It’s the last Saturday of campaigning for the SNP and leader John Swinney is in the busy shopping district of Glasgow’s west end. Swinney has made a stump speech near Byers Road - such a focal point in the city that I’ve spotted someone from another party doing their shopping. The SNP leader says the result of the campaign in England is a foregone conclusion - he says Labour will win.

However, he claims the result in Scotland is still on a “knife-edge” as he urges voters to back his party instead so the SNP can “hold the next UK Labour government to account on further Westminster austerity cuts”.

In 2019, turnout in the Rhondda was 59% - one of the lowest in Wales and well below the UK average of 67.3%.

I’ve been finding out how people here are feeling this time around after the constituency was changed to Rhondda and Ogmore under boundary changes.

"I’ve got too much going on in my life to listen to what’s happening in the Houses of Parliament," says 32 year old plasterer Lewis Watt, who won’t be voting on Thursday.

Mark Barnes recently moved to the area after a period of homelessness and says he’ll stay at home because he hasn’t found a political party that shares his views and concerns.

"They haven’t got anything in the manifesto for people like myself," he says.

So what would make him vote?

"It would have to be somebody with a track record of carrying out what they say and at the moment I don’t see anybody in Westminster like that," he adds.

His daughter Tracey has voted in the past but is giving the ballot box a miss this year.

"I suppose it’s being nervous of just being let down and them not providing what they say they’re going to provide,” she says.

Hear how politicians respond to what these voters had to say on BBC Politics Wales tomorrow.

Image source, PA

Sir Keir Starmer has said many constituencies will be decided by a "few hundred” votes as he campaigned in Aldershot, in Hampshire, on the final weekend before polling day.

Labour sources have told BBC News they believe they have a chance of winning the Aldershot constituency – seen as the home of the British army – which the Conservatives won in 2019 with a majority of 16,698 before constituency boundary changes.

The Labour leader told reporters: “The numbers are really tight. It could go down to a few hundred in many constituencies.”

He added: “We have to win every vote, earn the trust across the country.”

Asked about leading Labour figures in Islington North saying they will campaign for former leader Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir said: “The choice at this election is very clear. It's between continuing with a Tory government or turning the page and rebuilding our country with a Labour government.

“That choice is in every constituency, including Islington North.

“So my strong message in Islington North and elsewhere is; change will only happen if you vote for it. And if you do want change, you have to vote and you have to vote Labour.”

Warning: This post contains language that may offend

Reform UK has withdrawn its support for three candidates, the party has confirmed.

Those candidates are Edward Oakenfull, who is standing in Derbyshire Dales, Robert Lomas, a candidate in Barnsley North, and Leslie Lilley, standing in Southend East and Rochford.

Oakenfull wrote offensive social media posts about the IQ of sub-Saharan Africans. He told the BBC his comments had been "taken out of context".

Lomas reportedly said black people should "get off [their] lazy arses" and stop acting "like savages". The comments were reported by the Times on 8 June, with Reform at the time claiming they were "out of context part-quotations" and it needed more time to respond.

Lilley reportedly described people arriving on small boats as "scum", adding: "I hope your family get robbed, beaten or attacked."

The three candidates will remain on the ballot because the date for registering has already passed.

The Green Party has launched a charter to support small businesses, which it has described as a "win-win-win" package for high streets and communities.

The charter includes providing £2bn a year in grant funding to local authorities to help businesses decarbonise, introducing VAT and rates exemptions, and re-joining the European Union's Customs Union - an agreement between countries that means they don't have to pay a tariff to export or import goods.

Speaking at the launch today in North Herefordshire, The Green Party's communities spokesperson Ellie Chowns said small and medium-sized businesses are a "vital" part of the economy "too often overlooked by government".

“These innovations will set the framework for small enterprises to succeed and our High Streets to once again become vital community hubs," she added.

You can read more on the Green Party's manifesto here.

Image source, PA

If you're just checking in with us this lunchtime, here's what's been happening so far on the final weekend of election campaigning:

• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has praised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his "very powerful" response to racist comments directed at him by a Reform UK canvasser. The Labour leader also criticised Nigel Farage, saying that as leader of Reform UK he set the "tone" and "culture" within the party

• On Friday, Farage claimed the footage of the Reform UK canvasser's comments, broadcast by Channel 4, was a "set-up" and suggested the canvasser may have been a paid actor
• Meanwhile, the Conservatives have been discussing their plans for veterans and defence today on Armed Forces Day. Sunak, who has been meeting veterans in his constituency of Richmond, Yorkshire, has spoken of his plans for a veterans' bill

• Starmer has also been meeting veterans, in Hampshire, and criticised the Conservatives' attempts to portray Labour as a risk to national security as "desperate" and "ridiculous". Earlier, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat claimed a Labour government would make the UK "more vulnerable to foreign pressure"
• Elsewhere, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has embarked on his 1,300-mile battle bus tour from John O'Groats to Land's End over five days. He'll be visiting key constituencies for the Lib Dems, such as the Highlands, West Country, and South-West England
• And the Green Party has launched its charter for small businesses in North Herefordshire, which includes introducing VAT and rates exemptions, as well as re-joining the European Union's Customs Union.

