Teenagers who refuse National Service could forfeit driving licence, Sunak suggests

Young people who refuse to do national service could forfeit their driving licences and be denied access to student loans, Rishi Sunak has suggested.

The Prime Minister said there would need to be “a set of sanctions and incentives” to ensure compliance with a new scheme proposed by the Tories.

When asked how he would make youngsters take part, he suggested the UK could adopt punitive measures used by other European nations.

The Tories have included plans for a new national service scheme in their manifesto.

Under the plans every 18-year-old would have to spend either a year in the military or the equivalent of one weekend a month in a volunteering role.

Mr Sunak was pressed on how he would enforce the scheme, which the Conservatives say would be compulsory, during a leaders’ special of Question Time.

He said: “You’ll have a set of sanctions and incentives and we will look at the models that are existing around Europe to get the appropriate mix of those.”

Asked what that meant, he added: “There’s all sorts of things that people do across Europe, whether that’s looking at driving licences, other access to finance.”

It is understood the Prime Minister was referring to schemes which mean people who refuse to do national service can face sanctions related to driving licences or student loans.

Ten European states have national service - Austria, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Mr Sunak said that a Royal Commission would be set up to examine the best options on incentives and sanctions and report back to Government.

A Tory source said such a commision would look at best practice from other comparable counties and decide on appropriate measures for the UK.

He said other countries have sanctions on student finance and driving licences, and that Mr Sunak was not saying those are good for the UK.

The Prime Minister was one of four main party leaders taking part in a BBC Question Time programme on Thursday night.

Election date gambling row

During a grilling from audience members Mr Sunak was also confronted about the row over alleged betting on the election date engulfing his party.

It emerged this week that a second Conservative candidate and the party’s campaigns director were being looked into by the Gambling Commission.

The watchdog is examining bets allegedly placed by Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West, and her husband, Tony Lee, who is now on leave of absence from his job at party headquarters.

Last week the Prime Minister’s parliamentary private secretary, Tory candidate Craig Williams, apologised for placing a £100 bet that the election would be in July.

Mr Sunak said that he was “incredibly angry to learn of these allegations” but refused to say that the two candidates involved should be barred by the party.

He said: “All I can say is they are serious investigations. It’s right that they are done thoroughly, confidentially, the integrity of that process should be respected.

“But what I can tell you is that if anyone is found to have broken the rules not only should they face the full consequences of the law but I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”

Mr Sunak was pressed by one audience member over his plans to reduce record levels of migration, which includes a clampdown on dependents’ visas.

He said that migrants made a big contribution to the UK but that “levels of migration that we have seen are too high and they need to come down”.

“What we have done is say that people are going to bring family members here, they just need to be able to support them.

“I think that’s reasonable because anyone who comes to this country obviously adds to the pressure on public services. That is a very common sense measure.”

Mr Sunak was then grilled on whether social care staff who come to Britain from overseas should be paid more so they were able to support their families.

He replied: “We have a dedicated visa for social care because we know how important it is and we need to make sure that we do get the right workers.”

Mr Sunak’s appearance came at the end of a bruising week for the Tories with several polls predicting that the party was on course for an electoral wipeout.

A Savanta MRP poll for The Telegraph found the party would be down to little more than 50 seats, with more than 20 Cabinet ministers losing their seats.

In that scenario even Mr Sunak would be kicked out of office, becoming the first ever sitting prime minister to lose their seat in an election.

Mr Sunak told the BBC Question Time audience he believed he had chosen the right moment to call the General Election.

“It was the right moment to call the election, for the reasons that I have outlined.”

Asked if he was glad to have called the election, he added: “I am.”

10:50 PM BST

That’s all for this evening...

Thank you for following The Telegraph’s liveblog coverage of the BBC Question Time election special.

My colleague Jack Maidment will be back tomorrow morning to bring you the latest.

10:46 PM BST

Sir David Davis: I am angry about allegations of election date betting

Sir David Davis said he was “angry” about allegations that Tory figures placed bets on the date of the general election.

“Like the Prime Minister, I’m angry about it. I mean, look, it’s in the middle of a criminal investigation. So the Prime Minister is quite right not to step into it.

“I’m disappointed and if it’s true it’ll be a disgrace. But we’ve got to wait.”

