Scarlett Hutton
BBC Newsbeat, in Cornwall

In wet and windy Newquay, Dan says he’d like to see more investment in places like this during the winter.

In summer, people flock to Newquay's beaches and the Boardmasters festival - but come winter, Dan says it’s a completely different vibe.

He tells us: “That’s why I think there’s a drug problem here over seasonal changes. Summer’s super busy, but winter's kind of dead with nothing to do.”

Dan also says public transport is poor, meaning “if you don’t drive, there’s nothing - you can't get around."

That means traffic is a problem, and Dan doesn't "really fancy getting nearly run over by a car every five minutes".

You can listen to Race Across the UK on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra here from 17:45 BST.

Scarlett Hutton
BBC Newsbeat, in Cornwall

As we reported in our previous post, BBC Newsbeat is travelling across the country speaking to young voters about the issues that matter to them.

In Newquay, we’ve passed surf shops, independent cafes, arcades and bakeries offering pasties galore.

Despite the rain, young voters are happy to stop and tell us what they’d like to see from the next government.

For Isabella, 18, housing is a big issue at this election. She lives with her boyfriend but says finding somewhere to live was really hard.

Isabella tells me: “There’s so many people moving to Cornwall, and there’s not enough houses for them - especially people who don’t have enough money to buy, there's not enough rented houses.”

Jordan Kenny
BBC Newsbeat, in Cornwall

BBC Newsbeat is kicking off its general election Race Across the UK today in Cornwall.

We've been set the challenge of getting this microphone from one end of the country to the other before 4 July, speaking to young voters about the issues that matter most to them on the way.

The catch? Newsbeat listeners have the chance to decide the points we have to pass through to unlock our next stop.

It's been a rainy start on the south coast but that hasn't stopped plenty of people stopping to share their views on things like the cost of living, rent and sewage.

We'll be bringing you some of their thoughts soon - and thank you to the friendly person who gave us this brolly.

Jenny Hill
Reporting from Tunbridge Wells

Ed Davey's knees are proof that politics can be a dirty business.

Today his team had him tackling an assault course in Tunbridge Wells with the local candidate Chris Martin.

As he leopard-crawled through the dirt, and hauled himself over fences, the Lib Dem leader appeared to be enjoying himself. Asked how his knees were holding up, he replied "really well actually".

Image source, PA Media

Election watchers are by now familiar with the Lib Dem strategy which pairs a striking photo op with the release of a serious policy announcement - today that was a pledge to tackle cancer treatment waiting times.

The assault course was perhaps more strenuous than some of the other activities but Davey was on self-deprecating form. Asked whether he'd prepared for the challenge he pointed down at his physique and said "do I look like I prepared?"

Image source, PA Media

The Green Party has criticised Labour's manifesto, saying its refusal to "increase taxes on the super-rich" meant it would have to cut public spending.

"With our public services already on their knees after 14 years of Conservative government, we can't afford to let this happen," Green co-leader Carla Denyer said.

"Keir Starmer has today promised a change in direction. But he's bound a future Labour government in a fiscal straitjacket which means very little will change," she added.

Calling Labour's manifesto "business-as-usual", Denyer said it was "gambling on economic growth but failing to say how wealth will be shared out more fairly. Trickle-down economics will not fix broken Britain."

We can now bring you more key points from the BBC's post-manifesto launch interview with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Trust in politics: Starmer says this is "a major problem in our politics". He says Labour has "spelled out things we won’t do this side of the election so that people know before they go to vote what they will get and what they won’t get".

Tax: The Labour leader refuses to be drawn on whether he could raise capital gains tax, fuel duty or council tax if elected. He says the spending plans set out today don't require these hikes.

His approach: Starmer rejects the suggestion he is playing it safe, insisting "stability is the foundation of a secure future for our country" and pointing to the Liz Truss mini-budget as an example of taking risks with the economy.

The campaign: He say he's enjoying being on the road and won't hide that Labour is "campaigning with a smile". He adds that going home to his wife and kids at the end of the week is keeping him going.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tells the BBC that lifting the two-child benefit cap comes top on the list of things he would like to do, but probably won't be able to do, if Labour wins the general election.

Speaking to the BBC’s political editor Chris Mason from Labour's 'battle bus', Starmer says this is because every Labour government, including "an incoming" one, "will want to bear down on child poverty".

He adds that Labour will put a child poverty strategy in place straight away if they form the next government, but adds: "I’m not making commitments that I cannot be sure I can keep."