Today in this podcast recorded live for Radio 4, Adam is joined by Laura and Paddy to discuss what we can expect from the final few days of campaigning.

They also discuss whether the Reform UK campaign has been blown off course by evidence of racism in Clacton.

Plus we look back at the moments in history that have defined campaigns gone by.

Sir Keir Starmer has praised Rishi Sunak for his "very powerful" response to racist comments made by a Reform UK canvasser.

On Friday, Sunak said he was "hurt" and "angry" by the comments, adding that his two daughters had seen and heard the remarks, which were published by Channel 4.

The Labour leader accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of not doing enough following the incident.

Speaking to reporters in the South East of England, he said: "If you lead a party you set the tone, and the culture, and the standards of your party, and I don't think he's done enough in terms of leadership."

Asked if he sympathises with the prime minister following the racial slur, Starmer said: "I do, and I thought what he said about his daughters in particular was very powerful. And I'm glad he said it and I share his disgust at the comments that were made."

Farage has said he believes the comments, which were obtained in secret recordings, are a "set-up".

Reform UK said those making "unacceptable comments" will no longer be part of Farage's campaign.

Image source, PA

Sir Keir Starmer has called the Conservatives "desperate" and "ridiculous" for claiming that Labour was a risk to national security.

Earlier, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said a Labour government would make the UK "more vulnerable to foreign pressure", adding that Starmer's shadow cabinet includes people who have previously opposed Trident, the country's nuclear deterrent.

Speaking in Hampshire this morning, Starmer told reporters it was a Labour secretary of state that signed the UK's support for Nato - the military alliance of countries in Europe and North America - and added that it has been "unshakeable since".

"On the nuclear deterrent, we're clear about the triple lock that we've put in place, not only the current deterrent but the future upgrades of that deterrent and the jobs that go with it."

Starmer said Labour had "united" with the Conservative government on important national security issues, including "very sensitive briefings" he had received on the war in Ukraine.

"To now turn around and make this ridiculous claim just shows how desperate they have become going into this election. It does them no good."

Image source, .

Away from what parties say they'll do nationally, our colleagues in BBC local radio have been finding out what their representatives plan to do in your area.

Candidates appearing on your ballot paper on 4 July have been going head-to-head in debates over issues that matter to you.

You can watch the debate for your constituency here on BBC iPlayer.

Yesterday Nigel Farage was challenged over racist comments apparently made by a Reform UK canvasser in undercover footage broadcast by Channel 4.

Speaking this morning, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said there was a "pattern of racist and misogynistic views" within Reform UK.

He told Times Radio: "There's many decent people who vote for every political party and there's many decent people who will vote for Reform.

"But what we're trying to do is to remind people, to try to make clear to people, what it is that Reform really is."

He said Farage had "clearly done almost no due diligence on who he's asking to carry his message".

"There is a real pattern of racist and misogynistic views in the party. I think it's absolutely right to call it out."

Reform UK leader Farage says his party has withdrawn support to candidates who made offensive comments, and on Friday repeated his assertion that the footage broadcast by Channel 4 was a "set-up".

"You get people in all parties saying bad things and wrong things," he said during questions from a BBC Question Time audience, arguing it was partly the consequence of having to find candidates quickly.

He also argued he'd done more to drive out the far-right than any living person in British politics: "I took on the BNP just over a decade ago. I said to their voters, if this is a protest vote but you don't support their racist agenda, don't vote for them, vote for me, destroyed them."

Image source, Reuters

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is embarking on a 1,300-mile battle bus tour from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Blown by a strong North Atlantic breeze and flanked by campaigners, Davey says the aim of the road trip is to show that his party could win many seats across the UK.

The five-day tour will focus on key constituencies for the Lib Dems in the Highlands, West Country and South West of England.

He denies his party’s highly-targeted campaign has largely ignored the North of England, saying he had wanted to visit Cumbria and Yorkshire this week but that there wouldn’t have been time.

Davey admits he travelled from a campaign event yesterday in Cambridge to Northern Scotland by private jet, despite being committed to introducing a super tax on such flights because of their impact on the climate.

“It was the only way I could manage to come to this wonderful part of Scotland and actually be with my children as well at the same time in a short period," he says.

Image source, PA

As we reported earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will today be talking about their defence and veterans' policies.

Sunak will hail veterans' "duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice" during a campaign trip later and claim the Conservatives are the only party promising to meet the Help for Heroes Veterans' Pledge.

