Andrew Humphrey
Live editor

It's been a busy morning, with three big political figures on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg and some weighty issues discussed.

We're going to finish our coverage on this live page, but if you want to delve deeper into the issues we've been covering then there's plenty on BBC News:

This morning we learned of another fatal incident on the English Channel, with eight people killed trying to cross from France on a small rubber vessel. It comes less than two weeks after 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, died when a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank.

We heard from the present and former foreign secretaries on the Ukraine war, and Kyiv's request to use long range missiles on targets inside Russia. No agreement has been reached, but David Lammy said Ukraine would be given support to survive the current assault.

Sir Ed Davey joined the show from the Lib Dem party conference in Brighton, and said he would be pushing the government to reform social care to boost performance of the NHS.

And a new political donations row has broken out. Sir Keir Starmer may have broken parliamentary rules in failing to declare clothes bought for his wife by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli.

If you want to have a watch back of the whole programme, you can catch up on iPlayer.

Today's page was edited by Samuel Horti and Andrew Humphrey, and written by Anna Boyd and Hollie Cole.

Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you.

Lib Dems plan to make the most of election successpublished at 10:54 British Summer Time 15 September

10:54 BST 15 September

Chris Mason
Political editor

Liberal Democrat smiles will be so broad in the next few days they will stretch from the end of Brighton Pier to the northern French coast.

The party is gathering for its autumn conference at the Sussex seaside and it seems reasonable to forecast an incoming tide of jubilance.

A party pulverised to smithereens after its years in coalition with the Conservatives is back and back big time - and they can’t quite believe it.

A few months back you could get all their MPs in a minibus.

Now - with 72 of them - you would need a double decker at least.

The 2024 general election was their best performance since the present day party was established in 1988.

And, more than that, it saw the highest number of seats won by a Liberal party for more than a century.

Speaking to some of the party’s senior figures, they are already talking about the next general election.

Their plan, as one put it to me, is to "finish the job".

By that they mean, if not quite wiping out the Conservatives, chipping away yet further at what had long seemed impermeable Tory territory primarily in southern England.

A splash of hubris, I wonder?

• Have a read of Chris Mason's analysis of the Liberal Democrats Conference

Kuenssberg's guests covered a wide range of topics this morning - here's a summary

• Foreign Secretary David Lammy talked about the loss of a further eight lives in a Channel crossing attempt today describing it as "awful" and condemning the "contraptions" used to carry passengers
• On Ukraine, he wouldn't be drawn on whether Kyiv should be allowed to use Western-supplied long-range missiles in Russia saying: "No war is won with any one weapon"
• James Cleverly, who's hoping to become Conservative party leader, weighed in on the Ukraine debate saying it was "untenable" for Zelensky to defend his country without the missiles
• Cleverly says his key policy in the leadership battle is to lower the tax take for the British people
• Lib Dem leader Ed Davey joined Laura from the party's conference in Brighton and says his approach in parliament is to be constructive. He says he will not take part in what he calls "yah-boo politics"
• Theissue of political donations also featured in the show with David Lammy defending the PM over allegations he failed to declare clothes bought as a gift for his wife insisting procedures were followed.
• Cleverly was asked about controversial donor Frank Hester who became embroiled in a racism row - he wouldn't say if the Conservatives would accept further gifts from the businessman

Earlier, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey touched on his party's criticism of the government’s decision to now only give winter fuel payments to pensioners claiming pension credit.

BBC News has been talking to those affected.

Pensioner Jon Harvey, 80, said he puts the payment into “the holiday kitty”, adding that he supported the government's decision.

Nick Plowright, aged 68, said the government should make the means testing for the payment “rigorous” and stop giving it to people who “very obviously do not need it, like me”.

However, 77-year-old Rose Brooks told the BBC she can’t afford to put her central heating on without it. “I think I’m just going to have to go to bed early in hope of avoiding the coldest temperatures,” she said.

Shelagh Lind, 70, is £2 per week over the pension credit threshold, and said she'll lose the payment and her faith in the Labour government.

It's the end of the show - but not the end of our coverage.

We've heard lots from the politicians, from the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, to social care and the Conservative leadership contest.

Stick with us as we bring you analysis and insight on what we've heard.

Moving on now to Laura's showbiz guests Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msmati, who are starring in the theatre classic Waiting for Godot.

Whishaw reveals that his decision to become an actor was prompted by seeing a production of it at the age of 18, which had a "profound" effect on him.

Describing the play as "bleak" he says it still manages to "speak to young people" and is "strangely hopeful".

The two actors go on to discuss their other projects and Laura asks Whishaw if he would reprise his role as Q in the Bond films.

He says he would but suspects any new film would start from scratch with a whole new cast.

On the latest Paddington film, out in the UK in November, he reassures fans that they will find out the fate of Aunt Lucy!

And finally, Laura asks Cleverly for his one key Conservative policy as he fights for the party leadership.

He says the state must rebalance the tax burden, and be much "smaller and more agile" - saying he wants a lower tax take for the British people.

James Cleverly is asked if he'd bring back the Rwanda plan as leader of the Tories.

