Image source, PA Media

We've also been hearing more about Labour's childcare plan and what the party would do to increase capacity.

The party has pledged to create 100,000 additional childcare places and more than 3,000 new nurseries.

Labour has also said it will turn classrooms in existing primary schools into "school-based nurseries", for an estimated cost of around £40,000 per classroom.

The money would come from VAT levied on private schools - a move which has been previously criticised in the sector and by other parties.

Read more about what Labour are promising to do here.

While Labour has been focussed on childcare, the Conservative Party says it will recruit 8,000 additional police officers over the next three years if they win the General Election.

These new neighbourhood police officers would also be given increased powers to seize knives and recover stolen goods.

The Tories say the policing uplift programme would partly be paid for by increasing visa fees and removing the student discount to the Immigration Health surcharge.

Read more about what the Conservatives say they'll do around policing here.

Image source, FIRO SPORTPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

We're resuming our live coverage of the election as another week of campaigning begins - and the word you can expect to hear a lot of is manifesto.

These are the set of policies that the party stands for, which also includes their costings.

The parties will begin setting out their promises for these, with Labour pledging to create more than 3,000 nurseries based in primary schools in England to ensure there are enough childcare places.

The Tories, meanwhile, are turning their attention to policing - promising to recruit an extra 8,000 neighbourhood police officers over the next three years, if re-elected.

The Liberal Democrats will launch their manifesto later today - so stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates and analysis from that and everything else happening on the campaign trail.

We'll be bringing our live coverage to an end shortly. Before we go, here's a recap of what's been happening:

• Labour set out its plans to build more prisons, which it says is needed because some prisoners are currently being released early due to overcrowding

• Shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that if elected, her party would bypass the traditional planning process to build more
• But she declined to rule out continuing the current scheme, which allows some prisoners to be freed early, saying it would be "irresponsible" to do so without seeing figures on how many offenders had so far been released
• The Conservatives said funding talking therapies such as counselling services for an extra 500,000 people would help save £12bn a year by ensuring more working age people currently claiming benefits have a job
• But the Institute of Fiscal Studies cast doubt on that, saying a number of the plans set out by the Tories this weekend have already been announced and incorporated into existing fiscal forecasts

• Pensions Secretary Mel Stride defended his party's plans as "eminently achievable", saying it's not sustainable for welfare spending to go "up and up and up"

• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was criticised for saying that Sunak doesn't really care about "our culture" after the PM left early from D-Day commemorations in France earlier in the week
• Stride branded his remarks "ill-advised" and "deeply regrettable", while Mahmood suggested it was a "a bit of a dog whistle" and called it "completely unacceptable"
• Farage, who appeared before them in the programme, stood by his comments, but claimed it was Sunak's "class" and "privilege" that means is he is "utterly disconnected" from "how ordinary folk in this country feel"

• SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn denied his party has given up on independence, saying this a general election so they need to focus on the biggest issues in Westminster such as austerity, the cost of living and the consequences of Brexit, and he attacked Labour's plans for the North Sea oil and gas sector
• Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said nuclear disarmament of the UK is something "we all should be aiming for"

Thanks for joining us today. Still nearly four weeks to go - do come back tomorrow for more live updates and analysis.

Labour’s plan to add VAT to private school fees could result in larger classes, Emily Thornberry has said.

Under the party's proposals, private schools will pay 20% VAT on the fees they charge parents.

The shadow attorney general said the policy could result in “larger classes” in the short term - but added more pupils would be “very welcome” in some state schools with “vacancies.”

This year, the BBC reported on falling pupil numbers across London - a problem that could force some schools to close by 2030.

"Certainly, some schools that have vacancies - my primary schools and my secondary schools [in Islington South and Finsbury] have space and they're very welcome”, Thornberry told GB News.

"They are good schools and people should send their children there. I mean, it's fine, and if we have to, in the short term, have larger classes, we have larger classes."

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated the policy will generate roughly £1.5bn a year. Labour has said it will invest this money in improving state education.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan criticised the plans and said pupils and parents would be impacted by “Labour’s politics of envy”.

Image source, Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

GMB boss Gary Smith has used a speech at the union’s annual conference to give a message to Labour.

The general secretary told delegates: “My challenge to Labour is to recognise that ‘change’ can’t be just a snappy election slogan.

“It must be brought to life in the reality of government.”

He added that the union would “hold the next Labour government to account” on its promises to strengthen workers’ rights.

The head of the Fire Brigades Union Matt Wrack had a similar message for the party when he was on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg earlier.

He said unions would be ensuring Labour delivers on the key elements of its manifesto, such as workers’ rights, if it wins the election.

Asked if there would be no free pass for Keir Starmer if he wins power, Wrack said: “No, and I don’t think he expects that.”

On Friday, Labour’s biggest trade union backer, Unite refused to endorse the party’s general election manifesto, saying it did not go far enough on protecting workers’ rights and jobs in the oil and gas industry.

