Week commencing 1 July

4 July, 10:00: The UK’s voters go to the polls today for the general election. New rules introduced since the previous election require them to bring photo ID, with 22 forms of ID accepted in England, Wales and Scotland according to the Electoral Commission.

There are nine valid forms of ID for Northern Ireland, according to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Voting closes at 10pm tonight, after which an exit poll will give an approximate picture of how the nation has voted. If one party wins a majority in the House of Commons, its leader will visit HM King Charles III to request his permission to form a government tomorrow (5 July).

The prime minister will be busy quickly following the election, with an international summit of NATO leaders set to take place on 9 July. The King’s Speech, which sets out the government’s programme for the next Parliament, is also due on 17 July.

3 July, 10:30am: Logistics UK has emphasised the importance of the sector it represents in boosting the country’s economic growth.

The trade body is calling for “a dedicated minister for logistics” at this election, building on the proposals in its national manifesto for 2024. Such a position, that document suggested, should include leadership of a ‘cross-Whitehall Logistics Productivity Forum’.

Growing international trade was also among the key demands of that manifesto, released at the start of the year, including “reduced friction at our borders through an evolved and expanded relationship with Europe”, which would require “Trade Facilitation Agreements and Free Trade Agreements to unlock new market access”.

Logistics UK’s message to the Labour Party is that it “needs to work with our sector on a logistics roadmap to net zero”.

On Labour’s plans for improved workers’ rights, the trade body also says “the party must work with the business community on the details, to ensure they work in practice”.

The British Ports Association (BPA) has also issued its own letter to the Conservatives and Labour, the Guardian reports. The letter urges both parties to clear the backlog in approval for new infrastructure at ports, which it says is delaying the achievement of net zero carbon emissions by the UK.

Mark Simmonds, the director of policy and external affairs at the BPA, said development at the UK’s ports was required to satisfy the country’s need for offshore wind, cruises and cargo:

“It is extremely regrettable that a single point of failure in processing relatively simple consents at a regulator can threaten billions of pounds of port investment and ultimately put our net zero ambitions at risk.”

2 July, 10:00am: The next prime minister of the UK may inherit a strengthened economy, if analysis by KPMG is to be believed.

The firm’s latest Global Economic Outlook report suggests the UK economy is “turning a corner”, with expected growth of 0.5% in 2024 followed by growth of 0.9% in 2025. Consumer confidence “is gradually recovering” on the back of reduced inflation, according to the firm.

It comes after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported last week that growth in the UK in Q1 had been marginally greater than previously estimated, revising the figure up to 0.7% from 0.6%.

“The fiscal reality is similar for whichever party wins the general election on 4 July,” KPMG says. Borrowing under the next government is likely to happen at a similar rate regardless of whether it is led by Labour or the Conservatives.

KPMG’s chief economist, Yael Selfin, said:

“While households have benefitted from a pickup in real earnings and a relatively stable labour market, business investment could also return as an engine of growth. Political uncertainty will now resolve sooner with a summer election and a potential fiscal event in the autumn, setting out the new government’s economic agenda.”

1 July, 11:00: Senior EU sources have said that Brussels will not “rush” to open negotiations with Labour, if it wins the general election this Thursday (4 July).

Two senior insiders told the Guardian that Brussels had its attention on issues other than the UK-EU relationship.

“It’s not that people are thinking good things about the UK, it’s not that they are thinking bad things. They are not thinking about the UK at all,” said one senior source, described as “close” to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

They also said that Keir Starmer would have to offer something in exchange for a veterinary agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary products.

On Thursday (27 June), the leaders of the Northern Irish parties had their own political debate.

Senior representatives from Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Alliance Party, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) clashed over health policy, stability of the Stormont government and the constitutional future of Northern Ireland.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson and deputy UUP leader Robbie Butler pushed for more funding from Westminster, while the Alliance’s Naomi Long said that “politicians need to live up to the promises they make and be willing to deliver the government they promised,” in relation to stability in the Northern Irish government.

As the final week of the election begins, all party leaders are visiting key battleground seats across England. Rishi Sunak is set to visit seats in Staffordshire, while Starmer tours Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey hits Sussex this morning.

Week commencing 24 June

26 June, 11:00: Labour is reported by Sky News to be considering the establishment of an Office for Net Zero if it wins the general election.

