General election latest: Rishi Sunak apologises for leaving D-Day event early for TV interview

A TV debate featuring representatives from the UK’s seven main political parties will be the main event of the general election campaign today. 

Nigel Farage will represent Reform UK as he is given the opportunity to clash with Penny Mordaunt who will be flying the Tory flag and Angela Rayner who will be there for Labour. 

There will also be representatives from the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru, with proceedings due to get underway at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Before the debate, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will both be turning their full attention back to campaign events after a pause to attend D-Day commemorations yesterday.

Mr Sunak will be in the South West of England to unveil a Tory pledge to make child benefit rules more generous while Sir Keir will visit a housing development in London to mark a new Labour pledge to allow first-time buyers to use the state as their mortgage guarantor. 

Elsewhere, John Swinney, the SNP leader, will deliver a speech in Glasgow this morning. Meanwhile, the formal deadline for general election candidate nominations is 5pm.