General election – latest: Unions call for Starmer to let Diane Abbott stand as MP

Darren Jones, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury is holding a news conference outlining the Tories’ “inevitable consequences” of their policies.

He said: “Voters deserve to know of five more years of the Conservative government.”

He accused the Conservatives of having not “learned the lesson” of Ms Truss’s short leadership and “doing it all again”.

“Their behaviour is economy crashing, family finance destroying madness, and it cannot continue”, he added.

The Reform UK president has revealed he would be open to talks with the Tories.

Speaking to The Sun’s Never Mind the Ballots, he said: “I got rid of Mrs May with the Brexit Party. I stood aside with Boris to help a massive majority. What are they going to do back for me?”

Asked if he would accept a peerage from the Conservative Party, he replied: “No, I’m not asking for anything other than: I’ve done them some huge favours over the years as a party, give me something back. We might have a conversation.”

The shadow chancellor is to be congratulated for confidently forging a reputation for economic competence – but, with the political restraints she will inherit, turning the UK into a predictable place to invest and transact will be no mean feat, argues our editorial.

In her latest high-profile speech – Sir Keir Starmer is granting her vice-presidential billing in this “presidential” election – Ms Reeves capitalised on the open letter signed by 121 business leaders endorsing Labour’s plans and Labour’s polling lead on economic competence.

She wants Labour to be the party of business. The days when a Labour shadow chancellor would cheerfully throw out a random pledge to give everyone free broadband have, evidently, gone. She is, to borrow a phrase coined by a previous leader, a serious chancellor for serious times.

Read the full editorial here:

The Yellow Hammer 1 election bus has made a stop in Bath where Sir Ed Davey is talking to voters alongside Wera Hobhouse.

Ms Hobhouse first won the seat in 2017 and beats majority of 12,322 votes.

Sir Ed told campaigners: “They [voters] know it’s time for change and they know they need to get the Conservatives out of government.

“And they know in so many places like here in Bath, across the West Country, across the whole blue wall, it’s only the Liberal Democrats who can be the conservatives.”

The former CEO of Operation Black Vote has warned Labour will pay a political price for the way it treated Diane Abbott.

Simon Woolley, who was chair of race disparity at No 10, said the party has “48 hours to get this right”.

He added: “If the Labour Party treats Diane Abbott with utter disrespect the sad reality is there will be a political cost to pay, that black people will feel that they are being disrespected, working class people will feel they are being disrespected.

“There is a window of opportunity to get this right, but there will be a cost to pay, I fear, if they get this badly wrong.”

From firm firebrands to Christian socialists, Labour leaders have redefined themselves in line with the times, says Sean O’Grady.

He writes: “As if they couldn’t think of anything more interesting to ask the leader of the Labour Party during an election campaign, Keir Starmer has been tackled on the hot topic of socialism, and whether he is a true socialist. Surprisingly, given his track record, Starmer immediately agreed that he was – though his answer was given a generous garnish of progressivism.

“It is a little disconcerting because he has dumped many of the socialist pledges he made when campaigning for the Labour leadership, and has ruthlessly expunged the Corbynite left of the party. As Private Eye editor Ian Hislop might say: if he’s a socialist, I’m a banana.”

While Keir Starmer launches his NHS campaign day, Sinn Féin welcomes the head of the Royal College of Nursing as their new MP.

Pat Cullen, who was behind an unprecedented strike action last year, has revealed she will fight for the Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat.

She said: “It has been an honour to champion the rights of nurses as leader of the RCN.

“I am ready to lead as your MP, working to better the lives of workers, families & communities.”

The Scottish first minister has confirmed Nicola Sturgeon will be on the campaign trail as the party fights against the polls.

Asked whether the former SNP leader is an asset or a liability, he said: “Of course Nicola Sturgeon’s an asset.”

Mr Swinney added: “She’s an incredibly dynamic individual who led Scotland through really, really difficult times,” he said, adding that he has spoken to people who said they admired her leadership.

“Nicola is welcome on the campaign trail.”

Ms Sturgeon stepped away from the public eye amid Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform, which saw her arrested and later released without charge as officers investigate the spending of £600,000 of SNP funds.

Vaughan Gething will face a motion of no confidence next week following the end of the deal with Plaid Cymru.

The Labour leader has been engulfed in a series of rows after reports emerged claiming that he accepted a donation from a man convicted of environmental offences.

Mr Gething has also been criticised for refusing to provide evidence explaining why he sacked Senedd member Hannah Blythyn.

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said: “Next week Senedd members will have the chance to have their say on Vaughan Gething’s judgment, his transparency, and his truthfulness.

“The litany of unanswered questions has paralysed the Welsh Government to the point that Gething has been completely unable to take action to address record NHS waiting lists, sliding educational attainment and high economic inactivity.

“It’s time to put an end to the obfuscation, the drift and the infighting and vote no confidence in Vaughan Gething.”

The baby, Soren, was given the middle name Aneurin, after former Labour health secretary and founder of the NHS Aneurin Bevan.