The office would have responsibility across government departments to drive the UK towards clean energy, though it is unclear whether it would be part of the Cabinet Office or Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The proposal is in line with the recommendations of Chris Skidmore, a Conservative Party MP who led a 2022 review of the then-government’s strategy on carbon emissions.

The review recommended the creation of an ‘Office for Net Zero Delivery’ which would be “responsible for placing net zero delivery at the heart of government thinking, ensuring best practice for key delivery projects, and taking ownership of net zero priorities where they span multiple departments”.

Skidmore resigned as an MP in January “in protest at the government's decision to prioritise and politicise new oil and gas licences above a sensible investment plan for the future”. Now, he has accused prime minister Rishi Sunak of “siding with climate deniers” to “deliberately politicise” the move towards decarbonisation. He has also said he will vote for the Labour Party at the coming election.

Sunak defended his change in approach to net zero last year, saying that he had “absolute confidence and belief” that it would not prevent the UK from meeting its 2050 target for zero emissions.

25 June, 10:00: Business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch and her Labour rival, Jonathan Reynolds, went head-to-head in a business debate on Bloomberg TV yesterday.

Reynolds said the biggest thing Labour would do was “improve the relationship with the EU”, which would allow them to do a lot of things such as reduce checks on food and agricultural products and achieve recognition for mutual qualifications. However, he said that he wouldn’t “give away his negotiating hand entirely” when asked about the role of the European Court of Justice in any future agreement.

Badenoch said that her Conservative Party had already proposed a veterinary agreement with the EU but said that this would require negotiating on freedom of movement or oversight of the ECJ, something she was not prepared to do. She pointed to her work on state-level memoranda of understanding with individual US states as examples of her achievements in reducing trade friction.

In response, Reynolds said that the Conservatives’ trade agreement policy had been focused on “quantity over quality”, adding that the US agreements were “not at all free trade agreements”.

“I think there are opportunities,” said Reynolds of the ongoing free trade negotiation programme, highlighting talks with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Badenoch also didn’t rule out running for leader of the Conservative Party after the election when asked, saying it was a question for after the election.

Yesterday also saw the launch of the DUP’s manifesto in Belfast. DUP leader Gavin Robinson stressed the importance of the union and removing barriers within the UK, and called for better support for Northern Ireland.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross launched the Conservative’s Scottish manifesto on the same day, promising to end “a decade of division” over independence.

Today, Keir Starmer is setting out his plan to reduce knife crime, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is launching a new paper on social care.

24 June 12:00: Leaders from the main five parties in Northern Ireland participated in a BBC debate on Sunday evening, with discussion of Brexit prominent exactly eight years on from the referendum.

Trade rules in Northern Ireland, which hosts 18 Westminster seats, have been among the major talking points throughout the Brexit years, with Boris Johnson’s Northern Ireland Protocol replaced by Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework in 2023.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson defended his party’s role in Westminster during negotiations over Northern Ireland’s trade rules, saying that the “full fruits” of the DUP’s work will be seen “later this year”, according to the BBC.

"It’s very clear the roadmap is there. We have attained progress when others either did not care, or did not try," he said.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, who is contesting Robinson’s Belfast East seat, disputed this claim, saying that the DUP had “delivered the chaos of Brexit” and caused the “collapse of the Assembly”.

Sinn Féin’s John Finucane defended his party’s longstanding abstentionist approach to Westminster politics.

Elsewhere over the weekend, economists and diplomats told the Guardian that Labour will struggle to create growth in the UK economy if it doesn’t rejoin the EU’s customs union.

Dimitri Zenghelis, an economist at the London School of Economics (LSE), said he welcomed Labour’s plans to be less combative in EU relations, saying this would “change the mood music for foreign investors”, but added that if a Starmer administration wanted to “shift the dial in a meaningful way”, it would need to rejoin the single market and customs union.

Prof Stephen Millard of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, agreed, saying:

“The closer we are able to get to where we were [as full members of the EU] then the higher growth we will get out of it. We could certainly enjoy higher growth if we were to have a closer relationship with Europe.”

Labour has consistently ruled out rejoining either the single market or customs union.

Also in the campaign, Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage has been criticised by both the Conservative and Labour Party leaders for comments he made about the war in Ukraine.

Speaking to the BBC’s Nick Robinson on Friday evening, Farage said he thought that the West had “provoked” Russian president Vladimir Putin into launching his invasion of Ukraine through “ever-eastward expansion of NATO and the EU".

