General Election 2024: Starmer says Sunak has ‘nowhere to hide’ as Tory and Labour campaigns kick off

Rishi Sunak has said economic stability is returning to the country and “that is why we are having the election now”, Archie Mitchell writes.

Quizzed about the timing of the surprise 4 July general election, the prime minister said not everybody is “feeling the benefits” of lower inflation yet.

But he told GB News: “It’s clear that we have turned a corner. So now is the moment to look to the future and the world is clearly in a more uncertain place than it’s been in decades and the question for the country is the choice of this election is you know, who’s got the boldest ideas declare its plan to provide a secure future for you and your family.

“That’s the choice of this election.

“Now that economic stability has been restored, we can turn to that question, and that’s a conversation I look forward to having with you, your viewers in the country over the next few weeks.”

Rishi Sunak has accused Sir Keir Starmer of having no plan to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, Archie Mitchell reports.

In what is set to be a key general election attack line for the prime minister, he told GB News the Labour leader would scrap the Rwanda deportation scheme and “offer an amnesty to illegal migrants”.

Mr Sunak said: “That’s the choice at this election. He thinks that we should offer an amnesty to illegal migrants to make us the soft touch of Europe.

“It would make us a magnet for thousands of migrants coming from everywhere. So that’s the choice of this election. Do you think my plan is the right one?

“Do you think I’m the one that’s taking bold action to secure our borders and to stop the boats? Or do you think he’s going to do that?”

Good morning and welcome to The Independent political live blog.

Things have kicked off this morning as parties battle for your vote with only six weeks left to go to the polls.

Political correspondents were on an early morning train out of London to follow Mr Sunak on his tour.

• Sir Keir Starmer is heading to south-east England in a sign he wants to make inroads in Tory areas.

• In London, Reform UK’s leader Richard Tice is staging a press conference setting out his party’s plans.

• Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to visit a target seat as he launches a campaign expected to focus on targeting Conservative-held seats following a series of eye-catching by-election successes.

Keir Starmer writing in the Mirror overnight said: “Rishi Sunak can’t hide any longer. That’s the beauty of our democracy.

“Ultimately, power doesn’t belong to the Prime Minister or any other politician. Power rests with you.”

Rishi Sunak has announced that 4 July is the general election date but why did he settle for that date?

The practical reason for his decision comes with election law and the parliamentary timetable. Parliament needs to be dissolved 25 working days before the date of an election which means that if he wanted a summer election he had limited options.

By calling an election on 4 July, next week’s planned recess will be cancelled giving parliament a “wash up week” to complete its remaining business by Thursday. Parliament can then be dissolved in time for a July 4 election. This meant the prime minister could not have called it any earlier.

Anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray said he selected the D:Ream song for its association with the Tory landslide defeat in the 1997 general election rather than as a show of support for Labour.

He added that his protest outside Downing Street was put on hold when his two amplifiers became soaked and stopped working during heavy rain in Westminster.

Mr Bray told the PA news agency: “I thought about what would be the best trolling tune if he announced the election.

“And of course, it had to be ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. Because everybody can relate to that and the 1997 election.

“I didn’t do it for Labour. I did it because it was the top trolling song for the Conservatives.”

Responding to complaints that people could not hear the speech in Downing Street because of his protest, Mr Bray said: “Look at the damage Sunak’s done to the country.

“If they couldn’t hear the speech, it’s still reported. They’ll know what he said.”

– May 24 2024: Parliament prorogued which means the end of the Parliamentary session, bringing most business to an end.

– May 30: Parliament dissolved. By law, this has to take place no later than 25 working days before polling day, which, in this instance, is May 30.

The days between now and end of the the Parliament will be used to complete any urgent business in the Commons and the Lords, though it also means certain pieces of legislation currently going through parliament – such as the Tobacco & Vapes Bill and the Football Governance Bill – will probably be lost or else scaled back.

– June 7: Deadline for candidates to be nominated. It is highly likely that candidates for some of the 650 constituencies across the UK have yet to be picked. Political parties will be rushing to find people to fill these gaps.

– June 18: Deadline to register to vote. This can be done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

– June 19: Deadline to apply for a postal vote.

– June 26: Deadline to apply for a proxy vote – in other words, for someone to vote on your behalf – and to apply for a Voter ID certificate, if you do not already have a valid form of photo identification.

This will be the first UK general election where all voters will have to show a valid form of photo ID before casting a ballot.

– July 4: Election day. Polls will open from 7am to 10pm.

– July 9: The new Parliament will be summoned to meet

– July 17: State opening of Parliament.

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to “stop the chaos” in his first speech of the general election campaign, saying a vote for Labour would be “a vote for stability”.

The Labour leader sought to sketch his party’s pitch to voters with an attack on Conservative stewardship of the country and a focus on his party’s offer of “change”.

Speaking in central London, and indoors in contrast to Rishi Sunak’s rain-drenched speech in Downing Street, Sir Keir said the election was “an opportunity for change”.

He said: “Over the course of the last four years, we have changed the Labour Party, returned it once more to the service of working people.

“All we ask now, humbly, is to do exactly the same for our country and return Britain to the service of working people.”