Key points
- Reform launching 'contract' - watch and follow live
- 'Our contract with you': Reform unveils policy document
- Bulletin:The main things you need to know this lunchtime
- Reform candidate resigns over previous support for BNP
- Minister admits Tory election win 'not the most likely outcome'
- Labour signal Brexit deal could be revised | Tories take aim at energy policy
- Warning that250,000 children hit by two-child benefit cap next year
- Live reporting by Faith Ridlerand Bhvishya Patel
Election essentials
- Check parties' manifesto pledges:Conservatives|Greens|Labour|Lib Dems|Plaid Cymru
- Trackers:Who's leading polls?|Is PM keeping promises?
- Campaign Heritage:Memorable moments from elections gone by
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- Read more:Who is standing down?|Key seats to watch|How to register to vote|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency is changing|Your essential guide to election lingo|Sky's election night plans
Farage launches Reform UK's manifesto: 'Our Contract With You'
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is on his feet in south Wales, where he is launching his party's "contract to the British people" - in essence, their manifesto.
The document runs to 25 pages - compared to 133 published by Labour.
Mr Farage begins by saying simply: "Guess who's back - back again!"
He says he didn't for "one moment" think he would be back running a party - but decided to do so because "Britain is broken".
"There is a lack of leadership", the Reform UK leader says.
We'll update this post with the key election pledges made by Mr Farage...
- The document contains five core pledges - and the first two focus heavily on immigration. Reform UK pledges to freeze "all non-essential immigration" which it claims will "boost wages, protect public services, end the housing crisis and cut crime";
- Reform claims it would "stop the boats" in its first 100 days with a four-point plan that would involve leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), with zero illegal immigrants being resettled in the UK, a new government department for immigration, and migrants crossing the channel in small boats being returned to France;
- The remaining three core pledges ask voters to "imagine no NHS waiting lists"; "imagine good wages for a hard day's work" and "imagine affordable, stable energy bills";
- A raft of tax cuts are also promised, including raising the minimum threshold of income tax to £20,000 a year, abolishing stamp duty, and abolishing inheritance tax for all estates under £2m;
- Reform plans to fund these tax cuts by raising £40bn from reducing the interest paid on Bank of England reserves, but the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said such a measure is "unlikely to raise even half" of that sum;
- On health, Reform wants to create an "NHS voucher scheme" for private treatment if people can not get seen by a GP within three days and to hold a public inquiry into excess deaths and "vaccine harms" from the COVID vaccine;
- Reform UK also vows to increase defence spending to 3% within six years and introduce a new dedicated department for veterans - before recruiting 30,000 people to the British Army;
- The party also hopes to recruit 40,000 new police officers - and reduce main corporation tax to 20%;
- Mr Farage also outlines plans to abandon the Windsor Framework, and prepare for re-negotiations on the EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement;
- The party pledges to support marriage through the tax system, planning to introduce a 25% tax allowance "as soon as finances allow";
- There is also a plan to scrap HS2 in full - which Reform UK says will save £25bn, describing the high speed rail line as a "bloated vanity project";
- Mr Farage's party also plans to undertake a reform of the House of Lords - which it would replace with a "smaller, more democratic second chamber";
- Reform UK also aims to reject the "influence" of the World Health Organisation, and wave goodbye to "cancel culture" with a comprehensive Free Speech Bill;
- Reform would also overhaul the BBC, and make St George's Day and St David's Day public holidays.
Reform 'aims to become a real opposition to Labour'
Nigel Farage goes on to say that Reform UK will not form the government after the 4 July general election but that it would be the first step on the road to the next contest which could be in 2029.
Mr Farage says his aim is to turn this into a "mass movement" and that there is a "breakdown of trust" in politics.
"We are not pretending that we are going to win this general election, we are a very, very new political party," he says.
He adds though that"this election is for our party" and "the first important step on the road to 2029".
"Our ambition is to establish a bridgehead in parliament, and to become a real opposition to a Labour government," he adds.
