Farage now moves onto the economy.

He sarcastically says we should "bow down to the God of GDP" - referring to the argument that because GDP is going up, then immigration is good for the economy.

"No," he says, adding that GDP per capita is falling, meaning that people are actually "getting poorer".

He then says that "even" France's productivity levels are above the UK's.

"Given what I know about the French work ethic I find that very, very difficult to believe," he says.

Farage says that immigration is putting huge pressure on the NHS too.

"I genuinely believe that out there in the country people are beginning to join the dots," he says.

Before the event ends, Farage is asked about comments he made to the Sun about possibly being open to a pact with the Conservatives.

Those were "sarcastic", he clarifies - and he's not willing to do the party any "favours" anymore.

Image source, .

Image source, Pool

Nigel Farage - Reform UK founder and honorary president - is next to speak.

Farage, who will not be standing in the 4 July election, starts by describing the "dull" election campaign, saying "nothing slippery Sunak says is believable", while Starmer's speeches make him "zone out".

But, he adds, it's not the personalities, it's the policies that count - with his speech focusing migration.

Farage says that from Windrush and through the decades leading up to Tony Blair's Labour government, the UK had lower immigration figures.

Then under Blair (elected in 1997), the "doors began to open", which he says "directly led" to Brexit.

He accuses the Conservatives of having "accelerated that trend" - adding that this should be an immigration election.

In London, Reform UK leader Richard Tice is outlining his party's new policy to tax employers who hire immigrant workers over British applicants.

Tice says the National Insurance contribution employers have to pay will be hiked from 13.8% to 20% for foreign workers, in a bid to discourage firms from looking overseas for staff.

It marks a shift for the party and its predecessors UKIP and the Brexit Party, which have tended to focus on slashing taxes.

Tice acknowledges this but says it's a "perfectly reasonable premium" and will reduce the economy's "addiction" to foreign labour.

He claims it could raise £20bn over the next Parliament, depending on how quickly firms pivot away from hiring foreign workers.

At one minute past midnight, Parliament was officially dissolved and with that - the official general election campaign kicked off.

It's been a busy morning so far, with various launches taking place around the country. If you're just joining us, or need a recap, here's what's been happening so far:

• Labour launched its campaign in Wales, where Sir Keir Starmer pledged to form a new "partnership" with Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething and fight for the steel industry there
• In Bristol, the Green Party took aim at Labour during their national campaign launch, saying the Greens offer "real hope and real change"
• Wales's pro-independence party Plaid Cymru launched its campaign in Bangor, where leader Rhun ap Iorwerth says they could help drive the Tories out of the country and keep Labour "in check"
• Elsewhere, Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been defending the government's economic record - while claiming a Labour government would raise taxes
• This morning, Reform UK leader Richard Tice hit out at the Tories and Labour for failing with a so-called "nicey nicey" small boats approach - he and Nigel Farage are speaking now
• Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and Scotland's SNP First Minister John Swinney have been out meeting voters

The campaign trail continues - so stick with us for more, including upcoming coverage of Rishi Sunak speaking, and Reform UK's event.

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent, reporting from Frome

Freshly dried off from the Slip n Slide in Frome, Somerset, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says politicians should take the concerns of people seriously - but "they don’t necessarily need to take themselves so seriously".

Davey looks to have been having much more fun than fellow party leaders in recent days, from paddle boarding in the Lake District (and falling off) to freewheeling on his bicycle down a hill in Knighton, Powys.

Today he’s talking about getting more mental health professionals in schools, and hoping that his stunts get the attention for that policy.

Is the strategy working? That’s one for voters to decide.

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent, reporting from Edinburgh

In Edinburgh, the Scottish Greens have also been campaigning today, taking aim at what they say is UK government overreach.

They have a close relationship with the Greens in England and Wales, but are an entirely separate entity. And they don’t seem to have quite the general election momentum of their colleagues down south.

Whereas the Greens are in contention in some English seats, the Scottish Greens are conscious that it would take an electoral earthquake to see them return any MPs.

But they’re a pro-independence party, so it’s possible they could take some votes from the SNP in tight constituencies.