The former Brexit secretary added he was not worried about the threat of Reform in the polls, saying the polls have been wrong at “every single” election he has taken part in.

10:33 PM BST

PM was at ‘the top of his game’ says minister

The Prime Minister was at “the top of his game” during the BBC Question Time leaders’ special, a minister has said.

Bim Afolami, the economic secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: “I don’t think it was the difficult night. I think the Prime Minister performed incredibly well.

“I think that yes, you’re right that the news of the day was difficult, but look at the performance the Prime Minister turned out.

“It was strong, resolute, decisive, clear. At times he was willing to do that thing that people like you will say politicians don’t do which is challenge the audience, say where he disagreed.

“And actually, what I heard at the end was an audience that saw a guy, a Prime Minister, at the top of his game, serious and understanding the challenges the country faces.”

10:33 PM BST

Starmer ‘will say just what he thinks you want to hear’ say Tories

Sir Keir Starmer “will say just what he thinks you want to hear”, the Tories have said.

A spokesman for the Conservative Party said: “It was clear from the debate tonight that Keir Starmer will say just what he thinks you want to hear.

“What he didn’t say is that his tax trap manifesto does not add up and he is planning to raise tax. Raise council tax, impose the Retirement tax and tax the family home, this will cost hard working families at least £2,094.

“A vote for anyone other than the Conservatives will hand Starmer a super majority to raise your taxes and rig our elections for a generation.”

10:29 PM BST

Tory minister sets out election dividing lines

Kevin Hollinrake, a business minister, said the key dividing lines between Labour and the Conservatives were tax and migration.

Mr Hollinrake told reporters: “People can choose between lower taxes and lower migration under a Conservative government or higher taxes and higher migration under Labour.”

“He’s been very clear these are very difficult decisions to potentially exclude ourselves from parts of the ECHR, and not let the European Court in Strasbourg stop us doing what we need to in terms of controlling legal migration.

“We should be clear that we are going to tackle this issue, whatever the resistance in parliament and whatever resistance in other parts of our society, because it’s the right thing to do.”

10:26 PM BST

‘Cynicism is a big challenge’ for Labour, says Streeting

“Cynicism is a big challenge” for Labour despite projections of a landslide election victory, Wes Streeting has said.

The shadow health secretary said the scandal over bets placed on the date of the general election was an example of the “Conservative clown show continuing”.

He told reporters: “So many lifelong Conservative voters that I’ve been speaking to over the last four weeks are now looking to Labour as the alternative and our challenge in the next fortnight is to persuade people that politics can make a difference, that voting can change things.

“We’re not inhaling the polls. We know that. You know, cynicism is a big challenge and the Conservative Party’s message to Labour supporters is put your feet up, stay at home. There’s no need to vote for change because Labour’s going to be in government anyway. We know that.

“You know, elections are hard and there are still millions upon millions of votes to be cast in this election. Anything can happen. So we’re working hard for every single vote up to 10pm on July 4.”

10:19 PM BST

Watch: Audience shouts ‘shame on you’ at Sunak

10:18 PM BST

Sunak: ‘It was the right moment to call the election’

Rishi Sunak said he believed he had chosen the right moment to call the General Election.

He told the BBC Question Time audience: “It was the right moment to call the election, for the reasons that I have outlined.”

Asked if he was glad to have called the election, he added: “I am.”

The Prime Minister compared his current prospects to those he had during the Tory leadership contest of 2022.

Mr Sunak said: “Even though people didn’t want to hear it at the time, I kept going, I kept saying what I thought was right for this country, I kept going until the end and you know what? I was proved right then.

“And that is why you can trust me now when I say that what Keir Starmer is promising you is the same fantasy as Liz Truss did and it is just going to make your taxes go up and that matters to me because I don’t want that to happen.”

10:15 PM BST

Lib Dems: Sunak has gone from ‘ducking D-Day to blundering on betting’

Rishi Sunak has gone from “ducking D-Day to blundering on betting”, the Liberal Democrats have said.

Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem education spokesman, said: “Rishi Sunak has gone from ducking D-Day to blundering on betting. If he was truly angry about this scandal these Conservative candidates would have been suspended.

“He is more interested in taking away young people’s bank accounts if they don’t do National Service than investing in their education.

