Jessica Parker
Political correspondent, reporting from the Lib Dem campaign bus

Over now to the Lib Dem campaign trail, where Sir Ed Davey has been talking to reporters about immigration.

He says the country does need to see “lower” immigration – something not specified in the Lib Dem manifesto.

“The question is how do you do that,” Davey told reporters in Hampshire.

“Why don’t we pay our people more?” he said, of those working in the health and care sector.

“Though they’re welcome, I think the Conservatives have relied too much on people coming from other countries to do those jobs," he added.

His comments are striking given the Liberal Democrat manifesto includes policies on immigration and asylum that are relatively generous, compared to the status quo.

Did Labour deliver the shortest NHS waiting times?published at 14:45 British Summer Time 18 June

14:45 BST 18 June

Speaking on LBC earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the last Labour government delivered “the shortest waiting times and the highest patient satisfaction in history”.

He’s correct that patient satisfaction, external with the NHS was at an all-time high of 70%, when Labour left government.

And the total number of people waiting, external for planned procedures in England was at its lowest of 2.3 million in January 2010 – at least since comparable records began in 2007.

On waiting times, in 2010 the NHS Constitution included a right to be seen within 18 weeks and in 2012, the rules for the NHS were updated to say that 92% of ongoing waits should be shorter than 18 weeks.

We get monthly data on that target that go back to the late 2000's.

It nearly hit 92% in May 2010 – its highest under Labour.

It rose above 94% in late 2012 – the early years of the Conservative government – before starting to fall. It is now below 60%.

Image source, Reuters

Since Keir Starmer has been talking about voting rules, now seems like a good time to remind you that the deadline to register to vote in the 4 July general election is 23:59 BST tonight.

Registering only takes around five minutes if you do it online. It’s the same whether you plan to vote in person at a polling station, by post, or through a proxy voter.

Go to the gov.uk website and fill out the form, external. You'll need your National Insurance number or another form of ID, and current address details to hand. You can also register by sending a form to your local electoral office, external.

Students can be registered at both their home and term-time addresses, but can only vote in one place. Voting more than once in a general election is a criminal offence.

• Read our explainer on how to register here

Now for a question from the BBC, which asks Starmer about special education needs in schools.

“We need to deal with special educational needs, it’s a massive problem," Starmer says, adding his party has a "big programme" for education.

He says the first step a Labour government would take would be getting more teachers in state schools, particularly in subjects like maths, as well as mental health support.

"We know this is a serious problem. It's among the things that have been broken by this government. We intend to turn that around. And that's why on day one we will start on this task," Starmer adds.

His comments come as councils in England are forecasting a massive shortfall in budgets for supporting children with special educational needs.

The BBC has found councils face a deficit of almost £1bn in schools’ funds for these pupils. You can read our full story on this here.

We can bring you some more now from Starmer, who has been speaking to broadcasters in the South East – this time about voter ID laws.

Asked why his party has not promised to scrap changes brought in last year requiring voters to show a photo ID before casting a ballot, Starmer said his party would look into a review of its impact after the general election.

"I am concerned about the impact. I won't shy away from that. But my message today is remember your ID when you go to vote this time around," he told Sky News

Image source, Getty Images

Let's pivot now to the latest from Keir Starmer, who is campaigning today in the South East.

Asked about recent reports of migrants being rescued by Border Force officers in the Channel, Starmer told broadcasters it is "a very important issue" and a "real test for government and would-be government".

He added that that he hopes to "stop this vile trade of the gangs that are putting vulnerable people into boats".

"The only way to stop this is to smash those gangs and that is why we will set up our border security command," he said.

Finally, Sunak is asked about small boat crossings in the English Channel and whether it's time to apologise for the "Conservative failure" on the issue, as a reporter highlights how children and babies are making the dangerous journey.

Sunak says it's "desperately sad" to see children put in dangerous situations making the crossing and that under a Conservative government, he would use flights to Rwanda to remove the incentive for people to make the journey.

"That is the only way to solve this problem," Sunak says.

For context: Under the Rwanda scheme, some asylum seekers entering the UK could be sent to Rwanda to have their claims processed there.

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent

Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the Conservative Party is working with Boris Johnson to send out letters of support for some candidates, saying the support of the former prime minister “will make a difference".

These comments came from that same campaign stop in North Devon, when Rishi Sunak was asked whether he felt “let down” that Johnson hasn’t been actively on the campaign trail.

