Key points
- Bulletin:What you need to know this lunchtime
- Man arrested in Westminster honeytrap scandal
- 'You are the problem': Sunak attacks David Tennant
- Martin Lewis takes Tories to task over social media clip
- Lib Dem leader admits betting on 2010 general election
- Coming up:Sunak and Starmer in one last debate
- Live reporting by Ben Bloch
Election essentials
- Manifesto pledges:Alliance|Conservatives|DUP|Greens|Labour|Lib Dems|Plaid|Reform|SNP|Sinn Fein|Workers
- Trackers:Who's leading polls?|Is PM keeping promises?
- Campaign Heritage:Memorable moments from elections gone by
- Follow Sky's politics podcasts:Electoral Dysfunction|Politics At Jack And Sam's
- Read more:Who is standing down?|Key seats to watch|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency is changing|Guide to election lingo| How to watch election on Sky News
Like night follows day, lunchtime comes with a Politics Hub bulletin.
Here's what you need to know from the morning, and what's to come later:
- The election gambling scandal certainly isn't going anywhere, with the BBC reporting more than a dozen Tory candidates and officials are facing scrutiny from the watchdog;
- Conservative minister Mel Stride told Sky News it had become a "disappointing" distraction from the campaign, while Labour's Liz Kendall said the party suspending one of its own candidates for betting showed how seriously they were taking it;
- The Liberal Democrats have called for a review into the rules around betting, though leader Sir Ed Davey admitted he put money on the 2010 election;
- Politics At Jack And Sam's talks at length about what's become known as "gamblegate" below:
- In an entirely separate political scandal, a man has been arrested in the Westminster honeytrap affair;
- This is the case of a number of MPs and parliamentary staffers receiving suspicious messages from unnamed senders;
- Met Police said a man had been arrestedon suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act.
- Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak has attacked David Tennant after the actor said he wished minister Kemi Badenoch would "shut up";
- The Doctor Who star laid into her position on trans and women's rights while being honoured at the British LGBT Awards;
- Ms Badenoch had said she would "not be silenced" by the "rich, lefty, white male celebrity", and Mr Sunak has now told him: "You are the problem."
And there are two important things to remind you of this evening.
Firstly, if you don't have any photo ID, then 5pm is the deadline to apply for an ID certificate you can use at the general election.
That's also the deadline to apply for someone to vote on your behalf if you can't make it to the ballot box on 4 July - known as a proxy vote.
The other thing to make note of is the final head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, hosted by the BBC tonight.
We will have live coverage here in the Politics Hub from 8.15pm - join us for updates and analysis.
Starmer 'can't promise' to scrap early prisoner release on day one
We spoke a short while ago with the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, and we asked him about prisons, which will be a key issue facing the winner of the general election.
It comes on the day Sky's Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies reports more than 500 Scottish inmates, serving short term sentences, are set to be released early to tackle overcrowding - an issue across the UK.
Sir Keir told Sky News a Labour government is "not going to be able to deal with this on day one".
"I'll be completely straight with you on that. I can't build a prison in the first week of a Labour government," he said.
"But it is a really shocking state of affairs that we don't have enough prison places for people who should be in prison. It's a catastrophic failure within criminal justice."
He said Labour will "build the necessary prisons".
Pushed on whether they will scrap early release, Sir Keir replied: "We will have to deal with the problem as it is, and I can't promise that we can change that on day one, because I can't build a prison on day one of a Labour government.
"What I can do is take the tough decisions to make sure that we never get into this position ever again. We should not be here."
Martin Lewis takes Tories to task over tweet with clip of him
The Conservative Party has come under fire from Martin Lewis over a tweet using a clip of him speaking about a conversation with a "senior member of the Labour Party".
In the 22-second video, the "money-saving expert" and consumer champion was saying he had discussed an unnamed policy with them.
He said the senior Labour member - who he did not name - told him the policy is something they want to implement, but is not in the manifesto because they cannot commit to it.
It is apparently their "aim" to do it in the next parliament.
But the Conservatives wrote in their tweet it shows Labour will put up taxes, writing: "Labour have said they wouldn't put up your taxes. But it's now becoming clear that they have every intention to put them up."
Hitting back at the Tory party, Mr Lewis wrote: "NOWHERE in this comment do I talk about taxes.
"And the policy that I discussed (I will keep private as it was private) was NOT about taxes, or tax rises, it was about something that would be a positive change."
The Conservative Party has been contacted for comment.
Labour maintain lead in latest poll - and Reform gain on Tories
A new poll from Ipsos has shown Labour is maintaining its lead going into the final week of the general election campaign.
The Tories are continuing to slump, falling four points to 19%, leaving Labour with a 23-point lead.
Meanwhile, Reform UK is continuing to surge, recording its highest ever score with the pollster.
Here are the full results:
- Labour: 42% (-1)
- Conservatives: 19% (-4)
- Reform UK: 15% (+6)
- Lib Dems: 11% (+3)
- Greens: 7% (-2)
The poll is of1,402 adults, conducted by phone from 21 to 24 June. The changes are from their poll conducted between 31 May and 4 June.
More than one in three say they may change their mind before the election (36%) - and that was at 27% at this stage before the 2019 election.