Starmer then says this is "an example of something which I’m saying before the election I’m not going to be able to do...because we’re not able to afford it".

For context: The two-child cap, which was introduced in 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households.

We can bring you more now from Rishi Sunak, who has been speaking to reporters at the G7 summit in Italy.

The PM says reports that Craig Williams, a parliamentary aide to Sunak who has admitted placing a bet on the election three days before the 4 July poll was announced, are "very disappointing".

He declined to comment on whether Williams knew a July election would be called when he placed his bet.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has again hit out at Labour's manifesto, saying it has "absolutely no new ideas".

Speaking to the BBC at the G7 summit in Italy, the prime minister says Labour are asking the country for a "blank cheque, without telling them what they are going to do with it and how much it's going to cost them."

He then reiterates the disputed claim he made during last week's debate that taxes will rise by £2,000 per working household under a Labour government.

BBC Verify has examined the Conservatives' £2,000 tax claims and concluded that they risked misleading people. You can read the full analysis here.

Plaid targets Labour-leaning voters at manifesto launchpublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 13 June 2024

16:27 BST 13 June 2024

Gareth Lewis
Political editor, BBC Wales

Plaid Cymru wants to present people who aren't convinced by Labour - especially left-leaning voters - at this election with an alternative.

They think Starmer takes Wales for granted and are trying to convince those put off by independence with a gentler-paced route and a chance for views to be aired along the way.

Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth’s refusal last August to put a timetable on independence drew criticism from some in his party.

The aim at this election and beyond is to draw new voters Plaid’s way.

The party's test at this election is whether they can hold on to their two seats and win their main targets in Ynys Mon and Caerfyrdddin.

How does Labour plan to end HIV cases in England?published at 16:18 British Summer Time 13 June 2024

16:18 BST 13 June 2024

Josh Parry
LGBT and identity reporter

Labour says it will commission a new HIV action plan in England to end new cases by 2030 – an achievement which would be a global first.

The pledge isn’t new. Starmer promised he would unveil a plan within 100 days of taking office on World Aids Day in November 2023.

Matt Hancock, then health secretary, first set the 2030 target in 2019. One of the key milestones of that pledge was to reduce HIV transmissions by 80% by 2025.

However, sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust says the UK is currently not on track to achieve that as the number of people being diagnosed is not falling quickly enough.

Hugh Pym
Health editor

Labour has promised to reform the UK Gender Recognition Act, which enables adults to achieve legal recognition in their acquired gender with an official recognition document and change their recorded sex on their birth certificate.

Labour argues that it is “intrusive and outdated” and has promised reform to “remove indignities for trans people”.

If elected, Labour says the aim is to make the process less bureaucratic with one specialist doctor rather than two involved in the assessment.

The Liberal Democrats have gone further and promised “to remove the requirement for medical reports”.

Sara Girvin
Ireland correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Earlier today, the leader of Northern Ireland's Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party Jim Allister said his party's electoral pact with Reform UK still stands.

It comes after Nigel Farage said he would personally endorse two candidates from the TUV’s rival, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - one of whom is standing against Allister in North Antrim.

The TUV leader told BBC Radio Ulster he found out about it from the media.

Asked if he was “naive to trust” Farage, he said: “I don’t think so because our arrangement with Reform UK still stands."

Allister added: "It’s rather incongruous that Nigel has personally endorsed two other candidates... I’m not here to denigrate Nigel Farage. The endorsement I seek is the endorsement of the people.”

The TUV - which has never had an MP - is standing in 14 of Northern Ireland’s 18 constituencies.

Labour pitch cautious continuity on foreign policypublished at 15:50 British Summer Time 13 June 2024

15:50 BST 13 June 2024

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Labour's foreign policy pledges are a mixture of cautious continuity on some issues, less inconsistency on others and some difficult choices deferred for another day. Here are some key points.

• Brexit: No return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement - instead, the party would look to loosen some border restrictions, improve trade relations and agree a security pact with the EU
• China: There will be an audit of UK-China relations before deciding when and how to challenge, co-operate or compete with Beijing
• Gaza: Labour promises to push for an “immediate ceasefire” and “the release of all hostages”. The party is “committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process”, a position very similar to the Conservatives’
• Aid spending: Labour won't reverse the merger of the Foreign Office with the Department for International Development - and will spend 0.7% of national income on foreign aid only when “fiscal circumstances allow”

Starmer keen to distance party from Corbyn era on defencepublished at 15:47 British Summer Time 13 June 2024

15:47 BST 13 June 2024

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

Starmer wants his Labour Party to be seen as fundamentally different to the one led by Jeremy Corbyn.

