Summary

  • Parties are back on the campaign trail, with the Tories pushing a permanent cut to stamp duty, Labour outlining its position on business rates, and the Lib Dems pledging three new national parks

  • Lib Dem leader Ed Davey is in Newbury where he took part in game of tennis, before criticising Rishi Sunak over his decision to leave D-Day events early

  • The SNP leader John Swinney also hit out at the PM's actions, saying they had "completely destroyed" his credibility

  • Sunak has apologised and said leaving the event early was a "mistake"

  • Meanwhile, the PM met volunteers in Bishop Auckland, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was campaigning at a brewery in north London with Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden

  • Saturday's campaigning follows a seven-way BBC debate where parties locked horns over the economy, armed forces, NHS, immigration and climate policy

  • Labour's Angela Rayner clashed with Penny Mordaunt after the Conservative minister repeated the contested £2,000 tax rise claim about Labour

  • The figure was a focus of early interviews on Saturday, with the Tories standing by the figure and Labour again branding it "misleading"

  1. Postpublished at 20:37 British Summer Time 7 June

    Farage is the first to respond to the question on economic growth and successful climate policy.

    He refers to "unrealistic" policies and says what we are currently doing in this country is sacrificing economic growth.

    He adds that we are just exporting carbon emissions - giving an example of when steel works move to India.

    It is, he says, a "fools' paradise".

  2. Panellists asked if economic growth or successful climate policy matters mostpublished at 20:36 British Summer Time 7 June

    The next question, from Lucy, is whether increased economic growth or successful climate policy matters more to the parties.

  3. Postpublished at 20:35 British Summer Time 7 June

    Rhun ap Iorwerth from Plaid Cymru says the question is about honesty and a lack of trust, saying politicians need to be honest about taxes and improve fairness in the system.

    Why does Rishi Sunak pay less tax on investments than people do on their "hard graft", he asks.

    The Lib Dems' Daisy Cooper says the Tories have broken people's hope in politics, but is immediately pushed by Mishal Husain on the party breaking their 2010 pledge not to raise tuition fees.

    Cooper acknowledges it's a "sore subject, for sure" for her party.

    For context: The Liberal Democrats broke their party's pledge to oppose increasing student tuition fees, when joining the Conservatives in government 14 years ago. In 2010, MPs approved plans to allow universities in England to charge annual tuition fees of up to £9,000, nearly three times the previous £3,200 limit.

  4. Postpublished at 20:34 British Summer Time 7 June

    Carla Denyer says the Green Party is "coming of age" and has increased the number of councillors five-fold over the local elections.

    Stephen Flynn lists some pledges he says the SNP has kept. He says in Scotland, 100,000 children are being lifted out of poverty, there are no tuition fees for young people, a nationalised water company, nationalised rail, and more affordable homes, adding that it's about keeping our promise.

    Mishal Husain pushes him on the attainment gap between rich and poor children in Scotland, to which Flynn says "we're making significant progress".

  5. Postpublished at 20:32 British Summer Time 7 June

    Rayner calls Farage a "clown personality" like Boris Johnson, who broke Covid lockdown rules and people's trust.

    While the Tories have "crashed" the economy, she adds, Labour has been honest and clear - and will not promise anything the country cannot afford.

    Labour will not put up taxes for working people, she says.

  6. Postpublished at 20:29 British Summer Time 7 June

    Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (left) and leader of Plaid Cymru Rhun ap Iorwerth take part in the BBC Election DebateImage source, PA Media

    Farage weighs in, saying he thinks this has been one of the "worst general election campaigns" between the two main parties.

    He calls the leaders of the two parties "dull" - Starmer who is "Blair without the flair" while also referring to "Rishi slippery Sunak".

    And he says the real Labour leader, Angela Rayner, is "here tonight".

  7. Postpublished at 20:28 British Summer Time 7 June

    Returning to the question on parties keeping their promises, Penny Mordaunt, speaking over some laughter in the audience following the question, says Rishi Sunak has set out a clear plan which he can deliver.

    She says the party's "clear pledge to you" is to ensure taxes are lowered, a philosophy she sys is in the party's "DNA".

  8. BBC Verify

    Is Mordaunt's £2,000 tax claim correct?published at 20:27 British Summer Time 7 June

    Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt has just repeated the contested Tory claim that Labour would cost “working households” £2,000.

    The figure is misleading, because it is totting up more than £500 a year extra over four years, which is not what you would normally think of if somebody said your taxes were going up by £2,000.

    This has been criticised by the statistics regulator.

    The Conservatives came up with £2,000 by adding up how much they claim Labour's spending commitments would cost overall and dividing this by the number of UK households with at least one person working.

    But their costing is based on some dubious assumptions and Labour disputes it. Like the Conservatives, Labour has promised not to increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT during the next Parliament.

    The prime minister defended the Tories’ claim, saying that "independent Treasury officials have costed Labour's policies", but a letter from the top civil servant at the Treasury said that it "should not be presented as having been produced by the Civil Service".

    You can read more about it here.