She added: “From a flatlining economy to an NHS on its knees, his performance showed why we cannot let Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party gamble with our country’s future again.”

10:11 PM BST

Rishi Sunak’s performance was ‘abject failure’ say Labour

Rishi Sunak faces questions on the general election betting scandal from Labour in the aftermath to the Question Time special.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s campaign coordinator, described the Prime Minister’s performance as an “abject failure”.

He added: “On the candidates involved in the insider betting scandal, does he think they would be good MPs? Will he campaign for them? Does he want his cabinet colleagues to campaign for them? Does he think they are fit to hold office as Ministers? How many more Tory politicians or officials are involved in this?

“When he became leader after the Liz Truss disaster he had a chance to change his party. He flunked it. He put his party before his country. And the consequences of that failure were on full show tonight.”

10:08 PM BST

Sunak attacks Starmer over Corbyn

10:07 PM BST

Who do you believe won the Question Time special?

We have now heard from Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer, John Swinney and Sir Ed Davey on the BBC Question Time election special.

Who do you think performed the best? You can vote in our poll below:

10:06 PM BST

Audience members shout ‘shame on you’ as Sunak suggests he could leave ECHR

Rishi Sunak faced calls of “shame on you” as he suggested that he would be prepared to leave the European Court of Human Rights to make his Rwanda plan work.

He told a voter in the audience: “Sir, with the greatest respect, we do not need a foreign court to tell us how to police our own borders and our security, right?”

He added: “And I believe everything we’re doing is in compliance with our international obligations but if I’m put in a position where I’m forced to choose between those things, I’m going to put our country’s national security first every single time. And I make absolutely no apology about that.”

Several in the crowd then shouted: “Shame, shame, shame on you.”

Boos and jeers could also be heard during the programme’s closing credits, obscured by Question Time’s theme tune.

09:57 PM BST

Readers’ views on Rishi Sunak’s performance

09:56 PM BST

‘Of course’ I have regrets, says Sunak

Rishi Sunak has been asked if he has any regrets, as Labour is so far ahead in the polls.

The Prime Minister told Question Time: “Of course, no one gets everything right, and I’ve been very open about that, and I completely understand people’s frustrations with me, with the Conservative Party, but what this election is about is about the future.”

He added: “As I said, I wish we’d made more progress on the waiting list. I’ve been very open about that. I wish we had made more progress on the waiting list because to me, we haven’t made as much progress as I would have liked.”

09:54 PM BST

Other countries are agreeing with our approach to illegal migration, says Sunak

Sir Keir Starmer would lead to the UK becoming the “soft touch of Europe” on illegal migration at a time when “multiple other European countries are agreeing that our approach is the right approach”, Rishi Sunak has claimed.

Defending his Rwanda plan, Mr Sunak said: “If Keir Starmer is your Prime Minister, the illegal migrants that we’ve detained will be out on the streets.

“They won’t be on those planes. We will become the soft touch of Europe, just at a time when multiple other European countries are agreeing that our approach is the right approach, and that’s what I want to deliver for you as your Prime Minister, if you give me the chance.”

09:47 PM BST

NHS is doing more than its done in its history, Sunak insists

Rishi Sunak has been grilled over the growing NHS waiting lists, insisting that the health service was carrying out more checks and tests “than it has done in its history”.

He told Question Time: “The NHS is today, carrying out more checks, tests, scans, operations, treatments, appointments, than it’s done in its history. But when you’re dealing with six million missed referrals that we are now catching up on it is going to take time to get them down.”

Answering a question from an NHS worker, he said: “I absolutely acknowledge your concerns. You and your colleagues are working very hard.

“You’re doing more than we’ve ever done before, but the situation is challenging, because we are dealing with the backlog of missed appointments that you are very well aware of, and I’m sure you were working hard during Covid. You saw what didn’t happen during that period.”

09:40 PM BST

Anyone who has broken law over general election bets will be ‘booted out’ of Tory Party, says Sunak

If anyone has broken the law over betting on the general election they should face “the full force of the law”, Rishi Sunak has said.

Tony Lee, the Conservative Party’s director of campaigning has taken a “leave of absence” while he is investigated over an alleged bet on the election date.

It had earlier emerged that his wife, Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West, was facing an inquiry by the Gambling Commission.

Craig Williams, Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, is also facing questions from the gambling watchdog after admitting he “had a flutter” on the date.