Conservative leader Sunak said that Farage’s comments were “completely wrong and only plays into Putin's hands” and Starmer called them “disgraceful”, reports Sky News.

Farage also said that the war was Putin’s “fault” and that he “disliked him as a person”, despite admiring him as a “political operator”.

Week commencing 17 June

21 June, 11:13: The leaders of the main parties returned to the campaign trail today after last night’s BBC Question Time debate in York.

Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak, Labour’s Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrat’s Ed Davey and the SNP’s John Swinney answered questions from the Question Time audience on a variety of policy areas, including health, education and immigration.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s BBC Panorama interview is due to air tonight.

Labour has launched its Wales manifesto in Wrexham, with Welsh first minister Vaughan Gething and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves laying out their pitches on education and employment rights.

Sunak is also launching the Tory’s Welsh manifesto in Clwyd North, while Starmer visits central Scotland.

20 June, 11:00: The EU could demand fishing concessions from a Labour government in exchange for easements for UK food exports and other pledges for improving the trading relationship, sources have said.

Earlier this week, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said that Labour would look to secure a veterinary agreement and closer regulatory alignment for goods such as chemicals in its efforts to improve UK-EU trade.

However, EU figures have told the Times that Brussels that could use negotiations with Labour to pursue their own “offensive interests”, including on fisheries and youth mobility.

An EU source said that a “package approach” could be taken in the negotiations – something that was predicted by the thinktank UK in a Changing Europe during an IOE&IT webinar on the future of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in May.

“If a new government wants new trade talks, France will make sure that any trade negotiations by the European Commission are linked to fisheries,” the source said.

“Increased trade versus protecting the marine environment? It is a difficult, either/or question.”

Fisheries were a major issue in the 2016 referendum and a significant stumbling block in the Boris Johnson government’s negotiations with the EU for the TCA.

Reform UK has continued to seize on the issue, with its manifesto – ‘Our Contract with You’ – saying that the UK had “betrayed the industry”.

According to the Express, Reform UK has pledged to “stop EU fleets taking British quotas; expand the Royal Navy overseas squadron; and ban massive supertrawlers such as the Dutch-flagged Margeris from plundering UK waters”.

On the trail, Sir Keir Starmer is campaigning in North Yorkshire today, but prime minister Rishi Sunak is not expected to make any campaign visits, according to the Guardian.

Both Starmer and Sunak will be appearing on the BBC’s Question Time special this evening at 8pm, alongside Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey and the SNP’s John Swinney.  

The programme will come after a decision from the Bank of England on interest rates today. The BBC reports that the central bank is expected to hold rates at 5.25% for the seventh time in a row, despite this week’s announcement that inflation has fallen to 2% in the year to May.

19 June, 10:00: The SNP has launched its manifesto today, including plans to reverse the “damaging failure of Brexit”, according to the BBC.

More broadly, it plans significant investment in public services, including the NHS, where it calls for a £10bn boost to UK spending and a £1.6bn annual boost to Scotland’s health funding. Accusing the Labour Party of planning a “cuts agenda” on public services, SNP leader John Swinney has said it is the only manifesto with an approach that is “in line with Scotland’s centre-left values”.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the SNP had “imposed brutal cuts across our public services” despite “making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK”.

On the green transition, the Times notes that Swinney recently said that oil and gas would still be needed “for a period of time”. The SNP has argued against Labour plans for a windfall tax on oil and gas firms, and has criticised the Conservatives for previously imposing one.

Tuesday 18 June, 10.30: Commitments made by Labour to improve the UK’s trading relationship with Europe are likely to have a “minimal” impact on mitigating the economic costs of Brexit, the thinktank UK in a Changing Europe has said.

It published a report today saying that any gains from technical improvements would be “useful in reducing trade frictions, but not enough to really address the continuing economic impacts of Brexit.”

Labour has also announced plans to create 350 new banking hubs over the next five years as part of its pitch to rural voters. There are currently voluntary arrangements in place between the current government and banks for setting up new physical locations, but Labour would want to increase these plans eightfold. It also detailed plans on a new independent football regulator.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak will be in the south west today to focus on farmers and the rural community there, pointing to tax commitments in the Conservative manifesto that he says would save them from paying inheritance duties.

Scottish Labour is also releasing its manifesto today, with the party targeting a variety of seats north of the border.

An interview with Green Party co-leader, Carla Denyer, by Nick Robinson will also be broadcast this evening at 10.55pm.

