Starmer is pressed further on Diane Abbott's disciplinary process.

Abbott was suspended as a Labour MP in April 2023 over a letter she wrote to the Observer newspaper about racism.

Asked whether the process would end in time for her to be a candidate, he says it will be sorted within days given the incoming deadline for candidates.

He insists it's a matter for the National Executive Committee on the question of candidates - adding that Jeremy Corbyn used to express views on disciplinary matters which led to a "very slippery slope".

Keir Starmer is now asked whether former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke represents the Labour Party better than Diane Abbott.

He replies that Elphicke crossed the floor to Labour and has become a member, meaning she accepts the party's values.

Starmer calls suspended Labour MP Diane Abbott a "trailblazer", who has done "incredible work" and says she is undergoing a disciplinary process that is coming to an end.

When asked if he will accept any MP from any political party, he says they must accept Labour's values.

Image source, PA Media

Starmer is asked if Rishi Sunak has stabilised the economy.

"No," he responds.

He claims that Sunak said inflation going up had nothing to do with him - but now takes credit for it coming down.

Annual inflation fell to 2.3% on Friday, its lowest level in almost three years.

"I don't think anyone listening will be taken in by that."

Starmer is now asked about the changes he said he wanted to make and would not be expensive, such as abolishing the House of Lords.

"The big choice people will make is to stop the chaos of the last 14 years, to turn the page and rebuild our country," he answers.

He says that he still wants to abolish the House of Lords "but the question is if it is the priority" soon after the election.

"We have problems we have to tackle first, such as achieving economic stability."

Starmer is next asked about the two-child benefit cap. He has faced pressure to remove it if Labour are elected.

He says he would remove it "in an ideal world", but we "don't have the resources at the moment".

He underlines that he is absolutely set against child poverty and adds that Labour will have a child poverty strategy.

However, he says, there are other elements to consider - explaining that child poverty is tied up with housing, cost of living and the economy.

It all needs to be brought together, he says.

Keir Starmer is asked about his beliefs and whether he believes in free university tuition.

We will only make commitments we know we can fulfil, he says.

We have got to prioritise getting waiting lists down in the NHS first, he says.

Image source, PA Media

After that news about the former Labour leader, the current party leader - Keir Starmer - is about to speak to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Press play above to listen live - and stay here for all the top lines.

Image source, PA Media

The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he will stand against the party at the general election.

He will contest his Islington North seat as an independent.

He has told his local Islington Tribune newspaper that he will be "a voice for equality, democracy and peace".

Corbyn was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party in 2020 - when in response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission report in to the party’s handling of anti-semitism complaints, he suggested the scale of the problem had been "dramatically overstated".

Read more here.

Up next is the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary on BBC Breakfast - who is being asked about Ofgem’s announcement this morning.

The average household energy bill is to fall by 7% from July after the regulator lowered its price cap in response to wholesale prices.

Claire Coutinho says it is the “second big step down this year”.

She says they want to see further progress with “enough competition in the market, driving better deals” and to make sure energy brokers are held into account for better regulation and ensuring standing charges are “fair”.

Image source, UK Parliament

Veteran MP John Redwood has become the latest Conservative to say he's not standing for re-election.

On his blog, he says: "I have decided not to put my name forward in the forthcoming election. I have other things I wish to do.

"It has been a privilege to represent Wokingham in nine parliaments."

Kate Forbes is now asked about Scotland's gender reforms, which she has expressed concerns about.

The party's new leader, John Swinney, has reiterated his commitment to the plan, which will allow someone to self-identify their legally recognised sex.

Forbes says there is currently "no opportunity for that to progress" due to UK ministers' use of section 35 of the Scotland Act to veto the legislation.

She declines to answer the question if she personally believes in the bill.

"We're now in a contest, a competition, when it comes to the general election, and our job is to set out a policy platform of priorities that resonate for the people of Scotland," says Forbes.

Image source, PA Media

We're now hearing from the deputy first minister of Scotland, Kate Forbes, on Radio 4's Today programme.

She says it is a "very good moment" for the party, as the election has been called after "a really good period of unity".

