Election latest: Dragon's Den star joins Starmer on campaign trail - as Sunak welcomes former Boris Johnson's 'great' videos (2024)

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.

So far, only one poll has shown Reform ahead of the Conservatives - the Tories are currently an average of seven points ahead of Nigel Farage's party.

Read more about the tracker here.

By Sam Doak, OSINT producer

A former Brexit Party candidate is running for Reform UK under a different name, following accusations of Islamophobia in 2019.

Dionne Moore Cocozza is now running in Glasgow West as Dionne Moore, using her middle name as a surname. No details on Reform UK's website link the candidate to the 2019 race.

The Reform UK candidate previously stood for the Brexit Party, later rebranded as Reform UK, in Glasgow North under the name Dionne Cocozza, receiving 320 votes.

Ms Cocozza's candidacy in the 2019 election drew attention after the University of Glasgow's student newspaper and Hope Not Hate reported on her social media use.

At the time, she wrote on social media that Muslims wanted to institute Sharia law in a post viewed by Sky News.

According to the anti-racism advocacy group Hope Not Hate, Ms Cocozza has also said on social media "you can't say anything if you're white", and accused Labour's shadow minister David Lammy of stoking racism with "anti-white tweets".

She also shared a post written by another user, viewed by Sky News, which made the claim, "I heard a muslim say, we get elected then slowly we takeover".

Sky News was unable to find any other instances in which Ms Cocozza has opted to use the name "Dionne Moore" in public, and she has not drawn attention to her candidacy on social media.

Reform UK's regional manager for Scotland, Martyn Greene, confirmed the candidate is the same person who ran in 2019.

The party has said it is consulting lawyers about suing the company it paid £144,000 to vet candidates.

Chairman Richard Tice said the firm, Vetting.com, "promised a deep dive, particularly on social media", but has "delivered absolutely nothing".

However, Reform UK does not believe the vast majority of candidates who have been singled-out by the media for things they have said on social media have done anything wrong.

Also standing in Glasgow West are:

• James Calder, Liberal Democrats;
• James Cormack, Christian Party;
• Patricia Ferguson, Labour;
• Faten Hameed, Conservative;
• Carol Monaghan, SNP;
• Nick Quail, Scottish Greens.

Specialist, associate specialist, and speciality (SAS) doctors in England have voted in favour of a new pay deal from the government.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said 79.3% of members who took part in the ballot backed the new package.

It means SAS doctors on open contracts could see pay increases of between 9.5% and 19.4% compared with 2022/23.

It also includes a consolidated uplift of £1,400 to each pay point for SAS doctors on closed contracts.

This is on top of the 6% increase awarded by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) in 2023/24.

You can read more from Sky News below:

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is out on the campaign trail today, and he was asked about Boris Johnson's involvement in the Conservative election efforts.

The former prime minister has been drafted in by the Conservatives, reportedly to help counter the growing threat from Reform UK.

It is thought he has signed thousands of letters due to be delivered to voters this week, as well as recording campaign videos for a number of his Tory MP allies.

All this, it seems, done from the sunny beaches of Sardinia (see 9.40 post).

Asked whether he is disappointed Mr Johnson isn't actively campaigning, Mr Sunak said these videos and letters "have been co-ordinated by the campaign".

He added: "It's great that Boris is supporting the Conservative Party. I very much welcome that.

"He's endorsing many candidates in videos and letters which have been co-ordinated by the campaign.

"I know that will make a difference. And of course, every week he's making the case in his column and making sure everyone understands that what a Labour government would do to this country and why it's important everyone votes Conservative.

"I'm glad he's doing that."

We've just been hearing from Sir Keir Starmer, who is in Basingstoke today as Labour continue their week of campaigning focused on the economy.

First, he is asked about the issue of illegal immigration, which the Labour leader says is a "real test of government".

Sir Keir says: "We have to stop this vile trade of the gangs that are putting vulnerable people into boats to cross that Channel.

"The only way to stop that is to smash those gangs, and that is why we will set up our Border Security Command. This will be a new command, with new powers."

But what about beer, Sir Keir?

