Gerry Gay
Editor of Question Time

The audience for tonight’s show has been chosen so that it reflects a wide range of views, and so that it best fits the political makeup of the country - in line with the BBC’s electoral guidelines.

Among them, there will be similar levels of representation for the two larger parties - the Conservatives and Labour - and a smaller proportion of roughly similar numbers of SNP and Lib Dem voters.

There will be a place for other party representation too, and of course, there will be plenty of voters, from a range of political traditions, who have yet to make up their mind.

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There are four leaders taking part in tonight’s Question Time Leaders’ Special, hosted by Fiona Bruce.

These are the participants, in order of appearance:

• Ed Davey – Liberal Democrats
• John Swinney – Scottish National Party
• Keir Starmer – Labour Party
• Rishi Sunak – Conservative Party

It kicks off at 20:00 - you'll be able to follow it all right here.

We've put together a handy guide to the manifestos of all the major parties, which you can find here.

You can see where the parties stand on the main issues, and compare them too.

• Most of the main parties have launched their manifestos, but we'll update the guide in the coming days as the final parties outline their pledges.

Next to arrive at the venue for tonight's Question Time Leaders' Special is Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey.

He'll be the first leader to face questions from the audience at 20:00.

Image source, Pool

• Read more about Davey in our profile here

We've just had a response from the BBC after Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate being looked into by the Gambling Commission over an election timing bet, said she was considering legal action against the corporation.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We are confident in our journalism. As Laura Saunders is a candidate standing for election, it is clearly in the public interest to report allegations made against her."

Read our full story here.

The leader of the SNP John Swinney has just arrived at York University ahead of tonight's Question Time special, which begins in just over an hour.

He'll be the second leader appearing in front of the audience, after the Lib Dems' leader Ed Davey.

Image source, PA

• Read more about John Swinney in our profile here

Our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman will be bringing live analysis throughout tonight's Question Time - and he'll be writing from the 'spin room'.

So what is it? Watch him talk it through in less than a minute below:

When is it?

At 20:00 (just in time to have dinner after the football).

Who’s taking part?

• Rishi Sunak for the Conservatives
• Keir Starmer for Labour
• John Swinney for the SNP
• Ed Davey for the Liberal Democrats

Another episode, airing next Friday, will feature Reform UK and the Green Party.

What's the format?

Just like Question Time, questions will be posed by the audience - but each leader will be grilled individually for 30 minutes each.

Who's going first?

Davey, then Swinney, followed by Starmer, and finally Sunak.

How can I watch it?

Just press 'watch live' at the top of the page - or on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent

The SNP is being investigated by Scottish Parliament authorities over the potential misuse of stamps bought using MSPs' expenses budgets.

It follows an anonymous complaint made to the presiding officer today, which has been seen by BBC Scotland.

In an email, an individual claims that stamps bought on expenses were passed to UK election candidates for campaigning activities, such as sending letters to voters.

BBC Scotland has also seen a screenshot from a WhatsApp group, allegedly made up of staff who work for SNP MSPs, where there is a discussion about whether or not the stamps can be traced back to the purchaser. BBC Scotland News has not independently verified the WhatsApp screenshot.

A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: "We take the use of publicly funded resources very seriously. Officials are investigating the matter to establish whether there has been any misuse of parliamentary resources."

A SNP Holyrood group spokesperson said: "The Parliamentary rules are crystal clear that materials, including stamps, can only be used for Parliamentary purposes such as representing constituents and campaigning on their behalf. These exchanges, whilst obviously light-hearted, are being investigated as is appropriate and we would expect the offices of MSPs of all parties to cooperate with the Parliamentary Corporate Body."

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Aside from the gambling probe, another story occupying the parties' time today has been on housing. Labour and the Conservatives are both accusing each other of failing to match promises on the issue.

The Conservatives said they were offering a better deal on stamp duty by abolishing the levy for first-time buyers purchasing properties up to £425,000.

Labour have said they would keep the current stamp duty exemption for first-time buyers, but speaking on Thursday leader Sir Keir Starmer would not commit to extending it as proposed by the Conservative manifesto.

Housing has become a key battleground in the election campaign. Read more from today here.

Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate being looked into by the Gambling Commission over an election timing bet, has just released a statement through her solicitor.

She says she's co-operating with the Gambling Commission and also considering legal action against the BBC.

"Ms Saunders will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission and has nothing further to add," the statement says.

"It is inappropriate to conduct any investigation of this kind via the media, and doing so risks jeopardising the work of the Gambling Commission and the integrity of its investigation.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent, reporting from the Labour bus

Usually these days, Labour events are adorned with Union Flags - but on their election campaign bus today, the party has caught up with the other big event of the summer: the Euros.

I've been left wondering if the disproportionate size of the flags is a visual commentary on the prospects of progress for each home nation...

Yesterday, Keir Starmer told me that he’d support Scotland "unless and until" they meet England. (For the latest from the England match, we've got you).

Sam Francis
Political reporter

Let's go back to our headline story, which involves alleged bets on the general election date.

The BBC can reveal an unusual surge of betting on a July election preceded PM Rishi Sunak's announcement that the poll would take place on 4 July.

Data given to the BBC by Smarkets betting exchange shows odds shortened dramatically on the afternoon of the 21 May, the day before Sunak stunned the political world by announcing an election.

