We are now hearing from Nigel Farage, who (not for the first time) begins by chanelling rap star Eminem, saying “guess who’s back, back again”, while holding on to the party document.
Reform UK kicks off its manifesto launch
It's time for Reform UK to present their manifesto full of policies - which they're calling a contract, because they say people associate manifestos with lies.
They're in Merthyr Tydfil in the Welsh valleys, and first up to speak is Reform's candidate for the constituency, Gareth Thomas followed by the party's leader Nigel Farage.
And you can watch along by pressing play at the top of this page.
Reform UK about to present election pledges in south Wales
That's a wrap on questions for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at the port in Southampton.
We'll soon be taking you over to Merthyr Tydfil where Reform UK will be launching its election document detailing its pledges for the general election.
The party is not calling it a manifesto, instead calling it "Our Contract With You".
Stay with us as we bring you updates from the launch shortly.
'Why should I vote for you? Why would you deserve my vote?'
We're now hearing from someone who says they're an undecided voter, and they've had to take on a second job due to cost of living pressures.
She asks Starmer: "Why should I vote for you? Why would you deserve my vote? Because I am terrified of my future and the cost of living
going up and up and up."
"We're determined to change our economy to make sure we never get into a cost of living crisis like this one again," Starmer says.
He adds that if his party were to lead the country after the general election, tough decisions will have to be made including investing in the energy sector and stabilising the economy.
Starmer then brings it back to the impact of Liz Truss's mini-budget on many people's mortgage rates, saying that he doesn't want to put working people in that position again.
"You speak for millions of people by the way, millions of people are on the same boat," Starmer adds.
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Starmer says 'botched' Brexit deal needs to be improved
Now Starmer is being asked about his plans for improving the UK's relationship with the EU, specifically about the bureaucracy around importing goods, which one worker describes as causing a lot of "grief".
The Labour leader reiterates he is not planning on re-joining the EU but admits the current plan is "botched" and believes businesses need a "better deal".
He also claims the current Brexit deal is an "inhibitor on growth for our economy" as it makes life harder for port workers, like the group he's speaking to, and reduces profits for UK businesses.
Starmer says employees happy with zero-hour contracts could keep them
Starmer and Reeves are asked by a port worker about zero-hour contracts, who says their flexibility works for him.
He asks what safeguards Labour plans to put in place to protect workers on those contracts.
Starmer says some are "exploitative" as many people on them are not secure in their money and bills. He adds that the flexibility of zero-hour contracts can work for some people.
The Labour leader says his party's plan is to get rid of exploitative zero-hour contracts, adding that people would be allowed to carry on with that style of contract if it works for them.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
How would you create growth for ports?
Asked about growth and how it will impact ports like the one in Southampton, Starmer says the national wealth fund is crucial to getting investments in ports like the one he is visiting.
"We see ports as a major driver," he adds, saying that this is "really central" to their project and highlights that he would want both private and government investments to flow into this growth creation.
Remember - you can watch the Q&A live by pressing play at the top of the page.
Starmer and Reeves taking questions in Southampton
BBCCopyright: BBC
As we mentioned in our previous post, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are taking questions from workers at the port in Southampton.
Starmer has just said he will take questions or comments "on what's important to you".
We'll bring you the key lines and questions on this page.
Starmer and Reeves hop on a train to Hampshire
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
We're soon going to be hearing from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, who are on the campaign trail in Hampshire today.
Earlier this morning, Reeves hosted a meeting of investors as she laid out Labour's plans for government (more on that in our 10:10 post).
The shadow chancellor will potentially get some feedback on those comments, as she and the Labour leader will be fielding questions from workers at the port of Southampton as the party begins a week campaigning on the economy.
Stick with us as we bring you all the live updates and analysis here.
