Summary

  • We're answering first-time voters’ questions on everything from tactical voting to what you need to bring to the polling station - scroll down to see more

  • Meanwhile, parties are ramping up their election campaigning with just three days left until polls open

  • Conservative leader Rishi Sunak tells the BBC's Chris Mason the election is "not over until it’s over" as he insists he hasn't given up on the campaign

  • Keir Starmer tells voters the choice "could not be starker" as he calls for a "summer of change"

  • At least six councils across the UK have had issues with delayed postal votes - here's what to do if your ballot hasn't arrived

  • Unsure who to vote for? Compare the main parties in our manifesto guide here

  1. Do you accept Brexit made things more difficult for many businesses, Sunak askedpublished at 09:43 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura asks Sunak about the long-term impact of Brexit.

    Your old bosses at Goldman Sachs say the UK is underperforming because of Brexit, she says.

    Sunak says he was proud to support Brexit.

    He claims that when it comes to exports we have overtaken some other European countries - thanks to freedoms we have from Brexit such as cutting red tape.

    Laura asks again - do you accept Brexit has made things more difficult for many businesses?

    He replies that of course it changes your trading relationship.

    But he repeats the claims the the UK has overtaken some other European countries to become fourth largest exporter in the world.

  2. Primary job when I became PM was delivering economic stability - Sunakpublished at 09:42 British Summer Time 30 June

    Rishi Sunak and Laura Kuenssberg during an interview

    Laura points out that while Sunak has been describing this general election campaign as one that will determine the course of the future, it is also about his own party's long-term record.

    Sunak comes back, pointing to the fact he has only been in office for 18 months and during that time inflation has eased and some have benefitted from tax cuts to the likes of National Insurance Contributions.

    He says his "primary job" when he took on the role was to deliver economic stability and adds that people can trust the Conservatives to keep doing that.

  3. Now the government is able to start cutting taxes, Sunak sayspublished at 09:40 British Summer Time 30 June

    Asked about the tax burden, Sunak says the UK went through a pandemic and the government provided support. He then points to Ukraine, and the energy bills support.

    Sunak says at the time, "no one disagreed" with that spending, but now it needs to be paid back.

    He says those were difficult decisions and now the government is able to start cutting taxes.

  4. Postpublished at 09:38 British Summer Time 30 June

    Sunak acknowledges the frustration heard from viewers like Sheila who have written in, and that it has been tough with higher energy bills and food costs, for example, soaring.

    He points again to the war on Ukraine contributing to these rises, and says that's why he is working hard to deliver financial security with tax cuts ahead for "every stage of their lives" if voters re-elect his party.

  5. Postpublished at 09:37 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura quotes a viewer, Sheila, as saying her biggest worry is not about tax, but about having the basics.

    Sunak says the election is about the future.

    "If people want more financial security so they can spend money on the things they want so they can provide a better life for their family, that is what I will deliver," he says.

    As part of that pledge, he promises to continue to cut taxes and abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers.

    For those in retirement, "millions of pensioners will have the triple-lock plus," he adds.

  6. BBC viewers express sadness about the countrypublished at 09:36 British Summer Time 30 June

    It’s put to the prime minister that other countries have fallen behind on education rather than the UK leaping ahead.

    Sunak is asked about the general sentiment in the country. It’s put to him that viewers of the programme are regularly in touch expressing sadness over how they feel about the country.

    He's read their messages - one asks “why does nothing work in this country”, while others have asked about roads, schools pollution and the NHS.

  7. Postpublished at 09:33 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura asks Sunak - you ask us to judge you by your record, but over the past 14 years, the country has become poorer, sicker and has even worse public services.

    Sunak says he doesn't accept that.

    He points to education - during the last 14 years our children are best readers in the world and 9 out of 10 schools are good or outstanding, he claims.

  8. UK better place to live now than in 2010, Sunak sayspublished at 09:32 British Summer Time 30 June

    The prime minister responds, saying that while the last few years have been difficult, the United Kingdom is a better place to live than in 2010.

    He admits the last few years have been tough, citing global events including the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine "which drove up everyone's bills" due to the knock-on effect on energy costs.

    He says the Conservative party has made progress in tackling higher prices, and that wages are rising and energy bills are forecast to fall again later in the year.

    He adds the country is now on the right track "with the prospect of more tax cuts to come" if his party is successful in the election.

  9. Is UK a better or worse place to live than in 2010, Sunak askedpublished at 09:30 British Summer Time 30 June

    Rishi Sunak

    Next up, we’re hearing from the leader of the Conservative Party, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

    First he’s asked about the record of his party over the last 14 years on public services and the UK's standing in the world.

    Is this country a better or worse place to live than in 2010, he's asked.