He insisted Johnson is supporting his efforts: “It’s great that Boris is supporting the Conservative Party, I very much welcome that. He’s endorsing many candidates in videos and letters which have been coordinated by the campaign and I know that will make a difference. And of course every week he’s making the case in his column… and I’m glad he’s doing that.”

The prime minister made these comments while visiting one of the top 100 safest Conservative seats.

Image source, UK POOL

On the campaign trail in North Devon, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just been asked whether registering to vote for any party is important this election.

The PM says it is, because "the future of our country is at stake, we're living in uncertain times and people need to decide who's got the clearest plan and the boldest ideas to deliver a more secure future".

He claims that Labour will put up taxes while the Conservatives will cut taxes "at every stage of their lives".

Asked if he chose to be in a safe Tory seat today because the campaign isn't going well, Sunak says he's "talking to people across every part of our country" as he doesn't take any vote for granted.

He says he's in this area to specifically talk to fishing communities because the Tories are the only party that "cares about them".

Sunak says Labour didn't mention the word "fishing" once in their manifesto.

He adds that Labour would do a "cosy deal" with the EU as a price for their greater alignment, which he says would mean more access for European fishing fleets to UK waters.

Jessica Parker
Political correspondent, reporting from Lib Dem bus

A bit more from Sir Ed Davey now, who says a “divided” Conservative Party would “fail in opposition” having “failed in government”.

The Liberal Democrat leader claims his party could be “very important” in the next Parliament.

Davey was reacting to questions about Tory warnings of a possible Labour “super-majority.”

“Perhaps they’re beginning to realise what a bad job they’ve done,” said Davey, of the Conservatives.

“My job is to make sure we beat as many Conservative MPs as possible and SNP MPs in Scotland,” he told reporters in Hampshire.

He claimed the Liberal Democrats were seeing a “revival” of support in places like the west country.

Jessica Parker
Political correspondent, reporting from Eastleigh

Image source, Reuters

It looked like a low-key garden party - but was in fact a Lib Dem campaign event in Hampshire.

Leader Sir Ed Davey played a game of ring toss after serving up juices and pastries to local activists in the well-groomed grounds of a farm house.

Today the party’s back on one of its main campaign issues: sewage spills. We’ll bring you more on that policy later.

But also of significance is the Hampshire constituency we were in; Eastleigh. It’s been held by the Conservatives since 2015 but, prior to that, had returned a Lib Dem MP since 1994.

The Tory majority they would have to overturn is substantial but the Liberal Democrats have their eye on areas like this as part of their efforts to take bricks out of the so-called “blue wall” of Conservative-held seats in the south of England.

You can find a list of candidates for Eastleigh here.

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent

The Conservatives are continuing to focus not on their own policies, but on what Labour call "fantasy claims" about their plans instead.

This morning the Tories are arguing that Labour might carry out "a secret £1bn family farm inheritance tax raid".

Farmers are allowed to pass on their farms without paying inheritance tax through something called Agricultural Property Relief (APR).

This has existed since 1984 and Labour has not given any indication that is about to change.

The shadow environment secretary said last November his party had "no intention" of scrapping APR.

What we are witnessing is the Conservatives trying to keep tax in the headlines - by naming and shaming what feels like every possible tax lever in order to force Labour to rule it out.

This week Labour has ruled out introducing Capital Gains Tax on main homes. On council tax bands, they have said it is "not our policy" to review them.

But there are still significant questions for both parties about how they are going to adequately fund public services in the current economic climate.

Katie Hunter
Scotland reporter, reporting from Oban

We’re in Oban, where we've been waiting for SNP leader John Swinney. He’s arrived on a CalMac ferry from Barra.

Delays to new ferries for the west coast have been a big issue in the Scottish Parliament in recent years but this is a Westminster election and Swinney will be calling for Labour to commit to abolishing the two-child benefit cap if the party gets into power.

Swinney is visiting a local seafood shack in Oban now. His party will publish its manifesto tomorrow.

Johanna Chisholm
Live reporter

As has become custom over the past few weeks, we’re now going to be pivoting away from our mad dash coverage of the morning media rounds (a bit of a mouthful, but kind of captures the last couple of hours, no?) and turning our attention to the campaign trail.

We’ll start by filling you in on some updates from Scotland - as Scottish Labour has just launched their manifesto there - and then turn our attention south, where Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Ed Davey are all making pitches to voters in the south of England.

Stay with us for all the updates here.