He saysthe Tories will not be able to provide opposition because "they spend most of their days arguing among themselves, and they're split down the middle when it comes to policy".
Farage takes aim at 20mph speed limit and NHS in attack on Labour record in Wales
Speaking on why he has chosen to launch the party's contract in Wales, the Reform UK leader says "Labour have been in power here since 1997".
"Perhaps there are some lessons we can learn from 25 years of a Labour government in Wales," he says.
He suggests it could be a sign of "what we might be looking forward to in a few weeks time when Sir Keir Starmer becomes PM".
Mr Farage says that in Wales, "taxes are higher" than in England.
He says the "figures in Wales are truly astonishing".
"Waiting times in Wales on the NHS are exactly 50% longer than they are on the other side of the bridge," he adds.
"Education, which has drifted in Wales rapidly in a leftward PC-woke direction, has fallen further behind England."
Mr Farage also claims a Labour government in Wales "reduces your freedoms" and "reduces your choices".
"And of course, the crowning glory of 25 years of Labour government in Wales is the imposition of 20mph speed limits," he adds.
This last comment is met by boos in the crowds.
"In terms of policy, Labour's not very different to the Conservatives -it's just more incompetent," he says.
"It just wastes even more money than Conservative governments do. But here's the point about things going so badly wrong in Wales over 25 years.
"There's been no proper, clear, consistent opposition voice."
'Today is not a manifesto launch'
Nigel Farage says today is "not a manifesto launch".
"When I say to you manifesto, you're immediate association is lie," he says.
"And that is wholly unsurprising."
He says there are also many millions of Brexit voters "genuinely disappointed" by what has happened and there are "feelings of disenchantment".
"Some people say it's a failure of Brexit - no it isn't," he adds.
"It's a failure of a sovereign government to implement the will of the people and its own manifesto."
From Brexit to zero-hour contracts, Starmer answers voters' questions
Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves are in Southampton today, as Labour pledge to invest £7.3bn in their National Wealth Fund.
The Labour leader begins by insisting a Labour government would be a "mindset-changing government" - and a party of "service".
He then takes questions from those at the site:
- The first question focuses on the future of ports, and those who work for them. Sir Keir says this is "absolutely vital", and points to Labour's plan for a National Wealth Fund, which is designed to ensure Britons get a share of the wealth generated by state-funded projects.
- He says money has already been "earmarked" to go into ports - but this "won't only be government money", and says he hopes a more stable government will encourage more private investment too;
- Next, Sir Keir and Ms Reeves are asked what Labour's position is on zero-hour contracts. The Labour leader says some are "simply exploitative", adding: "I've met many people on a zero-hour contract who simply don't know what they're doing the next day or week";
- He adds "in some cases that flexibility works". Sir Keir says Labour plans to "stop the exploitative, zero-hour contracts". This would mean having the right to "demand" the contract that "you need";
- Turning to the matter of Brexit, Sir Keir says: "We do think there's a better deal to be had", describing the current arrangement as "botched" and "not good enough";
- However, Sir Keir did stress this "does not mean going back in" to the EU;
- On the cost of living, the Labour leader says his party is "determined to change our economy" and ensure that the UK never experiences a similar crisis again. "We know what it feels like," Sir Keir says, mentioning his family being unable to pay their phone bill in his childhood.
It's 12pm - here's your lunchtime rundown.
There are 17 days until Britons head to the polls to decide on the country's future - and politicians from across the parties are hot on the campaign trail.
We're in the midst of the launch of party manifestos, with Reform UK still to come today - and the SNP due to unveil the details of their election vows on Wednesday.
Let us get you up to speed on everything you may have missed today…
- Rishi Sunak is campaigning in east Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the East of England today, where the Conservatives will focus on energy policy;
- It is expected Mr Sunak will attack Labour's energy plans, claiming the party's oil and gas ban would create a £4.5bn budget black hole in lost tax revenues – with higher taxes required to cover the shortfall and risk 200,000 job losses;
- Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has admitted it is unlikely the Tories will win the general election on 4 July - but insisted it remains a possibility;
- He also warned a Labour government would be "very bad news", telling Sky News it would mean "higher taxes for everyone".
