisis here on Sky News, an exclusive poll suggests more Britons think immigration has had a negative impact on society than positive.
Here are some other stories you might find interesting:
Stick with us for all the latest throughout the evening - including our weeknight politics showPolitics Hub, which will be live on Sky News from 7pm with ourpolitics presenterSophy Ridge.
She'll be speaking to Anneliese Dodds, Labour's party chair and shadow women and equalities secretary, and Philip Dunne, the former Conservative MP for Ludlow who is standing down at this election.
Former Dragons' Den investor backs Labour after Tory 'chaos'
Former Dragons' Den investor Theo Paphitis has backed Labour and said the party would end the "chaos" of the Tory era.
The entrepreneur joined Sir Keir Starmer on the campaign trail earlier (see 12.45pm post).
Mr Paphitis said Labour's manifesto was "in line with my ambitions of having a stable business environment and the end of the chaos that we've had to live through over the last eight to nine years at least".
Sir Keir and Mr Paphitis - who owns chains Ryman Stationary, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue - tried their hand at making jewellery during a campaign event in Basingstoke.
'I haven't changed - the Tories have'
Mr Paphitis told the BBC he had lost faith in the Conservatives.
"Stability for business, growth, and wealth creation used to form part of their agenda," he said.
"Well, they've forgotten it, it now that very much sits in the Labour Party.
"That's why I'm here, I haven't changed, they've gone away from me."
More than half of public think Farage would make a bad PM, poll says
More than half of the public thinks Reform UK leader Nigel Farage would make a bad or terrible prime minister, according to a poll.
A day after Mr Farage unveiled the Reform manifesto, which he billed as the party's "contract" with voters, YouGov found 55% of Britons thought he would make a bad (12%) or terrible (43%) PM.
Only 27% thought he would make a great (9%) or good (18%) leader.
Tory voters more sympathetic to idea
Those who voted Labour and Lib Dem in 2019 were most likely to think he would make a terrible prime minister, with 70% and 72% respectively giving that answer.
However, 2019 Tory voters were more split on the issue, with 18% saying he would make a great prime minister, 31% saying he would make a good one, 12% saying bad and 22% answering terrible.
But overall, nearly two-thirds of Brits (65%) said they did not believe it very likely Mr Farage would be prime minister in the next 10 years.
It comes after the Reform leader said he had real ambitions to become prime minister after a 2029 general election, should his party establish itself in parliament after the vote on 4 July.
Starmer hoping for 'summer of change'
Sir Keir Starmer is giving a campaign speech at a cricket ground in Reading, where he says he hopes it will be "a summer of change".
Addressing families struggling with the cost of living crisis, struggling businesses and those serving in uniform or their communities, the Labour leader says: "This campaign, this summer of change, is for you."
Sir Keir says the election is "about a very stark choice and very real change that we can put on the agenda."
He has another dig at the Conservatives, saying: "Imagine five more years of the Tories, five more years after 14 years of chaos and decline and failure."
In pictures: Sheep turn backs on Sunak during farm visit
Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron have been pictured struggling to feed sheep on a campaign visit to a farm in north Devon.
The prime minister tried to feed the animals before doing a question and answer session aimed at winning over the votes of farmers.
In a literal ewe-turn, one appeared curious about what the PM was offering before deciding it wasn't interested and turning its back on him.
'They don't want to play ball'
"Come on," the prime minister said as the flock ran to the other side of the pen.
"They don't want to play ball," a farmer accompanying Mr Sunak said.
Earlier, Lord Cameron described how he is often asked to help out on the farm next to his house, explaining: "Because I've got small hands they ask me to hop over the wall during lambing season to help out."
He said after helping to deliver one lamb the farmer said he would name it "Dave" after the former prime minister.
Sunak looks to woo farmers as he takes on threat from Lib Dems
Rishi Sunak has been taking questions from farmers in north Devon.
The prime minister ran through the key points of the Conservative Party manifesto and went on to say it has been "a real privilege" to understand the contribution farmers make to society.
He was introduced by Lord David Cameron, who warned the Liberal Democrats would bring more "wokery" to politics.
Sunak 'clearly worried' about Lib Dems
Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron's appearance is all about heading off the threat of the Lib Dems, says our chief political correspondent Jon Craig.
He says it shows the Tories believe Lord Cameron "can help Mr Sunak in his fight" against Sir Ed Davey, who's hoping his party can take chunks out of the so-called Blue Wall - traditional Tory heartlands across the South.
Jon says the South West "obviously is a part of England where the Lib Dems will hope to do well at the Tories' expense".
"Clearly Mr Sunak and the Tory high command are worried about the threat from the Lib Dems in seats the Lib Dems or the Liberal Party used to hold."
The party's rural affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said Mr Sunak's courting of farmers is "too little too late", claiming "rural voters are deserting him in massive numbers".
