General election latest: Labour 'not turning off the taps' on oil and gas with clean power plans, Keir Starmer insists (2024)

By Faye Brown, political reporter

The Liberal Democrats have announced plans for free school meals for all primary school children funded by a new share buyback tax.

In a policy announcement that could put pressure on Labour, the Lib Dems said the plan would begin with an immediate extension of free school meals to all 900,000 children living in poverty who currently miss out.

The second phase would see all primary school children receiving free school meals as the public finances stabilise.

The pledge, to be included in the Lib Dem's manifesto, would be funded by a 4% levy on the share buybacks of FTSE 100 listed corporations.

This is similar to the excise tax on buybacks implemented by President Biden in the US and could raise around £1.4bn a year, the party said.

A share buyback is when companies buy back their own shares from the market to increase their price - essentially so they can return excess cash to their shareholders.

Critics have warned this can come at the expense of productive investment in the economy.

Read more about the plans here:

Former Tory MP Aaron Bell, who represented Newcastle-under-Lyme until parliament was dissolved yesterday, has announced he will not be standing at this general election.

In an open letter posted on Facebook, Mr Bell said: "It is with a very heavy heart that I have decided not to contest the forthcoming general election, for personal and family reasons.

"Being an MP has taken a considerable toll on me."

Mr Bell went on to say he was proud to have served under Rishi Sunak's government, and thanked his wife and three children for their support and "sacrifices".

Mr Bell has served as an MP since December 2019 and has been an assistant whip since November 2023.

Julian Knight, the former MP for Solihull, has announced he will stand as an independent candidate at this general election.

Mr Knight,51, was suspended as a Conservative in December 2022 after a serious sexual assault allegation was made against him.

He has always maintained his innocence and on 2 April,the Metropolitan Police dropped the investigationwithout questioning Mr Knight.

But he remained suspended from the Tory party as the chief whip, who organises the party's MPs, said "further complaints" had been made against him - allegations he rejects (more here).

He announced late last month he would be standing down at this general election - but has now changed his mind.

Mr Knight wrote in a post on X: "After discussions with family, Conservative members and constituents I have decided to run as an independent in the forthcoming election.

"Solihull deserves more than a whips appointed candidate who doesn't get the issues."

He went on to say he has been "forced out of the party after an entirely false allegation", which, he added, is "now being investigated by police for perversion of the course of justice".

"It's important to make a stand. People should not lose their position because of a false allegation."

He concluded by saying that Rishi Sunak is "a disastrous campaigner" and Solihull would be "best served by an independent" while a Labour government is in power.

By Tom Parmenter, national correspondent

Prioritising older voters while forcing teenagers into national service has been described as "outright wrong" in Sky News' Target Towns.

The early stages of the campaign have seen the Conservatives offering a pensions "triple lock plus" while also promising to force 18-year-olds to dedicate time to the military or community service.

Labour has vowed to maintain the pensions triple lock for the duration of the next Parliament, if elected.

Inside a boxing fitness class laid on for elderly residents of a care home in Grimsby, Sky News heard concerns about an emerging generational divide.

Sydney Ballard, 18, has just started a student work placement at the care home. She said she wanted to see fewer dividing lines in politics.

Read more here:

On 12 June, Sky News will be hosting an election leaders event in Grimsby - a key marginal seat and one of our Target Towns this election year.

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the Conservative leader Rishi Sunak have been invited to attend, and we are looking for a live audience to join us on the night.

If you would like to be part of this studio audience, and be given the opportunity to ask a question to one of the party leaders, please complete the short questionnaire in this link.

By Tomos Evans, Wales reporter

The Welsh Conservatives have focused on Labour's record in Wales as they launched their general election campaign on Friday.

Wales Secretary David TC Davies and the Conservatives' Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies launched the campaign at a farm in Chepstow, Monmouthshire.

They said they were the only party who had a "clear, bold plan to deliver a secure future for Wales".

Recently-announced Conservative policies including national service for 18-year-olds were at the forefront of the Welsh launch.