  9. Panellists asked why politicians promise so much 'but nothing gets done'published at 20:23 British Summer Time 7 June

    View of stage from audienceImage source, PA Media

    The next question is up from Linda, who asks: "Why is it when the parties want your vote they promise things, but when they're elected nothing gets done?"

  10. Postpublished at 20:23 British Summer Time 7 June

    CooperImage source, PA Media

    Daisy Cooper says the Lib Dems were the first party to call for a windfall tax on big oil and gas companies because "we saw the raw injustice of those companies raking in billions of pounds of profit" when ordinary people couldn't pay energy bills.

    That's one example of how we'll tax fairly, she adds.

  11. Postpublished at 20:23 British Summer Time 7 June

    Journalists in a media room listen to the BBC election debate at BBC Broadcasting HouseImage source, Getty Images

    Flynn says milllons of people across the country are struggling.

    He says 14 years of austerity have crashed the economy and neither the Conservatives nor Labour are being honest about £18bn of spending cuts "baked in".

    But he adds there is an even bigger problem - Brexit. Flynn criticises the "snake oil salesmen" who "sold" it to the British public.

    He says it has put up food prices and has proved an "unmitigated disaster for the economy".

  12. Postpublished at 20:21 British Summer Time 7 June

    Farage now adds his input and brings the debate back to migration. He says the "population explosion" has made housing too expensive and that reducing migration to net zero would help.

    He also talks about taxes - saying that by the end of 2027, eight million people will be in the 40p tax band.

    As a reminder, both Labour and the Conservatives plan to keep income tax bands frozen - meaning more people will pay more tax, as their pay goes up.

  13. 'That was terribly dignified, wasn't it?'published at 20:19 British Summer Time 7 June

    denyer

    The Green Party's Carla Denyer responds to an extended shouting match between Mordaunt and Rayner, quipping: "That was terribly dignified, wasn't it?"

    She says that the economic difficulties people are experiencing can be tackled by pivoting to an economy focused on renewables, which she says would create new green jobs.

  14. Postpublished at 20:18 British Summer Time 7 June

    Media caption,

    General election 2024: Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt argue over tax pledges

    Mordaunt says the government has supported people through difficult times which was expensive, but argues the economy is turning around. She says Labour would put up taxes.

    Rayner shouts back: "No we won't. That is a lie."

    The two then shout over each other, with neither making their point easily.

    For context: Both the Conservatives and Labour have promised not to increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT during the next Parliament.

  15. Postpublished at 20:16 British Summer Time 7 June

    Rhun ap Iorwerth says there's real frustration in this election at the lack of change on offer from Labour, adding that at least when Tony Blair became PM in the 1990s, there was a feeling of something different happening.

    Angela Rayner says no votes have been cast yet, and she brings up that Liz Truss "crashed the economy" which sent mortgages "sky high".

    She adds that Labour's first plan is to secure the economy.

  16. Analysis

    Panellists clash over immigrationpublished at 20:16 British Summer Time 7 June

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    That question on the NHS helped make the point that among the seven politicians on stage there is a real spectrum of views.

    After several leaders discussed ways in which to reduce immigration, Plaid’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accused Nigel Farage of “bigotry”.

    And the Green co-leader Carla Denyer said that migration had “been a good thing for this country” and that she wanted the immigration system to be “fairer and more humane”.

    Media caption,

    Denyer calls for 'fairer and more humane' immigration system

  17. Panellists asked about who will change things for working peoplepublished at 20:14 British Summer Time 7 June

    The next question is from Suzanne, who after detailing her family's circumstances, says "we are working to survive, not live".

    Who will change things for working people, she asks.

  18. Postpublished at 20:13 British Summer Time 7 June

    cooper

    Cooper speaks again about public spending cuts, saying that there needs to be more social homes and underlining the Lib Dems' take on giving care workers a higher minimum wage.

    Denyer is asked the same question and says Farage must be cold hearted to not want those coming here on work visas to bring their dependants with them.

    She says she is "clear" that the reason services have been run into the ground is not down to the people coming here.

  19. Analysis

    Mordaunt and Conservative attacks focused on Labourpublished at 20:12 British Summer Time 7 June

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    Asked about immigration, Penny Mordaunt tried – fairly inelegantly, it has to be said – to answer a question which was not asked, about taxes.

    But that was notable because what Mordaunt wanted to do was pivot to an attack on Labour.

    When Mishal Husain reminded her that the question was about immigration, Mordaunt outlined the Conservatives’ policy of an annual cap, but again turned to attack Labour.

    You’d expect that. But it is notable that Mordaunt has not opted to directly attack Nigel Farage, or indeed any of the other leaders on the stage.

    Similarly, the “spin” being sent round by the Conservative Party to journalists is all about Sir Keir Starmer and Labour, not about anyone else on the stage.

    Of course Starmer is the only other candidate who might become prime minister after this election. But polling suggests Labour are far from the only party to whom the Conservatives risk losing votes.

  20. Postpublished at 20:10 British Summer Time 7 June

    Angela Rayner says the issues with housing, healthcare and roads raised in the question are due to the "Tory decimation" of public services, not immigration.

    She says Labour would scrap the government's Rwanda scheme and put the money into a new Border Security Command which she says "would smash the gangs" trafficking people into the UK.