Caller Matt, who says he's voted SNP for 35 years, now asks Swinney about the NHS.

He says he's fought "tooth and nail" for the last six years to get the care he requires as a disabled veteran and is currently facing a 104-week wait for spinal surgery.

"My next move, Mr Swinney, is into a wheelchair," Matt says, adding that disabled veterans can't get the healthcare they were promised.

Swinney acknowledges the long NHS waiting times, telling Matt "they are too long" and he's "sorry about that", pointing to the aftermath of Covid as the main reason for the long waits.

The first minister says they're trying to get through waiting lists as quickly as possible and have "increased resources" to health services by asking people with higher earning to pay more in taxes.

Swinney is next asked by caller Gillian if the SNP will try to revive its Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which was blocked by Westminster last year.

He says the bill was passed by all five parties in Scotland before the UK government intervened, adding that he respects the rule of law after the courts upheld Westminster's right to stop the legislation from progressing.

The first minister says the question is now if an incoming Labour government would change the UK's stance on this issue, which he does not know the answer to.

On Gillian's question about protecting "safe spaces" for women and girls, Swinney says he would never jeopardise their safety.

Asked by Campbell how many genders there are, he pauses for a moment and says there will be "quite a debate" about the issue.

Swinney goes on to say women is an "adult born as a female" and there are "also transgender women".

We return to Jack, a caller in Edinburgh, who says he supports independence but doesn't think he can vote SNP this time - for the first time in 17 years - because he thinks the party needs to be stronger on delivery in Scotland.

Swinney says they will only be a strong SNP if people vote for them, saying he is "constantly aware of the importance of winning the trust of people".

He points to the SNP record, saying families in Scotland benefit from a doubling of early learning and childcare provision, no tuition fees, new infrastructure projects, and the "best" performing A&E in the UK.

Host Nicky Campbell cuts in to ask Swinney whether he can claim all votes for the SNP are a vote for Scottish independence.

The first minister says that the SNP's majority in 2021 means they have a mandate for independence which should be "taken forward" and that this election gives an opportunity to "intensify the pressure" for that to happen.

Anne, the first caller, accuses Swinney of not answering the question, adding that Scotland still has "shocking problems" which should be his priority.

SNP leader John Swinney is up on BBC Radio 5 Live – and straight away faces two questions on Scottish independence.

The first caller, Anne, says the 2014 referendum was meant to be a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, would Swinney want the country to go through it again?

The second call comes from Jack, who asks if the SNP will carry on pushing for a referendum if the party does not win a majority.

Swinney says he has believed in independence all his adult life, describing it as the "natural state of affairs" for Scotland to be able to take its own decisions "on the issues that matter to us".

The first minister says with devolution "we've been able to do some of that" and notes that today is the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood.

Swinney goes on to say a lot has changed since 2014 - like the UK leaving the EU - and says it is important Scotland has a chance to decide our own constitutional future away from the control of Westminster.

Before we turn to the phone-in with SNP leader John Swinney, here's quick look at his interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, in which he argues only his party will put Scotland's interests first.

He's asked if winning a majority of Scottish seats can be interpreted as a mandate for talks on another independence referendum, or if failing to win a majority means they should "let that matter lie".

Swinney says the 2021 Holyrood election returned a majority in favour of independence, and says it's important to use this election as "an opportunity to intensify the pressure" to implement that mandate.

Asked if he will stand down if his party gets a "really bad drubbing" in the election, Swinney says he became leader around eight weeks ago with a commitment to bring his party and Scotland together and he's committed to do that "well beyond the 2026 Scottish parliamentary elections".

Image source, PA Media

Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney is due to appear on BBC Radio 5 Live shortly.

He'll be taking questions from callers and presenters on his party's plans for Scotland.

We'll bring you the key lines on this page and you can follow along by tapping the watch live button above.

Labour's Jonathan Ashworth has been speaking to the BBC again, this time about what Labour would do differently if it wins the general election.

