General election latest: Sunak and Starmer agree to first TV debate next week

Both leaders will reportedly go head to head in the first election campaign face off on ITV.

Although the broadcast hasn’t confirmed exact details, the televised debate could take place next week.

Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have agreed to appear at the televised event after the Conservatives challenged Labour to record one debate a week.

The foreign secretary said the Rafah massacre “really did look very, very concerning, very worrying, and so we’re asking for that to be investigated rapidly”.

He added: “The Israelis have already said it was a tragic mistake, but we want to see that properly investigated.”

Asked about whether he would recognise Palestine as a state, he said there should be a two-state solution.

He added: “Recognition of course will come, but it shouldn’t come at the start of this process. It doesn’t have to wait until right at the end, but it should be part of bringing about a two-state solution.”

In his first major policy proposal since the general election was announced the prime minister insisted his plans for mandatory national service would help unite society.

The exact plans remain vague, but the party said young people would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year “volunteering,” in their community.

Labour frontbencher Liz Kendall accused the Conservatives of merely “asking young people to solve the problems in the NHS, the police and the armed services that the Tories themselves have created”.

Now we want to know what you think. Do you back Mr Sunak’s plans for national service? 

A High Court judge has asked the government to confirm the date it plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The prime minister previously confirmed the flights will not take off before the July general election.

But Mr Justice Chamberlain said: “The timetable for this claim was set on the basis that removals to Rwanda would begin at the earliest on July 1 2024.

“The Government then changed its position, saying that removals could begin in the week commencing June 24 2024.

“Following the announcement of a General Election, the Prime Minister has said that removals will begin ‘in July’.

“That provides insufficient clarity for the purposes of timetabling this claim.”

During an event on Sunday, the deputy Labour leader told voters in Ashton-under-Lyne that Labour backs the ICC bid to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ms Rayner said although her government would have limited powers to change the situation that “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, all of these people, we are all working to stop what’s happening at the moment, we want to see that”.

She added: “I promise you that’s what we want to see. If Labour get into power we will recognise Palestine.”

“Party loyalists disapproved of my suggestion that there was bound to be at least one episode of panic at Labour HQ before election day, because the opinion polls were likely to narrow, either as a result of random variation or of events.

“They can be pleased that it hasn’t happened yet. If there is a Labour wobble, it will now happen during the campaign itself.”

A polling expert has claimed Rishi Sunak may not be good enough to narrow Labour’s 20-point lead.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, told the Sun’s: “The polls haven’t moved in 18 months. There’s this assumption that they’re now going to start moving as soon as the election campaign is called.

“But I think what we’ve seen so far in the race is that Rishi Sunak isn’t a great campaigner, frankly. And I think that there’s this there is still this assumption that if the polls move, they will move in one direction, i.e. they will narrow. I don’t think that’s a given at this point.

“I think that Labour have to have an incredibly safe campaign. And I think it doesn’t it doesn’t benefit them to to go all guns blazing on policy.”

Geeta Guru-murthy made the remarks after a video of the Reform UK president aired.

In the clip, Farage said he was quoting the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk when he said “aggressive young males” were coming into Poland.

The TV anchor said saying this “didn’t meet the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality”.

Live on air, Ms Guru-murthy said: “Earlier today we heard live from Nigel Farage, speaking at that election event we just saw.

“When we came away from his live speech, I used language to describe it which didn’t meet the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality. I’d like to apologise to Mr Farage and viewers for this.”

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Farage tagged Ms Guru-murthy and asked: “What happened to impartiality?”