Responding to the allegations, Mr Sunak said: “I was incredibly angry, incredibly angry to learn of these allegations. It’s a really serious matter. It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities, including, as Fiona said, a criminal investigation by the police.

“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law, and that’s what those investigations are there to do, and I hope that they do their work as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.”

He added: “What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”

09:39 PM BST

Sunak fails to say what sanctions would be in place for those who refused national service

Rishi Sunak has failed to say what kind of sanctions would be in place for young people who refused to do national service.

Asked how it would be made compulsory, the Prime Minister said: “You’ll have a set of sanctions, and incentives, and we will look at the models that are existing around Europe for the appropriate mix of those.”

Asked for examples, Mr Sunak said: “There’s all sorts of things across Europe, whether that’s looking at driving licenses, other access to finance, all sorts of other things.”

Pressed on what that meant, the Prime Minister said: “There’s a range of things, and we will have a Royal Commission look at all of those, come back to the government and recommend what the appropriate mix of incentives and sanctions is.”

09:32 PM BST

Sunak asked whether he feels any ‘embarrassment’ over leading Tories

Rishi Sunak immediately came under fire after the first question put to him was whether he felt any “embarrassment” over leading the Conservatives after seven prime ministers.

He told Question Time: “When I first got this job, I stood on the steps of Downing Street and spoke to all of you as prime minister for the first time, and I acknowledge that.

“I said very clearly that mistakes had been made, and that’s why I was standing there in front of you. In fact, you may remember I spent the summer before that arguing against the policies that my predecessor had suggested were right.

“I didn’t think they were right for the country, and I said so. But what I’d ask you to do is judge me on my 18 months that I’ve been in office. I came in with one primary job, and that was to bring back economic stability after the difficult few years that we’ve had.”

09:29 PM BST

Starmer: I am a common sense politician

Sir Keir Starmer claimed he was a “common sense politician” when asked why he had not kept a promise to abolish university tuition fees.

Asked why he had backtracked on the pledge, the Labour leader told the Question Time audience: “We don’t have the money to do everything we want to do. We do want to change the tuition fees.

“But I have a choice to make, which was of the available money do I use it for getting rid of the tuition fees… or do I use that money to get our waiting lists down? That is a political decision and I took it.

“I am not going to do the tuition fees abolition, because I want to put that money to get our NHS back on its feet.”

Sir Keir also said he chose Labour’s plan for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies over nationalising energy companies, as the latter would require huge amounts of money to “pay off the shareholders”.

The Labour leader said: “I am a common sense politician. I work through the issues and to me it did not make sense to nationalise energy and not get the bills down, so I decided we would go for getting the bills down.”

09:29 PM BST

Starmer defends private schools VAT policy

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his VAT policy on private schools, saying that “all parents are aspirational for their children”.

He told Question Time: “Look on private schools, I completely understand that families up and down the country work hard and save hard to send their children to private school because they’re aspirational for their children, but all parents are aspirational for their children.”

“Every single parent, every single child, wherever they come from, whatever their background and whichever school they go to, (should) have the same opportunities.”

09:25 PM BST

Readers’ views on how Sir Keir Starmer is doing on Question Time

09:23 PM BST

Starmer challenged on his views on gender

Sir Keir Starmer has been challenged on his views over trans issues.

Asked about his historic views on gender, the Labour leader said: “Look on the biology. I agree what Tony Blair said the other day, in relation to men having penises and women having vaginas.”

He added: “There are some people who don’t identify with the gender that they’re born into, and they go through a lot of anxiety and distress. And my view in life is to respect and give dignity to everyone, whatever their position and I will always do that.”

Sir Keir said: “I was worried at the time... by the way in which the debate was being conducted, because it got very toxic, very divided, very hard line, and we lost sight of people in that, so much so that that drags you to a place where we end up, as we did,  with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom making a trans joke in Parliament when the mother of a murder trans teenager was watching out, that is a shocking place to get to.”

09:15 PM BST

Watch: Sir Ed Davey refuses to rule out entering coalition

09:12 PM BST

Our plans to get NHS waiting lists down is ‘an ask of staff’ says Starmer

Our policy plan to cut the waiting lists is “an ask of staff” in the NHS, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Asked by a nurse on Question Time how he’d tackle the crisis in the NHS, he said: “The first thing I’d say is we would treat you with respect.

