Misleading Conservative ads claim Labour seeks 'national Ulez'published at 12:38 28 June

12:38 28 June

Image source, Meta

By Alex Murray and Marco Silva

The Conservative Party has bought hundreds of social media adverts claiming a Labour government would “steamroll through” a national Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).

But the Labour Party manifesto does not mention Ulez or any other traffic reduction schemes.

A spokesperson for Labour described the claims as “absolute nonsense” and told the BBC “the Conservatives were now reduced on a daily basis to making up Labour plans that do not exist”.

The ads, placed on Facebook and Instagram, show a succession of news headlines about fines and charges related to the Ulez expansion in London and Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone.

More than 870 different versions of these videos were created, asking the viewer whether this is something they would want in the areas targeted by the ads.

They then go on to suggest that, were Labour to win next week’s election by a large majority, they could expand Ulez plans across the country without opposition.

The Conservative Party did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

As we've been reporting, Reform UK campaigners have been filmed apparently making racist comments by an undercover Channel 4 team. One volunteer, identified in the broadcast as Andrew Parker, is heard suggesting army recruits should carry out “target practice” by shooting at small boats carrying illegal migrants.

Parker tells the PA news agency: “Of course I regret what I said. Christ, I’m not a racist. I’ve had Muslim girlfriends. It was typical chaps-down-the-pub talk.”

He said he made the remarks in the "heat of the moment" because he was being "goaded on" - and asked whether he would like to apologise, he says: “Of course I’m sorry. They were off-the-cuff things that everyone says.”

He says he has “a lot of Pakistani friends” and “Muslim friends”, and that he is “sick to death” of being asked about the footage.

Parker is an actor and says he got involved with Reform UK by contacting the party himself and volunteering to do leafletting. He previously told Channel 4 News he had been expressing personal views that he hadn’t previously discussed with the party.

An additional Question Time Leaders’ Special will take place tonight at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer - featuring Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay.

They'll each answer questions for half an hour from a live studio audience in Birmingham.

The one-hour programme, led by Fiona Bruce, will also be available on the BBC News Channel in the UK and overseas, and on the BBC News website as part of coverage and analysis on the live page.

Audiences can also tune in on the dedicated "Election 24" audio-only stream available on BBC Sounds and on smart speakers.

Click here for more information about tonight's Question Time Leaders’ Special.

Image source, .

The parties' poll ratings have stabilised over the last week.

Starting at the beginning of June, the Conservatives and then Labour saw their average poll scores drop. Meanwhile support for Reform UK went up and support for the Liberal Democrats also rose, although to a lesser extent.

But over the last week or so those shifts seem to have come to a halt. All of the parties are polling fairly consistently on average.

That still means that Labour retain their lead over the Conservatives of about 20 points which they've held pretty much throughout the election campaign.

You can see more on the BBC's poll tracker here.

First Minister John Swinney says Scotland has been held in contempt by the UK’s prime minister in relation to the timing of the general election.

Swinney says he spoke of his concerns when the election was called - that it would come at the beginning of the Scottish school holidays when many families will go away.

He says there are many marginal seats being fought in Scotland and it is not fair that some people who have not received their postal votes before they go on holiday will not be able to vote.

Image source, PA

Now turning to the SNP, leader John Swinney says he would take the issue of Scottish gender recognition reform to a Labour government if it came into power.

In December 2022, MSPs voted to pass the controversial Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which aimed to make it easier in Scotland for people to change their legally recognised sex and introduce gender self-identification without a medical diagnosis.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack used UK government powers to veto the bill, saying it could interfere with equalities law across the whole country.

Swinney says if Labour enter government after the election, he would work with it to "lift the veto". However, he adds that he believes it's "not something they would be prepared to take forward".

Labour has said it will introduce a cooling off period for people who want to legally change their gender if it wins the election and scrap the need for transgender people to provide what it considers to be unnecessary documentary evidence in an attempt to "simplify" the "intrusive and outdated gender recognition law".

