In just a few minutes, we're going to be hearing from former Conservative defence secretary Ben Wallace over on Radio 4’s Today programme.

He'll likely be asked to expand on his comments about Nigel Farage, who Wallace described as a "Chamberlain not a Churchill" as he relied on a World War Two analogy to suggest the Reform UK leader was appeasing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

To get some more context ahead of that interview, you can catch up on Farage's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine by watching this clip of his conversation with Nick Robinson below.

For a full-write up of the wide-ranging BBC Panorama interview, click here.

From party leaders facing tough questions in a BBC Question Time Leaders' Special to manifesto launches and betting scandal, it's been an eventful week on the campaign trail as we edge closer to election day.

In case you missed some of the top news this week, here's a roundup of what you need to know:

• In an interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the "West" provoked Russia's invasion of Ukraine by expanding the European Union and Nato military alliance eastwards
• Rishi Sunak has said he's "incredibly angry" to learn that four Tory insiders were allegedly betting on the election and promised to "boot out" anyone found to have broken gambling laws - more on that here
• Lib Dem leader Ed Davey was pressed over this his record in the 2010-15 coalition government during Question Time - a leaders' special which also saw Labour leader Keir Starmer, Sunak and SNP's John Swinney grilled by a live audience
• Swinney announced during the SNP's manifesto launch that the Scottish government would be "empowered" to begin negotiations for a second independence referendum if the party won a majority of Scottish seats
• On that point, Labour leader Keir Starmer said he would not negotiate with the Scottish government on an independence referendum if the SNP won a majority of Scottish seats

All that and the week's not even over. But stick with us as we continue to bring you all the latest from the campaign trail today.

Michael Race
Business reporter, BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Over now to the Conservative Party's campaign pledges for the day, which include a review of licensing laws and planning rules aimed at boosting pubs, restaurants and music venues.

This, the party promises, would be launched in the first 100 days of a new Conservative government.

Ministers would look at ways to "crack down" on councils setting "disproportionate conditions and restrictions on licences" in a bid to cut red tape for businesses in the sector, the Conservatives said.

Labour said it was "time to call last orders on the Tories".

Hospitality was hit hard by the Covid pandemic as venues were forced to shut and the sector's recovery has been hampered by rising running costs, resulting in the closure of hundreds of pubs and clubs.

About 400 nightclubs shut down permanently between March 2020 and December 2023, according to the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).

The Tories have said they would cut what they described as red tape "unnecessarily holding back growth and adding operating costs for businesses", and consider creating a ministerial position for the sector

• You can read more about the Tories plans here

Jack Fenwick
Political reporter

Image source, PA Media

Let’s delve a bit deeper into Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement today on Windrush.

The party has pointed to concerns that only 2,459 claims out of an estimated 15,000 people originally considered eligible have been paid out through the compensation scheme.

That’s partly down to a perceived sluggishness in the system – but largely because far fewer people than expected have applied.

Campaigners have been telling me for some years now that they want the scheme to be taken away from the Home Office. They say that the reason many people haven’t applied is down to a lack of trust in the organisation.

You might recall, back in 2021, a cross-party group of MPs also called for that to happen. The chair of that group was Yvette Cooper, who is now Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary.

Not long after, it became official Labour policy, too. But during this campaign, that has quietly changed.

I understand that Labour consulted lawyers acting on behalf of some of the Windrush victims – who told them there was a danger that moving the scheme could slow the whole process down altogether.

The party’s position is now that they’d “be willing” to strip the Home Office of the scheme, if need be.

Instead, they’re choosing to focus on a pledge to re-open the Windrush Unit – a team inside the Home Office tasked with reforming the department.

It’s important to note here: this unit doesn’t deal directly with compensation. But Labour are hoping it would send a signal to the Windrush community that the trust they say has been broken, could still be rebuilt.

It's the second last weekend before people across the country head to the polls for the 4 July general election - and party leaders are showing no signs of slowing down, nor do they seem deterred by the slightly damp weather that welcomed us on this grey Saturday morning in London.

We'll be starting our coverage by first hearing from former defence secretary Ben Wallace - who as you can read from our previous post, had some pretty strong words to say about Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's latest comments.

London will be the setting for both the Labour Party and the Conservatives, who are planning to hit out on the campaign trail to unveil plans around Windrush compensation (more on that in our next post) and the night-time economy, respectively.

The Lib Dems will be touring the south of England to continue with their pledge to tackle sewage dumping, while the leader of the SNP will be out in Edinburgh to meet with Pride activists.