This morning's news in 150 words
Reform UK's Nigel Farage - set to launch the party's manifesto today - told the BBC the UK's "exploding population" should be a key election issue and he "absolutely" intends to run for PM in 2029
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's shadow paymaster general, said his party wants to "re-industrialise the country" by creating 650,000 jobs in areas such as manufacturing and green energy
A revaluation of council tax bands was not in Labour's plans, he said
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said anyone is welcome to apply to join the Conservatives when he was asked if Farage might lead the Tory party
And he said a vote for Reform will help Sir Keir Starmer "walk into Number 10"
Elsewhere this morning, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told business leaders in London that Labour's manifesto "has your fingerprints all over it" after the many conversations she's had with them
Brexit remains the 'elephant in the room', claims campaigner
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The Leave Means Leave campaign celebrate the UK officially leaving the EU on 31 January, 2020Image caption: The Leave Means Leave campaign celebrate the UK officially leaving the EU on 31 January, 2020
Earlier we reported on comments from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, on Labour seeking closer trade ties with the EU in certain areas.
Nigel Farage, meanwhile, said the UK should instead focus on the trade with the rest of the world - rather than the EU's "declining part" of the global economy.
Zoe Gardner, from the pro-EU campaign group Another Europe is Possible, says Brexit is the "massive elephant in the room" that nobody wants to talk about.
As a reminder, neither Labour nor the Conservatives are planning for the UK to rejoin the EU. But Gardner says Brexit is impacting the UK's economy, trade, and food production.
"It's more sneaky to pretend that this isn't an issue or to pretend that we don't have to discuss it democratically in the process of an election campaign," Gardner tells Nicky Campbell on 5 Live.
But on the same show, journalist Poppy Coburn from the Telegraph says the cost of living crisis and low wages are "longstanding problems" that people link to the more recent decision to leave the EU.
Davey in Devon - with a stop for sandcastles
Jessica Parker
Reporting from Devon
BBCCopyright: BBC
Naturally there were then discussions about how best to make a sandcastle (obviously you need wet sand and have to give the bucket a good tap)Image caption: Naturally there were then discussions about how best to make a sandcastle (obviously you need wet sand and have to give the bucket a good tap)
As
he stripped off his shoes and socks at the beach near Paignton, Devon, Sir Ed Davey declared, "they’re not too
smelly!"
The Lib Dem leader then strode on to the beach where buckets
and spades awaited him.
Today (so far) is actually one of the less outlandish campaign photo
opportunities of the Liberal Democrat campaign as the party seeks to highlight
rural issues.
They’re talking about a manifesto policy of expanding fuel duty
relief to more areas.
I’ve asked how this would be paid for but officials say
they’re not specifying when it comes to this particular policy. But overall,
they insist, the manifesto is fully costed.
Back on the beach, the weather’s
warm and the Lib Dem mood is cheerful. A party that once was in the coalition
government won just 11 MPs at the last election so activists feel, rightly or
wrongly, that the only way is up.
But Welsh Labour’s campaign chair Jessica Morden says Reform
is a “band of chancers” and doesn’t fit in with Wales’ “proud history of being
an inclusive society”.
Reform leader Nigel Farage says Wales shows what happens to
a country when Labour is in charge - and this morning told the BBC this includes higher taxes but worse returns on the NHS and education are "worse".
What's likely to be in Reform UK's 'contract'?
EPACopyright: EPA
Farage said he was launching the manifesto in Wales as it had been let down with years of LabourImage caption: Farage said he was launching the manifesto in Wales as it had been let down with years of Labour
Later today we'll be covering the launch of Reform UK's election manifesto - which they're calling "Our Contract With You" - in Merthyr Tydfil.
We don't know for sure everything that'll be in it, but we're expecting to hear about their policy on migration, which will include freezing non-essential immigration and stopping English Channel crossings by removing migrants from boats and returning them to France.
On taxes, the party says workers would be allowed to earn £20,000 before starting to pay any income tax, and that there would be tax relief for those using private health insurance instead of the NHS.
