General election latest: Starmer gives blunt response on potentially rejoining EU - as police drop investigation into his deputy (2024)

In her first major campaign speech, Rachel Reeves has pitched herself as the UK's next chancellor to an audience of company bosses, promising the "most pro-growth Treasury in our country's history" if Labour wins the election.

But after pledging not to announce any new tax hikes and that Labour policies would be fully funded and costed, how she intends to pay for Labour's plan for the UK remains unclear.

Today on the Sky News Daily, Sophy Ridge speaks with our deputy political editor Sam Coates to discuss the woman hoping to be in charge of the public finances, and whether Labour will be able to please workers and businesses while delivering on a promise of "economic stability" at the same time.

It's 10pm - here's your late night run-down.

We're still in the early days of the election campaign, but there has been plenty of divisive policy announcements, clashes and political stunts making a splash here in the Politics Hub.

Let us get you up to speed on everything you may have missed...

• Diane Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, has been handed back the Labour whip today, Sky News understands;
• She was suspended by the party more than a year ago after suggesting Jewish people did not experience racism, but rather prejudice similar to red heads. The MP swiftly apologised and withdrew her remarks;
• The Tories have lost a key attack line after news that Labour's deputy leaderAngela Raynerwill face no further action in an investigation over her living arrangements;
• The Labour frontbencher criticised the Tories for "reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their dire record". As a reminder, the investigation was launched after Tory MP James Daly complained about her to police;
• Rishi Sunakwas in the East Midlands, where he defended a Conservative plan to introduce the "triple lock plus". This will essentially result in a tax cut for pensioners by raising their tax-free allowanceby either average earnings, inflation or by 2.5% - whichever is higher;
• However, it should be noted it was the decision of a previous Tory government to freeze income tax thresholds, bringing more people into paying the tax, including on income from pensions;
• Labour have been busy outlining their economic plans, but challenged by our deputy political editor Sam Coates, would-be chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to rule out further tax rises if Labour finds a black hole in the public finances;
  
• Meanwhile, over in the Liberal Democrat camp, the party's leader Sir Ed Davey fell off a paddleboard numerous times in Windermere today - but has admitted one of the plunges was intentional.

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If you've got a bit more time on your hands, you can read more of some of the stories above in greater detail:

Stick with us for all the latest throughout the evening.

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged cut NHS waiting lists from day one, telling hospitals to immediately establish new clinics on evenings and weekends.

The Labour leader has pledged that 40,000 appointments per week will be rapidly rolled out, by sending staff from Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust to help set up high intensity schemes.

These teams have already "proven they can get their high intensity theatre lists on weekends up and running within six weeks", Labour said.

Sir Keir added: "It was NHS staff working in the hospital I can see from my office in parliament who led the way on this new model.

"Labour will take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, so patients in every part of the country can be treated on time.

"The NHS is personal to me. It runs through my family.

"That's why I'm utterly committed to reforming this service, getting the NHS back on its feet, and making it fit for the future."

After a bumpy start to the Tory election campaign, day six has been somewhat smoother for Rishi Sunak.

That's not to say the Conservative election machine isn't on the lookout for potential missteps though.

During a TV interview in the changing room of a bowls club in Leicestershire, a hat was strategically placed to cover a name tag adorned with the blush-worthy surname "Glassco*ck".

While at a homeware factory in Staffordshire, a Tory aide spotted and swiftly removed a can of Monster energy drink from a worktop where the prime minister was about to inspect some ceramics.

Amid a slanging match over leaders taking 'duvet days' early in the campaign, a photo of the Tory leader next to a giant caffeine-stuffed beverage is probably not the message the party wants to send out.

You can read more from Sky News below:

What are the rules on voter ID?How does tactical voting work? In what different ways can you cast your ballot?

The countdown to the election is on - and already the amount of information can seem overwhelming.

We cut through the noise to bring you what you need to know, from registering to vote, to election day and what happens next.

Read on here...

We're still very much in the early days of the election campaign - but policy announcements are coming in thick and fast from the main two parties.

Here's a breakdown of what we've heard so far...

The Conservative Party

National service - The Conservatives have vowed to bring back a "modern" form of national service for 18-year-olds in the UK, which could involve military service of volunteer work.

'Triple lock plus' -The party has promised to cut taxes for pensioners by creating a new "age-related" tax-free allowance - dubbed "triple lock plus". In short, a pensioner's allowance would rise in line with either average earnings, inflation or by 2.5% - whichever is higher - from next April.