He is then asked whether Labour would continue a freeze on beer duty.

Sir Keir says this is part of Labour's "package" to support hospitality.

He adds: "It is part of the challenge for small businesses, whether it's hospitality, whether it's retail… and that's why I'm really pleased today to be unveiling our plan for supporting small businesses."

By Tom Cheshire, online campaign correspondent

More people in the UK think immigration has a negative impact on society compared to a positive one, according to a new survey carried out by YouGov exclusively for Sky News.

Across the UK, 43% of people asked thought that immigration has a negative impact on British society, compared to 35% who said it has a positive impact.

While the results varied according to location, only in London and in Scotland were people more likely to say that immigration has a positive impact.

And there were clear divides between age groups: 54% of 18 to 24-year-olds think immigration has a positive effect. But among those aged 65 and up, 58% think the impact of immigration on society is negative.

There was a more mixed view on the economic benefits of immigration, with the results pretty even: 39% of respondents thought immigration has a positive impact on the economy, with 37% saying the impact was negative.

But the poll identified a clear gender split, with only 34% of women saying that immigration has had a positive economic impact, compared with 43% of men.

Respondents also thought that cutting immigration would have a negative impact on the NHS, hospitality, universities and social care, but a positive effect on housing.

The survey also revealed deep political distrust among the public, with 52% saying they think Labour are not telling the truth about what they think on immigration, and 49% saying the same thing about the Conservatives. Every region and demographic distrusted the main two parties on this point.

And people by a large margin believed that governments - from whatever party - could cut immigration if they really wanted but that it would have negative consequences they don't want to face.

Reform UKis the only party people think are telling the truth on immigration: 60% agreed that the party was saying what it genuinely thought.

Nor do people trust the main two parties to follow through on their promises. People thought that immigration would increase under both a Labour and a Conservativegovernment - despite believing that their policies aim to reduce it.

People overwhelmingly think war, poverty, and gangs are mainly responsible for increases in immigration - compared to just 1% who think climate change is the main cause, or 4% who think Brexit is.

Scottish Labour is against the two-child benefit cap, Anas Sarwar has said, despite there being no plans to scrap the measure if Labour wins the keys to Downing Street.

Asked by a journalist if he was against the cap - which only allows families to claim benefits for two children - Mr Sarwar said: "The short answer is yes.

"We were right to oppose the two-child limit, we were right to vote against the two-child limit."

But he added: "The honest reality is after 14 years of Tory economic carnage, we will not be able to do everything we want to do as fast as we want to do."

Anas Sarwar is now taking questions from the media - first up, Sky News.

The Scottish Labour leader is asked about the "pretty tiny" spending plans in his manifesto, which have been described as "trivial".

But Mr Sarwar says this is because the UK's economy "has been trashed".

He adds: "The public finances have been destroyed, and our public services have been decimated by the Conservatives.

"We have lots of work to do to change our country, and to go on the path of a decade of national renewal."

Anas Sarwar, the leader of Scottish Labour, is on his feet as the party launches its own manifesto ahead of the general election on 4 July.

It was expected to contain a strong focus on young people and some hints about what the party would offer if it won the Holyrood election in 2026.

Here are Scottish Labour's key pledges:

• Mr Sarwar begins with a focus on working people, vowing to give millions "fairer pay" and lifting "hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty";
• He pledges to give 200,000 Scots a pay rise with a New Deal for Working People - and "end the discrimination built into the system by the Tories";
• Turning to young people, Scottish Labour pledge to "change young people's futures for the better" by "unlocking their true potential and bringing back opportunity for the next generation of Scots";
• The party also vows to improve access to apprenticeships, support first time buyers and "deliver a pay rise for over 40,000 young Scots";
• He says a Labour government would have a Scotland Office to improve the relationship with the Holyrood administration and ensure "devolution is strengthened and works the way it was always meant to";
• This "turbocharged" Scotland Office will be "bolstered by millions of pounds of funding", he said, and promote the country's exports while boosting investment;
  
• Scottish Labour also pledges to deliver 69,000 clean energy jobs;
• There is another promise to ban zero-hour contracts and "end the scandal of fire and rehire".