Reform has set out how it plans to pay for its policies, which includes axing chunks from the welfare bill, scrapping net zero targets, reducing the cost of government by 5% and scrapping the planned HS2 link between London and Birmingham. More here.
Tories trying to badger Labour on council tax
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
With most of the parties’
manifesto launches out of the way, the election campaign enters a slightly
strange phase this week.
Don’t expect any new policies,
or at least spending commitments, from Labour or the Conservatives - as that
would mean their programmes would no longer be fully-costed.
The Conservative campaign’s
approach to this strange phase appears to be focused on Labour - specifically
on trying to badger Labour into ruling out further specific tax rises. One of
their current focuses is council tax.
This morning Jonathan Ashworth,
a shadow cabinet minister, said there would be no changes to council tax bands
in England if Labour wins the general election, adding that a revaluation of properties
was "not our policy".
He described Conservative claims
about his party’s proposals as “more nonsense from an increasingly desperate
Tory campaign, probably the most desperate Tory campaign I’ve seen in my
lifetime”.
BBC Verify
Ben Chu
Labour does not say if its 650,000 jobs will be a net gain
Labour has pledged to invest £7.3bn into a new “National Wealth
Fund” over the course of the next Parliament if it wins the general election
and said this will help to create 650,000 new jobs.
The party’s manifesto
specifies that the fund would invest around £1.5bn per year in ports, hydrogen
and industrial clusters, with an emphasis on decarbonisation.
But Labour does
not specify whether these 650,000 new jobs would be net additional jobs, or
whether they would replace existing jobs in the existing fossil-fuel production
sector.
'Your fingerprints are all over Labour's manifesto', Reeves tells investors
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Labour is pro-business and pro-investment, Reeves told the meeting of investment bossesImage caption: Labour is pro-business and pro-investment, Reeves told the meeting of investment bosses
A bit more now from that sit down that Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just finished with business leaders in London, where she explained how influential these kinds of meetings have been on crafting Labour policy.
"The Labour manifesto has your fingerprints all over it," she told the investors while discussing her party's manifesto.
Many of the ideas laid out in that pledge, specifically on how to grow the economy, are the result of "many of the conversations I've had with businesses and investors over the last three years", she added.
Central to Labour’s pitch to be the party of "wealth creation", the BBC's chief economics correspondent explains, is its claim that it will encourage more investment, something that has been languishing since 2016. Read more on the manifesto here.
Reeves courting investors makes quite a statement
Faisal Islam
Economics editor
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Reeves is hosting a meeting to to discuss attracting foreign investors who she believes might have been previously put offImage caption: Reeves is hosting a meeting to to discuss attracting foreign investors who she believes might have been previously put off
Shadow Chancellor
Rachel Reeves is hosting her "British Infrastructure Council" this morning -
some of the biggest British and international investors.
It includes CEOs of
Lloyds, M&G, Santander and top execs from the international investors
Blackrock, and CDPQ. These companies own
some of the countries’ biggest infrastructure investments.
It is intriguing
that they are meeting mid-election campaign. A sitting government
wouldn’t be able to do this because of purdah (rules that restrict what happens in an election campaign) but no similar Conservative
initiative has occurred during the campaign.
While all attendees say they are
doing so in an “independent advisory” capacity, it seems quite a statement to
sit publicly with the shadow chancellor a fortnight before the general election.
Reeves says, if elected, Labour wants to “hit the ground running”.
Private
investment is especially important at a time when most parties are saying the
public finances are constrained.
Shapps asked whether he could see Farage one day being Tory leader
PACopyright: PA
Grant Shapps says "the only thing voting Reform does is help Starmer become prime minister"Image caption: Grant Shapps says "the only thing voting Reform does is help Starmer become prime minister"
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has just been talking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme - after an earlier interview on Breakfast - and is asked if he could see a scenario where Reform UK leader Nigel Farage becomes the leader of the Conservative Party.