The shadow work and pensions secretary fires out a list of key pledges, including:

• growing the economy every year
• having an industrial strategy which invests in green energy
• fixing the NHS and bringing down waiting lists
• setting up free breakfast clubs in primary schools and recruiting 500,000 more teachers

"That is real change, real difference," Ashworth tells BBC Breakfast, before warning against "five more years of the same".

He is pressed over estimates from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank that it would require an increase in spending of 3.6% above inflation a year. Where are Labour finding the money?

Ashworth says Labour's plans to close the non-dom tax loophole to fund the gap.

He adds the money raised from that will expand access to GP appointments, improve dentistry and increase cancer care, and he goes on to say the IFS have failed to recognise that the NHS could be run "more efficiently".

We are en route to three seats in South East England. While Labour’s message is "if you want change you have to vote for it", and party spokespeople constantly warn against complacency, the choice of locations betrays its confidence.

The seats are actually (or after boundary changes, notionally) Conservative-held.

Only one of the three seats could be considered as a constituency which switches between the two main parties.

The others would very much be seen as "traditional" Tory seats - which signals that Labour’s data suggests there is at least the possibility it can win big.

Interestingly, a Labour candidate in a Conservative-held seat told me he was a bit peeved not to have received a Sir Keir Starmer visit - then he said, he realised why.

The seat is already considered to be all but in the bag.

Image source, PA Media

There are just four days left before polls open on 4 July.

Unsure of who to vote for? Check our guide offering summaries of where parties stand on issues most important to voters, broken down by nation and topic.

These have been taken from the major parties' manifestos - a list of pledges they've made to voters, explaining what they would do if elected.

Still not clear? You can get in touch to tell us more about the issues matter to you, what you want us to explain, and what you want us to report on here.

The Conservatives have accused Sir Keir Starmer of a "weird dog whistle attack" on Bangladeshis.

In an interview with readers of the Sun last week, Starmer said: "At the moment people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed."

It prompted the resignation of the deputy leader of Labour's group on Tower Hamlets council in east London.

Speaking about Labour's stance on illegal immigration this morning, James Cleverly told BBC Breakfast: "They're going to do nothing that we aren't already doing and somehow they claim that's going to bring illegal migration down, it is just not credible.

"And the only intervention recently that Keir Starmer's had on this is this weird dog whistle attack on the Bangladeshi community where he's claiming that we are not returning people to Bangladesh, which was (a) not true and (b) not relevant because the Bangladeshi community make up a tiny, tiny, tiny less than a half a per cent of small boat arrivals.

"So I know why they don't want to talk about immigration because whenever they do talk about it they put their foot in their mouth."

The home secretary made a similar argument on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, saying: "I was quite shocked when [Keir Starmer] decided to go on the attack against the Bangladeshi community."

Last week Starmer said that he "certainly wasn't intending to cause any concern or offence" to British Bangladeshis who are "making such an enormous contribution to our country".

The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats has told BBC Breakfast her party's election campaign has made people both laugh and cry.

But Daisy Cooper denied that stunts performed by the party's leader, Sir Ed Davey, meant voters wouldn't take the Lib Dems seriously.

She told BBC Breakfast: "The stunts that Ed Davey has been taking part in have made people smile and the raw honesty of speaking about his relationship with his disabled son and his lifetime experience as a carer have really struck a chord with the millions of people who are caring for loved ones as family carers, kinship carers, unpaid carers as well.

"So we've shown people that we can make them laugh, we've shown that we can make them cry and I think we've brought a human touch to this campaign at a time when people are really really struggling."

She said every stunt came with a very serious message, whether it was on sewage pollution or mental health.

Polls suggest Sunak will need 'minor miracle' to stay in powerpublished at 08:09 1 July

08:09 1 July

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

I’m at Euston station in London, about to jump on a train to follow the prime minister for the final days of the election campaign.