And I say that because we have a Prime Minister who, 18 months or so ago said, ‘I’m going to get the waiting list down’, and he said, ‘hold me personally responsible’.

And now he hasn’t gotten down because they’ve gone up… he blames you, he blames the NHS staff, we will never do that, because I know how hard you work, all of the time, in Covid in particular.

He added: “We do have to take the pressure off the waiting list. Now that is an ask of staff. It is an ask of staff, I’m not going to say otherwise, because it will be working evenings and weekends to get those lists down.”

You can read more about the Labour manifesto here

09:05 PM BST

Starmer refuses to say whether or not he believed Corbyn would have made a good PM

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether or not he believed Jeremy Corbyn would have been a good prime minister.

Asked several times about whether he meant it when he said that Mr Corbyn would make a “great” prime minister while serving in his shadow Cabinet, Sir Keir said: “It wasn’t a question that really arose because I didn’t think we were going to win the election.”

Asked again, he said: “I was campaigning for the Labor Party, and I’m glad I did.”

He told Question Time: “In 2019 I campaigned for the Labor Party, as I’ve always campaigned for the Labour Party. I wanted good colleagues to be returned to Parliament. I knew we had a job and a half to do as a Labour Party because I didn’t think we were going to win that election.

“Afterwards, because we got the worst results since 1935, the electorate clearly gave their verdict, we did a lot of work on how we needed to change the party.”

09:01 PM BST

Starmer booed as he came onto Question Time stage

Sir Keir Starmer was booed as he came on stage at the BBC Question Time leader’s special.

The jeers were heard immediately after host Fiona Bruce announced his name.

They were briefly drowned out by the programme’s theme tune before being heard again as he stepped up to the lectern in front of the crowd.

The majority of those in attendance applauded the Labour leader.

08:59 PM BST

Swinney: Tories ‘can’t be out of office quick enough’

John Swinney has said that it is a “racing certainty” that Labour will win the election in England, and called the Conservative Government a “total disaster and a calamity”.

Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak would be a better leader in Westminster for Scotland, Mr Swinney said: “Look, I think that the Conservative Government has been a total disaster and a calamity, so it can’t be out of office quick enough.

He added: “I think it’s an absolute racing certainty that the Labour Party will win the election in England, and I hope people in Scotland will recognise the importance of having strong SNP voices in the House of Commons, who will argue for decisions to remain in Scotland for Scotland, and not put into people in Scotland first.”

08:55 PM BST

Sunak’s authorisation of new oil and gas licences is ‘utterly irresponsible’

Rishi Sunak’s decision to authorise new oil and gas licences in the North Sea is “utterly irresponsible” and is “essentially to deny the climate emergency”, John Swinney has said.

He told Question Time: “The Prime Minister has said that he would authorise 100 new oil and gas licenses. I think that’s completely and utterly irresponsible. It is essentially to deny the climate emergency, and I would have nothing to do with that.

“But what I do want to make sure is that we can work with the oil and gas sector to support it in making the transition to net zero, because we will actually need lots of the skills in the oil and gas sector to be available to help us with the transition to net zero.”

08:52 PM BST

Brexit means Scotland deserves a second referendum, says Swinney

Brexit caused a “very material change in circumstances that merits another referendum” on an independent Scotland, John Swinney has said.

Asked whether Scotland should be able to have a referendum on rejoining the EU or the Single Market, he said: “I think it’s a very good point, because in 2016 Scotland voted emphatically to stay in the European Union.

“And one of the things we were told in the 2014 independence referendum in Scotland was that our European Union membership was guaranteed by voting no to independence.

He added: “Two years later, the absolute opposite of what was promised actually came to pass. So, for me, that’s a very, very material change in circumstances that merits another referendum on the question of independence, because one of the fundamental building blocks of the arguments against independence was about the continuity of EU membership.”

08:46 PM BST

Swinney defends SNP record

John Swinney has defended the record of the SNP, after one voter asks if the party can still be trusted “after it appears the party has destroyed itself from the top down”.

The SNP leader said: “Let me perhaps set out some of the things that we’ve done since we came to office.

