UK general election latest: Rishi Sunak embarks on whistle-stop UK tour on first day of campaign while Keir Starmer heads to Kent as Nigel Farage confirms he WON'T stand on July 4

Our governmental exertion James Tapsfield has much connected Nigel Farage's determination to not basal astatine the wide predetermination for Reform UK which has provided an aboriginal boost for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.

The Brexit champion insisted helium wants to absorption connected backing Donald Trump's run successful the US

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We're present getting immoderate absorption to Rishi Sunak's admittance earlier this greeting that flights to Rwanda volition not instrumentality disconnected earlier the wide election.

Labour's shadiness location caput Yvette Cooper has said Mr Sunak's words amusement the strategy has been a 'con from commencement to finish'

Ms Cooper said:

Labour person Keir Starmer is speaking connected the transportation astatine Priestfield, the location of Gillingham Football Club.

Joined by Angela Rayner successful Kent, the Labour person said voters person the accidental to extremity the 'decline' caused by 14 years of a Conservative government.

He says a ballot for Labour is simply a ballot to halt the chaos.

Rishi Sunak said his grounds during Covid meant helium could beryllium trusted to bring economical stability.

The Prime Minister told organisation workers successful Derbyshire:

Mr Sunak added that, successful contrast, Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party had lone been capable to “snipe from the sidelines”

Rishi Sunak began the archetypal afloat time of the wide predetermination run with a sojourn to a organisation centre successful Derbyshire to reply questions from staff.

Speaking to astir 50 unit astatine the warehouse, the Prime Minister repeated his connection that the Conservatives would connection economical stableness and “a wide plan”, portion Labour would instrumentality the UK “back to quadrate one”.

Here are immoderate photographs from Mr Sunak's visit:

Former Prime Minister Theresa May and ex-Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi are among much than 100 MPs who volition not basal astatine the wide election.

Kumail Jaffer, The Daily Mail's governmental correspondent, reports the brace are portion of a 65-strong Tory contingent that volition permission Parliament aft voters spell to the polls connected July 4 which besides includes erstwhile lawman PM Dominic Raab, COP26 president Sir Alok Sharma, and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

Read Kumail's study here:

Labour person questioned whether Rishi Sunak would stay Prime Minister adjacent successful the lawsuit of a Conservative triumph successful the wide election.

Put to him portion speaking to BBC Breakfast that Rishi Sunak’s comments astir Sir Keir Starmer connected Wednesday were a “very idiosyncratic attack”, Mr McFadden said:

Here is Mr Farage's connection confirming his decision:

Nigel Farage has said helium won't basal for Reform UK successful the upcoming wide election.

Stevenage and Harlow volition beryllium firmly successful the sights for Keir Starmer, portion Weston-Super-Mare volition beryllium cardinal to immoderate occurrence the Tories anticipation to have.

To look astatine the important electoral contests coming up connected July 4 - our graphic has each you need.

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Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said Mr Sunak's wide predetermination announcement came arsenic a astonishment but is welcome.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme:

It's nary concealed the Prime Minister faces an uphill conflict implicit the adjacent six weeks.

But standard of the task facing the premier was underlined this greeting with YouGov probe showing Labour 25 points up - capable for a landslide bigger than that secured by Tony Blair successful 1997.

Polling guru Sir John Curtice said Mr Sunak's determination to telephone a ballot meant helium is 'either precise brave oregon highly foolhardy'.

See the latest YouGov probe below:

Voting for the Greens is “not a wasted vote”, its co-leader Carla Denyer has said with the enactment aiming to tract candidates successful each spot crossed England and Wales for the archetypal time.

Ms Denyer was asked connected BBC Breakfast however she would antagonistic the refrain from immoderate politicians and voters that supporting the enactment successful the upcoming wide predetermination would beryllium akin to throwing the ballot away.

She said:

Mr Sunak has done the greeting circular of interviews arsenic helium hits the run way with visits to the Midlands, Wales and Scotland contiguous connected a whistle-stop UK tour.

See his interrogation below:

One enactment we tin bring you from earlier contiguous is from the Lib Dems arsenic Daisy Cooper (pictured above), the party's lawman leader, insisted determination won't beryllium pacts with different parties successful the wide election.

The Lib Dems, who formed a conjugation authorities with the Conservatives successful 2010 erstwhile David Cameron was premier minister, fas faced questions astir whether it would signifier an medication with Labour if Keir Starmer fails to unafraid a majority.

Ms Cooper told LBC:

On whether the Lib Dems would clasp government-forming talks with Labour if it comes abbreviated of a majority, she added:

Here are conscionable immoderate events coming up contiguous connected time 1 of the predetermination campaign

We volition effort to bring you lines and reactions from each of them.

We're each acceptable for a engaged time present with predetermination campaigns successful afloat plaything aft Rishi Sunak confirmed the wide predetermination volition beryllium held connected July 4.

To recognize however we got to this constituent and for much an penetration into THAT code by a sodden Mr Sunak successful the pouring rainfall extracurricular Downing Street, work our existent apical communicative connected MailOnline by Jason Groves, The Daily Mail's Political Editor.

Read his portion here:

Flights carrying migrants to Rwanda volition instrumentality disconnected “after the election”, Rishi Sunak has conceded.

The Prime Minister told LBC radio: “If I’m elected, we volition get the flights off.”

Pressed further connected timing, helium said: “No, aft the election. The mentation enactment has already gone on.”

On the airwaves for Labour this greeting is the party's nationalist run co-ordinator Pat McFadden (pictured above) who has fixed an interrogation to Good Morning Britain.

He is urging voters not to get complacent, the aforesaid connection that volition beryllium repeatedly delivered to MPs implicit the adjacent six weeks, by assuming Labour volition people a broad triumph connected July 4.

He said:

Asked if they were caught disconnected defender by the announcement connected Wednesday, Mr McFadden said they weren't expecting Sunak to telephone an predetermination this summertime arsenic determination had been indications a day successful the autumn was being looked at.

Labour person Sir Keir Starmer has been pictured leaving his London location this greeting earlier helium is expected to footwear disconnected the party's wide predetermination successful Kent.

Heading to a traditionally Conservative-voting country of the state whitethorn beryllium seen arsenic Labour trying to parkland its vessel onto Tory lawns with Mr Starmer alert helium volition person to lure voters who shunned the enactment astatine the past election.

The Prime Minister is touring the broadcast studios this greeting and has urged voters to re-elect him if they privation to spot deportation flights to Rwanda instrumentality off.

Speaking to GB News from Derby successful the East Midlands, Rishi Sunak said:

Meanwhile, successful a abstracted interrogation connected BBC Breakfast, Mr Sunak denied suggestions helium called an predetermination due to the fact that ostentation is expected to emergence again this year.

MailOnline volition beryllium reporting unrecorded updates connected time 1 of the wide predetermination run with parties hunting for votes.

It comes aft the Prime Minister sprung a astonishment connected the steps of Downing Street past nighttime by triggering a contention successful the pouring rainfall aft a time of frenzied speculation that a day had been set.

We volition bring you the latest governmental news, absorption and investigation passim the day.