The remaining parties had this to say about that last question:

• Green Party: "Trans identities are real, they are valid", Ellie Chowns says, adding we have to treat people with "compassion". She says this is about "individual freedom to identify with the gender that you feel most comfortable with"
• Conservatives: Mims Davies says “protecting female-owned spaces” and defending them is a priority for the party and also “protecting the competitiveness of sport”, adding a “woman is a woman”. She says “trans people need to be treated with understanding and compassion”
• Labour: "We know that a woman is an adult female - and we know that sex and gender are different - and we know that trans women also exist and deserve support too", says Sarah Jones, who adds that Labour want to see changes in the Equality Act 2010 and Gender Recognition Act

Let's take you back to the Woman's Hour election debate on BBC Radio 4 - where listeners' questions were put to representatives of the seven main political parties.

One listener asks: “How important is it to your party to clearly and correctly identify what a woman is?”

And here’s a snippet of how they responded:

• SNP: Hannah Bardell says "we’ve lost our grip on humanity" if we get into a debate that defines people "by their body parts". She says there is a “discussion to be had" when it comes to prisons and women's spaces, but emphasises that this should be done in a way that "respects the rights of everyone"
• Reform UK: “Biology is biology”, begins Maria Bowtell, who says the party wants to make it clear in schools that “biologically, you are one or the other - that is science”.

• Liberal Democrats: Daisy Cooper says "a very small number of people" don’t identify with the sex they have at birth, and they must be treated with “respect and dignity”. The Equality Act 2010, she says, works "very well" and protects "all sorts of people with protected characteristics"
• Plaid Cymru: Liz Saville Roberts says we have to find a way to respect people's rights and talk about difficult issues in a way that doesn't become a “dog-whistle of hatred”, as this is “dangerous” to a lot of young people

Meanwhile in Edinburgh, Scottish Labour is launching its manifesto for the general election, which you can read here, external.

Party leader Anas Sarwar says the vote on 4 July is an opportunity to deliver change “for this generation and the next”.

Our colleagues in Scotland are running a live page on the launch, and you can read their updates and analysis here.

Before returning to Woman's Hour, let's get a quick refresh of everything we heard from Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay - who joined the BBC not once, but twice this morning:

• On balancing the budget of the Green manifesto, Ramsay argued that its been fully costed, insisting that it had been “developed in consultation with a range of experts”
• On the party's plans for a new wealth tax, Ramsay said it would cover "multi-millionaires and billionaires"
• The Greens, he said, would keep Labour "honest" if the party won the 4 July election
• On the EU, Ramsay said the UK's “place is within the EU”, noting that rejoining would only happen "when the political and economic circumstances are right"
• When pressed on illegal immigration by callers on BBC 5 Live, Ramsay said his party doesn’t have an open door policy but in the long term “wants a welcoming society”

Is Starmer right about extra billions on public services?published at 10:49 British Summer Time 18 June

10:49 BST 18 June

During his appearance on LBC, Labour leader Keir Starmer also claimed that if the UK economy had grown at the same rate under the Conservatives since 2010, as it had done under the last Labour government, “we’d have tens of billions more” to spend on public services.

Calculations by the Resolution Foundation think tank show that GDP per capita growth under the Conservatives has been, on average, 0.8% per year between 2010 to 2024.

That compares to around 1.4% per year under Labour between 1997 and 2010.

Public finance experts say a higher economic growth rate since 2010 would have enabled more spending on public services and the Institute for Fiscal Studies told the BBC that a figure of an extra £30bn – previously mentioned by Labour – would be “in the right ballpark”.

However, there has also been a GDP growth rate slowdown in many other developed countries, not just the UK, since the 2008 financial crisis so it should not be assumed that the 1997-2010 average growth rate would have been sustained.

As we've reported, Keir Starmer took listener questions for an hour on Nick Ferrari's LBC Breakfast show this morning. Here are some of the key moments from the programme:

• He did not directly rule out a rise in council tax under a Labour government when asked to do so, but repeated his manifesto pledge that there would be no increased rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT

• Starmer said Labour would not seek to reverse Brexit or reintroduce freedom of movement but would seek a new arrangement with the bloc to improve what he calls a "botched deal" by the government
• He said the decision not to scrap the two-child benefit cap (which some in his party have called for) was "tough" but he wants everything in his manifesto to be "fully costed and funded"
• He defended Labour's plans to add VAT to private school fees, saying "all parents have aspirations for their children"
• He reiterated his party's calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and says resolving the conflict for the long-term includes a future Palestinian state

Nick Ferrari will be speaking to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tomorrow at the same time. We'll be bringing you all the key lines from his interview then.