Education - The Tories have promised to create a new qualification framework called the Advanced British Standard for those aged 16 to 18. The party also proposed making "some form" of maths and English compulsory up to the end of school.

Environment - Rishi Sunak has said he remains committed to plans to reach net zero by 2050, a goal adopted under Theresa May in 2019.

The Labour Party

Taxation - Labour has pledged not reverse the two recent cuts to national insurance - and not to increase income tax.

Economy - Two flagship economic pledges from Labour are the abolition of the non-dom tax status held by some wealthy foreign nationals, and the introduction of VAT to private school fees.

Waiting lists - The party has said it will get the NHS "back on its feet" by delivering 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments per week.

Environment - A major policy pushed by Labour is the formation of Great British Energy, which would be publicly owned. The party claims this would reduce household energy bills and create jobs.

Education - Also a headline policy from Labour is a plan to recruit around 6,500 new teachers in key subjects - and create a "national excellence programme" to support professional development.

Until voters go to the polls on 4 July, the Politics Hub will be looking back at some memorable moments from previous general election campaigns.

The big winner from the UK's first ever TV prime ministerial debate in 2010 wasn't primary contenders David Cameron and Gordon Brown.

No, it was Nick Clegg.

As the Tory and Labour leaders looked to take chunks out of one another, they saved their more conciliatory side for the insurgent Lib Dem.

He could do no wrong that night, with Messrs Cameron and Brown both finding it completely irresistible not to simply "agree with Nick".

Cleggmania took him all the way into Number 10 as part of the coalition, where he stayed until his party was turfed out by voters in 2015.

Previous entry: The Prescott punch

ByGurpreet Narwan, political correspondent

Recent polling suggests Reform could cost the Tories as many as 100 seats, paving the way for a Labour government by splitting the right.

It's something Tory MPs are highly anxious about and explains why the Conservatives are pushing the following message hard: a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour.

It's a tactic they deployed against the Liberal Democrats in 2015, warning voters that they had a choice between Ed Miliband and David Cameron.

Farage had a comeback ready in Dover today.

In stark contrast to Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK, he conceded the election result was a foregone conclusion.

"Labour have won, so why not vote for something you believe in," he said.

He argued this campaign wasn't about the current election but about building the Reform movement, a process that could take six years and was focused on turning the party into a sustainable force on the right of British politics.

This is something parties to the right of the Tories have not managed. He wants to determine the shape of conservative opposition in the UK.

That could also have an impact on the direction of travel that the Conservative Party takes after the election.

It was the most salient point to emerge from today's campaign event.

We end tonight's show with a new classic of the Lib Dem election stunt genre.

Sir Ed Davey fell off a paddleboard multiple times during a campaign stunt in Windermere - admitting one of his plunges into the water was intentional.

The Liberal Democrat leader said his leap into the cold waters of the Lake District was for the benefit of the cameras - but he "just kept falling in" after that.

Despite the footage causing a splash online, he stressed there was a "serious message" behind the stunt.

"Lakes like Lake Windermere are so precious," he said. "Our environment and our wonderful country is so critical to so many people.

"It's important for public health, it's important for the environment, it's important for the tourist economy."

That's it for tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - the show will be back at the same time tomorrow.

Adam Boulton, Sky News's election commentator, is now joining Sophy Ridge to discuss his history covering general elections - starting in 1983.

This was the poll in which Margaret Thatcher was re-elected after winning the Falklands.

"I've covered I think 10 general elections," Adam says, pointing out the July election - for which he will join Sky News - will be his 11th.

But this only includes two changes of party in government, he says.

"What makes this election particularly exciting is the possibility, according to the opinion polls, that we're going to get another change in government."

Adam adds: "We had 17 or 18 years of Thatcher, and then 12 or 13 years of Blair and Brown, and now we've had 14 years from Cameron to Sunak."

If there is a change of party in July - what will this day look like?

"It's always very interesting," he says, explaining it is "quite emotional" because you see the "utter desolation of the side that's been defeated".

Adam is then asked how much a campaign can make a difference.

He says: "I just wonder how much difference this campaign is going to make to voting intention, it's clearly going to be very important in terms of formulating what the policies are for the parties, testing the leaders."

Adam adds this is an election in which "both leaders are not known quantities, neither of them have led a party into a general election before".

However, he says, another "exceptional thing" of this election is the amount of times the opinion polls have "said the same thing", which is Labour's on course for a majority.