There has also been a special, 90-minute election edition of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, featuring representatives from all major parties. Channel 4 is also hosting a debate at 6.30pm this evening featuring party representatives, focusing on law and order and immigration.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight today.

Monday 17 June, 11.00: Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has said a Labour government would “look to improve our trading relationship with Europe”, citing closer alignment on chemicals regulations and a better deal for the City of London’s financial services sector as examples of improvements it would prioritise.

In an interview with the FT, she said the UK would continue to “do trade deals around the world”, but would move away from what she calls an “adversarial” approach by the current Conservative administration.

“I don’t think anyone voted ‘Leave’ because they were not happy that chemicals regulations were the same across Europe,” she said. “When my constituency voted leave it was purely because of immigration.” 

Reeves said her party would maintain its red lines on Brexit though, saying the UK would not rejoin the EU customs union or single market under Labour.

She also cited a mutual recognition deal for professional qualifications and a veterinary agreement to reduce sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers as other “examples” of areas for improvement.

Also today, Reform UK will be launching its “contract” with voters – effectively its manifesto – this afternoon in Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales – a traditionally Labour homeland.

“One of the reasons we are launching our contract with the people of Britain in Wales is because it shows everyone exactly what happens to a country when Labour is in charge,” the party said in a statement ahead of the launch.

“So, if you want a picture of what the whole country will be like with a Starmer government and a feeble Conservative opposition, come to Wales and then hear us unveil a better future for all of Britain.”

The IOE&IT Daily Update will cover the manifesto launches of the smaller parties later this week.

Also today, the Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak is campaigning in East Yorkshire and the Liberal Democrats’ leader, Ed Davey, is in Devon and Somerset. Reeves is accompanying Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at a visit to a port in the South East of England.

Week commencing 10 June

Friday 14 June, 12.00: The latest TV general election debate saw Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner square off with the Conservatives’ Penny Mordaunt, as well as representatives from other parties including Nigel Farage of Reform UK – which overtook the Conservatives in the latest YouGov polling.

Immigration was a particular sticking point in the debate, with Rayner, Mordaunt, Farage and deputy Liberal Democrat leader Daisy Cooper responding to host Julie Etchingham to say that it was too high, as noted by BBC News. Leader of the SNP in the House of Commons Stephen Flynn said that Scotland’s businesses needed more immigration, not less.

Economic growth took much of the spotlight, with Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party, accusing Labour of “timidity” on the economy, suggesting Labour should hike taxes on the wealthiest. Denyer also agreed with Cooper and Farage on reform to the UK’s first-past-the-post voting system.

Thursday 13 June, 10.00: The Labour Party is today publishing its much-anticipated manifesto, with its leader Sir Keir Starmer saying that his “number one priority” will be wealth creation.

Starmer was speaking at Sky News’ ‘Leaders Special’ programme last night, in which he was interviewed by the broadcaster’s political editor Beth Rigby and took questions from the general public.

He said there would be “no surprises” on tax in today’s document because people were “taxed too much already”, reiterating the party’s commitment to not raise income tax, VAT or national insurance. He says a Labour government would be committed to funding its various pledges by growing the economy.

We will cover the key takeaways from the manifesto in tomorrow’s Daily Update.

At the same debate, prime minister Rishi Sunak repeated the claim in the Conservative Party’s manifesto that his party would give tax cuts to people at every stage of their life.

Responding to analysis from Sky News’ economic editor, Ed Conway, which suggested that the tax burden could still rise for the UK under the Conservatives, he reiterated that he was committed to cutting taxes.

A YouGov poll conducted straight away after the interviews found that 64% of viewers thought Starmer performed the better of the two.

Plaid Cymru will also be launching its manifesto today and its leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has told the BBC that Wales needs more funding and "economic fairness" from Westminster.

The party claims that Wales is owed “billions” as a consequence of government spending on the HS2 railway from London to the West Midlands.

SNP leader John Swinney also claimed yesterday that the UK government should follow Scotland’s lead in implementing higher taxes to avoid spending cuts in the state.

He told the BBC's Nick Robinson that higher tax rates on anyone earning above £28,850 would close the country’s fiscal gap.

Wednesday 12 June 12pm

The Conservative Party manifesto was launched yesterday (11 June), presenting a programme for government that aims to cut National Insurance – and eventually abolish it – as well as to cut support for “low-quality” degrees and “seize the benefits of Brexit by signing further trade deals”.