There’s been no change in substance to Labour's policy on nuclear weapons. Even under Corbyn it still supported Trident, but Starmer wants to show there’s been a clear break with the past.

The manifesto states Labour’s commitment to the nuclear deterrent is “absolute”. There’s no equivocation. A similar tone is used when talking about Britain’s membership of Nato.

Labour’s commitment to the military alliance is “unshakeable”.

However, beyond that, there’s little detail. That’s because Labour says it’ll need to conduct a full review, if elected, to assess the threats and the state of the Armed Forces. That will also drive any commitment on defence spending.

Only then will Labour set out a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence spending. Unlike the Conservatives, there’s no timetable.

Philip Sim
Political correspondent, on the SNP campaign trail

SNP leader John Swinney has been responding to some of the proposals in Labour’s manifesto, particularly their desire to reset relations between the Scottish and UK governments.

The first minister said cooperation with ministers in Westminster had been a “nightmare” since Brexit and he would happily work with any incoming administration - but repeated his view Labour would prolong “austerity”.

Swinney said Starmer must “comprehensively address” analysis from the IFS that warns unprotected departments face £18bn of cuts if Labour continues with the current fiscal rules.

Would Labour bring the highest taxes in history?published at 15:25 British Summer Time 13 June 2024

15:25 BST 13 June 2024

At the time of the Budget in March, the amount of tax raised as a proportion of the size of the economy was predicted to be close to the highest in history within five years.

The Office for Budget Responsibility, which provides economic forecasts for the government, predicted taxes would be 37.1% of the size of the economy measured by GDP in 2028-29.

The only time it has been higher than that was when records began in 1948-49.

Then, it stood at 37.2%.

There were no significant tax cuts included in Labour’s manifesto, which means it’s reasonable to assume the country would still be on the same trajectory.

However, forecasting to within 0.1% of GDP five years in advance is not particularly reliable.

The tax rises and spending commitments promised by Labour are "trivial" and do "almost nothing" to address the "deep-seated problems" diagnosed by Labour, says the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Paul Johnson, IFS director, says: "On current forecasts, and especially with an extra £17.5bn borrowing over five years to fund the green prosperity plan, this leaves literally no room – within the fiscal rule that Labour has signed up to – for any more spending than planned by the current government.

"And those plans do involve cuts both to investment spending and to spending on unprotected public services. Yet Sir Keir Starmer effectively ruled out such cuts."

If you are just joining us, here is a snapshot of what you may have missed today:

• Sir Keir Starmer said "wealth creation" was his priority as he launched Labour's manifesto, ruling out personal tax hikes

• Pledges include 40,000 more NHS appointments per week, primary school breakfast clubs, 6,500 extra teachers and reducing the voting age to 16
• Labour would raise £8bn through measures including putting VAT on private school fees, closing loopholes and taxing energy oil and gas firms

• Rishi Sunak said Labour's plans would mean the "highest taxes in history" and voters should "start saving"
• Plaid Cymru launched its manifesto in Cardiff, advocating "fair funding" for Wales
• Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth called for a £20 increase to child benefit and said Wales should get £4bn in compensation over HS2
• Tory candidate Craig Williams, a senior aide to Sunak, has admitted a "huge error of judgement" after placing a bet on the election date days before it was announced
• Tonight from 20:30 BST, senior figures from the Tories, Labour, SNP, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, Green Party and Reform will take part in a seven-way ITV election debate. We'll be bringing you the key lines here on this page

Stay with us for more.

Labour's pensions review could be significant for younger voterspublished at 14:56 British Summer Time 13 June 2024

14:56 BST 13 June 2024

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

With a pledge to retain the triple lock – which stipulates the rise in the state pension each year – this manifesto aims to reassure older voters about their income.

But don’t think pensions is only an issue for pensioners.

Labour’s plan for a “review of the pensions landscape” could be significant for younger workers.

It could decide at what age some of their wages are automatically diverted to pension savings, what they need to earn before that happens, how much is transferred, and where it gets invested.

When every penny counts for young employees, that is important.

As always, there’s interest in what’s excluded from a manifesto, not just what’s included.

There’s no mention of compensation for Waspi women, despite an ombudsman’s recent recommendation that they should be entitled to it.

Campaigners describe the absence as “hugely disappointing”. The lifetime allowance isn’t mentioned either, but we know the plan to reintroduce this pension savings cap was recently dropped by Labour.