“For example, GDP per capita in Scotland, the growth of the economy has been faster in Scotland than the rest of the United Kingdom. Productivity in the Scottish economy has grown faster under the SNP government than it has in the rest of the United Kingdom.”

08:43 PM BST

Lib Dem team pleased with Sir Ed Davey’s performance

Save for plenty of laughter at Fiona Bruce’s joke about when he met his wife, the spin room was fairly muted as Sir Ed Davey took questions, Dominic Penna reports from York.

The Liberal Democrat team here is pleased with the performance of his leader, who faced tough questioning on the Post Office Horizon scandal, tuition fees and his offer to the country.

After what they admit was a deliberately silly start to the campaign, with Sir Ed grabbing headlines for a series of stunts across the country, it has taken on a more serious and sober tone since the manifesto launch.

The applause enjoyed by Sir Ed when he railed against water giants over the sewage scandal suggests this quietly resolute focus on Britain’s polluted waters, as well as the social care and NHS crises, is starting to pay off.

But how that plays out at the ballot box on July 4 remains anyone’s guess.

08:41 PM BST

Swinney: The UK Government should let us put the question of independence to Scotland

John Swinney has blamed the UK Government for not allowing the SNP to put “the concept” of independence to the public.

He told voters: “I honestly believe that Scotland would be a stronger country and would have better prospects if we were an independent country.

“That’s been my view, my honest view, for all of my entire adult life. but I’m a democrat, so I accept that we can’t be an independent country until the people of Scotland vote for us to be an independent country. And I do believe in the right of the people of Scotland to decide their own future.”

He added: “One of the frustrations I’ve got is that today in the Scottish Parliament, there is a majority in favour of there being a referendum on independence and that Scotland should be an independent country.

“But we are not being permitted by the United Kingdom Government to put that idea and that concept to the public, and I think we should have the right to do so.”

08:39 PM BST

Swinney: I may have played a part in polarisation of politics

John Swinney, leader of the SNP, has now taken to the stage to take questions from voters.

He has said that he believes that there is a need to “bring people together” in politics, and he is “worried” about the polarisation of politics.

Mr Swinney said: “One of the things that really worries me about politics today, and accept that I might actually have played a part in creating this, is the polarisation of debate.

“I think there’s a need to bring people together and when I became First Minister just six and a half weeks ago, I pledged that I would reach out beyond my party to other parties, to other opinions, to try to bring people together, because I think what’s wrong with our society today, is that we’re not together.

“We are polarised, and we have to bring people back together.”

08:31 PM BST

Why did you think of Sir Ed Davey’s performance?

08:31 PM BST

Davey: I understand why young people lost faith in the Lib Dems

Sir Ed Davey said he understands why people no longer trust the Liberal Democrats after they abandoned their pledge to scrap tuition fees in the coalition years, but said his party has learned lessons.

During the BBC’s Question Time special, the Liberal Democrat leader said: “I understand why your generation lost faith in us. It was a difficult government to be in.”

He added: “The thing I learned from that process – the whole process, fees, but other things too – was you shouldn’t promise what you can’t deliver, and I think we did in 2010.”

Asked if he’s making promises he can’t commit to in the current election campaign, Sir Ed replied: “Absolutely not. It was the big lesson I learned.”

He later added that the coalition years were “very scarring”.

08:30 PM BST

Tories release attack ad: ‘The Lib Dems aren’t a joke’

08:24 PM BST

Telegraph readers’ views on Sir Ed Davey’s performance

08:23 PM BST

Davey questioned on whether Lib Dems appeal to voters in the North of England

The Liberal Democrat leader has been challenged on whether or not they appeal to voters in the North of England.

Sir Ed Davey told a voter from the North of England: “Well, I’m hoping that you like our manifesto and the things I’m saying tonight, there are seats in Greater Manchester that I’m really sure we can win, Hazel Grove and Cheadle in Stockport, part of Greater Manchester.

“We’re looking really good to beat the Conservatives in those seats. And there are parts of the North, (I was) in Sheffield earlier today with our candidate in Sheffield Hallam, I think we can actually beat Labour there. I’m going to Harrogate tomorrow.

“So there are parts of the North, but it is true that the vast majority of seats that I think we can win at this election are in the Home Counties.”

08:15 PM BST

Davey questioned on whether he thinks he can become PM

Sir Ed Davey has been questioned on whether or not he believes he can become prime minister.