Their overall focus will be on building a platform for the 2026 Scottish elections, where the more proportional voting system works in their favour.

Across the border in Bristol, former Green MP Caroline Lucas has helped to launch her party's general election campaign, calling it their "most ambitious ever".

She says it's good news the Tories are being "shown the door" at Westminster, but that only by having enough Green MPs in Parliament can Labour be pushed to be "bolder" in its climate, NHS and housing policies.

Candidates Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay - the co-leaders of the Green Party - tell those at the launch that Labour's failing to offer "the real change" needed to address the multitude of issues facing the country.

Denyer says it's important Keir Starmer's party get pushed beyond the "timid changes" they've planned.

"Real change means not cosying up to the fossil fuel lobby and abandoning commitments on climate targets," Ramsay adds.

Cemlyn Davies
Wales political correspondent, reporting from Bangor

Image source, PA Media

Here in Bangor, about four hours from Monmouthshire where Labour are campaigning, Plaid Cymru have been launching their election campaign.

Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth's message is that a vote for Plaid will keep the Conservatives "out of Wales" - and also keep Labour "in check".

The party won four seats in 2019, but the boundary changes could make it difficult to repeat that performance.

It’s also always difficult for a party like Plaid to make itself heard in a general election campaign, which is dominated by the two main parties vying for power.

So what is going on with Abbott?published at 11:27 British Summer Time 30 May

11:27 BST 30 May

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

I’ll spare you a recap of all of yesterday’s twists and turns. But it still appears to be unlikely - though not impossible - that Diane Abbott will be a Labour candidate at the general election on 4 July.

When might we get clarity? At the latest, Tuesday - that’s Labour’s self-imposed deadline when their National Executive Committee (NEC) will formally approve its full slate of candidates across Great Britain.

The process that will be followed until then is less clear. It’s possible that Abbott will simply not be endorsed by the NEC, Labour's governing body, who have latitude to impose a different candidate instead. Or she may be called for an interview before then by an NEC panel.

That’s what happened to Faiza Shaheen - a much less well-known figure who was told by Labour last night she was being ditched as a Labour candidate in north-east London.

The combination of the two cases is causing some on Labour’s left to cry foul, saying they're being “purged” from the Labour Party. It’s worth noting that, even on Shaheen’s own account, her interview from the NEC panel was about tweets she had liked including one which she acknowledged included antisemitic tropes but said she had not meant to like. But she was also certainly one of Labour’s most left-wing candidates.

For the Labour campaign, the politics of this episode are finely balanced. Some of Sir Keir Starmer’s supporters think a very public row with the left is no bad thing, advertising Labour’s message that their party has changed profoundly under his leadership. But other supporters of Starmer worry that this row is spiralling fast out of control.

Following that speech (see our last few posts), Keir Starmer's just done a quick Q&A with reporters - he denies that Labour bosses are purging left-wing candidates and says he wants the party to have "quality" people standing at the election.

On Diane Abbott, he says "no final decision has been taken", despite the veteran MP telling the BBC yesterday she believes she has been banned from standing for Labour after having the whip restored this week following a lengthy suspension.

Starmer praises Abbott for being a "trailblazer who overcame incredible challenges" and huge levels of abuse, saying "she literally carved out the path for other to come into politics".

Abbott had the Labour whip removed last April and was forced to sit as an independent MP after saying in a letter to the Observer newspaper that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face racism "all their lives".

Image source, PA Media

Starmer again takes aim at the Conservatives and says there's a "human cost" to the Tories' decisions in government.

As an example of this, he mentions Tata Steel's plant in Port Talbot, where redundancy threatens half of its workforce.

The Labour leader urges Rishi Sunak to go and "look those people in the eye" as he has done.

Starmer says he will fight for the "future of steel" in Wales because this is a "change election", saying he wants to create a government for working people.

He then goes on to list the six pledges that Labour is making in its campaign, including delivering on economic stability and cutting NHS waiting times, as well as setting up a publicly-owned clean power company.

Leila Nathoo
Political correspondent, reporting from Monmouthshire

The audience here in Monmouthshire is peppered with Labour candidates.