Employee National Insurance will see another 2p cut, meaning “we will have halved it from 12% at the beginning of this year to 6% by April 2027. The party has also pledged to cut taxes on the self-employed, promising that for “the very smallest businesses, the four million who are self-employed”, they will completely abolish the main rate of National Insurance.

Addressing trade more directly, the manifesto also promises to complete free trade agreements (FTAs) with both the Gulf Cooperation Council and India. The party has promised that the NHS and its services “are not on the table” in trade negotiations, and that “we will always stand up for UK agriculture in our trade deals”. On the issue of a US deal, it states it will seek to strike an agreement “when they are ready to do so”.

The Green Party is also launching its manifesto today. The document will promise a different strategy on National Insurance, boosting the rate to 8% on any annual wages above £50,270 according to the BBC.

The party would also put a tax on businesses for emitting CO2, starting at £120 per tonne emitted and rising to £500 over ten years. They would also implement a wealth tax of 1% on assets over £10m and 2% on assets over £1bn.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay argued in defence of a rise in taxation on “multimillionaires and billionaires”, stating:

"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.”

Tuesday 11 June, 10am

The Liberal Democrats yesterday released their manifesto, ‘For A Fair Deal’.

Aside from policies on public spending, health and social care and net zero, the Liberal Democrats committed to “fix the UK’s broken relationship with Europe” with a four-stage roadmap to rejoining the EU.

The party also promised to ban imports from places associated with “egregious abuses, such as Xinjiang”, use sanctions to stand up against human rights abuses and to “unlock British businesses’ global potential, bring down trade barriers and use UK trade policy as a force for good”.

The Conservatives have pledged a cut to national insurance ahead of the launch of their manifesto.

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride told BBC Breakfast that the Conservatives would cut national insurance by 2p if they were re-elected.

Last night, prime minister Rishi Sunak gave a lengthy interview to BBC’s Nick Robinson, where he promised the Tory manifesto – due to be launched today – would be “fully funded and costed”.

However, the Guardian reports that senior Conservative rebels are preparing an alternative manifesto focused on immigration, if Sunak’s offering “fails to shift the dial”.

Labour leader Keir Starmer promised to create 100,000 extra dental appointments for children, funded by tightening non-dom tax rules and clamping down on tax avoidance.

Reform leader Nigel Farage is due to face Robinson in a BBC panorama interview today.

Also yesterday, Reform’s chairman Richard Tice said the party would raise the starting point of taxation from £12,570 to £20,000 a year and lift the VAT threshold from £90,000 to £150,000.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has said that whoever forms the next government will need to “to cut spending or raise taxes or it will miss its own fiscal target”.

In a new report, the IFS said that current government spending plans “could be described as unrealistically tight”, with a £30bn top-up needed to avoid cutting government spending, while government spending as a proportion of national income has remained “roughly stable” between the 1950s and Covid-19 pandemic.

Monday 10 June, 11am

Sir Keir Starmer has said that a Labour government would “replace” current business rates and claimed that Great British Energy – his proposed state-owned energy company – would help to reduce costs for SMEs.

Speaking during a visit to 3 Locks Brewery in Camden on Saturday, where he was joined by Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, he said he wanted to create a “level playing field between businesses that are online and those that are bricks and mortar”.

He said Labour’s plan is to “support small businesses and give them the chance that they need”, the Guardian reports.

“That does involve replacing rates, because business rates put a real drag on businesses. It also involves stabilising the economy, of course, and Great British Energy, because what’s come up here, comes up with all small businesses, energy is too expensive.”

The comments came just under a week before the scheduled release of Labour’s election manifesto on Thursday (13 June).

The Liberal Democrats will be the first party to publish their manifesto today and the Conservatives have also said theirs will be released early this week. We will update you on the Lib Dems’ manifesto in tomorrow’s Daily Update (11 June).

This follows a tumultuous few days for the Conservatives’ leader Rishi Sunak, who was widely criticised for leaving D-Day commemorations early on Thursday, the BBC reports.

Sunak apologised for this on Friday morning, with Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, saying that the decision was “completely wrong” during the BBC’s debate between representatives of the seven leading political parties on Friday evening.

At the debate, Stephen Flynn, the leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), accused both the major political parties of keeping silent on the impact of Brexit on the UK economy and trade. Mordaunt replied that UK exports are currently at a “record high”.