Mr TC Davies said a Conservative UK government would "get Wales moving" by boosting rail connections between North West England and North Wales.

They also pledged to deliver "nuclear power back to North Wales" and "ensuring personal security for pensioners".

"We will give our young people the best start in life with the national service scheme which will support communities and keep our country safe," he added.

Senedd Tory leader Mr RT Davies said Labour "cannot be trusted to run Wales, so they cannot be trusted to run the United Kingdom".

Yesterday saw Welsh Labour launch its general election campaign, also in Monmouthsire, as Sir Keir Starmer joined Wales's first minister Vaughan Gething in Abergavenny.

Sir Keir pledged there would be "no more conflict" between the Welsh first minister and UK prime minister were Labour to win the election.

Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru launched their campaign in Bangor, Gwynedd, with leader Rhun ap Iorwerth saying "no more to ignoring Wales at Westminster".

The Welsh Liberal Democrats launched their campaign in Knighton, Powys, on Wednesday, pledging to stand up for Wales's farming communities.

Sir Keir Starmer is asked next about polling that shows that while support for Labour is rising, support for independence is not falling.

Asked if his goal is to see that support fall after five years of a Labour government, he replies: "I do understand the sentiment that leads a number of people to say after 14 years of being shackled to this Tory government in Westminster, we'd be better off out."

But he says the election could be "a game-changer", saying: "If people want change, if they want a better Scotland, a different relationship across the UK between the four nations - that is part of the change we can bring about in this election."

He promises that he will "deliver for Scotland" and not be "in conflict".

That concludes Sir Keir Starmer's event in the West of Scotland.

It was reported this morning that the Labour leader used a private jet to travel to Scotland to launch his green energy investment vehicle, GB Energy.

Sir Keir Starmer is asked about those reports, and confirms they are true.

"We did use a private jet because we needed to get very quickly to Scotland from Wales yesterday, and we have to use the most efficient form of transport in the middle of a very, very busy general election campaign.

"We offset the carbon, we always do whenever we use transport in the air."

He adds: "We've got five weeks to take our argument to the country, I need to get across the country to speak to as many people as possible, and from time to time we have to do it as efficiently as possible."

Next, the Labour leaders are asked about reducing the number of drugs deaths in Scotland.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said there is a "a health emergency" in Scotland around this.

"One thing that we cannot escape from is we have the exact same drugs laws in every part of the UK, but we have three times the number of drug deaths here in Scotland.

"And frankly, I find it really shameful the SNP want to use that emergency, where people are losing their lives every single day, as another grievance tool between Scotland and the UK."

He argues that Scotland needs to "reverse the cuts to the alcohol and drug partnerships, we have to get more investment in the rehabilitation beds that were promised by the SNP and not delivered, and we have got to make sure we are supporting those communities around, for example, family breakdowns, those who have mental health crises, lack of access to employment, lack of access to adequate levels of housing".

Sir Keir Starmer adds: "So the question for the SNP is not who can you find to blame, what constitutional excuse can you make, but how did this happen on your watch?

"How did this get so bad on your watch? It's shocking to see the statistics and the human beings that are behind those statistics."

A Daily Record reporter is next to put a question to the Labour leader, and he asks about suspended MSP Michael Matheson's refusal to resign.

MSPs voted to suspend Scotland's former health secretary from Holyrood for 27 sitting days and to strip him of his salary for 54 days after running up an £11,000 iPad data roaming bill (more here).

Sir Keir Starmer says the scandal shows that "the parallels with the Tories and the SNP are very striking now".

"You've got chaos and division, both in Westminster and with the SNP.

"You've got unelected leader after unelected leader in Westminster and with the SNP. And now on standards in public life, you've got the SNP picking up the Boris Johnson playbook."

Sir Keir went on to say that "there should be a recall petition" for Scottish voters to be able to remove their MSP if warranted.

He added: "It's worked well in our parliament, and we've had a number of by-elections which we've very much enjoyed."