Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News

The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has written to Rishi Sunak expressing concerns about threats to the election.

The committee says the UK Government should be “prepared for the possibility of foreign interference during the upcoming General Election.”

This could include cyber-attacks or other activity.

It also calls on the Electoral Commission to issue guidance on how to spot deepfakes and other types of misinformation and disinformation online.

It says it has decided to publish its letter because “it is not clear if members of the public fully understand how these threats will manifest and what this means for the UK, its democracy and for them as individuals.”

Ofwat says it is delaying the publication of its consultation on price review to 11 July, due to the general election.

Ofwat regulates the water industry in England and Wales.

It sets a price control in the sector every five years.

The next review is supposed to determine prices for the 2025-2030 period, and will come into effect on 1 April 2025.

Image source, Getty Images

Former cabinet minister Greg Clark is the latest Conservative MP to announce he is standing down at the election.

"After nearly 20 years as MP for Tunbridge Wells I will not be standing at the general election," he says in a post on X, external.

"I am grateful and proud to have been able to speak and fight for the people of this beautiful and famous place.

"Standing is a five-year commitment and it's time to pass the baton on."

Clark is the 75th Tory MP to say they won't seek re-election.

He chairs the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee.

Image source, Getty Images

As we have reported, it's MPs' last day in Parliament today before the election.

That means several MPs who aren't seeking re-election are making their final speeches.

The longest-serving female MP, Harriet Harman, said: "The House of Commons records show that I've spoken in this chamber 9,880 times.

"But I have to say that when you discover the prime minister was only two years old when you were first elected, you realise it is time to move on.

"But every time I've spoken in this chamber, I've had a profound sense of how important this house is and what a great honour and privilege it is to be a member of this Parliament."

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Here are some lines from Craig Mackinlay's statement - the Conservative who recently said he wanted to be known as the "Bionic MP".

"The snap election announcement has caused me 36 hours of intense soul searching," he writes.

"Whilst my heart tells me to stand again, there being so much unfinished business across local regeneration and national issues which are important to me, my head knows this to be impossible at this time.

"It would be difficult to withstand the rigours of an all-out election campaign, a campaign that I’d always wish to lead from the front.

"Thereafter, upon being re-elected it would be difficult for me to sustain 70 to 80 hour working weeks which were the norm prior to my illness."

He continues: "I face numerous future operations as a result of the serious sepsis that I suffered which very nearly took my life. I have only just started the prosthetic journey and I have weekly physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions...

"To be elected to the House of Commons is a rare privilege of life. I thank my South Thanet constituents for placing their trust in me across three general elections."

We've just heard that Craig Mackinlay - the Conservative MP whose hands and feet were amputated following a life-threatening episode of sepsis - is to stand down.

We'll have more from his statement soon.

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It has been a busy start to day two of the general election campaign...

• Keir Starmer told the BBC he can't commit to scrapping university tuition fees - which he backed when running to be Labour leader - because cutting NHS waiting lists is the priority
• He also said a Labour government won't repeal the two-child benefit cap, because it won't have the "resources"
• At the party's Scottish campaign launch in Glasgow, Starmer took aim at both the SNP and the Conservatives - and said only Labour can end the "chaos"

• In Belfast, Rishi Sunak said the £122 drop in the energy price cap showed the economy had "turned a corner"
• He admitted he was disappointed the long-term smoking bill won't have time to pass Parliament - but said it would be back, if the Conservatives are re-elected
• We've also been hearing from the SNP deputy leader Kate Forbes, who said the election comes at a "good moment" for the party, because of the recent change in leadership

• In Eastbourne, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, outlined his party's pledges on GPs and sewage
• And Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, called for an immigration "freeze" so the UK can "catch up" on wages and housing

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Let's go back to a line from earlier this morning.

In a BBC interview, Keir Starmer said suspended MP Diane Abbott's future in the party was down to Labour's National Executive Committee - and wasn't a matter for him.

That hasn't gone down well with Abbott.

"It has EVERYTHING to do with him," she writes on X.

The long-serving MP was suspended last year pending an investigation into a letter she wrote about racism to the Observer. The party's inquiry is nearly finished, Starmer says.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent, reporting from Northern Ireland

Rishi Sunak has just left Northern Ireland after a brief visit here.

Remember the Conservatives don’t have any electoral base here. In 2019, the party got just over 5,000 votes here across the whole country.

The PM has just been speaking to the media - and faced questions about the smoking bill - a key piece of legislation which could have been a legacy for the PM.

It’s not happening now before the election because there’s no time to get it through Parliament.

Was that a misstep from Sunak? He now can’t tell voters he’s delivered on a big promise.

He says this morning that he’s disappointed, but, he says, it’s an example of bold action he’s prepared to take.

It seems likely he’d bring it back if he’s still in power after 4 July. But that’s an if - and he can’t be sure he’ll deliver the pledge now.

Iain Macinnes
Reporting from Strathnairn

You know the election campaign has started when there are babies being cuddled or in this case - animals.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes is campaigning today on a croft in Strathnairn near Inverness.