Starmer speaks of his love for Wales and how he holidays here regularly - the candidate for Swansea East Carolyn Harris gets emotional and wipes away tears as he says Wales has been waiting a very long time for a general election.

The Labour leader says a Labour government in Wales and a Labour government in Westminster would be a "huge prize".

Starmer continues by describing how he and his wife, Victoria, and their children holiday in Wales every year and "absolutely love it".

"What a chance" it is to launch Labour's Wales campaign here, he remarks.

"Wales has been waiting for this general election for a very, very long time," he says to cheers, adding that he's glad Sunak has finally called the election.

Starmer says it means it's time for change and a better future for the UK.

Image source, UK POOL

Starmer comes onto the stage to rapturous applause and begins by thanking a speaker we've just heard from.

Michael Hatter, a lifelong Tory voter and RAF veteran, introduced the Labour leader and says he was switching to the party because of his anger at the current government.

Starmer says he looks forward to forging a "new partnership" with Wales's First Minister Vaughan, who as a reminder is facing a confidence vote next week.

Phil Kemp
Political reporter

As we wait for Keir Starmer to speak in Monmouthshire, some commentators have clocked a change to his look recently. He has been spotted with new specs and dressed in some expensive clobber.

Now we know who’s been paying for at least some of it.

The would-be PM has declared donations he received last month, external from the Labour peer and entrepreneur Lord Alli, amounting to £16,200 for “work clothing” plus £2,485 for “multiple pairs of glasses”.

He is pictured here in a zip-up jacket from French brand Sandro.

Image source, PA Media

Next to speak at the Labour campaign event in Monmouthshire this morning is David Lammy, the shadow home secretary. He gets a big applause at he steps up to the lectern.

He begins by saying the world's challenges are Britain's, and Britain's challenges are the world's.

Lammy adds that small boats crossings have surged under the Tory government and thousands are living in asylum hotels, "with no prospect of removal", before calling the Conservatives' Rwanda migrant scheme "a shameless gimmick".

He says it's costing the taxpayer £3bn, which is money being taken away from the UK foreign aid budget, which he claims would help stop migrants from coming to the country in the first place.

Image source, UK POOL

Let's head to South Wales now, where Keir Starmer is campaigning today. At a party event in Monmouthshire, we've just been hearing from Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, whose first two months in the job have been controversial.

Gething will face a vote of no confidence in the Senedd next week, which was brought by the Welsh Conservatives.

He has faced questions, including from within his own party, over a £200,000 donation to his campaign from a company whose owner had been convicted of environmental offences. Gething has rebuffed calls to return the money, but has launched a review into regulations around future donations.

Gething did not address the confidence vote directly when he spoke just a few minutes ago - instead he said the Conservatives have a record of "treating politics as a game" rather than "a route to opportunity hope and security".

As we said a little earlier, the Green Party is launching its campaign in Bristol later.

In some pre-released material, the party says it's confident it can win at least four seats at the election, up from just one last time - outgoing Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas.

"Green MPs will push the next government for bold action to achieve the real changes that are needed to confront the big challenges our country faces," co-leader Adrian Ramsay says.

"We are offering real hope and real change."

We'll bring you more on the launch when it gets going.

Lynsey Bews
Scotland political correspondent

Let's take you up to Scotland now, where SNP leader John Swinney is starting his morning at a coffee shop in Edinburgh West - a seat that his party hopes to take from the Scottish Lib Dems.

He’s focussing on his party’s offer to young people, who the first minister says have been held back by Brexit and austerity.

Swinney is campaigning early today because he has the small matter of First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood this afternoon.

He’s in a unique position compared to other UK party leaders in that the Scottish Parliament is still sitting.

Sam Hancock
Live reporter

Phew, a lot to digest from that morning media round, thanks for sticking with us as we brought you those news lines.

We'll continue to do the same throughout the day, when we hear from party leaders and candidates - as well as bring you key analysis from our political correspondents who are out and about with the various parties.

There'll likely be the odd photo-op too - this is a general election campaign after all.

On that note, let's now catch up with the various campaign trails and see who's doing what this morning.