21% of those who might change their mind are considering Labour, 19% the Lib Dems and 14% the Greens, 7% are considering the Conservatives and 7% Reform UK.
64% of voters say they are voting for the party that best represents their views, while 19% are voting tactically, the pollster said.
In bad news for Rishi Sunak,83% are dissatisfied with the way the government is running the country - which is the worst scorefor a government in Ipsos' records at this stage of a campaign going back to 1979.
71% do not think the Conservatives deserve to be re-elected - an increase of four points since early June - while only 16% think they do (-4).
Sunak and Starmer to face off in final debate: How will the contest work?
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are preparing to debate head-to-head for the second and final time of this general election campaign.
The BBC's Mishal Husain - who also chaired a seven-way leaders' debate earlier this month - will referee the contest that will last 75 minutes, starting at 8.15pm this evening.
It will be in front of a live audience, that has been chosen by pollster Savanta, rather than the BBC.
It will include Conservative and Labour supporters, in addition to undecided voters.
Which side of the stage the two men will stand on will be decided by a coin toss - as will the order in which they deliver their closing speeches to the nation.
It is likely to be one of the biggest live audiences of the campaign, allowing the two men to potentially reach millions of voters.
The debate will run straight through the full 75 minutes, without any breaks.
In an article for the BBC, Husain said she will be "nudging the two men back to what was in the question, clarifying points, and yes, probably having to call a halt from time to time".
She said she wants "spontaneity and energy" from tonight's contest: "A proper debate, really, rather than speech-making."
We will have live coverage of the debate here in the Politics Hub, and when the debate ends at 9.30pm, we will have live analysis and reaction here and across Sky News - do join us.
Lib Dem leader admits betting on 2010 election
Sir Ed Davey has admitted placing a bet on the 2010 general election.
Speaking to journalists on the campaign trail, he revealed he'd put money on the number of seats his party would win at that contest - but lost.
The Lib Dems ended up in coalition with the Tories, and Sir Ed was a minister during the subsequent five years.
Sir Ed also said he can't be sure whether any of his party's candidates have placed a bet on this year's poll.
Speaking to broadcasters this morning, he said: "I can't speak for every single Liberal Democrat candidate across the country, of course I can't.
"I really hope they would have behaved in the proper way."
Sir Ed said he has not personally placed any bets "on this election".
Was the Gambling Commission to make him aware of any problems with his party's candidates, he "would follow the recommendations".
'We can't allow this to happen again'
Sir Ed said he was "shocked" by the scandal engulfing the Tories in particular.
He drew a distinction with his 2010 bet, noting how those involved this time might have benefited from inside knowledge.
"The idea that people who had privileged access in Number 10 and may well have known the date of the general election, placing a bet when they knew the outcome, that is wrong," he said.
The Lib Dems are calling for a review of gambling laws, adding: "We can't allow something like this to ever happen again."
Deadline day: Do you need an ID certificate?
If you don't have any photo ID, today is the deadline to apply for an ID certificate you can use at the general election.
This is called a Voter Authority Certificate - and you have until 5pm to apply online.
That's also the deadline to apply for someone to vote on your behalf if you can't make it to the ballot box on 4 July - known as a proxy vote.
Tap here if you need to do that.
Remind me... what are these certificates all about?
This is the first time people voting at a UK general election will need to provide photo ID.
There are 22 different types of ID you can use - including passports, driving licences, and other travel passes.
You can find a full list below:
But if you don't have one, get a Voter Authority Certificate.
To apply online here, you must have already registered to vote.
You also need a recent photo and your National Insurance number, or some other way of proving your identity - like a bank statement.
Remember, you have until 5pm. Don't forget!
Sunak congratulates NATO's pick for next chief
It has been confirmed that former Dutch PM Mark Rutte will be the next secretary general of NATO after being selected by the alliance members this morning.
He will succeed Jens Stoltenberg on 1 October, who is stepping down after 10 years leading the alliance.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has congratulated Mr Rutte, writing on X he's "confident" he would continue Mr Stoltenberg's "outstanding work in keeping NATO strong and united, as we work to strengthen our collective defenec and support Ukraine's fight for freedom".
The defence secretary, Grant Shapps, added his congratulations, saying Mr Rutte is "the rightperson to lead our alliance".
He also made a political point, saying: "Together we must push towards a new NATO standard of 2.5% by 2030, for all allies’ defence spending."
The Tories have committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, but Labour only will when the economic conditions allow.
Men arrested at PM's North Yorkshire home released on police bail
As we reported yesterday, four men were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass in the grounds of the prime minister's home.
The incident took place at Rishi Sunak's constituency address in Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, while he was attending events in London to mark the Japanese state visit.
The arrests were connected to a protest by campaigners from Youth Demand. It describes itself as a group of young people who want "the Tories and the Labour Party to commit to a two-way arms embargo on Israel, and to stop all new oil and gas licences".
A spokesperson for the group said three of those arrested were taking part in the demonstration, while the fourth person was an independent photographer.
North Yorkshire Police said they have been released on conditional bail "to allow for further enquiries".
"The investigation remains ongoing," the force added.
