Gove won't stand in election as mass exodus of MPs continues

1. Cabinet minister Michael Gove is to stand down at the election he has announced
2. Gove says he supports Rishi Sunak to return as PM, but it's time for a new generation to lead
3. Around one in five MPs say they are stepping down ahead of the general election on 4 July
4. More than 70 Conservative MPs will not be seeking re-election, along with more than 20 from Labour and nine from the SNP
5. On day two of the election campaign, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Northern Ireland while Labour leader Keir Starmer launched his party's Scottish campaign
6. Sunak says a fall in the energy price cap is another sign the economy has "turned a corner"
7. But Starmer tells an event in Glasgow that only Labour can "stop the chaos"
8. Speaking to the BBC earlier, Starmer said his party is only making commitments they "know they can fulfil"
9. And on abolishing tuition fees - which he backed when running for Labour leader - he said he can't, because cutting NHS waiting lists is the priority

Starmer puts emphasis on 'change'

Election is 'chance to change for the better' - Starmer

Within minutes of Sunak’s announcement, Starmer spoke about the forthcoming election.

The leader of the opposition Labour Party repeated the word "change" throughout his statement as he set out why the UK should not back the Tories

He said:

• His "party wants to return Britain to the service of working people"
• The "opportunity for change" is what the general election is about
• Labour would put "country first and party second"
• The party's three themes were "stop the chaos", "time for change" and "reset the economy and our politics"

Key takeaways from Sunak's announcement

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's General Election announcement in full

After hours of speculation around Whitehall and Westminster, Sunak confirmed the date in an announcement made in the pouring rain.

Let’s summarise the key parts of his speech:

• He had asked King Charles to dissolve Parliament on 30 May - this was granted
• This means a general election will take place on Thursday 4 July
• He was proud of what his government had achieved as he set out his intentions to fight for "every vote"
• The Covid-19 pandemic had upended life in the UK, he said, and the war in Ukraine had sent energy bills spiralling
• He had worked to restore economic stability and bring mortgage rates down
• He vowed he had never left and would “never leave people to face the darkest of days alone”
• He said there were uncertain times ahead but insisted he and his government had a clear plan
• He accused Starmer of having no plan and said: "I don't know what they offer - and in truth, I don't think you do either."

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our coverage as we react to news the UK will be holding a general election on 4 July.

In case you missed it, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he had spoken to King Charles to end the term of this current parliament and announced the next general election date during a speech outside Downing Street on Wednesday.

Labour's Sir Keir Starmer and other political leaders were quick to get their voices and thoughts out as they responded to the surprise news.

Throughout this morning we will bring you more reaction and also analysis from our team of correspondents and journalists from right across the country.