Election latest: Sunak admits he got job 'because of a mistake' (2024)

We'll be back from 6am with all the latest from the election campaign.

We're in the last few days of the race for Number 10 - and parties from across the House of Commons are accelerating their efforts.

Join us in the morning for more live updates.

Reducing knife crime will be a "moral mission" for Labour if it wins the election on 4 July, Sir Keir Starmer will say on Tuesday.

The party leader will outline his plan to halve knife crime over the next 10 years, including creating a new cross-government "coalition" to work on solutions - bringing in families of victims and survivors of knife crime, along with tech companies and relevant organisations.

Sir Keir will also promise to chair an annual knife crime summit to "track progress" on the target, and appeal to all parties to work together on the issue.

"Knife crime is an issue above and beyond party politics," he will say."For the parents grieving sons and daughters who never came home, action to end this scourge cannot wait.

"Far too often we hear the same stories from grieving families who have been subject to these brutal murders carried out by children.

"It is our duty as political leaders of all stripes to work together to end knife crime and keep our young people safe."

Figures from Labour showed knife-related offences had risen by 81% since 2015 across England and Wales.

The party's pledges for after the election include increasing the penalties for carrying a knife - including custody in the most serious cases, as well as extending the list of banned knives.

Its 10pm - here's your late night general election bulletin.

We're into the last full week of the election campaign, with just 10 days left until polling day - and things are heating up.

Here's a run down of everything you may have missed:

• Rishi Sunaktoday said he is not being investigated by the Gambling Commission over the betting scandal;
• He confirmed the Conservative Party is carrying out its own investigation - and will pass its findings on to the Gambling Commission;
• The prime minister later took part in an election Q&A with The Sun, in which he insisted he only took the top job "as the result of a mistake" made by Liz Truss;
• He also failed to confirm whether he called a summer election to avoid potential legal trouble over Rwanda flights taking off in July;
• Meanwhile, economists have lambasted a "conspiracy of silence" from the main parties over their tax and spending plans - read more below:

• Over to Labour,which has offered to meet Harry Potter author JK Rowling to provide her with "assurances" over the protection of women-only spaces;
• Sir Keir Starmer also took part in the election Q&A, and he admitted that he "understands" why people are confused by his shift in stance on Jeremy Corbyn;
• AndLord Richard Dannatt, the former head of the army, has said Nigel Farage is "not worth listening to about anything" - particularly relating to the war in Ukraine;
• The Reform leader said last week the West had contributed to the invasion of Ukraine;
• He has launched a blistering attack aimed at his one-time ally Boris Johnson - highlighting a front page showing Mr Johnson holding a similar stance on Russia back in 2016.

A flurry of general elections since 2015 has brought an unprecedented churn in our parliamentary representatives.

This year, two in five MPs aren't seeking re-election and the picture for the Conservatives is record-breakingly grim.

An unparalleled total of 23% of Conservative MPs are calling it a day in 2024, more than the previous high of 22% of Tories who quit in 1997, another year of boundary changes.

In contrast, only 15% of Labour MPs are resigning.

There are many reasons MPs quit: from retirement, family commitments and health concerns to career change, abolished constituencies, and the prospect of defeat.

But their decision to depart can reveal much about life in Westminster and have a significant impact on parliament's mix of experience, demographics, and the direction of political parties.

Dr Sofia Collignon, associate professor in Comparative Politics, analyses the churn in our representatives here:

Wales is a Labour heartland, but it's clearly in the sights of other parties during this election campaign.

Reform UK even launched its manifesto in a town in the south of the country, Merthyr Tydfil.

Although Wales has its own parliament and makes most of its own decisions, they still elect MPs who stand in Westminster.

Sky's Wales reporter Tomos Evans explains how the cost of living, steel industry and nuclear energy will be key issues for voters.

By David Blevins, senior Ireland correspondent

Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers have condemned the Conservative Party for the impact of Brexit on the region.

Sinn Fein'sMichelle O'Neilltold Sky News the current government had "played fast and loose" with theGood Friday Agreement.

Emma Little-Pengelly, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said Northern Ireland was the victim of the Tories having "botched Brexit".

Doug Beattie, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, accused the "chaotic" Tory government of "destroying the cohesion of the United Kingdom".

Tactical voting is a talking point at every election - but it could play a particularly big role this time round.

The polls suggest huge public discontent with the Tories, but there are many seats where Labour - widely projected to form the next government - are not the main challengers.

It's contests like these where the Lib Dems, Reform UK, and the Greens might hope to make gains.

Below, Sky's political correspondentSerena Barker-Singh explains what tactical voting is when it comes to an election and how it could impact parliament's makeup come 5 July.

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.

It shows a drop in support in recent days for Labour and the Tories - with a jump for Reform and the Liberal Democrats.

Read more about the tracker here.

Tonight on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, both our Tory and Labour guests faced questions over a report suggesting neither party are being honest with voters about their tax and spending plans.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies launched its report on their election manifestos this morning, warning public services will have to be cut over the next parliament, unless government debt or taxes rise further.

Labour and the Tories have both ruled out tax rises on working people, but also downplayed the risk of cuts to key public services.

So, are they being honest? Our business correspondent Paul Kelso takes a closer look at the numbers...

That concludes our coverage of tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge- the show will return tomorrow at 7pm. Stick with us here for more updates and analysis throughout the evening.

Five years ago it was indisputably the Brexit election, but this time round it's become something of an elephant in the room.

But in Northern Ireland, none of the party leaders are shy of talking about the impact of Britain leaving the EU.

Oursenior Ireland correspondentDavid Blevinshas spoken to them all about the legacy of the 2016 referendum - and how a new government at Westminster might change things.

As David notes, to "get Brexit done" the Tory government put a trade border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Great Britain - something that was once unthinkable.

Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein:

"I think there's an opportunity now with what potentially looks like a Labour government coming into play to reverse the damage of Brexit.

"And actually, I would hope we get to the point where actually we reverse the Brexit decision altogether.

"That may not be where Labour are headed, but I think there is an opportunity to reset relationships, critically between London and Dublin, because those have been very much fractured."

Emma Little-Pengelly, DUP:

"The Conservative Party and the UK government botched Brexit and Northern Ireland was the victim of that.

"We called out the Conservative Party on this at every single stage.

"We had to fight incredibly hard to try to undo the damage made by the decisions made by the Conservative Party in government.

"But of course it was us fighting for that, while others were agitating and pushing for rigorous implementation of that really bad deal."

Naomi Long, Alliance:

"What we need to do looking forward is say... how do we make the benefits of the Windsor Framework work in our advantage?

"We have a unique position in Northern Ireland in terms of trade: we can trade freely into GB, we can trade freely with the Irish Republic, but more than that, we are a foot in the European Union."

Colum Eastwood, SDLP:

"Brexit has been a disaster for the whole of the UK, I would argue, economically and in many other ways, but we felt it much more keenly here because we share a border with the European Union.

"We had to do an awful lot of work to put things back together after the mess that was made by Brexit and Boris Johnson and the DUP.

"From our perspective, there's no better outcome than actually being back in the European Union lock, stock, and barrel."

Doug Beattie, UUP:

"Brexit was a defining moment.

"It absolutely undermined the cohesion of the United Kingdom, and I think we can see the out workings of that even today.

"And whatever government gets in - and we all think it's going to be a Labour government - I think they're going to have to work on that cohesion as one of their main outputs."