Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

As we mentioned in our last post, Rishi Sunak's anti-smoking bill seems unlikely to make its way through Parliament by tomorrow evening - when MPs and Lords pack up for the election.

But what was covered in the bill that, if passed, would've made the UK among countries in the world with the toughest anti-tobacco laws?

To start, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would've ensured anyone turning 15 from this year on would be banned from buying cigarettes. It also aimed to make vapes less appealing to children.

Sunak, who announced the plan last year, headlined it as a law that would both "save thousands of lives and billions of pounds for our NHS" and effectively "create a smoke-free generation".

It would've also introduced curbs on flavours, packaging and the sale of vapes to make them less appealing to children.

Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor

Rishi Sunak’s big plan to create a smoke-free generation seems to have been ditched but is likely to become a Tory manifesto pledge.

The legislation has not gone far enough in its journey through Parliament to make it through by tomorrow evening, when MPs and Lords pack up for the election.

Bills making the cut are the Digital Markets Bill, Post Office Offences Bill, Media Bill and the Victims and Prisoners Bill, which includes the compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal. Details are still being thrashed out on that.

This is all to be confirmed by Commons leader Penny Mordaunt at around 13:00 BST.

At this point yesterday, we still had no word on when a general election would be called - with Rishi Sunak saying only it would take place "in the second half of the year".

Here's how that six-month period was narrowed down rather sharply...

Image source, PA Media

Before Richard Tice spoke at the launch of Reform UK's election campaign, veteran politician Ann Widdecombe said a few words.

The former Tory minister turned Reform UK member said immigration was the "crucial issue" at the election.

She pointed to the latest net migration figures, which stood at a provisional 685,000 in the year to December 2023. She said this this was "nowhere near the 200,000 that we had been previously promised".

Widdecombe said that having once been immigration minister, "I know very well that immigration has a tremendous impact on the country.

"There is no such thing as an economic movement which doesn't impact right across the scale."

Let's go back now to Reform UK leader Richard Tice, who's speaking in London.

Tice says his party will stand candidates in 630 seats in the election - there are 650 seats across the UK - and confirms that he personally will stand in Boston and Skegness.

"Contrary to what all the commentators say... we are going to win seats," he says, adding that his party is the only one offering real change over the economy and immigration.

"The choice for everybody is whether you vote Tory, or whether you vote Labour, you will get the same form of socialism," he says.

Is Keir Starmer right to talk of '£46bn of unfunded tax cuts'?published at 11:45 British Summer Time 23 May

11:45 BST 23 May

Earlier in Gillingham, Labour leader Keir Starmer referred to what he calls the £46bn Tory black hole, saying: "What is Rishi Sunak's plan? £46bn of unfunded tax cuts.”

He is talking about the government’s ambition to abolish National Insurance (NI) for workers, and £46bn is a reasonable estimate of what that would cost.

But the Conservatives have been clear they do not expect to be able to do it before at least 2030.

They also say it would not be unfunded - they would not get rid of NI until the economy has grown by enough to make it affordable.

You can read more about it here.

Earlier we brought you the news that Nigel Farage won't stand in the general election as a Reform UK candidate - but will help the party's campaign.

Now let's bring you some lines from Reform UK leader Richard Tice, who has been delivering a speech in Westminster.

He started off by poking fun at Rishi Sunak, who he pointed out was "drenched" during his speech yesterday, before saying the PM has "bottled it" by announcing an election.

Tice said that Sunak is "terrified" that Reform UK "is going up and up in the polls" while the Tories "have been sinking".

He added that he's "delighted" that his "good friend" Farage will be campaigning for Reform UK and "driving home" the party's message.

You may remember the 2010 general election, in which no party won a majority of seats - meaning the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats governed in coalition for five years.

Well, that won't happen again, the Lib Dems' deputy leader insists.

"We have ruled out doing any deal whatsoever with this Conservative government," Daisy Cooper tells Sky News.

Put to her that Sir Nick Clegg said the same thing before the 2010 election, she says: "A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then."

On whether the party could work with Labour, she says: "We're not thinking about what happens the day after the polling day. We're determined to win over the trust and support of as many voters as possible between now and 10pm on polling day."

Image source, PA Media

Is Rishi Sunak's £900 tax cut the whole story?published at 11:08 British Summer Time 23 May

11:08 BST 23 May

Image source, .

As the general election campaign begins, we've been hearing Rishi Sunak talk a lot this morning about his track record on the economy.

The prime minister was right when he told BBC Breakfast that “someone earning £35,000 will get a tax cut of £900”.

This year’s cuts to National Insurance are worth £900 a year for someone earning this amount - the average full-time salary. But they will also get some tax rises.

The government has made other changes to the tax system over the last three years that mean most people are paying tax on more of their earnings.

When you put those changes together, an average earner will have a tax cut of about £340 - from the combined tax changes - rather than £900.

People earning between £26,000 and £60,000 will be better off. But as you can see in the chart, people earning less than £25,000 or above £60,000 are actually worse off.

You can read more on this claim here.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent, reporting from Derbyshire

If you want a sense of how manic election campaigns can be, I’ve just jumped on a tiny plane with the prime minister, a bunch of journalists and the Tory campaign team.

It’s pretty snug.

Rishi Sunak is touring the UK today as he seeks to get on the front foot in the general election campaign.