It's set to be a busy one, but we'll be holding down the fort from inside the newsroom, bringing you all the latest lines and analysis from our correspondents out on the road.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

In his BBC Panorama interview Nigel Farage was asked if he stood by a tweet he posted in 2022, after Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

In it, he suggested that Russia's actions were a "consequence of EU and Nato expansion".

Last Night, the Refrom UK leader told Nick Robinson he had been warning a decade ago that Russian President Vladimir Putin would go to war.

Following the broadcast, he took to social media to say that both the invasion and EU expansion had been wrong.

But his comments prompted a strong reaction from his political opponents.

Former conservative defence secretary Ben Wallace used a World War Two analogy to suggest Farage was appeasing Putin, describing the Reform UK leader as a "Chamberlain not a Churchill".

Labour's shadow defence secretary John Healey also denounced Farage as "a Putin apologist who could never be trusted with our nation's security".

In his interview, Farage also suggested that the former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson had agreed with him.

But speaking on the World Tonight programme, the Labour Peer begged to differ:

Good morning and thanks for joining our election live coverage on the second last weekend before polling day.

With just under a fortnight to go, a row broke out last night after Nigel Farage claimed the West was responsible for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Following the Reform UK leader's BBC Panorama interview with Nick Robinson, he was accused by opponents of repeating talking points used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to justify the war.

Away from this most recent political bust-up, we're expecting to hear about the Conservative Party's plans to boost the night-time economy if they win on 4 July.

The Liberal Democrats will be setting out their plan to protect Britain's chalk streams from increasing sewage dumping.

For its part, Labour intends to focus on a pledge to create a new unit inside the Home Office to expedite compensation for the thousands of victims of the Windrush scandal still waiting for their money.

As always, we'll be bring you all the latest developments and incisive analysis here - so watch this space.

Nadia Ragozhina
Live page editor

It's time for us to end our live coverage for the night.

But fear not, there's still plenty on offer across the BBC:

• Catch up with our headline story on Nigel Farage's BBC Panorama interview here here
• Listen to Adam Fleming and Laura Kuenssberg answer your election questions on Newscast here
• Subscribe to our Election Essentials newsletter for key analysis every weekday here
• Stream the latest news on the election on iPlayer here
• Get involved by telling us which issues matter to you, what you want us to explain, and where you want us to report from here

Thanks for joining us.

It has been another busy day of campaigning today, and as we prepare to close this live page, here's a round up of everything you need to know:

• Labour and the Conservatives have criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage who told the BBC the West "provoked" Russia's invasion of Ukraine
• Home Secretary James Cleverly said Farage was "echoing Putin's vile justification" for the invasion while Shadow defence secretary John Healey said Farage's comments were "disgraceful"
• Senior representatives from five most prominent parties in Wales took part in an election debate, trading blows on the NHS, the cost of living crisis and welfare reform
• Earlier, Rishi Sunak refused to be drawn on further questions surrounding allegations that Tory insiders were betting on the election, and promises again to "boot out" anyone found to have broken gambling laws

• Meanwhile on the campaign trail, speaking ahead of the Welsh Conservatives' manifesto launch, Sunak asked voters “not to let Labour waltz into office without scrutinising them
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he would not negotiate with the Scottish government on an independence referendum if the SNP won a majority of Scottish seats
• And Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said SNP would be calling for a cut in VAT for tourism and hospitality businesses - and asked people to vote SNP to hold Labour to account
• This morning we also heard from a former Conservative minister, Chris Skidmore, saying that he would be backing Labour at the general election

Image source, Getty Images

Elections are awash with jargon beloved by politicians and journalists alike - but what do all these words and phrases mean?

Test your knowledge below:

• Supermajority: A word the Conservative Party has been using to warn of a big Labour win. Although this term has a technical definition in some political systems, it doesn't in Westminster

• MRP polls: These tend to use data from a lot of people, allowing links to be drawn as to how different population demographics might be more or less likely to support different parties. This is then cross-referenced with sources such as the census
• Manifesto: A document that pulls together the promises a political party makes to voters if they win the election
• Tactical voting: When someone votes to prevent a particular candidate from winning, instead of casting a vote based on support for a candidate
• First past the post: This is the election system used in the UK, in which the candidate with the most votes becomes the local MP, and whichever party has the most MPs forms a government

• Swing: The transfer of votes from one party to another. The actual transfer is complicated, so usually taken to mean between the top two parties in any seat or area

Michael Race
Business reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A review of licensing laws and planning rules aimed at boosting pubs, restaurants and music venues would be launched in the first 100 days of a new Conservative government, the party has promised.

