Summary

  • On the day before the general election, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer make their final pitch to voters

  • Sunak says "the game isn’t over until the final whistle goes" and "there’s fight in the underdog"

  • Starmer says "change only happens if you vote for it, and imagine a different future on Friday morning"

  • Earlier, Conservative minister Mel Stride said it was "highly likely" that Labour would achieve the largest majority in history

  • Meanwhile, Ed Davey says there is no ceiling on Lib Dem ambitions, the SNP says the election in Scotland is on a "knife-edge", while Nigel Farage has addressed crowds in Clacton from a military vehicle

  • Polling stations are open from 07:00 to 22:00 on Thursday across the UK

  1. SNP's Stephen Flynn speaking to BBC Breakfast nowpublished at 07:15 2 July

    Press play above to watch the interview - and we'll have the key lines here.

    Stephen Flynn with SNP leader John Swinney supporting Scotland at the Euros last monthImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn with SNP leader John Swinney supporting Scotland at the Euros last month

  2. Royal Mail says it has no backlog of postal votespublished at 07:11 2 July

    Royal Mail says it has "no backlog" of postal votes amid reports some voters are yet to receive them.

    The Telegraph reports that voters in more than 90 constituencies have raised concerns about postal vote delays.

    Yesterday, SNP leader John Swinney warned some Scottish voters could be "disenfranchised" if their postal votes cannot be filled out and returned on time, saying no thought had been given to the timing of the election coinciding with the school holidays.

    Some Scottish councils opened emergency drop-in centres over the weekend, while others have offered to send out replacement packs – the BBC has compiled a list of Scottish councils' guidance here.

    A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Where concerns have been raised, we have investigated and confirmed ballot packs are being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network."

    The Electoral Commission said it will look into the administration of postal voting after the election.

    Rishi Sunak's official spokesperson said it was aware of concerns but that it was working with the different organisations involved to "support the resolution of these issues".

  3. Who's on the airwaves this morning?published at 07:05 2 July

    As we head into the home stretch of the general election, politicians are making their final pitches to voters.

    This morning, the BBC's Today programme will hear from the Lib Dems Tim Farron, Reform's Richard Tice and co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsay.

    Over on BBC Breakfast, the SNP's Stephen Flynn will join discussions as well as shadow health secretary Wes Streeting and at 0830, it will be Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's turn.

    Stay with us as we bring you live updates.

  4. SNP leader calling on voters to 'reject' Labour Partypublished at 06:57 2 July

    Georgia Roberts
    Scotland political correspondent

    SNP Leader John Swinney (left) joins the SNP candidate for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Tommy Sheppard, at Portobello Beach and Promenade, while on the General Election campaign trail. Picture date: Thursday June 27, 2024.Image source, PA Media

    The SNP leader John Swinney is campaigning in the Highlands today in a number of constituencies.

    Among them, Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, where the former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford is standing down.

    The Liberal Democrats are hoping to clinch the seat, a particularly meaningful one for them given it was held by the former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy until 2015.

    Swinney today is calling on voters to reject the Labour Party, who polls suggest are ahead of the SNP with voters in Scotland.

    Whilst the SNP leader is claiming the Scottish result is “too close to call”, his focus in these last few hours is Labour, who he says his party are “neck and neck” with in many areas.

  5. Where are the party leaders campaigning today?published at 06:44 2 July

    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak picks up groceries during a visit to Ocado distribution centre on the day of a Conservative general election campaign event, near Luton, Britain July 2, 2024.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Sunak picked up groceries at a visit to an Ocado distribution centre this morning

    We usually begin the day giving a sense of where the party leaders will be campaigning, but Rishi Sunak has beaten us to the punch this morning.

    The prime minister has been out and about already, visiting an Ocado distribution centre in Luton before 5am. He's also due to attend events in Oxfordshire and he'll be out on the road until late into the evening, attending another event in London. And don't miss his interview on BBC Breakfast at 08:30 BST.

    Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will be campaigning in the Midlands, and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to make a visit to Cornwall and Somerset.

    SNP leader John Swinney is expected to be taking his message to the North East coast in Scotland today.

  6. After an early start, Sunak fuels up at motorway servicespublished at 06:38 2 July

    As we reported earlier, it was an early start for Rishi Sunak this morning - he was pictured at an Ocado distribution centre in Luton just after 5am.

    He has now been seen picking up breakfast at a service station in Buckinghamshire. We don't *think* this was all for him...

    Sunak at MCDonald'sImage source, Reuters
  7. Watch: ‘They wouldn't want me as prime minister’published at 06:30 2 July

    Media caption,

    Watch: What would you do with the key to Number 10?

    Ahead of Thursday's general election, BBC London asked people what they would do with the keys to Number 10 Downing Street.

    Tackling homelessness and providing more opportunities for young people were some of the Croydon public's priorities.

    "Turn everything upside down", and "sack them all", were also answers - press play to watch them all...

  8. What happened on the campaign trail yesterday?published at 06:16 2 July

    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak answered questions from staff at a drug distribution facility in Staffordshire, saying the election was a "choice about who governs us for years" and that, if the Conservatives won, they would pursue tax cuts
    • In a speech at Hitchin Town FC, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said this could be a "summer of change" and that people could "start to rebuild our country with Labour"
    • SNP leader John Swinney was asked on BBC Radio 5 Live whether he would continue to pursue independence, responding that independence was the "natural state of affairs" for Scotland
    • Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey took one last leap in the Lib Dems' stunt-filled campaign, completing a bungee jump during a campaign stop in Eastbourne
    • Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer spoke about her party’s pledge of a £22bn investment in hospitals, saying that “the very fabric of our NHS is crumbling and must be repaired and rebuilt"
  9. Sunak up bright and early with visit to distribution centrepublished at 05:54 2 July

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made an early start to the day's campaigning with a visit to an Ocado distribution centre in Luton.

    Pictures from the visit showed him speaking to staff, touring the facility, and being shown its produce.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a broccoli during a visit to an Ocado distribution centre.Image source, PA Media
    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks to staff during a visit to an Ocado distribution centre.Image source, PA Media
  10. Parties hone in on core messagespublished at 05:47 2 July

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    As this general election campaign draws to a close, the parties are honing in on the core messages they hope will appeal to the crucial slices of the British public they need to win.

    The Conservatives are warning of a Labour victory so large that Sir Keir Starmer might wield "unchecked" power.

    Whatever they say publicly, the way they are approaching this week shows that they believe the dire opinion polling is plausible at the very least.

    In Labour's corner they are relieved and pleased to have made it through the entire campaign with essentially one consistent one-word message: change.

    Note that in the final days the message is being adapted, though, to warn voters that if they want change they “have to vote for it”.

    That betrays more than a flicker of concern that some potential Labour voters may see the result as a foregone conclusion and as a result stay at home or vote for another party.

    Read Henry's full piece here.

  11. Not long left now...published at 05:45 2 July

    Good morning. It's Tuesday, which means there are just two days of campaigning left before election day.

    All the parties will be making their final pitches for your support, and we'll be following it all of the way.

    Stay with us throughout the day for the latest news and analysis.