The Conservatives are talking today about the prospect of an “unaccountable and unchecked Labour government” if Keir Starmer’s party win a significant majority on Thursday.

It’s a reflection of the polls, which suggest Sunak will need a minor miracle to hang on to power.

There are two key constituencies for Sunak in the closing days of the campaign.

The first is historic or natural Tory voters - who Sunak will try and persuade to back them again this time. Some Conservatives fear they may stay at home or back Reform.

The second is undecided voters. Candidates I speak to - from all parties - say a lot of people are still to make their minds up. Winning them over could be crucial.

After 40 days of campaigning, Labour have provided the accompanying press pack with pillows.

The laughter was countered with a "this is supposed to be a nightmare warning!" chide from frontbencher Steve Reed.

Presumably, Labour-branded Ming vases will be handed out on the eve of poll...

Now speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, James Cleverly says conversations he's been having on the doorstep indicate a lot of voters are still undecided.

It's put to him that the Tories have only turned their fire on Reform UK in the past few days, to which Cleverly says many people who were thinking about voting Reform recognise that they would be handing a big majority to the Labour Party.

He adds that Nigel Farage says a lot of provocative things to get media attention and Reform can't provide answers to questions on illegal migration.

"Voting for a Reform candidate is more likely to get you a Labour MP," he says.

Do you think you'll still be home secretary come Friday? Cleverly is asked.

"Well I hope to be - that decision is in the hands of voters in Braintree and nationally," he says.

He says people should "vote to keep their taxes low," adding that he really hopes to stay as home secretary because "it's a privilege to serve".

That's a wrap on his interview on BBC Breakfast. He's also due to speak to the Today programme shortly, and we'll bring you what he has to say.

A full list of candidates standing in Braintree can be found here.

Asked about endorsements of Labour by some UK publications - the Sunday Times, Financial Times and the Economist - and criticism of the Conservatives, James Cleverly says he does not agree with them.

Cleverly says inflation is back down to 2%, the government has maintained low levels of unemployment, wages are growing faster than prices, and the economy is "growing faster than any other country in the G7".

He adds there has been an unprecedented set of circumstances in the last few years with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

"This is about the next five years and beyond," he says, and claims Labour will put up taxes and "distort the political system".

Cleverly is pressed on his party's record on immigration, especially the high numbers of small boat crossings over the English Channel over the last few months.

As of 26 June, 13,195 people had crossed the Channel in 2024 - above the numbers for the same period in the previous four years.

He says Labour has pledged to scrap the Rwanda asylum policy, and says the party isn't promising to do anything that the Tories aren't already doing. "It's is just not credible," he says.

He brings up comments made by Keir Starmer when he said the government is not returning people to Bangladesh, "which is simply not true", he adds.

For context, last week the Labour leader said: "At the moment people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed." He later said he didn't mean to cause offence with the remarks.

Home Secretary James Cleverly is first asked on BBC Breakfast about his party's messaging today attacking Labour on immigration. Has his party has run out of positive things to say about their own plans?

He says Labour has "suddenly" shown an interest in immigration, saying that is at odds with the "tone they have taken" before.

"We are the only party that is absolutely determined to protect our borders," he says.

Image source, EPA

But first let's hear from Labour's Jonathan Ashworth, who tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that with only days to go until the election it's "squeaky-bum time".

The shadow paymaster general urges voters still making up their mind: "Don't switch on Radio 4 on Friday morning and hear that Rishi Sunak has won five more years in power."

He's asked, if Labour win, if they have budgeted for the £6bn-£7bn to fund pay deals, as estimated by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Ashworth says his party's manifesto is fully funded and costed but it's put to him that the money might be needed to prevent further public sector strikes, and he's also pressed that the government will need to fund compensation for the Waspi women, Windrush victims and infected blood victims.

Ashworth says Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has made clear one of the first things he'd do is contact doctors to discuss a way forward. On the infected blood scandal, he says both parties signed a compensation agreement just before Parliament finished for the general election.