  10. Change will only come if people vote for it, McFadden endspublished at 09:25 British Summer Time 30 June

    Asked what his biggest mistake in this campaign has been, McFadden jokes he’s barely left Labour’s HQ and hasn’t been risking water slides like Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey.

    He says he’s proud of the campaign and the party has put forward real and meaningful change.

    He ends by repeating the central message Labour will keep repeating up until polling stations come: “Change will only come if people vote for it."

    And that's the end of the interview.

  11. Postpublished at 09:24 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura asks if Labour could rule out a return to the customs union or re-joining the EU in a second term.

    He sidesteps the question, saying he'd like to get a first Labour term and make the best possible case for doing better outside the EU.

    "We are not going to re-run the argument," he says.

  12. We're not going back to freedom of movement - McFaddenpublished at 09:24 British Summer Time 30 June

    Pat McFadden is then asked if Labour would ever look to introduce freedom of movement again, as was in place when the UK was a part of the European Union. Would it ever put up the possibility of freedom of movement in negotiations with the EU?

    He responds: "We are not going back to freedom of movement."

    He also rules out the option of introducing a smaller similar scheme aimed specifically at young people who may want to study or work abroad.

    "Keir [Starmer] has been clear on this. We don’t want to re-run the Brexit argument. That means no grand institutional design and no return to freedom of movement," he says.

  13. Conversation now turns to Brexitpublished at 09:23 British Summer Time 30 June

    Now we’re moving onto Brexit, which has been a tricky issue for Labour in recent years.

    McFadden is asked: has anyone in Brussels indicated to Labour that a new deal is possible without giving a lot away, as the party hopes?

    These things are always a negotiation, McFadden says, adding that he has not been personally involved in those conversations.

    It's put to him that a Labour government might have to sign up to free movement or a deal on taking asylum seekers in order to get looser trade restrictions.

    McFadden says we can "do better than we are at present" and it's worth the effort - but that the party wouldn't sign up to anything not in the national interest, including free movement.

  14. Is Labour guaranteeing people will save £300 on energy bills?published at 09:22 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura comes back to the figures. Are you guaranteeing people will save £300, she asks.

    She says the £300 figure is based on an estimate on figures that are out of date from a think tank.

    McFadden replies that this would be the pay-off people can get from getting more fuel from renewables.

  15. Postpublished at 09:21 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura pushes McFadden - asking if GB Energy won't produce cheap energy, then when will people save £300 on their annual energy bills as has been pledged by Labour?

    He says in the long-term renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy are cheaper than energy from fossil fuels, and he wants the party to lead the change in confronting climate change, "not just be a customer".

  16. Postpublished at 09:20 British Summer Time 30 June

    Laura asks what is GB Energy? McFadden says a publicly owned company focusing on technology like hydrogen, wind and solar.

    It’s put to McFadden that Labour ministers have been unclear on whether GB Energy will actually produce its own energy.

    McFadden says it’s not going to sit alongside the big private firms - rather, it will invest in jobs and new technologies so Britain plays a leading role in the tradition to green energy.

    He says the green transition is coming for every country around the world either way - and the next government has a choice over whether it will lead that process or end up “buying the kit” from the private market.

  17. Are you concerned about President Biden, McFadden askedpublished at 09:15 British Summer Time 30 June

    Continuing on the theme of international security and politics, Laura asks McFadden whether he is concerned about US President Joe Biden after his performance in a key TV debate has been criticised in recent days.

    McFadden says it was a "tough night" for the Democratic party in the United States, but says that whoever wins the presidential election in November, "the relationship between Britain and the US will be as strong as it's ever been".

  18. Postpublished at 09:13 British Summer Time 30 June

    Asked why Labour hasn’t set a firm date for that target, McFadden says a date without a proper plan to pay for it is not a meaningful commitment - and calls the Tory manifesto a “desperate wish list”.

    Pressed on Labour’s plans, McFadden says Starmer wants to show how everything he commits to will be paid for.

    He says the 2019 election result showed the cost of making promises you can’t pay for - and that cost is felt by families struggling with their own budgets, he adds.

  19. Postpublished at 09:11 British Summer Time 30 June

    Labour's campaign chief responds, saying Sir Keir Starmer has in fact committed to spending 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), or the size of the economy, on defence as tensions across the world have risen.

    He says the last time the UK reached this target was under a Labour government, but adds it is important for the party to show "financial responsibility", which has been a key feature of its campaign.

  20. First up - Labour campaign co-ordinator Pat McFaddenpublished at 09:10 British Summer Time 30 June

    Pat McFadden

    First we're hearing from Labour's campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden.

    It's put to him that the next prime minister will face big security challenges after the election - and an upcoming Nato summit.

    Why has Starmer not committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, Laura asks.