Earlier, Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron were seen struggling to feed sheep at the farm - we're hoping to bring you pictures of this as soon as possible.
Electoral Dysfunction: Do you accept defeat in the middle of a campaign?
Former Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika joins Sky News political editor Beth Rigby and Conservative peer Ruth Davidson as the general election campaign heads towards its final fortnight.
They're assessing whether Labour can shake off the questions about their taxation policies.
After Conservative Grant Shapps seemed to accept election defeat in an interview, is that something anyone should do in the middle of the campaign?
They discuss the "what ifs" of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as he tries to become an MP.
And as the SNP launch their manifesto, how is the election shaping up differently in Scotland?
👉Click here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts👈
Plus, Beth, Ruth and Ayesha tackle listeners' questions on manifesto promises and Reform UK's unusual set-up.
Email Beth, Ruth, and Margaret at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.
In this episode, we mention the Clacton-on-Sea constituency, where the full list of candidates are:
- Bensilum, Matthew (Liberal Democrats)
- Farage, Nigel Paul (Reform UK)
- Jamieson, Craig (Climate Party)
- Mack, Tony (Independent)
- Osben, Natasha (Green Party)
- Owusu-Nepaul, Jovan (Labour Party)
- Papanastasiou, Tasos (Heritage Party)
- Pemberton, Andrew (UKIP – NO to Illegal Immigration)
- Watling, Giles Francis (Conservative Party)
A privately-owned village with lobster lunches and cream teas - what's the PM doing here?
By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent
Where do you go if you are 20 points behind in polls and no safe seats are safe seats any more?
Today, Rishi Sunak found himself in the absolutely stunning North Devon village of Clovelly.
A privately owned village which charges you £10 to enter, it is very Tory territory.
It's in the consistency being contested by Sir Geoffrey Cox, the former attorney general who has been an MP for 20 years.
The prime minister bobbed out to sea with the rumbustiousSir Geoffrey in a small fishing vessel, not to catch some fish but voters.
His focus on fishermen and farmers in the South West comes with the claim Labour will tax them more and not take advantage of Brexit opportunities - something the opposition deny.
Back on land, there were donkeys, cream teas and lobster lunches, but few interactions with local voters.
There simply weren't many, mostly bemused German tourists and Conservative supporters.
Today is an example of this conservative, Conservative campaign, a sign they are trying to hold on to traditional seats with traditional voters.
Some might say the PM's campaign is somewhat beached.
The full list of candidates for theTorridge and Tavistock constituency is:
- Geoffrey Cox, Conservatives;
- Phil Hutty, Lib Dems;
- Andrew Jackson, Reform;
- Judie Maciejowska, Greens;
- Alan Rayner, independent;
- Isabel Saxby, Labour.
Poll tracker: Reform UK trails behind Tories after manifesto launch
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.
So far, only one poll has shown Reform ahead of the Conservatives - the Tories are currently an average of seven points ahead of Nigel Farage's party.
Read more about the tracker here.
Candidate accused of Islamophobia in 2019 stands for Reform UK under different name
By Sam Doak, OSINT producer
A former Brexit Party candidate is running for Reform UK under a different name, following accusations of Islamophobia in 2019.
Dionne Moore Cocozza is now running in Glasgow West as Dionne Moore, using her middle name as a surname. No details on Reform UK's website link the candidate to the 2019 race.
The Reform UK candidate previously stood for the Brexit Party, later rebranded as Reform UK, in Glasgow North under the name Dionne Cocozza, receiving 320 votes.
Ms Cocozza's candidacy in the 2019 election drew attention after the University of Glasgow's student newspaper and Hope Not Hate reported on her social media use.
At the time, she wrote on social media that Muslims wanted to institute Sharia law in a post viewed by Sky News.
According to the anti-racism advocacy group Hope Not Hate, Ms Cocozza has also said on social media "you can't say anything if you're white", and accused Labour's shadow minister David Lammy of stoking racism with "anti-white tweets".
She also shared a post written by another user, viewed by Sky News, which made the claim, "I heard a muslim say, we get elected then slowly we takeover".
Sky News was unable to find any other instances in which Ms Cocozza has opted to use the name "Dionne Moore" in public, and she has not drawn attention to her candidacy on social media.
Reform UK's regional manager for Scotland, Martyn Greene, confirmed the candidate is the same person who ran in 2019.
The party has said it is consulting lawyers about suing the company it paid £144,000 to vet candidates.
Chairman Richard Tice said the firm, Vetting.com, "promised a deep dive, particularly on social media", but has "delivered absolutely nothing".
However, Reform UK does not believe the vast majority of candidates who have been singled-out by the media for things they have said on social media have done anything wrong.
Also standing in Glasgow West are:
- James Calder, Liberal Democrats;
- James Cormack, Christian Party;
- Patricia Ferguson, Labour;
- Faten Hameed, Conservative;
- Carol Monaghan, SNP;
- Nick Quail, Scottish Greens.