"Anyone is welcome to be a Conservative but you can't be a Conservative if you belong to another party and indeed if you stand against the party," he says.
"If you want to renounce your own party and cross the floor, of course we look at those cases on an individual basis."
But he adds that he believes a vote for Reform UK helps Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer "walk into Number 10" as prime minister.
Lib Dems call for rural fuel duty relief expansion
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says "a real rescue plan" is needed to support rural areas struggling with "outrageous pump prices"Image caption: Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says "a real rescue plan" is needed to support rural areas struggling with "outrageous pump prices"
We've already heard from Reform UK, Labour and the Tories this morning, now let's see what the Liberal Democrats are doing today. Their main policy pledge today is on fuel duty relief, saying it should be expanded to 20 new areas to support motorists in rural communities.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says "a real rescue plan" is needed to support rural communities struggling with "outrageous pump prices".
The party suggests Cornwall, Cumbria, Shropshire, Yorkshire in England, and rural parts of Scotland and Wales should be included in the scheme.
Fuel retailers can apply for relief of 5p per litre of petrol or diesel, which is then passed on to motorists through reductions in price at the pump.
Live Reporting
Edited by Aoife Walsh
All times stated are UK
'Guess who's back'
We are now hearing from Nigel Farage, who (not for the first time) begins by chanelling rap star Eminem, saying “guess who’s back, back again”, while holding on to the party document.
Reform UK kicks off its manifesto launch
It's time for Reform UK to present their manifesto full of policies - which they're calling a contract, because they say people associate manifestos with lies.
They're in Merthyr Tydfil in the Welsh valleys, and first up to speak is Reform's candidate for the constituency, Gareth Thomas followed by the party's leader Nigel Farage.
You can find a list of all the candidates standing for election in Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare here.
And you can watch along by pressing play at the top of this page.
Reform UK about to present election pledges in south Wales
That's a wrap on questions for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at the port in Southampton.
We'll soon be taking you over to Merthyr Tydfil where Reform UK will be launching its election document detailing its pledges for the general election.
The party is not calling it a manifesto, instead calling it "Our Contract With You".
Stay with us as we bring you updates from the launch shortly.
'Why should I vote for you? Why would you deserve my vote?'
We're now hearing from someone who says they're an undecided voter, and they've had to take on a second job due to cost of living pressures.
She asks Starmer: "Why should I vote for you? Why would you deserve my vote? Because I am terrified of my future and the cost of living going up and up and up."
"We're determined to change our economy to make sure we never get into a cost of living crisis like this one again," Starmer says.
He adds that if his party were to lead the country after the general election, tough decisions will have to be made including investing in the energy sector and stabilising the economy.
Starmer then brings it back to the impact of Liz Truss's mini-budget on many people's mortgage rates, saying that he doesn't want to put working people in that position again.
"You speak for millions of people by the way, millions of people are on the same boat," Starmer adds.
Starmer says 'botched' Brexit deal needs to be improved
Now Starmer is being asked about his plans for improving the UK's relationship with the EU, specifically about the bureaucracy around importing goods, which one worker describes as causing a lot of "grief".
The Labour leader reiterates he is not planning on re-joining the EU but admits the current plan is "botched" and believes businesses need a "better deal".
He also claims the current Brexit deal is an "inhibitor on growth for our economy" as it makes life harder for port workers, like the group he's speaking to, and reduces profits for UK businesses.
Starmer says employees happy with zero-hour contracts could keep them
Starmer and Reeves are asked by a port worker about zero-hour contracts, who says their flexibility works for him.
He asks what safeguards Labour plans to put in place to protect workers on those contracts.
Starmer says some are "exploitative" as many people on them are not secure in their money and bills. He adds that the flexibility of zero-hour contracts can work for some people.
The Labour leader says his party's plan is to get rid of exploitative zero-hour contracts, adding that people would be allowed to carry on with that style of contract if it works for them.
How would you create growth for ports?