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, has also announced that he will step down from his role after the election, the BBC reports. Ross is standing to be the MP for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East. He has said he will also step down from his role as an MSP if he wins the new seat, saying that it is “not feasible” to sit in both legislatures.

"Should I be given the honour to represent the people and communities of this new seat, they should know being their MP would receive my complete focus and attention,” he said.

“I will therefore stand down as leader following the election on 4 July, once a successor is elected. Should I win the seat, I will also stand down as an MSP to make way for another Scottish Conservative representative in Holyrood."

Both the Conservatives and Labour have been urged to be more transparent about how they will fund their election pledges. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has repeatedly warned that the next government will either need to reduce the size of the state or increase taxes to meet current election pledges.

Although Labour maintains that it will not increase national insurance, VAT or income tax, shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the party would maintain plans for income tax thresholds to remain frozen. He told the BBC – in a “candid” way – that these would amount to an effective “tax rise”.

Week commencing 3 June

Friday 7 June, 10.00am

Rishi Sunak has defended claims he made about Labour's tax plans during Tuesday's televised debate in and ITV interview. Asked whether he lied when he said that tax per household would rise to £2.000 under a Labour government, Sunak said no and that Labour were now "rattled that we've exposed their plans to raise tax".

The Office of National Statistics had questioned whether viewers would have been aware that the £2,000 increase would be spread across 4 years, based on Sunak's debate claim.

Labour have said that they plan to extend a scheme guaranteeing lower mortgage rates for first-time buyers. First introduced under the Conservatives in 2021 and in place until next year, Labour have dubbed the "Freedom to Buy" scheme "turn the dream of owning a home into a reality."

The Green Party has called on a future government to provide extra funding for the NHS. The party said an extra £50bn per year would be needed to save the health service from "breaking point". I suggested this could be paid for by taxing the top 1% of earners.

Thursday 6 June, 10.30am

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he would not change property or council tax policy if the Conservatives win the next general election.

In a letter to the Telegraph, Hunt said that the promise was "a commitment not to increase the number of council tax bands, undertake an expensive council tax revaluation, or cut council tax discounts."

Labour's shadow defence secretary, John Healy, said that Labour will not "raise taxes on working people" and said the party's plans "do not require us to start looking at raising taxes across the board". His party criticised the Conservatives, after the Guardian found that Frank Hester had donated more money than previously thought. In March, Hester was revealed to have made racist and misogynistic comments about Dianne Abbott, leading opposition parties to call for the Conservatives to return the donations.

Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, has announced he will be standing for the seat of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East in the general election on 4 July. Ross, who served in both the Scottish and UK parliaments simultaneously, had previously said he would not stand after his old seat had been abolished in boundary changes. 

In Wales, Labour first minister Vaughan Gething has said he wouldn't resign after losing a confidence vote in the Senedd. Gething narrowly lost the motion 27-29 - two Labour assembly members were ill - but is not obligated to resign.

The motion was brought over donations of £200,000 to his leadership campaign by a firm led by someone guilty of environmental offences, and follows the collapse of Labour's cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru. Gething has denied wrongdoing.

The Greens are expected to launch their health plans later today. Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay said that the policy requires taxing the "very richest" to pay for a combined investment in the NHS and adult social care of £50bn by 2030.

Wednesday 5 June, 10.30am

Tuesday 4 June, 11.00am

Following Nigel Farage’s surprise return to frontline politics, with yesterday’s announcement that he will lead Reform UK and stand for election to parliament, prime minister Rishi Sunak set out intentions for “bold action to reduce immigration” in the form of a proposed cap on migrant visas, should the Conversations be re-elected.

This comes as Farage made his first major policy pledge as Reform leader, to reduce net migration to zero.

A recent YouGov poll found that immigration and asylum ranked fourth in importance among members of the public who were asked to choose the three issues they considered most important in influencing how they will vote. It ranked second, behind the cost-of-living crisis, when they asked to choose the ‘single’ most important issue.

Health, which also ranked highly among prospective voters, ranking second and fourth in the poll respectively, was addressed by the Liberal Democrats today, as leader Ed Davey offered free personal care to older, disabled people in their homes paid for by a reverse to Tory tax cuts for large banks.

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband, now shadow energy secretary, visited Hartlepool nuclear power station, where he told reporters and members of the public he would extend the station’s licence, if Labour enter government after 4 July.

Current Labour leader Keir Starmer will face off against Sunak in the first of the election campaign’s televised debates, which will be aired at 9pm on ITV.

