Starmer says they want to set out their "first steps" on education reform today, as well as the longer-term aims.

"We a have shortage of teachers so within the plan is to recruit 6000 in those areas where there are shortages," he says, pointing to maths and physics as subjects that need more teachers.

Another step they will take, Starmer says, is to get rid of the tax break for private schools, and use that money to recruit those teachers.

"We also need a retention policy because teachers burn out very quickly and they leave the profession."

Starmer also talks about improving the language skills of the students:

"It will be a lifetime of struggle for the young people, students if they cannot communicate or express themselves. We will look at the curriculum to make sure it is there."

Starmer says the ambition is to remove barriers to opportunity and break the link between where people start life and where they end up.

He says for years this has been flat-lining, and people's chances are defined by how much their parents earn.

Starmer describes this as the "class ceiling".

He says the UK has been doing "sticking plaster politics" for 13 years and the country needs to fix the fundamentals.

Labour leader Keir Starmer is speaking on BBC Breakfast now.

You can watch his interview by clicking play above.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to make "speaking" skills part of the national curriculum, as he unveils Labour's plans for boosting education and opportunity later.

Writing in The Times, the Labour leader says the ability to articulate ideas is key to "getting on and thriving in life."

Much of his speech will focus on plans to make sure people's background or class does not determine their opportunities in life.

He said that employers have told him that speaking skills are as important as reading and writing.

Sir Keir writes that as well as speaking skills being about good public speaking and debating it is also about "finding your voice" and having the "confidence to speak out, to call out injustice or harm."

Away from Westminster, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is going to Kent to deliver a speech this morning setting out how he plans to reform the education system if his party is elected.

He’s expected to talk about smashing the "class ceiling" and abolishing the "snobbery" surrounding the "academic/vocational divide".

He is also due to appear on BBC Breakfast in about 10 minutes.

Stay with us and we’ll bring you what he says.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Here’s what I understand is going to happen this morning.

This report and a suggested sanction will be sent to Mr Pincher at around about 0800 BST. It will then be published at around 0900 BST.

It has been examining whether or not he brought the Commons into disrepute - now, we should say that Mr Pincher apologised for drinking far too much and embarrassing himself when these allegations were made.

My understanding is that this report will be critical.

It is widely expected it’s going to recommend a suspension for longer than the threshold that can lead to a by-election.

I’m also told by several people that it is likely Mr Pincher might voluntarily give up his seat as an MP - maybe today, maybe in the coming days.

Pincher told the Conservative Party in April that he would be stepping down at the next election, which is due in 2024.

But if events play out in such a way that a by-election is triggered, it means Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, reeling in the national polls, will have to defend another constituency won by the Tories in 2019.

Two of three by-elections set for July 20 were triggered by the resignations of Boris Johnson and his ally Nigel Adams.

The third was prompted by the resignation of David Warburton amid allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use.

Image source, UK Parliament

Pincher was first elected as the MP for Tamworth in 2010 and served as a minister under former prime minister Theresa May.

Under Boris Johnson he served in the whips office and as a minister in the Foreign Office and the Levelling Up Department.

He quit as deputy chief whip after groping allegations emerged last year and was suspended as a Tory MP in June 2022.

Pincher now sits as an independent member in the Commons. That is because he had the Conservative whip removed when a formal complaint about him was made to the watchdog.

An inquiry into groping allegations against Chris Pincher is to be published by Parliament’s standards watchdog this morning, at around 09:00.

Sources familiar with the process said they expect the recommended punishment to meet the threshold for a recall petition, which would likely mean a by-election.

The sanction recommended by the committee will need to be agreed by MPs and Pincher does have the right to appeal to an independent expert panel, if he can provide new evidence or point to a procedural inaccuracy.

The report will be published at 09:00.

Andrew Humphrey
Live reporter

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of what is expected to be a busy day in Westminster. Here's what we're expecting to happen:

• 0900 BST: The government is due to publish a standards report into groping allegations against the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
• 1000 BST: Sir Keir Starmer will give a speech outlining his plans for education if Labour wins the next election.
• 1430 BST: High Court judges will rule on whether the government must hand over Boris Johnson's Whatsapp messages and diaries to the Covid-19 inquiry.

But before then, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will be interviewed on BBC Breakfast (07:30 BST) and Radio 4's Today programme (08:10).

With my colleagues Sean Seddon and Ece Goksedef, and the expert analysis of the BBC politics team, we'll be bringing you rolling coverage throughout the day.

Image source, Reuters