John Swinney became leader of the SNP and new first minister earlier this month.

She says his leadership has "brought the party together" - and suggests he is the "most popular political leader" in the UK.

The cost of living is likely to be a big factor over the next six weeks.

On Thursday, Rishi Sunak said he called the general election for July as "economic stability" had returned.

On that theme, we've just heard the latest energy price cap - it means the average annual energy bill will fall by 7% from July.

The latest quarterly cap - which applies in England, Wales and Scotland - means a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £1,568 a year.

That is down £122 on the current level, and is the lowest for two years. Read more here.

Tice is now being asked about immigration, which he says needs to be frozen "so the country can catch up".

He says migration statistics, released on Thursday, show the Conservatives have allowed "mass immigration" over the past two years, which has "depressed British wages" and put an "unacceptable demand" on housing.

Tice says "young people suffer the most" and it is "simply unfair”.

We're now hearing from the leader of Reform UK on BBC Breakfast.

Richard Tice says there are no differences between the Conservative and Labour parties.

"They are both forms of socialism," he says.

He goes on to say that they stand for high taxes, high regulation and zero growth, "and that's why everyone is getting poorer and poorer".

Reform launched its campaign on Thursday, saying it will stand candidates in 630 of the UK's 650 seats.

How important is Scotland in the UK election?published at 06:20 British Summer Time 24 May

06:20 BST 24 May

James Cook
Scotland Editor

Image source, PA Media

Does the path to 10 Downing Street run through Scotland? The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, appears to think so.

Campaigning in Glasgow later, Sir Keir is expected to say that only "a strong Scotland" can ensure "national renewal".

Both Sir Keir and Rishi Sunak are hoping that this election marks the end of an era in which the Scottish National Party has dominated Scottish politics.

Campaigning in the Port of Nigg on the Cromarty Firth in the Highlands on Thursday, the prime minister criticised the SNP for imposing higher taxes on workers earning more than £28,500 in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK.

But SNP leader John Swinney, speaking at his first campaign event in Edinburgh on Thursday, said his party is best-placed to oust "this disastrous Tory government".

Read more here.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Starmer is planning to take part in two head-to-head TV election debates with Sunak, according to a senior Labour source.

It comes after the Prime Minister accused Starmer of not wanting to debate him.

"I want to debate these issues with Sir Keir Starmer. But he doesn't want to because he doesn't have a plan," Sunak wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

The paper also reported Sunak would be willing to debate the Labour leader every week of the campaign, which would amount to six debates.

But a senior Labour figure told BBC News Starmer was planning to take part in two head-to-head debates with Sunak proposed by the BBC and ITV.

"Labour will not be tearing up the format established in previous elections just to suit this week's whims of the Tory Party," a senior Labour source said.

The BBC has approached the Conservative Party for comment.

Day Two of the election campaign promises to be every bit as busy, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer being questioned by the BBC, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's interviews on Thursday.

In London, MPs are due to finish up parliamentary business in the coming hours before joining their party campaigns.

Stay with us for developments across the UK as they happen, plus expert analysis and comment, as the countdown to 4 July continues.

Thank you for joining us on a busy day in politics ahead of the election on 4 July.

We're pausing our live coverage here but will be back in the morning with more.

Click here to catch up on what happened on Day One of the campaign.

UK growing faster than US but only since start of yearpublished at 23:11 British Summer Time 23 May

23:11 BST 23 May

Let's go back now to Rishi Sunak's interview for Radio 4 when he said the economy was "growing faster than almost any other major country, including the United States”.

Sunak is correct when it comes to the first three months of 2024. However, over the past year the US has outperformed the UK by a significant margin.

According to the latest data, external, the UK economy grew 0.6% in the first quarter (January-March) of this year - higher than the 0.4% achieved by the US over the same period. The UK also outperformed other major economies, including Italy and France, as shown in the graph above.

However, if you take the whole of 2023, a different picture emerges. Annual growth was just 0.1% in the UK, while the US economy grew by 2.6%.

The data is even more stark for the final six months of last year: the UK economy contracted by 0.4%, while the US economy grew by 1.2%.

There's more here: How does the UK compare with other economies?