Monday 3, 10.30am: 

Labour’s shadow armed forces minister Luke Pollard told GB News that the party has reaffirmed its stance that it would not seek to re-enter the customs union with the EU, but would seek a veterinary agreement to help businesses deal with paperwork at the border.

Following Conservative pledges to retain the pension triple lock, Keir Starmer has committed to a “triple lock” on the UK’s nuclear arsenal and plans to raising defence spending to 2.5%, while saying that national security and economic security must go "hand-in-hand".

Department for Business and Trade secretary (DBT) Kemi Badenoch has been speaking in her capacity as minister for women and equalities, following announcements that the Conservatives would amend the Equalities Act 2010 to define sex as “biological sex” and make it easier to deny those born biologically male to access spaces for women. The plans would also include a change to the law to make it a "reserved matter" for the UK government, meaning that devolved administrations could no longer legislate on it.

Weekend policy announcements from the two main parties included Tory promises to build 100 new GP surgeries and expand their Pharmacy First scheme, which empowers pharmacies to treat seven conditions.

Labour discussed its approach to reducing net-migration through upskilling UK workers. Yesterday, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told Laura Kuenssberg that Labour wants to reduce reliance on overseas workers in areas like construction, IT, social care, health and engineering.

A second head-to-head televised debate between Starmer and Rishi Sunak has been confirmed for 26 June, the week before voters head to the polls on 4 July. A multi-party debate will take place on 13 June, featuring the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Reform UK, Greens and Plaid Cymru.

Reform UK's honorary president Nigel Farage has said he will "hold an Emergency General Election announcement" at 4pm today.

Week commencing 27 May

Thursday 30, 10.30am: The three major UK parties have all pledged not to raise the rate of VAT. Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Munira Wilson all said that their party would not increase VAT after the election.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has said that a vote for the governing Conservatives would be a "vote for cuts to interest rates", according to the Times, as he promises to reduce the record-high tax burden.

However, Hunt today said he would keep income tax thresholds frozen until 2018 if the Conservatives are re-election. The so-called 'fiscal drag' effect means that would effectively be a tax rise, according to Bloomberg. 

The Green Party is due to formally launch their election in Bristol today. The seat of Bristol Central is the Green's major target seat in this election, as where they hope to double their total count to two.

Plaid Cymru are also launching their campaign today. Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said his party "best placed to effectively represent our communities and offer a positive alternative to Labour and the Tories" in Wales.

As as of 0.01am this morning, the House of Commons has been prorogued and there are now no MPS, as our guide to the elections explains.

Wednesday 29, 10am: 

The first election debate has been confirmed, according to the Telegraph. A head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Stamer is set to go ahead on 4 June at 9pm - exactly a month before polling day - and will be broadcast by ITV.

In policy news, the Conservatives have pledged to scrap 'rip-off' degrees and to funnel this money to apprenticeships, pledging to create 100,000 new opportunities. In response, Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson told the BBC that the Conservatives had "broken the apprenticeship system" and "urgent reform is needed".

A flurry of polls have shown Labour holding steady in its polling lead. Three polls by YouGov, Survation and Redfield & Wilton have shown a slight increase, while a survey by JL Partners found a slight narrowing. 

Labour's shadow defence minister, Steve McCabe, has become the latest MP to stand down as MP. McCabe had served as MP for the constituencies of Birmingham Selly Oak and Birmingham Hall Green since 1997.

Tuesday 28, 10am: In a speech today, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to say that she will run the “the most pro-growth Treasury in our country's history,” and would be both pro-growth and pro-worker.

“Our plans for growth are built on partnership with business. A mission-led government, prepared to take on the big challenges we face and ready to seize the opportunities of the future.”

Conservative treasury minister Laura Trott said that Labour’s plans on workers’ rights would "risk damaging the economy” and cost jobs, while the SNP criticised the lack of mention of Brexit and the European customs union.

In a letter to The Times, 120 business leaders said they backed the opposition party’s plans, saying that there was an “urgent need of a new outlook” to break free from stagnation and put the UK back onto “sustained productivity growth”.

The letter included current and former executives, including Phil Chambers, CEO of Orbex, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and Emily Wallace, managing director of Inflect Partners.

So far, Reform are the only party to have published their manifesto – although the party states that the “contract” this is a ‘draft’ at this stage. It includes proposals on raising the VAT threshold to £120,000, scrapping "red tape" and preparing for negotiations on the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.