GDP figures - news that Sunak can use?published at 11:37 28 June

11:37 28 June

Dharshini David
Chief economics correspondent

News the prime minister feels he can use: revised official figures show the UK has rebounded from recession slightly more vigorously than previously thought, with GDP growth of 0.7% in the first three months of the year.

The ONS adjusted its initial estimate of 0.6% after receiving more complete data which saw it upgrade growth in the services sector. As Rishi Sunak has tweeted, external, that leaves the UK at the top of the G7 growth table - but only for that quarter, and by a whisker.

And many people will be yet to feel better off.

Adjust for population, and GDP per person remained below where it was a year ago - which underscores the lacklustre nature of the UK’s longer-term growth which have left living standards typically languishing.

With other official figures showing the economy flatlined more recently, in April, raising our future growth game will remain a priority for the next government.

The economy grew by more than initially estimated in the first three months of 2024 as the UK emerged from recession, revised official figures show.

Between January and March, the economy grew by 0.7% the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Figures released last month initially estimated growth had been 0.6%.

The strength of the economy has been a central battleground in the general election campaign, with growth having been sluggish in recent years.

Most economists, politicians and businesses want to see GDP rising steadily, because it usually means people are spending more, extra jobs are created, more tax is paid to the government and workers get better pay rises.

The original figure for the first quarter of the year was stronger than economists had expected, and growth in the services sector, which includes businesses such as hairdressers, banks, and hospitality, helped to push it higher, the ONS said.

But while services growth was revised upwards, increases in manufacturing were revised down on the back of more data being collected. Paul Dales, chief UK economist at research company Capital Economics, said the faster growth rise in GDP in early 2024 was "mainly due to upward revisions to consumer spending".

He added the new figure suggested "whoever is prime minister this time next week may benefit from the economic recovery being a bit stronger".

Labour today have brought the press to see what appears to be a mortgage shop plastered with posters purporting to offer "Rishi’s Mega Mortgages" and which claim "Every deal will leave you worse off!".

These mock adverts are in fact put up across the front of the office of a former Labour MP in south London.

The claim the posters make that people will face a price hike of £4,800 on their mortgages if the Conservatives win has been made before by Labour in this campaign and checked by BBC Verify which has found it risked "misleading people and was based on questionable assumptions”.

In the BBC debate this week Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of repeating a “lie” when he claimed Labour’s plans would increase taxes on people. But Labour is, in this campaign, also bandying around slippery statistics.

Image source, Getty Images

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan also been doing media rounds this morning, talking about the Conservatives' pledges.

When asked about the inflation spike under Tory governments, on Sky News she said: “You can thank Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine for that."

When reminded about the former PM Liz Truss’ mini budget, she said “Truss had nothing to do with other countries where the inflation rate went up in exactly the same way".

She said the energy spike caused a huge spike in inflation adding that inflation has gone down to 2%, which she attributes to the "restraint that we've shown in terms of spending".

Sky News anchor Matt Barbet pressed her: "If you understood economics you'd know that it's actually got a lot to do with the Bank of England which is independent of the government, in the way they manage interest rates. That's the real reason why inflation has come down if you're economically literate."

Keegan also said the opinion polls have produced a "whole range of different views" adding "none of them look like the best outcome for our party", before claiming that there's still a lot of undecided voters who previously have voted Conservative.

As we've been reporting, Reform UK is facing scrutiny after an undercover team at Channel 4 recorded people campaigning for the party in Clacton apparently making racist and homophobic comments.

Tony Mack, the former candidate in the constituency before Nigel Farage decided to run - and who is now standing as an independent - tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme he's "shocked" by the language.

"I would never have joined a racist party," Mack says when asked if people might think it has racist members.

"I find the party that I joined under Richard Tice unrecognisable," referencing Reform's former leader.

Reform UK did not make anyone available for an interview with the Today programme, but the party has said anyone making "unacceptable comments" will no longer be part of the campaign.