Asked whether he believed he could, he said: “I’m realistic about our chances. Right, we’ve had three very bad elections… and when I became leader, I said my top priority was to defeat as many Conservative MPs as possible.”

Asked again by Fiona Bruce, Sir Ed said becoming prime minister would be “challenging given the polls.”

“But I don’t want to put a ceiling on our ambition”, he added.

08:09 PM BST

Davey defends time in coalition with the Tories

Sir Ed Davey has defended his time serving in coalition with the Conservatives.

Questioned about the Liberal Democrats’ credibility after serving in coalition with the Tories, Sir Ed said: “It was very difficult governing with the Conservatives, we couldn’t get everything we wanted.

“You either had to stay in and fight inside the government or leave. I think the easy choice for me would be to leave, vote against it, and tour the media studios and complain. The hard choice was to stay in, roll my sleeves and really fight.”

He added that he was “not proud of some of our votes” when the Liberal Democrats were in coalition.

08:05 PM BST

Sir Ed Davey denies he will ‘bankrupt’ the country

Sir Ed Davey has been challenged on his spending plans, with the first question put to the Liberal Democrat leader asking if he was going to “bankrupt” the country.

Sir Ed told Question Time: “The answer is no. We put forward a very detailed, costed manifesto, and it’s got a big health and social care package at the centre of about £9 billion and other things, for example, helping with free school meals, with cost of living, and we’ve shown how we’ll pay for everything we’ve got in that.”

08:01 PM BST

Spin room hots up as Question Time begins

The spin room here in York is already a hive of activity with journalists and broadcasters gearing up for the night ahead, writes Dominic Penna.

Snacks and sandwiches have been laid on for those in attendance as party aides and MPs begin to work the room.

Bim Afolami, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, and Sir David Davis, a former Brexit secretary, are among the star guests wheeled out by the Tories. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, is expected to be spinning for Labour.

Many believe this election is already a foregone conclusion. The prominence of the event tonight represents one of the last chances to shift the dial for Rishi Sunak, while Sir Keir Starmer will want to be careful to avoid any unforced errors that could jeopardise his 20-point poll lead.

07:46 PM BST

Sunak to lose seat in Tory wipeout, major poll predicts

The BBC special comes a day after the Telegraph revealed that Rishi Sunak is predicted to become the first sitting prime minister ever to lose their seat at a general election.

The Conservatives are also on track to slump to just 53 seats, with around three-quarters of the Cabinet voted out, a major opinion poll for The Telegraph has revealed.

The Liberal Democrats are on course to be just behind the Tories on 50 MPs, according to the Savanta and Electoral Calculus polling analysis, leaving them in touching distance of becoming the official opposition.

Labour is forecast to have 516 seats and an estimated House of Commons majority of 382 – double that won by Sir Tony Blair in 1997 – as Sir Keir Starmer becomes prime minister.

07:21 PM BST

Pictured: Ed Davey and John Swinney arrive

07:16 PM BST

What could the leaders be grilled on?

The party leaders are likely to face questions on the economy, the NHS, and immigration, among other topics.

Rishi Sunak may also have to face a grilling over two Conservative Party candidates under investigation for betting on the date of the general election by the Gambling Commission.

Sir Keir Starmer has previously come under fire during previous televised debates for his support for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 and 2019, so he may face questions about that.

07:14 PM BST

What is the format?

Each of the four leaders will face 30 minutes of questions from the Question Time audience, appearing individually one after another.

Sir Ed Davey will go first for the Liberal Democrats, then John Swinney for the SNP, then Sir Keir Starmer for Labour and finally Rishi Sunak for the Tories.

07:12 PM BST

Who is appearing on Question Time tonight?

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will face questions from the audience, as well as John Swinney for the Scottish National Party and Sir Ed Davey for the Liberal Democrats.

Nigel Farage and Adrian Ramsey will be appearing on another Question Time special next week for Reform UK and the Green Party.

07:07 PM BST

Hello and welcome to our live coverage

We’re bringing you the latest updates this evening as Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer face off in a BBC Question Time election special.

Genevieve Holl-Allen, political reporter, will be bringing you the latest news and analysis as the evening unfolds.

The BBC election special begins at 8pm.