Asked about growth and how it will impact ports like the one in Southampton, Starmer says the national wealth fund is crucial to getting investments in ports like the one he is visiting.
"We see ports as a major driver," he adds, saying that this is "really central" to their project and highlights that he would want both private and government investments to flow into this growth creation.
Remember - you can watch the Q&A live by pressing play at the top of the page.
Starmer and Reeves taking questions in Southampton
As we mentioned in our previous post, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are taking questions from workers at the port in Southampton.
Starmer has just said he will take questions or comments "on what's important to you".
We'll bring you the key lines and questions on this page.
Starmer and Reeves hop on a train to Hampshire
We're soon going to be hearing from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, who are on the campaign trail in Hampshire today.
Earlier this morning, Reeves hosted a meeting of investors as she laid out Labour's plans for government (more on that in our 10:10 post).
The shadow chancellor will potentially get some feedback on those comments, as she and the Labour leader will be fielding questions from workers at the port of Southampton as the party begins a week campaigning on the economy.
Stick with us as we bring you all the live updates and analysis here.
This morning's news in 150 words
Brexit remains the 'elephant in the room', claims campaigner
Earlier we reported on comments from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, on Labour seeking closer trade ties with the EU in certain areas.
Nigel Farage, meanwhile, said the UK should instead focus on the trade with the rest of the world - rather than the EU's "declining part" of the global economy.
Zoe Gardner, from the pro-EU campaign group Another Europe is Possible, says Brexit is the "massive elephant in the room" that nobody wants to talk about.
As a reminder, neither Labour nor the Conservatives are planning for the UK to rejoin the EU. But Gardner says Brexit is impacting the UK's economy, trade, and food production.
"It's more sneaky to pretend that this isn't an issue or to pretend that we don't have to discuss it democratically in the process of an election campaign," Gardner tells Nicky Campbell on 5 Live.
But on the same show, journalist Poppy Coburn from the Telegraph says the cost of living crisis and low wages are "longstanding problems" that people link to the more recent decision to leave the EU.
Davey in Devon - with a stop for sandcastles
Jessica Parker
Reporting from Devon
As he stripped off his shoes and socks at the beach near Paignton, Devon, Sir Ed Davey declared, "they’re not too smelly!"
The Lib Dem leader then strode on to the beach where buckets and spades awaited him.
Today (so far) is actually one of the less outlandish campaign photo opportunities of the Liberal Democrat campaign as the party seeks to highlight rural issues.
They’re talking about a manifesto policy of expanding fuel duty relief to more areas.
I’ve asked how this would be paid for but officials say they’re not specifying when it comes to this particular policy. But overall, they insist, the manifesto is fully costed.
Back on the beach, the weather’s warm and the Lib Dem mood is cheerful. A party that once was in the coalition government won just 11 MPs at the last election so activists feel, rightly or wrongly, that the only way is up.
Divisive politics not welcome in Wales, say Welsh Labour
Reform UK has been accused of “divisive politics” which are “not welcome here in Wales”.
The party launches its manifesto today in Merthyr Tydfil.
But Welsh Labour’s campaign chair Jessica Morden says Reform is a “band of chancers” and doesn’t fit in with Wales’ “proud history of being an inclusive society”.
Reform leader Nigel Farage says Wales shows what happens to a country when Labour is in charge - and this morning told the BBC this includes higher taxes but worse returns on the NHS and education are "worse".
What's likely to be in Reform UK's 'contract'?
Later today we'll be covering the launch of Reform UK's election manifesto - which they're calling "Our Contract With You" - in Merthyr Tydfil.
We don't know for sure everything that'll be in it, but we're expecting to hear about their policy on migration, which will include freezing non-essential immigration and stopping English Channel crossings by removing migrants from boats and returning them to France.
On taxes, the party says workers would be allowed to earn £20,000 before starting to pay any income tax, and that there would be tax relief for those using private health insurance instead of the NHS.