You can see a full list of candidates standing in Clacton here.

The SNP is launching its campaign bus today.

I got a sneak preview following it in, by chance, as I drove from Glasgow to Edinburgh this morning and managed to take this picture while we were stopped.

The slogan says: “A future made in Scotland.” Join me at the official launch this morning.

Image source, PA Media

We've been hearing from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer a lot so far today, who was pressed on his party's pledges in two BBC appearances.

Now that the morning's media rounds are wrapped up, let's take a look at what the other parties are up to on the campaign trail:

Conservatives: The party is highlighting its education pledges, including the expansion of free childcare and a school mobile phones ban, with PM Rishi Sunak in North East England later

Lib Dems: Dentistry is the focus today, with the party calling for VAT on children's toothbrushes and toothpaste to be scrapped. Ed Davey is also out and about, and is being interviewed by Nick Robinson on Panorama at 19:30

SNP: First Minister John Swinney is launching his party's campaign bus which will travel around the country until polling day

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay will appear on the BBC Question Time election special, as will Reform UK's Nigel Farage, from 20:00

The 25% pension tax-free lump sum is permanentpublished at 10:17 28 June

10:17 28 June

By Ben Chu and Anthony Reuben

Keir Starmer seems to be confused about pensions this morning.

He was asked by a listener to 5 Live if he was going to remove the rules that allow people to take 25% of their pension savings as a tax-free lump sum.

He responded: “It runs out in a number of years and we’re not going to renew it.”

We’ve spoken to independent think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies who say there are no changes in the pipeline for this policy.

We asked the Labour leader’s office about this and were told: "The ability to withdraw 25% of your pension as tax free lump sum is a permanent feature of the tax system and Labour are not planning to change this."

Nicky Campbell finishes by asking Starmer if he will resign as Labour leader if he loses the election, particularly if he "loses badly".

"Yes," Starmer says.

Starmer takes his last question from a caller, David, who asks how he will process illegal immigrants.

Starmer says it will be "difficult" but that it is necessary.

The alternative, the Labour leader continues, is to leave them unprocessed and they will live in hotels in this country at the expense of the general public.

That is an "absurd" situation to be in, Starmer adds.

While taking voters' questions on BBC Radio 5 Live, Keir Starmer was challenged by caller Jane who wanted to know what he would do to protect biological women from men coming into their safe spaces like toilets and changing rooms.

Starmer replies that he has long championed women's spaces and the need for them to be safe, adding he will continue to do that in the future.

Jane asks if he can guarantee that he would not allow biological men to come into women's spaces.

He says a Labour government would protect women's space but adds that he will treat all people with respect.

That's a wrap on Keir Starmer's appearance on the Nicky Campbell programme, during which he took audience questions for nearly an hour.

We've still got a few more voter questions to bring you, so stay with us.

Caller Ifthakar asks Starmer how he is different to Nigel Farage, referring to earlier this week when Starmer made reference to Bangladesh when answering a question about the deportation of illegal migrants.

Answering questions from an audience of Sun readers,, external on Monday, the Labour leader said: "At the moment people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed."

Starmer says: "I didn't intend to cause any upset or offence."

He says the Bangladeshi community has made a huge contribution to the UK and adds that there's a "strong bond" between Labour and those in that community.

The Labour leader says the first country he visited as a Labour MP was Bangladesh.

The next caller says she can't buy her housing association home because it was built before 1997 and it doesn't meet the criteria - how will he help her get on the housing ladder?

Starmer says Labour plans to build 1.5m homes over five years, it wants to support first-time buyers and "keep rents down".

The caller says she has worked hard to build a good life for herself and her son, and she wants Labour to do "what Tony Blair did for me back in 2005, he set me up perfectly" to have a good life. But she says has concerns for her son looking ahead.

Starmer says he values aspiration and says he has framed his manifesto to offer that for the country.