Image source, AFP/Getty Images

The surprise election called for 8 June has brought things into sharp focus for MPs looking for a way out of politics - and offers a possible way back for their former colleagues wanting to return.

Some of the big names stepping down include former chancellor George Osborne and veteran Labour MP Alan Johnson, who had been tipped as a potential party leader in the past.

But while some doors are closing, others are opening.

Former prime minster Tony Blair got tongues wagging during an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend, after he admitted there was a temptation to get back into Westminster politics to fight against a hard Brexit.

Find out more on the latest Westminster comings and goings.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

The Defence Secretary and former Energy Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has defended his party's track record on energy prices. He said they are committed to making "markets work better" for consumers. 

The Conservatives are set to introduce a cap on energy prices in their election manifesto. Sir Michael Fallon said a cap was "very different to a freeze" and would protect consumers from large price increases.  

Image source, PA

When Theresa May announced on she was seeking an early general election, scores of people saw their weekends and half-term holidays vanish in a giant puff of electioneering, manifesto-writing and the mammoth admin task of staging a nationwide ballot.  

By anyone's estimations, the general election of 2015 was an immense piece of administration.

There were 45m ballot papers printed, 43,000 polling stations were staffed for 15 hours by 120,000 people. And the total cost of it came to £98,845,157.

But all that was organised with five years' notice - the duration between the previous election and the date of the 2015 poll.

So how to do you organise a general election in just seven weeks?

Read our full story to find out.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has defended the Conservatives' decision to cap household energy bills saying "We're committed to making sure markets work better".

The former energy minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme people had not had the ability to switch energy suppliers "so it's right to look at the way they are regulated".

According to the Sunday Times, external the plans could cut gas and electricity costs by £100 a year for 17 million families.  

Image source, PA

Labour will "never, ever apologise" for the closeness of its ties with the trade unions, Jeremy Corbyn will say.

The party's leader is due to address the Scottish Trades Union Congress in Aviemore today.

Labour has only one MP in Scotland, having lost 40 seats to the SNP at the last general election.

One recent poll put the party 20 percentage points behind the Conservatives in Scotland, and further behind the SNP.

Mr Corbyn will say: "Labour will never, ever apologise for the closeness of our relationship with the trade union movement, you are our family."

He is expected to pledge to repeal the "vicious" Tory Trade Union Act if Labour get into power.

Read more

There are 650 constituencies in the United Kingdom. 

But the election campaign over the coming weeks will be concentrated in the marginal battleground seats - the ones with small majorities that are most likely to change hands.

There's no official definition of a marginal seat but people often look at constituencies where the majority - the gap between the first and second placed parties - is under 10%.

Here's a look at the most marginal seats based on the 2015 general election results.

Read the full story

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has described Jeremy Corbyn's arguments against a nuclear deterrent as "staggering", adding that this is from a man who "wants to be prime minister of this country in six weeks' time".

He argued that the Labour leader would also stop building nuclear submarines, would not control borders and has questioned the UK's Nato deployment.

"This is somebody who would certainly put the security of our country at risk and if you want stronger and stable leadership, then it has to be Theresa May and the Conservatives," Sir Michael added.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would "double the security risk to this country" by not supporting a nuclear deterrent.

Sir Michael said the deterrent was renewed last year with the support of some Labour MPs.

"But Jeremy Corbyn made it absolutely clear he's still against the deterrent - he was then corrected by his own party so we had chaos from Labour last night, which doubles the security risk to this country when you have somebody standing to be prime minister whose own party is then having to correct - and you're left completely unsure what would happen to our nuclear deterrent."  

Sir Michael said politicians who believe Trident is useless as a nuclear deterrent are "absolutely wrong".

"We use the deterrent every single day," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "We have a nuclear submarine out there as our deterrent, as our protection."

He conceded that there were some military figures who would prefer to spend more money on conventional weapons than nuclear.

"We've always taken the decision that it's better to have the deterrent because you cannot be sure in 20, 30, 40 years' time, given there are 17,000 nuclear weapons in the world... that nobody might threaten to use a weapon against us."

"That's why the deterrent was renewed last year. "

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said that a Conservative government would be ready to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike.

He spoke after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sidestepped questions about his support for the UK's Trident nuclear weapons - a position which the Tories say make him unfit to be prime minister.

Pressed on the issue by BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Michael said Theresa May would use nuclear weapons "in the most extreme circumstances".

"We've made it very clear that you can't rule out the use of nuclear weapons as a first strike," he said.

But Sir Michael would not be drawn on specific circumstances that would prompt a nuclear strike, saying this only give comfort to enemies and make the weapons less credible.

Labour has said it still backs the UK's Trident nuclear weapons, while Mr Corbyn says the case for renewing Trident was still being discussed.

Legislation to bring in the registration was passed in December but systems not in place for 8 June.

Here is a recap of today's political events:

• Labour has insisted it backs the UK's Trident nuclear weapons after Jeremy Corbyn said "all aspects" of defence would be reviewed if he won power
• The Conservatives said they would include a cap on household energy bills in their manifesto
• Tony Blair urged voters not to elect MPs who "back Brexit at any cost", whichever party they are from, and said he was "almost" motivated to return to politics because of Brexit
• UKIP pledged in its manifesto to ban full veils worn by some Muslim women 

Earlier, former prime minister Tony Blair got tongues wagging when he admitted he was motivated to get back into Westminster politics to fight against a hard brexit.

As 8 June approaches, several MPs and their former colleagues will have to declare whether they are standing in the snap election.

Here are the latest Westminster comings and goings.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Spending in general elections has come under increased scrutiny after the Tories, Lib Dems and Labour were fined in March for breaking the rules following an investigation by the Electoral Commission.

The political parties have had to move into election mode at breakneck speed for the 8 June vote.

Standby for battle buses, mail shots and social media timeline being bombarded by political propoganda.

So how much does a general election cost? 

Adam Fleming looks back on the 2015 campaign.

It's also been an energetic day for several MPs who took part in the London marathon.

Twitter has been awash with photos of election candidates out campaigning on the first weekend following the snap election announcement.

Here's a flavour of what's been happening out on the streets.

As we heard earlier, UKIP's manifesto will include proposals to ban full veils. 

The announcement has sparked strong reaction on both sides of the debate.  

Read all the reaction in our full story

Labour's Barry Gardiner said Labour's pledge to create four new bank holidays is not an attempt to bribe the voters.

He said the four nations of the United Kingdom have "never been so divided" and having holidays is a way of "celebrating the things that bring us together".

Image source, Labour Party

Earlier today, Labour MP Barry Gardiner played down the Sunday Mirror's poll which put the Tories on 50%, their highest level since 1991.

The shadow international trade secretary told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme Labour has a "lot of ground to cover" but is confident when voters see each party's policies they will say "they don't trust" the Tories on tax.

Former major UKIP donor Arron Banks has said he wants to run to be an MP in Clacton - despite having only been there once.

He told Andrew Neil most politicians are "carpetbaggers" but he will be down in Clacton "to make a difference".