Ministers would look at ways to "crack down" on councils setting "disproportionate conditions and restrictions on licences" in a bid to cut red tape for businesses in the sector, the Conservatives have said.

Labour says it's "time to call last orders on the Tories".

Hospitality was hit hard by the Covid pandemic as venues were forced to shut and the sector's recovery has been hampered by rising running costs, resulting in the closure of hundreds of pubs and clubs.

Image source, Reuters

Shadow defence secretary John Healey says Nigel Farage's comments to the BBC blaming the West for provoking Russia's invasion of Ukraine were "disgraceful".

Here's his statement in full:

"These are disgraceful comments, which reveal the true face of Nigel Farage: a Putin apologist who should never be trusted with our nation's security.

"Up until now, there has been a united front amongst Britain's political leaders in supporting the people of Ukraine against the unprovoked and unjustifiable assault they have suffered at the hands of Vladimir Putin.

"Nigel Farage has put himself outside that united position, and shown that he would rather lick Vladimir Putin's boots than stand up for the people of Ukraine. That makes him unfit for any political office in our country, let alone leading a serious party in Parliament."

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has been campaigning in Scotland today, where he visited a factory in the West Lothian.

Starmer said growing the economy was "the single most important thing" for Scotland and denied claims by his opponents that his plans would mean budget cuts and lost jobs.

He said there would actually be more jobs in relation to energy, and a new publicly-owned company - GB Energy - would be based in Scotland.

Let's turn our attention back to some of what we heard on the campaign trail today and we start with the Welsh Conservatives' manifesto launch, which we covered in more detail this morning.

While addressing those gathered at a bathroom manufacturers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told voters to look at his record on the economy and his priority of bringing down inflation.

He said the economy was "growing faster than all our major competitors" and warned people not to "sleepwalk to 4 July".

The Conservative leader added: "Don't let Labour waltz into office without scrutinising their plans, what it would mean for your family, for our country."

Earlier today Adam Fleming and Laura Kuenssberg answered your election questions in a live episode of Newscast.

You can listen back to Electioncast: Your Voice, Your Vote Q&A to hear Laura and Adam discuss proportional representation, election fatigue and much more here.

Healthcare has been another battleground in the BBC Wales election debate, with senior representatives from Wales' five most prominent political parties clashing over the NHS.

Here are some of the main lines:

• Conservative Welsh secretary David TC Davies criticised Labour's devolved governance of healthcare in Wales and said funding was "not an excuse" for 20,000 people "waiting more than two years" for Welsh NHS treatment
• A Labour UK government would fund the NHS better, Welsh Labour leader Vaughan Gething said, before adding it would result in more funding being allocated to Wales to spend on its health service
• Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said the Welsh NHS had suffered a "double whammy" of austerity from the Conservatives and mismanagement by Welsh Labour
• Reform UK's Oliver Lewis criticised the lack of a specialist children’s hospital in Wales and said his party would remove caps on numbers who could be trained in the UK
• Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Jane Dodds said the NHS in Wales felt "like it’s broken" and added a higher carer allowance would allow people to stay "in their homes in dignity"

While we’ve been following the Nigel Farage Panorama interview, our colleagues in Cardiff have been keeping an eye on the live BBC Wales election debate which has just come to an end.

The five most prominent political parties in Wales all have leading representatives taking part and they have so far been setting out contrasting stances on the cost of living crisis.

Here are some of the key talking points:

• Conservative Welsh secretary David TC Davies has blamed the crisis on the war in Ukraine but Welsh Labour leader Vaughan Gething said the UK was still paying for former PM Liz Truss’s tenure
• Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds has challenged the Tories and Labour to "abolish the two child cap on benefits”
• Reform UK's Oliver Lewis has denied his party would cut welfare and said her party was “the new Labour party”
• Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said his party would increase child benefit by £20 a week, while claiming both Labour and the Tories were wedded to £18bn worth of cuts

Follow the latest from the debate on our other live page here

We can bring you some reaction now from Home Secretary James Cleverly, after Nigel Farage told the BBC the West “provoked” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Writing on X, Cleverly annotated a video of Farage's comments saying: “Just Farage echoing Putin’s vile justification for the brutal invasion of Ukraine.”

You can read more about what Farage said in our earlier post here.

And with that, Nigel Farage's BBC Panorama interview is over.

Next to face Nick Robinson will be co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsay.

(He's already interviewed Conservative leader Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, SNP leader John Swinney and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth - you can catch up on those episodes here.)

We'll bring you a round up of the key lines shortly, so stay tuned.