General election called for 4 July
- PM's announcement gets brutal review from top Tory
- Starmer claims Sunak 'never believed' in Rwanda plan
- Reform leader grilled over bizarre '1066' migration graph
- Two ministers stand down on first full day of campaigning
- 'Ready-made' football law among victims of parliament ending
- Live reporting byBen Blochand (earlier)Faith Ridler
Expert analysis
- Sam Coates:PM needs to capitalise on surprise
- Sophy Ridge:This is what the Tories don't want to talk about
Election essentials
- Trackers:Who's leading polls?|Is PM keeping promises?
- Subscribe to Sky's politics podcasts:Electoral Dysfunction|Politics At Jack And Sam's
- Read more:What happens next?|Which MPs are standing down?|Key seats to watch|How to register to vote|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency's changing|Sky's coverage plans
Why was Things Can Only Get Better playing during Rishi Sunak's statement?
Rishi Sunak was barely two minutes into his general election announcement yesterday when a song began blaring near No 10.
Younger or less politically astute viewers may have assumed the tune was part of the prime minister's efforts to inspire the nation, as he didn't miss a beat in his speech when the music came in.
Its purpose, however, was very different.
The song - Things Can Only Get Better by D:Ream - was the official anthem ofSir Tony Blair's landslide victory for Labour in 1997.
The party adopted the track which had already had mainstream success in the year after its release in 1993. It re-entered the charts during Sir Tony's campaign, which featured the lead singer Peter Cunnah performing the song live at several rallies.
You can read more from Sky News below:
Former Scottish Tory leader brands Sunak campaign launch 'f****** incompetent'
The latest edition of Electoral Dysfunctionis in your podcast feeds now, and one of the main topics was the optics of Rishi Sunak's announcement of the general election date.
In case you missed it, he went out on to Downing Street in the pouring rain, and throughout his speech, the song Things Can Only Get Better by D:Ream was blaring out - which was the official anthem of Sir Tony Blair's landslide victory for Labour in 1997 (more here).
Our political editor Beth Rigbyexplained that Mr Sunak did the announcement on the street because he "wanted to be traditional".
But former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidsonbranded the launch "disastrous", saying: "The idea of tradition and all the rest of it, well, that's great and all.
"But you're the prime minister - you make the traditions here.
"How f****** incompetent do you have to be to launch a campaign that badly?
"And how much do you not protect your boss by allowing him to do it or encouraging him to do it?"
She added: "Wait for a break in the clouds, okay? Look, how hard is that?"
Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley said he wanted to avoid advertising that he is a centi-millionaire by having "a lackey holding an umbrella".
She added that he "wouldn't have lost a single vote" if someone had been holding an umbrella, or he'd delivered the speech inside.
"He will lose votes because of the way he launched it," she said.
👉Listen above then tap here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts👈
Email Beth, Jess, and Ruth at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.
Who will win the next election? Latest polling from Sky News tracker
With the general election campaign officially under way, what better time to keep a close eye on the latest polling?
The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.
See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the trackerhere.
Don't miss the deadline to register to vote
We've got three key dates for your diary from the Electoral Commission should you need to register to vote in the general election.
18 June: This is the deadline to register, which you can do online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.
19 June: This is the deadline to apply for a postal vote, should you not be around when polling stations open on 4 July.
26 June: This is the deadline to apply for a proxy vote, which allows someone to vote on your behalf, and also to apply for a Voter ID certificate should you not have another valid form of identification.
This is the first general election where ID is needed to vote - find out more about registration here:
Pledge tracker: Is Sunak keeping his promises?
In January 2023, Rishi Sunak made five promises.
Since then, he and his ministers have rarely missed an opportunity to list them. In case you haven't heard, he promised to:
- Halve inflation
- Grow the economy
- Reduce debt
- Cut NHS waiting lists and times
- Stop the boats
See below how he is doing on these goals:
'You've got to vote tactically', says first time voter
For Callum Smith and Georgia Baxter, this election will be the first time they've been able to vote.
They've joinedSarah Jane-Meein Cleethorpes to talk about what issues matter to them when deciding who to back.
Georgia says she is considering which parties are going to support young people the most, and provide support with affording to go to university.
But she accepts that you have got to vote "tactically".
"I don't want to grow up in a Conservative government any longer. I'm from Grimsby, we do see the damage of austerity," she says.
'Sunak probably doesn't do his own shopping'
Callum says he is excited to finally have his say and will be looking for the party that will scrap the Rwanda plan.
"The cost of living is definitely a big thing, money side of that and even still with inflation going down. Someone needs to figure that out," he adds.
"You've got Rishi Sunak talking about the economy, and he probably doesn't even do his own shopping," he adds.
"I feel like the people that are running the country are just completely out of touch with normal people's lives and someone needs to bring them back down to earth in order for us to vote for them."
Daily Podcast: And they're off... what has the first day of the election campaign told us?
The political parties have been setting out their election campaigns, with voters going to the polls exactly six weeks from today.
On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to deputy political editor Sam Coates, who is following the prime minister on his campaign trail around the UK, visiting four nations in two days.
He also chats with chief political correspondent Jon Craig about the launch of Labour's campaign in Kent.
Plus, Sky's online campaign correspondent Tom Cheshire tells Niall why the parties are spending big money online and whether it could affect the election outcome.
What do voters make of the election announcement?
On Sky's UK Tonight show, a panel of voters join Sarah Jane-Mee in Cleethorpes to discuss the election announcement.
Sean Willis used to work for the London Underground before he was declared unfit to work by the DWP because of his arthritis.
He also used to be a Labour councillor but says he's become disenchanted by his old party.
He says this is the first time since 1989 that he hasn't felt "enthused" by a general election being called.
"I'm watching the two major parties hegemonise into each other, and they're not really putting forward any policy that is going to make me support them at the moment," he adds.
'Uninspired' by options
Stephen Ryder, the managing director of Creating Positive Opportunities, has traditionally voted for the Conservatives but is struggling to decide who to back in this election.
He says it's better to get the election out of the way, but he is "uninspired" by his options.
"I'm trying not to be disinterested... but I'm still waiting to have my mind made up," he adds.
"I'd love to be able to listen to a politician and actually believe them."
Asked about his priorities, he says transport, deprivation and poor housing stock are important.
"Schooling is going to be a big issue for me - I don't agree with 20% VAT on school fees," he adds.
"Investment in the future… I'm going to listen to what my kids want. How do we make the future better for the next generation?"
Rochelle Siviter, who runs Freedom Speaks, voted Labour in the last election but is unsure who to choose this time around.
She says her priority is addressing the "high levels of deprivation" locally and seeing change to bring Grimsby up "with the rest of the country".
That concludes tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge
The first election edition ofPolitics Hub With Sophy Ridgehas now concluded.
We heard from government ministerAndrew Griffith, Labour frontbencherNick Thomas-Symondsand Reform UK leaderRichard Ticeafter the first full day of general election campaigning.
Follow along for election coverage throughout the evening...
The key bills that hang in the balance as parliament's 'wash-up' period gets under way
Rishi Sunak's decision to call a general election has kickstarted what is known as the "wash-up" period - the term used to describe the final days before parliament is formally dissolved.
It means the government will now try to progress any outstanding legislation with the aim of making it law before parliament is prorogued, and the current parliamentary session comes to an end, on Friday.
However, with such a limited timeframe, it is expected that a number of bills that have defined this parliamentary session are likely to fall by the wayside.
Sky's political reporter Alex Rogerstakes you through the key bills that are unlikely to make it into law:
