UK general election LIVE: Nigel Farage insists Reform UK will be main opposition to Labour and labels election contest ‘done’, with Keir Starmer the next PM – latest news and reaction

A Conservative Party spokesman said: ‘Nigel Farage risks handing Keir Starmer a blank cheque to rejoin the EU, impose the retirement tax on pensioners and hike taxes on hardworking Brits up and down the UK.

‘Farage knows that Reform won’t win any seats, but he doesn’t seem to care that a vote for Reform only helps Labour. He’s doing exactly what Keir Starmer wants him to do.

‘Just yesterday, EU insiders openly voiced their expectation that Starmer would seek a softer Brexit deal, opening the door to rejoining the EU all together. That would mean uncontrolled immigration and betraying the will of the British people.

‘Is Farage really willing to risk undoing his life’s work by handing Starmer a blank cheque to rejoin the EU?

‘Only a vote for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives can deliver a clear plan, bold action and a secure future for our country.’

Nigel Farage’s former comments about his potential constituency came back to bite him at a press conference on Monday.

Told he had previously said: ‘Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton”, Mr Farage said: “You’re absolutely right, it’s a huge commitment.’

Mr Farage described his time at GB News as the ‘best job I’ve ever had’ as he did not need to travel around the country, noting: ‘I was 21 years an MEP, I know what it’s like to travel around constituencies to meet people, it’s a huge effort, and part of that weighing up factor was absolutely the question you asked – am I prepared to give the time not just to politics but to a constituency as well.’

Mr Farage said the demands of a parliamentary constituency are ‘greater’ than those of an MEP, adding: ‘I’m making a massive potential commitment if I win that seat to this and to those people.’

Nigel Farage dramatically declared he will stand to be a Reform MP tonight after taking over as Reform leader.

The Brexit champion announced the U-turn at a press conference alongside previous leader Richard Tice.

As well as taking the helm of the party, he dropped the bombshell saying that he will run for Parliament in Clacton.

Mr Farage said he was back ‘for the next five years’ – making clear he wants to dismantle the Tories ‘when they are in Opposition’ after the election.

He said ‘not on your nelly’ would he do an electoral deal with the Conservatives, predicting that Reform would win more votes.

After taking a final question from PoliticsHome, Nigel Farage calls time on his rather tetchy press conference in London.

It follows him refusing to answer one journalist’s question about whether he would support Sunak or Starmer if forced to choose, telling them it was ‘too complex’.

‘Let’s just fight the campaign over the next four weeks, alright’.

Nigel Farage said ‘I think the Donald’s got other things to be dealing with’ when he was asked whether he had discussed his latest political move with the Republican presidential candidate.

‘I think the Donald’s got other things to be dealing with just at this moment in time. He’s been rather busy, including joining TikTok and racing up to ridiculous numbers,’ he said.

He added Trump had been a member of Reform USA when asked whether the former president would be in the party if he was British.

Watch as Nigel Farage told reporters he had ‘changed his mind’ and will be standing for Reform in the general election.

Nigel Farage said there is ‘every chance’ Reform UK get more votes than the Tories in the General Election.

At a press conference, he said: ‘I genuinely believe we can get more votes in this election than the Conservative Party. They are on the verge of total collapse.’

Asked whether he has boosted Sir Keir Starmer’s chances by running for parliament, the new Reform leader said: ‘No, is the answer.’

He added that in a week’s time, ‘I think you’ll see we’re going to start drawing from Labour equally as much as the Conservatives.

‘The Conservative Party have lost this election without my intervention.’

Nigel Farage was just asked whether the Clacton candidate was given any prior warning of his intention to stand – is the candidate finding out at this moment?

The Reform leader said: ‘He knew it was a possibility six months ago,’ but does not directly answer the question.

On Nigel Farage’s leadership announcement, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: ‘The Conservative Party has already become the mirror image of Nigel Farage’s Reform.

‘Rishi Sunak’s constant pandering to Reform has horrified former lifelong Conservative voters in the centre ground.

‘Sunak must show some backbone and rule out Farage ever joining the Conservative Party in future, including if he gets elected to be an MP.’

Nigel Farage is being pushed rather hard on whether the decision for him to become leader of the party was his idea, or Richard Tice’s.

Farage told one female journalist it was a ‘silly question’, and heckled a second who asked him whether the fact he was launching his campaign in London, and not Clacton, showed he cares more about the media than his potential constituents.

Biting back at the PA reporter, he told her: ‘Are you going to Clacton tomorrow? Well? Answer the question!’

Nigel Farage said he wanted to lead a ‘political revolt’.

Mr Farage said: ‘Yes, a revolt. A turning of our backs on the political status quo. It doesn’t work. Nothing in this country works any more.’

Nigel Farage predicted the Tories will be in opposition after the General Election as he took the fight to Rishi Sunak’s party.

He told a press conference: ‘They are split down the middle on policy, and frankly right now they don’t stand for a damn thing.

‘So our aim in this election is to get many, many millions of votes. And I’m talking far more votes than Ukip can got back in 2015.’

He continued: ‘When people start to realise in the red wall, with Reform second to Labour, when they start to realise that actually in those seats, it’s a Conservative vote that’s a vote for Labour, it’s a Conservative vote that is a wasted vote, then I think we might just surprise everybody.’

He added: ‘We are appealing to Conservative voters, we are appealing to Labour voters.’

Nigel Farage said there is a ‘rejection of the political class going on in this country’.

He said he had been left too little time to prepare when Rishi Sunak called a surprise election and had decided the ‘rational thing to do’ was to ‘do my bit as I put it supporting the country around the party’.

But he said since then he had been talking to people on the streets and observed that ‘there is a rejection of the political class going on in this country in a way that has not been seen in modern times’.

The other thing that really shook me in a way last week were the number of people coming up to me in the street saying ‘Nigel, why aren’t you standing?

Nigel Farage declares he has changed his mind and WILL run for Parliament as the prospective MP for Clacton.

He said he had decided to ‘change his mind’ after speaking to voters on the streets and that he felt he was ‘letting them down’ when they asked him why he wasn’t running.

The news will come as a massive blow for Rishi Sunak.

Mr Farage has declared Sir Keir Starmer has won the election, saying the contest is ‘done’.

Richard Tice has said Nigel Farage will take over the leadership of Reform UK

Richard Tice is now speaking at a Reform UK briefing in South London where Nigel Farage is expected to make an announcement.

Just a reminder that Nigel Farage will make a general election announcement at 4pm.

He has been unusally quiet today after tweeting earlier this morning.

Penny Mordaunt has been chosen to represent the Conservatives in a seven-way TV debate on the BBC this Friday, according to The Daily Mail’s political editor Jason Groves.

Mishal Husain will host the June 7 debate, to be held from 7.30pm to 9pm, between leading figures from the Conservative Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Green Party and Reform UK.

The audience and members of the public will have the chance to ask questions during the debate in London.

The Prime Minister, along with Sir Keir Starmer, was expected to be absent from the larger forum.

Ms Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, has been tipped as a future leader of the party.

It’s a change of pace for Rishi Sunak this afternoon.

He’s gone from talking about equality law and the threat posed by Nigel Farage to his favourite football team and his number one Nandos order.

During a visit to Wantage, the Prime Minister has told a girl’s football team that he’s partial to a half chicken, medium spiced, with chips and broccoli – adding: ‘It’s good broccoli.’

The young footballers also asked Mr Sunak about his favourite football team, which is Southampton.

Mr Sunak later added his favourite song at the moment was probably When The Saints Go Marching In, an anthem for the newly-promoted Premier League team.

Even in the absence of arch photo opportunist Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dems have pulled off another election stunt earlier today.

Campaigners, including deputy leader Daisy Cooper, photobombing Rishi Sunak during his visit to Henley-on-Thames marks another headline-grabbing moment to mark to its collection.

So far in this campaign we’ve seen Sir Ed fall off his paddleboard in Lake Windermere, conduct an interview on an inflatable doughnut with a journalist in Somerset and ride a bicycle in Wales with his legs splayed in the air.

Although some will see it as opportunist, the logic is plain to see.

The Lib Dems need to pull off incidents like this if they are to make their mark with the wider public on July 4. In terms of MPs before the dissolution of Parliament, the Lib Dems were the fourth-largest party in Westminster and are below Reform UK in some polls.

So with the Tories firmly fixed in the crosshairs as it targets 80 seats on July 4, it remains to be seen whether the strategy is a vote winner or will turn people away at the ballot box.

Sir Ed Davey on the campaign trail

Our deputy political editor David Wilcock reports Rishi Sunak’s premiership has been dominated by problems with small boats, but he must have thought he was safe on the River Thames today.

But none-the-less, the Prime Minister’s visit to a rowing club was marred by unwelcome visitors on the water – in the form of a photobombing boatload of Liberal Democrats.

The Prime Minister has also responded to the Lib Dem photobombers who interrupted his campaign event in Henley-on-Thames earlier.

Not a bad line here from the PM!

Rishi Sunak has been questioned about his pledge to amend the Equality Act amid suggestions he is stoking a culture war by rewriting legislation to define sex as biological.

The Prime Minister visited the Leander Club, one the most prestigious rowing clubs on the River Thames, where he was asked about the policy.

Last year, British Rowing issued a ban on transgender athletes from women’s events after 80 per cent of its members called for a change in approach.

Asked whether he was waging a culture war at a campaign event in Oxfordshire, the Prime Minister told broadcasters:

No. It builds on our track record of treating these issues sensitively and with compassion, as of course we should, but ensuring that our laws are right, our guidance is right to protect the safety and security of women and girls and the wellbeing of our children.

And I think that’s paramount in all of our minds.

Asked if he fears the possibility of Nigel Farage standing in the election, Rishi Sunak said there should only be two choices for voters on July 4.

Speaking at a campaign event in Oxfordshire, the Prime Minister said:

At the end of the day on July 5th, one of two people will be prime minister, either Keir Starmer or me.

A vote for anyone who is not a Conservative candidate is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in No 10.

So if you’re someone who cares about tackling migration, both the boats and legal migration, if you’re someone who wants a more proportionate, pragmatic approach to net zero that saves people money, and if you’re someone who wants lower taxes, it’s only the Conservatives that are going to offer those things.

And that’s the choice at this election.

We now have pictures of the Prime Minister’s visit to Oxfordshire..including the moment the Prime Minister was photobombed by Lib Dem campaigners.

Following the Lib Dems’ stunt as they crossed paths with the Prime Minister in Oxfordshire, a Lib Dem source said:

This is just another small boat Rishi Sunak can’t deal with.

Talk about a turn up for the books.

With Rishi Sunak campaigning in Oxfordshire today perhaps the last people he expected to see was…Liberal Democrat campaigners.

Placard-waving activists have boated past the Prime Minister in Henley-on-Thames.

ITV journalist Ciaran Fitzpatrick caught the moment and shared it on X

Our political editor James Tapsfield reports Nigel Farage has teased an ’emergency general election announcement’ today amid rampant speculation he will fight to become an MP after all.

In a move that could increase panic in Tory ranks, the Brexit champion posted on social media saying he would be dropping some news at 4pm.

Mr Farage has previously ruled out standing as a candidate for Reform, but supporters have been clamouring for him to change his mind.

There are still four days left to register to run, with speculation that Clacton or East Thanet could attract his eye.

Reform already has a candidate in Clacton, but one has yet to be selected in East Thanet. Mr Farage is believed to have a home in Kent and previously contested South Thanet in 2015, coming second.

Our live coverage today has attracted dozens of comments from MailOnline readers and.. it’s fair to say, they seem far from impressed from what they have heard so far.

Here is a reader’s round-up for a flavour of feeling on Sir Keir Starmer’s defence speech and Rishi Sunak’s plan to rewrite equality laws:

Labour on defence. Was it not them that bought Two multi billion pound Aircraft Carriers with no planes or helicopters. Next it will be submarines and no missiles. Do not trust them with your families ultimate security.

Just because Liebour state they are the party of defence does not make it so. Nothings changed, the comrades still lurk in the background waiting to vote against the UK nuclear detterant – Don’t believe the Hype – be very careful what you wish for when you put that “X” on the ballot paper.

maybe instead of putting rewriting gender laws as his top priority he should rewrite ECHR laws which I am sure most people would find more important.

He wants biological sex to be protected? Against what? Are biologically male our females under threat of being forced into another sex? It’s nonsense

With just one month to go before the country heads to the polls, it has, predictably, been another busy morning on the campaign trail with speeches and events taking place across the country.

As we head into the afternoon for more of the same, let’s recap what has happened so far:

• Sir Keir Starmer has laid out Labour’s plans for defence and national security as he promises to make Britain safety’s his number one priority in Downing Street – adding he is prepared to push the nuclear button if it came down to it
• Nigel Farage has caused a stir after tweeting he will make an ’emergency general election announcement’ at 4pm – is the Reform UK president about to throw his hat in the ring after declaring he wouldn’t stand on July 4?
• Kemi Badenoch was in combative mood as she toured the studios this morning to talk up the Conservatives’ new pledge to rewrite equality laws define sex as biological if the party wins the election
• Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper accused the Tories of engaging in ‘phony culture wars’ during the morning interviews as she campaigns for the party in Oxfordshire.
• Scottish leaders are gearing up for the first election debate with John Swinney out campaigning today

Stick with us for more of the same this afternoon.

While Sir Keir Starmer was showing off his serious side with a speech on national security, his deputy Angela Rayner appeared more more relaxed as she posed for selfies with voters.

Ms Rayner is campaigning today in Doncaster where Labour’s new battle bus has rolled up this morning.

Tell us what you really think!

Watch Andrew Neil’s damning assessment of both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer during an appearance on Good Morning Britain this morning.

Fair to say he’s not a fan of both benches.

Our deputy political editor David Wilcock has the story as Sir Keir Starmer insisted he would be prepared to push the nucelar button.

The line was arguably the standout momen from the Labour leader’s speech in Greater Manchester this morning.

Expect to hear more of this in the next four weeks…a new Labour attack line on Rishi Sunak accusing him of ‘making money betting against the country in the financial crisis’.

Labour is trying to scrutinise the Prime Minister’s career before he stepped into politics specifically when he was a partner at a hedge fund which engineered a deal at the time of the global financial crash.

Answering media questions at a campaign event at the Fusilier Museum in Bury, Labour leader Sir Keir said:

On the question of the hedge funds, we have raised this before. I think it is relevant at this election for the voters to know what did the two candidates for prime minister do before they came into politics.

I was working for the Crown Prosecution Service … trying to protect those who live in the United Kingdom from crime, Rishi Sunak was making money betting against the country in the financial crisis.

Mr Starmer had raised the issue previously at PMQs in January but appears to want to highlight it again just hours before the leaders debate one another on ITV.

The message was clear from Sir Keir Starmer… I’ve changed the Labour Party and nothing is more important to me than national security.

That was very much the impression the Labour leader wanted to give this morning as he spoke in Greater Manchester flanked by 10 Labour candidates with a military background.

Here are five key takeaways from his speech on defence and national security:

• Mr Starmer insisted he would authorise the firing of nuclear weapons but wouldn’t set out the circumstances in which it would be used, ‘it is there as part of a vital part of our defence, so of course we would have to be prepared to use it.’
• Told reporters ‘I lead the Labour party’ when challenged over previous opposition from some of his front bench to nuclear weapons and insisted his shadow cabinet are behind him
• Added Britain would be ‘fit to fight’ under a Labour government despite having the smallest army ‘since the time of Napoleon’
• He said Labour would carry out a new strategic defence review within the first year of power with a commitment to spend 2.5pc of GDP on defence ‘as soon as possible’
• He suggested a Labour government would review legal advice on arms sales to Israel as more than 100 celebrities called on him to revoke UK export licences if his party wins the election

Talking tough on defence will hopefully distance himself from his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn who was perceived as some as soft on security.

But has he done enough? Let us know what you think.

What have we here…Nigel Farage will make an ’emergency announcement’ at 4pm regarding the general election.

After he was accused by none other than Piers Morgan of bottling it.. is he about to throw his hat in the ring?

Sir Keir Starmer has gone there on the big question regarding nuclear weapons…he said he would be prepared to push the button if the country’s defences were in danger.

The Labour leader is attempting to show his ‘absolute commitment’ to keeping the country safe and persuade voters who may be unconvinced given he served in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.

Asked whether he would authorise the firing of nuclear weapons, Sir Keir said:

Nobody who aspires to be prime minister would set out the circumstances in which it would be used. That would be irresponsible, but it is there as part of a vital part of our defence, so of course we would have to be prepared to use it.

Sir Keir Starmer said Britain would be ‘fit to fight’ under a Labour government.

We have the smallest army since the time of Napoleon, at a time when other countries are firmly on a war footing. And so even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight.

So let me be unequivocal: this Labour Party is totally committed to the security of our nation, to our armed forces and, importantly, to our nuclear deterrent.

The nuclear deterrent is the foundation of any plan to keep Britain safe, it is essential. That is why Labour has announced a new triple lock commitment to our nuclear deterrent. We’ll maintain Britain’s continuous at-sea deterrent – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – deliver all the needed upgrades, and we will build four new nuclear submarines.

Sir Keir Starmer has outlined Labour’s pitch on defence and national security at a campaign event in Greater Manchester.

Flanked by 10 ex-military Labour candidates, Mr Starmer insisted national security is ‘the most important issue of our times’ and will be Labour’s ‘solemn responsibility’ if it enters government

Here’s a brief rundown of his speech:

• Starmer opened speech by remembering the bravery and courage of the soldiers who served on D-Day and “brought liberation to Europe”
• He warned the world is “perhaps more dangerous and volatile than any time since then” as he said the “post-war era is over” and a new “age of insecurity” has begun
• He said the Tories forced him into letting politics mix with the issue of national security
• Mr Starmer said he has deliberately not been partisan over issues of national security but was forced to intervene after the Tories questioned this Labour Party’s commitment to national security
• Added that national security will always come first under his ‘changed Labour party’

We will continue to bring you lines and reaction from Mr Starmer’s speech

With Labour setting out its pitch as the party of defence and national security questions will inevitably come to the party’s relationship with former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

And John Healey has insisted Mr Corbyn, who is standing against Labour as an Independent candidate in Islington North, is ‘long gone’ and no longer fits in a ‘changed’ party under Sir Keir Starmer.

Labour will be eager to convince voters the Corbyn era is well and truly behind them with the ex-leader perceived by some as soft on defence over his oppositon of the UK’s Trident submarine-based missile system.

Jeremy Corbyn is long gone, he’s not in Labour, he’s not standing for Labour, the Labour Party has changed with Keir Starmer, just as the world has changed.

We can now bring you footage of Kemi Badenoch from the morning broadcast round where she was repeatedly asked about a new pledge by the Conservatives to rewrite equality laws.

Ms Badenoch has warned gender laws are being exploited by ‘predators’ – as the Tories vowed to pass a law defining sex as biological.

During her morning interviews, she told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: ‘Just putting on a different set of clothes does not make you transgender.’

The Conservatives plan to rewrite the Equality Act to define sex as biological has dominated the morning interviews so far.

A hugely controversial issue, the Tories will be hopeful it’s a vote winner but other parties have now had their say and they have gone on the attack with Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper and shadow defence secretary John Healey leading the charge

Ms Cooper said the Conservatives are waging ‘phony culture wars’ and added there is no need to unpick the Equality Act.

I think we need to see this announcement for what it is, and I do think this is a cynical distraction form their failings on so many issues, like the economy, like the cost-of-living crisis, like the NHS, like social care, like protecting our local environment and tackling the issue of raw sewage discharge.

I think the Government is failing on so many counts – time and again we have seen how it tries to wage these phony culture wars.

While Mr Healey told Times Radio:

We will not want to amend the Act, it’s not needed. The Act, incidentally, was a Labour Act in 2010, that was opposed by the Tories, but it already provides protections for single-sex spaces for biological women.

The Government has had 14 years to do that and it hasn’t. This, to be honest, is a distraction from the election campaign, where most people want to hear why the cost-of-living pressures are so great, what the Tories are going to do, and what Labour is going to do, to try and help make life more affordable and Britain better.

If the polls are anything to go by then it’s clear the Conservatives are facing a battle not just for the keys of Downing Street but for the party’s survival.

And Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has shown plenty of fight on the airwaves this morning as she toured the broadcast studios to support Rishi Sunak on his somewhat gargantuan task.

Ms Badenoch accused BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter Mishal Husain of “trivial” and “unserious” questioning when she was asked about Liz Truss’s appearance on a platform founded by a commentator who joked about raping an MP.