Separately, a study of Betfair betting odds by the Guardian and the Financial Times found several thousand pounds were wagered the day before the 22 May announcement.

The Smarkets data showed that the number of bets placed on a July election were almost non-existent until 10 May – the week after a disastrous set of local elections for the Conservatives.

Smarkets data shows that on May 21, the odds of a July election surged from 18% to 28%, the largest single-day change since the market opened. The trend persisted, and the odds hit 95% just two hours before Sunak's rain-soaked Downing Street announcement.

The political betting market is a miniscule slice of the £15.1bn UK gambling market. Its small size means that events like a £100 bet or a popular article can drastically sway the market.

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Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland chief political correspondent

Green by name, green by nature. Unsurprisingly, much of the party's manifesto is devoted to policies related to tackling climate change and reaching net zero.

The tension between protecting Scottish jobs in the oil and gas sector and the need for climate action can tie others in knots. Not so for the Greens, who are unapologetic when it comes to getting tough on the industry.

The party is also taking aim at the country's richest – with proposals for sweeping changes to taxation, aimed at "redistributing wealth" and staking a claim on left-wing ground.

There were jabs at Labour – who the Greens say will fail to deliver investment in public services. And with their backing for independence, the party is pitching to SNP supporters too.

Historically the Scottish Greens have failed to make an impact in general elections - the first-past-the-post system has squeezed them out.

They're standing a record 44 candidates in this contest, and will be hopeful that their recent stint in government at Holyrood will have raised their profile among the voting public.

Polly Bayfield
BBC Newsbeat election reporter, in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

BBC Newsbeat's Race Across the UK is in Ashfield today. Listener Chris asked us to swing by his hometown to find out more about what matters to young voters here.

It's not the first time we've been to the Nottinghamshire constituency this year - in February its MP Lee Anderson was suspended by the Conservative Party when he refused to apologise for comments he made aimed at London mayor Sadiq Khan.

This is the first general election friends Demi and Millie are able to vote in.

"I don't really know who to vote for," says Millie, 20. "I have no idea," adds Demi, 19.

They don't think politicians are talking enough about issues that matter to young people, like jobs and the cost of living.

"A lot of things are more expensive," says Millie - like her car insurance, which she says costs her "over a grand" while Demi's costs about £2,000.

A full list of candidates for Ashfield can be found here.

With warm, sunny weather across much of the UK, it's been a good day to campaign...

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Owen Amos
Live page editor

That's it for the Your Voice, Your Vote part of our coverage. Thanks to Justin, Mark, Nick, and Kevin for answering, and thanks to all of you for your questions.

As a reminder, here's an explainer of what Your Voice, Your Vote is all about - we want you to take part in our coverage and help inform our journalism.

We're now returning to our coverage of the campaign trail - and remember, at 20:00 BST you'll be able to watch the Question Time Leaders' Special here, on BBC One, and on iPlayer.

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Jacqueline Harris, 64, from Gloucestershire, writes: Why do politicians assume people want tax cuts? To many, having good public services is more important. Save money by targeting tax cuts and benefits for the most needy.

This issue is at the heart of the election campaign, and I’d heartily recommend this piece from my colleague Faisal Islam on economic credibility.

Each party makes general promises on tax and spending on public services in their manifesto. Of course, the real detail comes from a party in power when a chancellor delivers a Budget.

Remember, while the two main parties say they won’t raise tax rates, the reality is that - by freezing income tax thresholds – more people are being drawn into paying more in income tax.

Overall, the tax burden on us all will rise under either of them.

Smaller parties, perhaps for political reasons, are a touch more confident in saying they will raise certain taxes to spend on certain services.

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Freezing of tax thresholds is a sneaky way of increasing tax, writes Janet Dobinson, 76, from Devon. I have voted Conservative all my life, my late husband was a party member, but I am wobbling and undecided for the first time ever. I am a retired teacher and have saved all my life for my pensions, but so much of it goes in tax. But would things be any different under Labour?

Right - settle in everyone for a lesson on something called fiscal drag. You are absolutely correct in saying that freezing the point at which people pay different rates of income tax means we pay more.

People can be “dragged” into paying tax as their income rises, or a greater proportion of their income is taxed.

Normally you would expect the threshold to rise in line with the rate of rising prices. This has raised huge amounts of money for the government.

Under the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, this freeze would remain in place for another three years.

Reform says it would raise the threshold to take lots of people out of paying income tax, but there are big questions over how this could be funded.

Scotland, remember, sets its own rates of income tax.

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Sharon Holmes asks: I would like to know if any political party, in their manifesto, has plans to change inheritance tax? Ideally to raise limit to keep up with house prices.

Sharon is correct to point out that there is relatively little mention of inheritance tax in the manifestos.

Some commentators claim it is the most “hated” tax in the UK, but – of course – that depends entirely on who you ask!

Labour wants to crackdown on inheritance tax avoidance. The Green Party wants to reform it to make it fairer. Reform wants to abolish it for estates under £2m.

How any of this can be achieved or paid for is open to scrutiny.

It is worth remembering that only 4% of estates were subject to inheritance tax following deaths in 2020-21. However, rising wealth and a frozen threshold mean this proportion is rising.