This includes committing to keep the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, commissioning a review into the medical discharge process, and ensuring veterans receive benefits and compensation they're entitled to.

It comes after Sunak faced a backlash earlier in the campaign for leaving D-Day commemorations early in France. He subsequently apologised.

Shadow defence secretary John Healey has said Nigel Farage needs to "get a grip" on Reform UK and tackle racist and homophobic activists within the party.

Healey was speaking after undercover footage broadcast by Channel 4 showed racist comments being made by a Reform UK canvasser.

Farage has said the canvasser was an actor and suggested he may have been paid as part of a "set-up". Channel 4 says it did not know the campaigner and they weren't paid.

Speaking to Sky News, Healey said: "To some extent, I see him fuelling a row over this Channel 4 film to distract from the fact that there are officials and there are candidates right at the heart of the Reform party that have been responsible for racist, anti-gay, and other deeply offensive statements," he said.

"And in the end, the culture and the standards of any political party are set by the leader and Nigel Farage wants to be seen as a leader."

Reform UK has said candidates and party figures who make "unacceptable comments" will no longer be part of the party's campaign.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has claimed a Labour government would make the UK "more vulnerable to foreign pressure".

Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Tugendhat said Sir Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet included people who opposed the country's nuclear deterrent, Trident.

He also said the Conservatives were the "only party" committed to spending 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence by 2030.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner has previously voted against Trident but the party has said it would keep the nuclear deterrent if elected. Labour has pledged to spend 2.5% of the country's GDP on defence as soon as economic conditions allow.

The UK spent 2.07% of GDP on defence last year, according to Nato data, external, but it estimates it will spend 2.3% this year, including resources given to Ukraine.

It’s a slightly bleary-eyed start for many of us following the Labour leader as the campaign enters its final weekend. It’s been a long few weeks for politicians and reporters alike.

We caught an early train to join Sir Keir Starmer, who is on his way to a coffee morning with veterans in the south east of England.

Both Labour and the Conservatives are marking Armed Forces Day with military-themed visits this morning.

Starmer is announcing new powers for an armed forces commissioner Labour would introduce - including the ability to investigate issues such as sub-standard military housing and faulty kit - and report directly to Parliament.

But we can expect questions on how committed he is to increasing defence spending. Labour has said it would raise it to 2.5% of GDP “as soon as resources allow”. The Conservatives say they would hit 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030.

Image source, Getty Images

Less than a week from polling day, thousands of people in Scotland who've registered to vote by post haven't received their ballots.

Edinburgh City Council and Fife Council have taken the unusual step of setting up emergency centres where residents who have yet to receive their ballot can have one reissued, or can even cast their vote ahead of 4 July.

The Electoral Commission says local authorities and Royal Mail are working to deliver the packs as quickly as possible.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney said he was "troubled" by delays in some Scots receiving their postal votes.

• You can read more here.

The big story of yesterday was the continued reaction to footage showing racist comments apparently made by a Reform UK campaigner.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "hurt" and "angry" at racist comments directed at him, uncovered by Channel 4.

Speaking on a BBC Question Time special, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage repeated his assertion that the comments were a "set up" and suggested the man may have been paid.

Also on the programme, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay was asked about comments made by three of his party's candidates on the Israel-Gaza conflict, one of which said the 7 October attack by Hamas was orchestrated by Israel.

Ramsay said he didn't agree with the comments and the candidates would be investigated.

Elsewhere, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party would resume processing asylum applications for those who arrived in the UK illegally.

Under a law passed in July last year, tens of thousands of such people, including those who arrived on small boats, are effectively blocked from gaining refugee status.

Time for a look at the election news making the front pages of Saturday’s papers:

• The Daily Express leads with Rishi Sunak's "hurt and anger" after it was reported on Friday that a Reform UK canvasser used a racist slur against him
• Boris Johnson takes aim at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in his Daily Mail column with an "impassioned plea" to stop Labour winning a huge majority, or "Starmergeddon" as the former prime minister calls it
• Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch also goes on the attack in an interview with the Times. She says Nigel Farage is in politics for the "limelight", and claims that many of Reform UK’s party's supporters don't realise what they're voting for
• Finally, the Guardian backs Labour and Starmer in its editorial ahead of Thursday’s election – insisting "only his government can shape the future we want to see"

You can read a full review of Saturday’s papers here.

Good morning and welcome as we resume our live coverage of the general election in the final weekend of campaigning.

Defence and support for veterans will be the focus of campaigning for both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as they mark Armed Forces Day.

Both will be making armed forces-themed visits.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is spending the remaining five days before the election on a UK tour.

The SNP will be campaigning in Glasgow, while the Green Party is launching a charter for small businesses.

Stick with us for updates and analysis.