Asked whether it was appropriate for a Conservative candidate to appear on the platform, Ms Badenoch said:

Carl Benjamin is not standing for election, Liz Truss is. It is for her constituents to decide whether she has done a good job or not.

It is not for you, or me for that matter, to decide which shows she should be able to go on because the presenter may have said something inappropriate before.

We’ve had lots of scenarios of BBC presenters saying things that are inappropriate.

I don’t know about the show. I don’t know what he said. And I don’t like making comments on things like that that I don’t know. I think it is trivial, it is unserious.

She also had some choice words for Times Radio’s Stig Abell after she joined his breakfast show

Sir Keir Starmer spent much of the first week of Labour’s campaign answering questions on Diane Abbott but now campaigners are looking to put the pressure on his stance over Israel

Greenpeace campaigners have unfurled a banner over the side of Westminster Bridge during early morning rush hour asking whether Labour will ‘stop arming Israel?’.

The Israel-Gaza conflict has already proved costly for Starmer with local election results showing a backlash among voters who feel Labour did not stand up enough for Palestinian civilians.

It remains to be seen whether the conflict will play a pivotal part in the election build-up.

The team at MailOnline have produced a helpful Q&A on the proposed new law change to define sex as biological.

That new legislation is passed clarifying that ‘sex’ (male/female, man/woman) as referenced in the Equality Act 2010 refers to ‘biological sex’ and is not modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).

It will clarify the law so that sex is not confused with gender and to stop it being interpreted as anything other than ‘biological sex’ assigned to someone at birth. The clarification will make it simpler for organisations to provide single-sex services and spaces because they will have more legal justification for excluding people from certain spaces based on their ‘biological sex’ at birth.

A new piece of primary legislation, potentially only one or two sentences long, would be passed in Parliament clarifying that ‘sex’ in the Act refers to ‘biological sex’.

Why hasn’t this already been done?

This is unclear. Rishi Sunak signalled his support for the change last year. The election has pushed the issue up the agenda as a way of differentiating the Tories from Labour.

Our Political Editor James Tapsfield has our first story of the day.

He reports how Kemi Badenoch has warned gender laws are being exploited by ‘predators’ – as the Tories vowed to pass a law defining sex as biological.

In a round of interviews, she said: ‘Just putting on a different set of clothes does not make you transgender.’

The battle buses are up and running and the second full week of campaigning is under way.

In case you’re wondering where Rishi or Sir Keir may pop up today, here’s our guide to what the parties are up to.

• Rishi Sunak is in Oxfordshire today to talk up his new pledge to rewrite equality laws if he wins the election. The Prime Minister will be visiting sport venues this morning and afternoon we assume to discuss transgender women being blocked from entering female-only spaces

• Sir Keir Starmer and Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey will make speeches in Bury this morning to commit to another ‘triple lock’ on the nuclear deterrent. They will also meet military veterans ahead of the anniversary of D-Day on Thursday

• Deputy leader Daisy Cooper is taking the lead for the Lib Dems today as she campaigns in Oxfordshire before going on a boat…I wonder if she’s received any tips from king of the election stunts Sir Ed Davey before she boards

• First Minister John Swinney joins the campaign trail with the SNP candidate for Stirling and Strathallan, Alyn Smith ahead of the first Scottish leaders debate tonight with Douglas Ross, Anas Sarwar and Alex Cole-Hamilton

We will hopefully be able to bring you some great pictures and lines later on so stick with us throughout the day.

For those of you who steered clear of the all things concerning the election yesterday (lucky you), let’s bring you up to speed.

We will bring you all the stories from our reporters throughout the day.

Let’s start by bringing you our top political story of the morning which features on the front page of today’s Daily Mail

The Mail’s chief political correspondent David Churchill reports Rishi Sunak has pledged to rewrite equality laws to define sex as biological if he wins the election.

The landmark change would help safeguard girls’ and women-only spaces for biological females by stopping sex being conflated with gender identity, the Prime Minister said.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of the general election as campaigning enters its second week in full.

With politicians hunting votes across the country we will bring you all the news you need you know plus the most eye-catching pictures and videos on the campaign trail.

If you want to get involved join in the conversation in our comments section

Right, let’s get cracking!