As a reminder, the Rwanda scheme was to deport migrants crossing the English Channel to Rwanda to be processed.

He touches on the deaths in the Channel that were announced this morning, which he describes as sad.

Cleverly goes on to criticise the Labour government, saying their "very first action" when getting into power was to scrap the Rwanda scheme - which he claims was deterring migrants.

"What I'm saying is they came into government with no plan to stop the boats or smash the gangs," he says.

Cleverly is asked about donations to the Conservatives from businessman Frank Hester.

The major Tory donor apologised earlier this year after reportedly saying Diane Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and that she "should be shot".

Cleverly says what Hester said was unacceptable - but he avoids the question of whether he would accept future donations from Hester, instead attacking the Labour party about their own donors.

He accuses Labour of "paying back" union members by giving privileged access and pay rises.

• Read more about Hester's comments, external

Laura asks Cleverly about what he thinks went wrong for the Conservatives at the general election.

"We were very visibly at each other when we should've been focussing on the British people," he says.

He says under his leadership, the Tories would do things differently, adding that they need to align themselves around conservative values.

Conservative leadership hopeful James Cleverly is asked whether the UK should allow Kyiv to fire long-range missiles into Russia.

He says Ukraine should be able to use them to neutralise launch sites to protect itself, and that it's disappointing that agreement wasn't reached with the US last week

Cleverly says its "untenable for for Ukraine to defend itself" without their use.

So why didn't the Conservative government allow Ukraine to use them, Laura asks? Cleverly says this was something he pushed for.

Image source, PA Media

And that's all from Ed Davey - next up, James Cleverly, who is seeking to be elected the next Tory leader. But who is he?

Cleverly has been an MP since 2015 and has taken on roles as both foreign secretary and home secretary.

Born and raised in south London, to an English father and Sierra Leonean mother, who worked as an NHS midwife, he was privately educated, despite the family's modest means, and joined the Army straight after school.

Like his leadership rival, Ms Badenoch, the 55-year-old father-of-two cut his political teeth as a member of the London Assembly.

He has spoken of his desire to "unite" the Conservatives and has urged the party to "think and act like Conservatives again".

He is also a robust defender of the previous government's policy of sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda, and has said he would bring it back if he becomes prime minister.

On health, Sir Ed says the budget in October must include a budget for the NHS and social care - adding that the Lib Dems will be "banging the drum" for social care.

Laura asks for more details on the costs associated with his plans for social care.

Sir Ed claims free personal care would save over £3bn a year by the end of this decade because it frees up the NHS.

"Our numbers are very robust," he says.

Sir Ed Davey insists that the Lib Dems will have a different approach and have a different tone to the Conservatives in opposition .

Sir Ed says he won't take part in "yah-boo politics" and that the size of his party, 72 MPs, gives them a chance to get the Liberal Democrat voice heard.

Laura asks Sir Ed whether the Lib Dems will challenge the Labour government or concentrate on attacking the Conservatives.

He says they will be a "better" opposition party than the Tories in the House of Commons.

"We will challenge where we disagree," he says.

Davey says his party will hold Labour to account. He goes on to list its opposition to the decision to cut winter fuel payments, and that it believes the NHS needs reform and investment.

Image source, PA Media

And that's a wrap on the interview with David Lammy - Laura's next guest is Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats

It's the start of party conference season, with the Liberal Dems meeting in Brighton at the moment.

Characterised by his attention-grabbing stunts such as bungee jumping and driving a JCB during the general election, Sir Ed has led the Liberal Democrats since 2020. They are now the UK’s third largest party in Parliament.

In their recent election campaign the Lib Dems focussed on boosting the NHS, fixing water pollution and rebuilding ties with the EU.

He has recently been critical of the government’s decision to only give the winter fuel payment to pensioners claiming pension credit.

Responding to research by the LCP that said 1.6 million pensioners in poverty wouldn’t get the payment, the Lib Dem leader said the government’s decision would “hurt so many [pensioners] already in poverty”.

Lammy is asked about the claims that the PM Sir Keir Starmer didn't declare the outfits given to his wife by a wealthy donor.

It's claimed he may have broken parliamentary rules in failing to declare the gifts by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli.

Lammy insists Sir Keir has sought to comply with the rules, and is "attempting to be transparent".

He says most prime minsters rely on donations and successive PMs have wanted to look their best as do their partners.

• Read more on our story about donor's gifts

Laura now moves on to discuss Israel and Gaza, asking if a ceasefire is possible while Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu is in power.

Lammy says he wants to repeat his call for a ceasefire "and it must happen now", adding that's why he keeps going back to the Middle East.

He says in discussions with the US, the deal is "90% there" but it comes down to Netanyahu.

"I say to Hamas, and of course to Netanyahu, let us accept a deal."

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is asked if he believes Putin is lying about using his threat to use nuclear weapons.

Lammy responds by saying he believes Putin is "throwing dust in the air", claiming that threats are his modus operandi.

He adds that the West cannot be blown off course by a "fascist" who will not stop in his attacks on Ukraine.