Election latest: Sunak not taking questions amid talk of Tory battle to succeed him - as Dragon joins Starmer at brewery (2024)

Rishi Sunak has faced impromptu questioning over the state of the NHS for a second time in 24 hours.

The prime minister was on the campaign trail again today - but was not taking any questions from journalists as the row over his early departure from D-Day rumbles on.

He attended a fete in his own constituency, where he ended up being challenged over the state of the NHS.

This comes after he was challenged at a campaign rally on Friday over GPs (see here).

Today, a woman who identified herself as a consultant called Chloe stopped the prime minister and asked him for "his plan for waiting lists" - and claimed the government had left the NHS "completely unprepared" for the pandemic.

The pair shook hands at the start of the encounter, and Mr Sunak moved on after around 30 seconds.

Families with children have been hit hardest by benefit cuts over the past 14 years, according to a new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Parents who are out of work have seen the biggest fall in their incomes, with the IFS saying they had lost £5,500 per year, but in-work families had also seen their entitlements cut back.

Families with children have seen their incomes fall by an average of £2,200 per year, the thinktank said.

Changes to the level of child tax credits and the "two-child limit" on Universal Credit payments affected families, as did the overall benefit cap, the IFS found.

On Friday, the Conservatives announced plans to raise the high-income child benefit tax charge threshold to £120,000, increasing the number of families that would qualify.

But the IFS said this would only "partly" undo the changes of the past 14 years and "still leave the broad picture little changed".

61% of people quizzed in an exclusive Sky News poll think the NHS is in a "poor state", with parts of it "broken".

Reducing NHS waiting times is the issue voters want the next government to prioritise, with 39% of people saying it was their top issue.

The same Sky News poll asked voters who they trust most to run the NHS. The majority - 32% - said Labour, while only 9% thought the Conservatives.

But a quarter of those polled didn't think any party could be trusted with the NHS.

With waiting times on voters' minds, Sky's people and politics correspondent Nick Martin spoke to Jasmine, one of the millions waiting months, sometimes years, for treatment.

At 23, she has spent the last 11 years battling endometriosis and lives with what feels like "a ball of acid in the middle of my torso".

Read more of her story here:

The latest Sky News poll tracker has the Conservatives on the same level of support - just 22.8% - as the day Liz Truss left office.

Labour has 43.6% of the share, while Reform UK is on 13.1%, Lib Dems on 9.6%, Greens on 5.7% and SN p on 3%.

The 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.

Read more here:

Rishi Sunak took up a watering can and was encouraged to apply for an allotment garden by volunteers while on the campaign trail in County Durham.

An opportunity for the media to ask questions of Rishi Sunak did not take place as was originally planned, likely following the fallout on Friday of his early return from D-Day commemorations.

Members of the public could be seen gathered on a hillside above the garden to try to catch a glimpse of the prime minister.

At the garden, Mr Sunak spoke with volunteers Margaret Lambert and Hilary Bellwood and watered plants with Jane MacBean, Conservative candidate for Bishop Auckland.

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to overhaul the business rates system, sayingthere's "not a level playing field between businesses that are online and those that are ... bricks and mortar".

The Labour leader was joined by Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden at 3 Locks Brewery in Camden, London, to launch the party's plan for small businesses.

"We want small businesses to thrive because they are the backbone of our economy and they need that stability in our economy, and they need to know that their energy bills are actually going to be lower and stable," he said.

Labour launched its plans for Great British Energy policy a week ago - a new, publicly owned company that would generate homegrown green energy across the country.

Meaden voiced her support for the plans: "Businesses don't like being out of control of costs and energy is one of those costs that simply fluctuates beyond your control," she said.

Sir Keir pulled the first pint of the day at 10.55am and was heard saying "if all else fails", he will be back at the brewery on 5 July.

John Swinney says Rishi Sunak "completely destroyed" his credibility as prime minister by leaving D-Day commemorations early.

Speaking to journalists on the campaign trail in Livingston, the Scottish First Minister said: "I think Rishi Sunak's credibility is completely destroyed by his departure from D-Day early and the insult he delivered to the veterans who had travelled to Normandy for that solemn occasion.

"It also, frankly, was a desertion of the international responsibilities of the prime minister.

"The prime minister and especially the Conservative election campaign is now utterly in tatters."

Mr Sunak was forced to apologise for leaving France before an international ceremony attended by world leaders, saying it had been a mistake - but he said it was important not to "politicise" the decision.

The Tory battle bus has rolled into County Durham, with Rishi Sunak heading to two locations in the North East today - but don't expect him to be answering questions.

The PM is not doing any interviews with national or broadcast media today and a possible huddle - when he takes questions from reporters off-camera - has been cancelled.

He may, however, do some interviews with regional media.

While the PM may not be speaking for himself today, much has been said this morning about his decision to bow out of D-Day commemorations early.

Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds called it "inexplicable" while Sir Ed Davey said it made him "pretty cross" and Transport Secretary Mark Harper labelled it a "mistake" - but said it wouldn't cost the Tories the election.

The Lib Dem leader says he's "pretty cross" about Rishi Sunak's decision to leave D-Day commemorations early and has called on him to make a donation to a veterans' charity to make amends.

Sir Ed Davey urged the Conservatives to give some of the cash donated to the party by Frank Hester, a businessman who was embroiled in a racism row, to charity.

"I think the Conservative Party should give £5m of that donation to a veterans' charity. I think if they did that, then people might be able to draw the line.

"But it's such a letdown for our whole country and our history, particularly for our brave veterans."

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to create three new national parks in England.

This manifesto commitment would bring the number of national parks in England up to 13, with the party saying it would spend £50m a year maintaining them.

The Chilterns in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire are possible locations for the new parks, along with the Mendips, Cotswolds and Quantocks.

Other proposed areas include the Surrey Hills, Northumberland coast and Dorset.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the Tories of having "broken too many promises to protect our countryside".

"It is hard to overstate the difference things like National Parks can make to entire communities," he said.