Reform has set out how it plans to pay for its policies, which includes axing chunks from the welfare bill, scrapping net zero targets, reducing the cost of government by 5% and scrapping the planned HS2 link between London and Birmingham. More here.
Tories trying to badger Labour on council tax
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
With most of the parties’ manifesto launches out of the way, the election campaign enters a slightly strange phase this week.
Don’t expect any new policies, or at least spending commitments, from Labour or the Conservatives - as that would mean their programmes would no longer be fully-costed.
The Conservative campaign’s approach to this strange phase appears to be focused on Labour - specifically on trying to badger Labour into ruling out further specific tax rises. One of their current focuses is council tax.
This morning Jonathan Ashworth, a shadow cabinet minister, said there would be no changes to council tax bands in England if Labour wins the general election, adding that a revaluation of properties was "not our policy".
He described Conservative claims about his party’s proposals as “more nonsense from an increasingly desperate Tory campaign, probably the most desperate Tory campaign I’ve seen in my lifetime”.
BBC Verify
Ben Chu
Labour does not say if its 650,000 jobs will be a net gain
Labour has pledged to invest £7.3bn into a new “National Wealth Fund” over the course of the next Parliament if it wins the general election and said this will help to create 650,000 new jobs.
The party’s manifesto specifies that the fund would invest around £1.5bn per year in ports, hydrogen and industrial clusters, with an emphasis on decarbonisation.
But Labour does not specify whether these 650,000 new jobs would be net additional jobs, or whether they would replace existing jobs in the existing fossil-fuel production sector.
'Your fingerprints are all over Labour's manifesto', Reeves tells investors
A bit more now from that sit down that Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just finished with business leaders in London, where she explained how influential these kinds of meetings have been on crafting Labour policy.
"The Labour manifesto has your fingerprints all over it," she told the investors while discussing her party's manifesto.
Many of the ideas laid out in that pledge, specifically on how to grow the economy, are the result of "many of the conversations I've had with businesses and investors over the last three years", she added.
Reeves courting investors makes quite a statement
Faisal Islam
Economics editor
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves is hosting her "British Infrastructure Council" this morning - some of the biggest British and international investors.
It includes CEOs of Lloyds, M&G, Santander and top execs from the international investors Blackrock, and CDPQ. These companies own some of the countries’ biggest infrastructure investments.
It is intriguing that they are meeting mid-election campaign. A sitting government wouldn’t be able to do this because of purdah (rules that restrict what happens in an election campaign) but no similar Conservative initiative has occurred during the campaign.
While all attendees say they are doing so in an “independent advisory” capacity, it seems quite a statement to sit publicly with the shadow chancellor a fortnight before the general election.
Reeves says, if elected, Labour wants to “hit the ground running”.
Private investment is especially important at a time when most parties are saying the public finances are constrained.
Shapps asked whether he could see Farage one day being Tory leader
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has just been talking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme - after an earlier interview on Breakfast - and is asked if he could see a scenario where Reform UK leader Nigel Farage becomes the leader of the Conservative Party.
"Anyone is welcome to be a Conservative but you can't be a Conservative if you belong to another party and indeed if you stand against the party," he says.
"If you want to renounce your own party and cross the floor, of course we look at those cases on an individual basis."
But he adds that he believes a vote for Reform UK helps Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer "walk into Number 10" as prime minister.
Lib Dems call for rural fuel duty relief expansion
We've already heard from Reform UK, Labour and the Tories this morning, now let's see what the Liberal Democrats are doing today. Their main policy pledge today is on fuel duty relief, saying it should be expanded to 20 new areas to support motorists in rural communities.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says "a real rescue plan" is needed to support rural communities struggling with "outrageous pump prices".
The party suggests Cornwall, Cumbria, Shropshire, Yorkshire in England, and rural parts of Scotland and Wales should be included in the scheme.
Fuel retailers can apply for relief of 5p per litre of petrol or diesel, which is then passed on to motorists through reductions in price at the pump.