Union leaders were among those at a meeting on Friday to finalise the manifesto ahead of its launch next week.

Georgia Roberts
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The SNP leader is visiting a community art space in Paisley.

One particular painting, which is supposed to capture and ask “what it means to be Scottish”, catches his eye.

There’s Irn-Bru, paracetamol and plenty of smoked cigarettes.

“A few bad habits on there”, he observes.

He hones in on the Poppets in the painting, a veteran sweet of the toffee and chocolate variety.

There’s a good-humoured dispute about the authentic pronunciation of the sweet, which someone says differed depending on where you are country.

The painting seems to be doing its job.

A full list of candidates for Paisley and Renfrewshire South and Paisley and Renfrewshire North is available on the BBC website.

Image source, PA Media

More now from Keir Starmer who has been campaigning in Essex today.

Asked about the PM's absence from an international leaders' event at D-Day earlier this week, Starmer says: “Clearly he’s got questions he needs to answer in relation to what happened on D-Day and at the moment he doesn’t seem to want to answer them.”

Sunak has already apologised and accepted it was a "mistake".

The Labour leader also responded to the Conservatives' latest welfare proposals.

The Tories have said funding talking therapies such as counselling services for an extra 500,000 people would help save the economy £12bn a year by ensuring more working age people currently claiming benefits have a job.

Starmer says he's never seen such an " ill-thought-through proposal".

"We’re seeing now on a daily basis... a sort of scattergun approach of desperate policy put on the table that isn’t thought through," he says.

But he adds that he accepts the need "get the bill down" on welfare.

Let's take a look now at an interview Plaid Cymru's leader Rhun ap Iorwerth did earlier today with BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement.

He said nuclear disarmament of the UK is something "we all should be aiming for", but that the UK's defence force should be "well-funded", able to "play their part in defending ourselves in peacekeeping roles" and ensure the welfare of military personnel after they leave service.

His comments come after Conservative minister Penny Mordaunt said in Friday's general election debate that Russia's leader Vladimir Putin would doubt Labour's willingness to use nuclear arms.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: "I'm against the nuclear deterrent because I don't think that is the kind of defence that we need and should be building in the 21st Century.

"We absolutely, yes, need to be making sure that we have adequate defence forces.

"I don't think that our place here in Wales is to be talking about nuclear deterrence."

• You can read more on this story and see what the other parties have said here

Georgia Roberts
BBC Scotland political correspondent

First MinisterJohn Swinney has arrived in sunny Paisley to mingle with some local activists.

But the SNP leader is here because of the political clouds potentially gathering over seats like this.

Former Labour minister Douglas Alexander was famously beaten here by Mhairi Black in 2015 when she was just 20.

This time round, it’ll be a tough fight here between the SNP and a resurgent Labour to retain the seat.

It’s something that John Swinney acknowledges from the get-go in his short speech to the gathering, telling them it’s “vital we retain this constituency”.

And - as the party have been doing throughout this campaign - quickly hones in the attacks on their key rivals.

He draws on his experience as finance minster to express his worry about what a Labour government would mean for public services - cuts to the tune of billions, he says.

“We all know the election is over for the Conservatives.

“But an incoming Labour government have signed up to the same spending approach.

“We’ve got to make it very clear to people in Scotland there’s a choice here - it doesn’t have to be austerity,” he says.

A full list of candidates for Paisley and Renfrewshire South and Paisley and Renfrewshire North is available on the BBC website.

Image source, PA Media

More now from Keir Starmer, who has been speaking to broadcasters in what's known as a pool clip - where one journalist asks questions on behalf of all the outlets taking part.

It's put to the Labour leader that the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) says big spending cuts will likely be needed unless taxes are raised - can he rule out spending cuts to public services if his party wins?

Starmer reiterates that his party will not raise taxes on "working people" and "that means we won’t be raising income tax, national insurance or VAT".

He says the manifesto will be launched very soon - there will be "no tax surprises", all the plans will be fully-funded and don't require tax raises beyond those the party has already set out, he says.

“What we do need to do, just to take up the challenge that’s been put to us is, is we do need to grow the economy," he says, saying step one in government would be to "stabilise and grow our economy".

Pressed again on whether he can rule out spending cuts, he says: “We are not returning to austerity. We will grow our economy."

If you didn't catch Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, or need a recap of the big political developments, here are the key takeaways:

• Labour set out its plans to build more prisons, saying it is needed because some prisoners are currently being released early due to overcrowding

• Shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said funding for new prison places is already allocated in existing government budgets, but blamed the Conservatives for not building them, saying her party would allow ministers to bypass the traditional planning process to do so
• Meanwhile, the Conservatives have been pushing their plans to save £12bn by ensuring more working age people currently claiming benefits have a job
• Pensions Secretary Mel Stride also said "a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour", claimed that under Labour millions of pensioners would be brought into paying income tax
• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was criticised for saying that Sunak doesn't really care about "our culture" after the PM left early from D-Day commemorations in France earlier in the week
• Stride branded his remarks "ill-advised" and "deeply regrettable", while Mahmood suggested it was a "a bit of a dog whistle" and called it "completely unacceptable"
• Farage, who appeared before them in the programme, stood by his comments, but claimed it was Sunak's "class" and "privilege" that means is he is "utterly disconnected" from "how ordinary folk in this country feel"

• SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn denied his party has given up on independence, saying this a general election so they need to focus on the biggest issues in Westminster such as austerity, the cost of living and the consequences of Brexit

We'll continue to bring you updates and analysis throughout the day.