She says people in rural Scotland can trust that the SNP will stand up for those involved in making a living off the land.

She adds Brexit has had a huge impact on crofters and farmers - and the SNP will do what they can to help.

Before indulging in a scoop of ice cream - talks had turned to sewage.

Davey says the Conservative government "allowed" Southern Water to pump sewage into the sea, which is "so bad" for the environment, local people and tourism.

"We have the ideas and we also have the candidates," he says, standing beside candidate Josh Babarinde.

Leila Nathoo
Political correspondent, reporting from Eastbourne

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Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is with his candidate for Eastbourne, Josh Babarinde.

They’re obviously having ice cream - yellow scoops.

Sir Ed tells assembled activists waving classic Lib Dem diamonds that his party is determined to win as many seats as possible from the Tories. They are focusing their efforts on the areas where they are the main challengers.

Sir Ed says he has his sights on the ‘Blue Coast’ as well as the ‘Blue Wall’.

Eastbourne is an interesting target - the Conservatives majority here is just 4,331 but it’s gone back and forth between the Tories and Lib Dems since 2010.

And fun fact - Josh Babarinde told me that he and the current MP, Caroline Ansell, go way back. She was his supply teacher at school.

We've brought you news from Keir Starmer in Glasgow, and Rishi Sunak in Belfast - now it's time to head to the south coast of England, with the Liberal Democrats in Eastbourne.

Its leader, Ed Davey, has announced the party’s policy on GPs.

“So many people tell us that they can’t get a GP appointment in the time they want," he says.

Davey wants to legislate to give people "a right" to see a GP within seven days, or 24 hours for urgent problems.

When it comes to TV debates, Sunak says he's heard the Labour leader "said he wanted to debate the British people, rather than me".

The prime minister adds that voters want "answers" to questions about what Starmer "would actually do", if elected.

"He should want to debate me, I want to debate him, and I hope that he takes up the offer", Sunak adds.

The questions move on to the bills that won't have time to make it through Parliament before its dissolution - including the smoking ban bill.

Sunak says he's "disappointed" that the smoking ban bill did not get through, but says it is evidence of the "bold" action he is prepared to take.

He adds that he is "pleased" that on Thursday "we got the Horizon bill through" for postmasters.

As a reminder, you can watch and follow Paula Vennells' evidence to the Post Office inquiry live on this page.

We're now hearing from the prime minister, who says the lowering of the energy price cap by Ofgem shows the "plan is working".

Rishi Sunak says the "economy has turned a corner" and that inflation is "back to normal".

He says he will be speaking to people ahead of the general election about the "bold" action his party is prepared to take.

Image source, .

We've been focusing on Keir Starmer for much of the morning, but we're expecting to hear shortly from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who's in Northern Ireland.

While we wait, here are some pictures of the PM visiting a maritime technology centre.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Starmer and Labour in slightly awkward position in Scotlandpublished at 10:33 British Summer Time 24 May

10:33 BST 24 May

Philip Sim
Political correspondent, reporting from Glasgow

Keir Starmer is in Scotland a day after his rival for Downing Street, Rishi Sunak.

There are no direct Labour-Tory marginals in Scotland, though: all of Labour’s target seats are held by the SNP.

That leaves Starmer in a slightly awkward position - trying to send UK-wide messages designed to resonate in Tory-held seats down south, without being outflanked on the left by the SNP in Scotland.

Issues like tuition fees and the two-child cap on benefits are a bit of a minefield.

He will likely lean heavily on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to tailor messages to the local electorate.

But that will prompt questions about who a Scottish Labour MP will ultimately report to, and whether they might find themselves rebelling against the man who may be prime minister on day one.

Rishi Sunak will face similar issues when it comes to localised messaging.

Last night, he found himself talking about cutting immigration in a Highland constituency suffering from depopulation

And while clearly itching to attack the SNP government at Holyrood, the nature of devolution meant he had to boast about how well he had cooperated with them when delivering things like Freeports north of the border.

The “air war” of this campaign may be all about big messages that land nationwide - but where you are in the country still matters too.

Andrew Kerr
Political correspondent, reporting from Glasgow

Starmer is now critical of the SNP and their call to “send a message” - saying instead he wants Scotland to send a Labour government to Westminster.

The leader speaks of 14 years of the Conservatives at Westminster and 17 years of the SNP at Holyrood - saying both have fed division.

He claims that children in Scotland are “paying the cost” of SNP failures in Scotland and Conservative failures in Westminster.

He says only Labour can stop the chaos - and once again attempts to emphasise how Labour has changed.

Now he says he wants to change Scotland and Britain for the better - with Scotland central to the mission of the next Labour government.

Starmer is up now.

He begins by saying an election has "finally" been called - using the moment to talk about Rishi Sunak announcing the election in the rain.

"This is what Scotland needs, it's what Scotland has been waiting for," Starmer says.

"This is an election about change and Scotland's voice is vital", he adds.