Election news
- It's the last day to register to vote - read our handy guide
- Sunak welcomes ex-PM's 'great' videos
- But his farm visit doesn't quite go to plan….
- Starmer joined by familiar face on campaign trail
- Poll suggests public think Farage would be a bad PM
- 'Change for the better': Scottish Labour unveil manifesto pledges
- Live reporting by Samuel Osborne and (earlier)Faith Ridler
Expert analysis
- Ed Conway:Do Reform's numbers add up?
- Jon Craig:Who's top of Sky's election interviews league?
- 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
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.
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.
Specialist doctors accept new pay offer from government
Specialist, associate specialist, and speciality (SAS) doctors in England have voted in favour of a new pay deal from the government.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said 79.3% of members who took part in the ballot backed the new package.
It means SAS doctors on open contracts could see pay increases of between 9.5% and 19.4% compared with 2022/23.
It also includes a consolidated uplift of £1,400 to each pay point for SAS doctors on closed contracts.
This is on top of the 6% increase awarded by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) in 2023/24.
You can read more from Sky News below:
PM welcomes Johnson's campaign videos
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is out on the campaign trail today, and he was asked about Boris Johnson's involvement in the Conservative election efforts.
The former prime minister has been drafted in by the Conservatives, reportedly to help counter the growing threat from Reform UK.
It is thought he has signed thousands of letters due to be delivered to voters this week, as well as recording campaign videos for a number of his Tory MP allies.
All this, it seems, done from the sunny beaches of Sardinia (see 9.40 post).
Asked whether he is disappointed Mr Johnson isn't actively campaigning, Mr Sunak said these videos and letters "have been co-ordinated by the campaign".
He added: "It's great that Boris is supporting the Conservative Party. I very much welcome that.
"He's endorsing many candidates in videos and letters which have been co-ordinated by the campaign.
"I know that will make a difference. And of course, every week he's making the case in his column and making sure everyone understands that what a Labour government would do to this country and why it's important everyone votes Conservative.
"I'm glad he's doing that."