Dearbail Jordan
Business reporter

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has some doubts about the Conservatives’ plan to save £12bn by ensuring that more people of working age who are currently claiming benefits have a job.

On the one hand, the independent think tank says the focus on the issue is “certainly appropriate”.

Benefits to support disabled people and those with health conditions has risen from £49bn before the Covid-19 pandemic to £69bn for 2024-25, and are expected to increase by a further £10.6bn by 2029, says the IFS.

But it adds that a number of the plans the Tories set out on Saturday have already been announced and incorporated into existing fiscal forecasts.

The IFS’s associate director Tom Waters says cuts “are certainly possible”.

“But history suggests that reductions in spending are often much harder to realise than is claimed,” says Waters.

“Delivering an additional £12bn saving from this set of measures relative to what was forecast in the March Budget looks difficult in the extreme.”

Image source, EPA

Earlier today Alba leader Alex Salmond spoke to BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show about his party's chances.

The pro-independence party was formed three years ago, so this is the first time it is contesting a general election.

“I think we’re going to do great and we are going to have substantial results in a number seats," he says. “You’ll see Alba making its mark at this election.”

The former Scottish first minister is not standing as a candidate himself, and instead has said he plans to stand for election to the Scottish Parliament in 2026.

And he said the SNP needs to make independence the "key issue" of the election if it wants to win.

You can find full lists of candidates standing in Scotland on the BBC website here.

Georgia Roberts
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

SNP leader John Swinney is doing a whistle-stop tour of a number of key seats today, including the razor-tight marginal of Mid Dunbartonshire (formerly East Dunbartonshire).

The former Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson famously lost her seat here to the SNP in the 2019 general election by 149 votes. The Liberal Democrats have it firmly in their sights this time round.

But the SNP’s message today seeks to put Labour in the spotlight.

Swinney today, in a letter to Keir Starmer, urges him to “be open with voters and admit where the axe will fall” under Labour’s plans for the economy, which the SNP claim will lead to deep public service cuts.

The SNP says the party is no different to the Conservatives when it comes to plans for spending – which the IFS are warning will inevitably lead to cuts.

Scottish Labour say they have a fully-costed plan to grow the economy and are in turn today accusing the SNP of “butchering” local government in Scotland and “amplifying austerity”.

A full list of candidates for Mid Dunbartonshire can be found here.

Simon Jones
Reporting from the Labour election bus

The Labour battle bus has today rolled into Essex.

The party is keen to talk about law and order, and its leader Sir Keir Starmer gave a speech to local supporters in front of a motorbike sporting an "Antisocial behaviour" sticker.

He resisted the temptation to get on the bike, but promised there would be new powers to crush dirt bikes which he said were terrorising communities.

The Labour leader went through what he’s calling his "six steps for change" with local party members. You get a sense that Labour are keen to hammer these home at the moment - rather than make numerous new announcements.

But this is of course the week its manifesto will be published, though Sir Keir wasn’t giving anything away about that.

He told me he had no truck with Nigel Farage’s comments that the prime minister didn’t understand "our culture" after missing the end of D-Day commemorations, but repeated that he felt it was vital for he himself to be at the events in northern France.

Closer to home, Essex will be a vital battleground in the election. It’s currently a Conservative stronghold with all 18 constituencies having had Tory MPs since 2015. Labour knows it will need to make progress here if it wants to form the next government.

A full list of candidates standing in seats in Essex can be found on the BBC website.

We're continuing to recap a busy Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show. The SNP's Stephen Flynn was asked about the oil and gas sector, and specifically the SNP's plan for a 75% windfall tax on oil and gas profits.

Laura points out that the SNP has criticised Labour's plans for a 78% tax, saying it could cost 100,000 jobs. Why isn't the same true of the SNP's plan?

You can watch the full exchange below.

We're looking back at what happened on this morning's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, where Labour's Shabana Mahmood was asked about her party's plans to address overcrowding in prisons - without big tax rises.

She said the Conservative government had not delivered enough prison spaces. The money had already been allocated for that, she said, but the government had allowed the planning system to get in the way.

You can watch her being questioned by Laura below.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride had spoken to Laura about the tax gap - which HMRC defines as the difference between the amount of tax that should in theory be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid.

He had talked about the Conservative's record of closing the tax gap and said the gap was lower under his party than Labour.

Laura says that isn't really the full story: "It was already falling under the last Labour government and it's just fallen further since 2010."