- Over to Labour, and Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Hampshire to kick off a week of campaigning - focusing heavily on the economy;
- Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, earlier told a group of business leaders a "pro-business" Labour would hold a global investment summit in the first 100 days of entering government;
- Speaking to Sky News today, Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth refused to explicitly say whether Labour would increase fuel duty or stamp duty;
- However, he said: "We're not doing council tax re-banding";
- As our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh says, this is a "chaotic approach" - and one the Conservatives are hoping to capitalise on.
- This afternoon, Reform UK will launch its manifesto - what it calls its "contract with the British people";
- But ahead of this, the party leader - Nigel Farage - has confirmed he has ambitions to be the UK's prime minister by 2029;
- And John Swinney, Scotland's first minister, has stressed the need for a social tariff, whereby the SNP can "commit to people who are elderly or disable that they are free of the burden of energy costs in our society";
- And the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is near Paignton in Devon, where he has rated his first sandcastle of the day a "seven out of 10".
Here are some other stories you might find interesting:
Stick with us for all the latest throughout the afternoon.
Swinney: Labour will accept spending cuts Tories have put in place
The "issues that matter to people in Scotland are not the issues being addressed by the Labour Party", First Minister John Swinney has told Sky's Scotland correspondentConnor Gillies.
Mr Swinney said Labour had "essentially accepted the discipline of the Conservative approach to the economy".
"We already know there's going to be spending cuts the Tories have put in place, which the Labour Party is going to accept," he said.
While the SNP is a "moderate left of centre political party", Mr Swinney said the other UK parties had "moved to the right".
"The Labour Party's gone there too, and that's deeply disappointing because that affects a number of issues," he said - citing investment in the NHS and Brexit.
"They are not going to revisit Brexit. They all know Brexit is a disaster for the UK and how it was carried out, and there's also not enough support for people to tackle the cost of living."
Neither Labour nor the Tories are addressing such issues, he said.
Election an 'opportunity Scotland cannot afford to miss', says Scottish Labour leader
Leader of Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar has been speaking to crowds at the launch of the Scottish Labour battle bus.
He said: "In 18 days time, we can finally get rid of this rotten Tory government that has done so much damage."
He said it was "an opportunity Scotland cannot afford to miss".
"Every single day between now and 4 July we are going to be persuading people not just on how we can get rid of the Tories but persuading them on the positive case for change," he added.
He said "every vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to make sure we get rid of the Tories" and to "put Scotland at the heart of a Labour government".
Mr Sarwar also said every Scottish Labour MP would deliver for the Scottish people, and that their plans would include a pay rise for the 200,000 lowest-paid people in the country.
Analysis: Labour's chaotic approach to tax plans is interesting - and one Tories could capitalise on
The fundamental issue for Labour and their tax policy is that there simply isn't the money available on day one of a Labour government to pay for everything - but the party have insisted cuts won't be coming either.
They've not outlined a single government department that will have to take a hit and on the other side, it isn’t quite clear which taxes will go up.
It's like a game of guess who - every day journalists have to try and rule out one form of tax rise and eventually we get slightly closer to what their plans actually are.
Today that was council tax bands. After repeatedly refusing to rule out a change to them, today Jonathan Ashworth said explicitly that Labour will not revalue council tax bands.
The eight-band system that was introduced in 1991 does not take into account significant increases in house prices since then, but Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, today told journalists that Labour promise not to significantly alter what is currently in place.
There are other taxes still unaccounted for - capital gains tax is a big one Labour hasn't been explicit about - and former Labour leaders like Neil Kinnock have said it's prudent to leave some things to have some wiggle room over a five year parliament.
This chaotic approach to announcing tax plans is certainly an interesting approach - and one the Conservatives are hoping to capitalise on.
Poll tracker: Reform trail Tories as they prepare to launch 'contract'
Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.
So far, only one poll has shown Reform ahead of the Conservatives - the Tories are currently an average of 7 points ahead of Nigel Farage's party.
Read more about the tracker here.