Why the Rwanda flight timetable is so tough to meetpublished at 10:51 British Summer Time 23 May

10:51 BST 23 May

Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondent

As we've reported, Rishi Sunak this morning ruled out Rwanda flights before the general election on 4 July. So let's look at some of the background.

The Home Office began detaining asylum seekers to potentially send to Rwanda on 29 April .

While they have all been given letters saying the government is "minded" to send them to the African nation, as far as the BBC can establish none of them have actually been given an order confirming they will be put on a plane.

That's because behind the scenes ministers have been battling on a number of legal fronts.

Government lawyers have told a High Court judge that flights would, in theory, leave between 24 June and 15 July - dates drawn from the prime minister's public statement after the Rwanda plan became law.

But major court challenges are already in the pipeline.

The first from the FDA, the union for senior government officials, could kill the Rwanda plan dead if judges rule the project forces officials to break international law.

Another, from charity Asylum Aid, has already forced the Home Office to rewrite guidance over who is chosen for the first flight.

At least 60 migrants in detention have lawyers fighting their case - and each of those cases could end up going all the way to the Supreme Court.

Image source, Reuters

There's already been a lot going on this morning as the first full day of campaigning gets under way.

If you're just joining us now, here's a re-cap of what's been happening:

• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak began the morning by saying that a flight will not take off for Rwanda - taking some migrants who crossed the Channel on small boats - before the election
• Flights will, however, take off if he is elected as prime minister, he adds
• At his first stop in Derbyshire, Sunak says he decided to call an election because economic stability is returning
• Labour leader Keir Starmer has been in Kent, where he says "nothing will change" if the Tories get another five years in charge
• What the Tories have done to the country is "unforgivable", he adds, and says it's time "to turn the page and rebuild Britain"
• Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has announced he will not stand in the general election
• The Reform UK founder says he would "do my bit to help" the party in the campaign, but ended speculation he would be unveiled as a candidate by Reform leader Richard Tice later this morning

What will voters think of Sunak's damp election announcement?published at 10:45 British Summer Time 23 May

10:45 BST 23 May

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, PA Media

Labour sources reckon their initial focus groups – when they talk to a collection of folks in-depth about what concerns them and their impressions of politics – suggests the nature of how the election campaign was launched by the prime minister plays into Labour’s campaign messaging about change.

They claim people told them Rishi Sunak’s rain-sodden statement in Downing Street on Wednesday looked chaotic because people had no warning, and they couldn’t understand why he would do it during a downpour.

Home Secretary James Cleverly for the Conservatives hit back at this kind of stuff last night – telling ITV’s Peston show that for Rishi Sunak “a speech in the rain with some idiot blaring some music is one of the easier things he’s had to do…he’s a tough boy...Keir Starmer had to run off inside to do his speech.”

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent, reporting from Derbyshire

Image source, Reuters

Now over to Rishi Sunak, who has also just wrapped up his first stump speech of the day here in Derbyshire.

The PM has stuck to a familiar script, as he tries to draw election dividing lines on issues like the economy and immigration.

But a slightly different issue was brought up by one of the staff here: coping with mental health.

Sunak says he liked walking his Labrador, running and spending time with his family.

He might struggle to find much time for them in the next few weeks.

But on the wider issue of mental health, he warned against “over-medicalising”.

This is something the Conservatives have been talking about in recent months; concerns too many people are off work with mental health issues.

Image source, PA Media

Starmer now brings up former PM Liz Truss while speaking about the economy.

He tells the story of a family who decided not to have a second child due to the economic effects of Truss's brief time in power.

As a reminder, in her 49 days in power, she released a mini-Budget, which included £45bn of unfunded tax cuts, triggered economic turmoil and led to her downfall as prime minister.

"They will live with that decision for the rest of their lives," Starmer says.

"That is the price that they are paying for the mess that this government has made of this economy."

Starmer says "nothing will change" if the Tories get another five years in charge.

"You do not have to put up with this," he says.

He again returns to his slogan used earlier in the speech, saying a vote for Labour is a vote to "turn the page".

"All we ask now humbly is the opportunity to change our country and put it back in the service of working people."

Building on yesterday's message - when he said the election was the "moment the country has been waiting for" - Starmer says "at long last an election has been called".

Voters have the chance to "change our country, our community and your future for the better," he says.

We can bring you some lines from Labour leader Keir Starmer in Gillingham now.

He says: "This election is for you, because you now have the power, the chance to end the chaos, to turn the page and rebuild Britain."

He says what the Tories have done to the country is "unforgivable" and voters "do not need to put up with it".

Image source, Reuters

We've been focusing on Rishi Sunak this morning, but earlier we heard from the Scottish National Party - as a reminder the party holds 43 seats in the House of Commons.

Ian Blackford, former leader of the SNP in Westminster, tells the BBC's Today programme that "all of us want rid of this Tory government".

Asked about why people should choose the SNP over Labour, Blackford says Scottish voters need MPs "that will stand up for Scotland".

Blackford is asked why people should vote for the SNP in light of its recent problems, including Humza Yousaf's chaotic resignation and Peter Murrell, the husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, being charged with embezzlement.

Blackford points to the SNP's recent electoral success in Scotland, but says the party needs to put forward "the reasons why people should continue to trust us".