General election latest: Keir Starmer to face questions on Sky News - as another Tory MP confirms they're standing down (2024)

Jeremy Corbyn is set to stand for re-election to parliament - but against the party he used to lead.

The former Labour leader will stand in the constituency of Islington North, which he has represented in the Commons since 1983, but as an independent, not a Labour candidate.

As he is standing against the Labour Party, this means he is automatically expelled as a member.

He told the Islington Tribune that he hopes to "represent the people of Islington North on exactly the same principles that I've stood by my whole life: social justice, human rights and peace".

Mr Corbyn said "these principles are needed now more than ever before", and vowed to defend "a genuine alternative to the corrupt years of this Tory government".

Sir Keir Starmereffectively barred his predecessor from ever standing as a Labour candidatewhen he proposed a motion by the party's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), which said Mr Corbyn "will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election".

It cited the dismal defeat Mr Corbyn led Labour to as leader in the 2019 general election in arguing his candidacy should be blocked and said the party's chances of securing a majority in the Commons would be "significantly diminished" if he was endorsed.

Mr Corbynhas been without the party whip- meaning he cannot sit as a Labour MP in the Commons - since 2020 following his response to a report into antisemitism within the party by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission,which Sir Keir and his allies felt downplayed the significance of the problemwhile he was leader.

The selection process for Labour's candidate for Islington North is under way, with hustings due to take place imminently between two short-listed candidates.

In January 2023, Rishi Sunak made five promises.

Since then, he and his ministers have rarely missed an opportunity to list them. In case you haven't heard, he promised to:

• Halve inflation
• Grow the economy
• Reduce debt
• Cut NHS waiting lists and times
• Stop the boats

See below how he is doing on these goals:

By Katie Spencer, arts and entertainment correspondent

Compared with Hollywood, Grimsby is perhaps more fish factory than dream factory - but just like La La Land, the Lincolnshire port town is aiming for the stars with ambitious plans to become a go-to location for filmmakers.

"Build it and hopefully they will come," is the belief of Emma Lingard, a resident who once worked in TV but is now a manager at Associated British Ports (ABP), the owners of Grimsby Docks.

"Every producer or location manager that has come to us is saying that London is overpriced," she says. "They're finding there are too many other productions jostling for the same space... so they're looking up North."

Seeing the potential, ABP has set up the Kasbah Film Quarter, based around some of its historic buildings. The plan is to expand by building a much sought-after resource in the UK - a sound stage, for soundproof recording of film and TV, as well as production hubs.

It might seem a stretch to compare Grimsby with the famous Hollywood film and musical Sunset Boulevard and its antagonist, the fading silent movie star Norma Desmond - but there are definite parallels as it tries to find its place in an industry that doesn't exist as it was.

You can read more from Sky News below:

John Redwood, the Conservative MP for Wokingham, has confirmed he will not run again for his seat at the general election.

Confirming this news on his website, the veteran Tory said: "I have decided not to put my name forward in the forthcoming election. I have other things I wish to do.

"It has been a privilege to represent Wokingham in nine parliaments. I have drawn many of my campaigns from the views I have heard on doorsteps and read in my email box.

"We have achieved good things together for our local community and the wider nation."

He joins more than 70 Conservative MPs who have confirmed they will not stand again at the election - and more than 100 in total.

The conversation then turns to Labour, and Claire Coutinho accuses the party of having "no plan" on energy security.

Pressed that they have announced Great British Energy, the minister said this is merely "a drop in the ocean".

She added: "It's a complete gimmick. And actually, when it comes to renewable energy, if you think that's the answer alone, no other country has done as much as us or very few.

"So offshore wind, for example, the most efficient type of renewable energy, the only country in the world that's built more than us is China."

She adds that "the Labour plan is not that they want to rush ahead of everyone else".

"And actually independent experts... have looked at some of their plans and said that they will hike taxes massively and increase people's energy bills."

In the last few minutes, we learned from Ofgem that average annual energy bill will be £506 cheaper than a year ago from July.

Reacting to this on Sky News, Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said it is "welcome news".

She added: "The thing people have struggled with the most, I would say, over the last yearhas been energy bills.

"So, this is the second biggest big cut that we've seen this year. In April, prices came down almost £250 off the average household bill. And today we're seeing another £122 come of people's bills.

"This is really welcome news."

The minister is asked to compare the price cap to other European nations, and insisted our gas prices are "now lower on average than other European countries".

She said: "Ifyou look at households in this country, 75% of households heating is gas. And actually that's now significantly lower than the European average.

"And when it comes to people's electricity bills, I'm setting out plans today because I want to see them continue to be lower for people.

"So whether it's standing charges, which we want to be fairer or more competition and comparison in the market or better regulation of energy brokers with businesses, today we're setting out further steps to make sure that people can keep their energy bills low."

The average annual energy bill will be £506 cheaper than a year ago from July, the sector's regulator has announced.

The energy price cap - which limits what can be charged per unit of energy - is due to fall from the month after next.

It means the average annual bill will be £1,568 a year, 7% less than at present.

Energy regulator Ofgem sets the cap four times a year, with the latest announcement applying from July to September.

The overall rate ofinflation which came downin April was in large part thanks to the current higher cap which came into effect that month and brought prices down for energy users.

You can read more from Sky News below:

Rishi Sunak is presenting himself as the underdog in this campaign.

In many ways it's remarkable that a prime minister can position like this, but the 20-point poll deficit means he feels he has no alternative. But can he pull it off?

He knows the job of the next six weeks is to change minds - to reintroduce himself to the British public and alter the way people think about him, which at this point in his premiership after 14 years of Tories in Number 10 is no mean feat.

He is the one that has to shake up the conversation.

But having followed his campaign across three of the four nations of the United Kingdom, on planes trains and wheels, it's rather unclear whether the campaign is set up to deliver this… whether he's taking a big enough risk with his approach.

The message at events is clear enough - Sunak is claiming he has returned economic and political stability after a difficult period, Labour offer uncertainty, and the challenges at home and abroad are growing.

You can read more from Sky News below:

Today is the second full day of the general election campaign, and all the main parties are out meeting with their members - and chatting with the public.

Here are the timings we know about - and what to look out for:

• This morning, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will complete his whistle-stop tour of the UK in Northern Ireland, and our deputy political editor Sam Coates is on the campaign bus with him;
• Later in the day, he will head back to England for more visits;
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is in Scotland, where he is speaking at an event with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar;
• He will then head to the North West;
• Sir Keir is also joining Sky News live at 8.45am;
• The Liberal Democrats are also on the campaign trail again today - with Sir Ed Davey visiting marginal constituencies along the South Coast;
• His party has announced a five-year plan to give patients a legal right to see a GP within a week or 24-hours if in urgent need.

There will be plently more to come throughout Friday - stay tuned.

With the general election campaign officially under way, what better time to keep a close eye on the latest polling?

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the trackerhere.