Key points
- Leaders ramp up attacks as final days of campaigning begin
- Minister criticises 'celebrating' of Banksy migrant boat inflatable
- Ed Conway: The science and security of the exit poll
- Polls open in just three days on 4 July
- Live reporting by Faith Ridler
Election essentials
- Manifesto pledges:Conservatives|Greens|Labour|Lib Dems|Plaid|Reform|SNP
- Trackers:Who's leading polls?|Is PM keeping promises?
- Campaign Heritage:Memorable moments from elections gone by
- Follow Sky's politics podcasts:Electoral Dysfunction|Politics At Jack And Sam's
- Read more:Who is standing down?|Key seats to watch|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency is changing|Guide to election lingo
- How to watch election on Sky News
'Don't wake up to five more years of the Tories'
Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary, just handed out pillows to journalists on the Labour campaign bus - emblazoned with Rishi Sunak's face.
The pillows are printed with a mocked-up photo of the prime minister in bed and the words "Don't wake up to five more years of the Tories".
'Dark days' of cost of living crisis are still here for this family - and this is what it means for their vote
By Nick Martin, people and politics correspondent
"We eat according to price rather than enjoyment," Sarah Bowmer tells me when we meet on the high street of her hometown of Bakewell, Derbyshire.
It's a sunny day and the tourists have flocked to this picturesque market town in the heart of the Peak District.
Day-trippers wander around the souvenir shop and queues have formed to buy the famous Bakewell pudding, which has made this town famous since the 1820s.
But Sarah isn't feeling it.
Food prices are still 25% more expensive than when I first met Sarah and Paul in 2022. She calls that period the "dark days".
Minister criticises 'celebrating' of Banksy migrant boat inflatable at Glastonbury
Home Secretary James Cleverly is now asked about a migrant boat artwork that appeared above the crowds during a set at Glastonbury.
The inflatable boat, seemingly created by Banksy, was filled with dummies designed to look like migrants attempting to cross the Channel.
While the anonymous artist doesn't usually explain his work, he is known for using art to make political commentary and it seems clear the installation was designed to highlight the tragedy of these desperate journeys, which after dipping last year are now rising again.
It was hoisted above the crowd and passed around by festival-goers during Idles' performance on the Other Stage at Worthy Farm on Friday night.
Asked about this, Mr Cleverly criticises what he perceived as "joking and celebrating about criminal actions which cost lives".
He says: "People die - people die in the Mediterranean, they die in the Channel.
"This is not funny, it is vile.
"It is a celebration of loss of life in the Channel."
Mr Cleverly is asked how he knows this installation is not a commentary on the Conservative inability to handle the situation.
He dodges the question, saying he is "determined to break the criminal gangs".
Mr Cleverly says the art installation was "deeply distasteful".
High taxes under Tories down to 'genuinely unique circ*mstances', says home secretary
Home Secretary James Cleverly says high taxes under the Tories are down to "genuinely unique circ*mstances".
Pushing the line that taxes will rise from their already modern-high record level if Labour wins on Thursday, he says: "We are committed to cutting taxes.
"Taxes are higher than we would like, we've said that, and as Conservatives we are determined to bring them down.
"Labour will send them up."
Mr Cleverly goes on to reiterate: "We are determined to bring taxes down, we have started to do that.
"That is in contrast with the Labour Party, who we know because they've said so, they're going to put taxes up."
Labour has said it won't raise VAT, national insurance or income tax - but has been non-committal on other taxes.
It says it would abolish the VAT break on private schools, introduce windfall taxes on oil and gas companies and close loopholes in the non-dom rules.
Later in the conversation with Sky News, the home secretary dismisses Reform UK as a threat to the Conservatives.
He says there are only two people who could credibly be in Number 10 on Friday: Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
"The best case scenario is predicted that Reform UK might get a small number of seats, but in doing so give Labour a huge majority."
Analysis: How Reform fares on Thursday will also determine the Conservatives fate
They came in their droves: thousands of Reform supporters poured into a vast hall in a Birmingham conference centre on Sunday to hear Nigel Farage.
His backers brought with them Union Jacks, and brandished Reform placards. There were even one or two red baseball caps emblazoned with the slogan "Make Britain Great Again", which seemed fitting for an event that felt quite Trumpian in style and tone.
Mr Farage came onto the stage to pounding music, smoke machines, fireworks, and a sea of "it's time for Reform" placards to a 5,000-strong crowd with a speech that spoke about how Britain was broken and it was time for Reform.
He said his party would be the "leading voice of opposition" as he attacked "the establishment" in all its guises, from the Conservative Party to Labour, the BBC, and Channel 4 to the Governor of the Bank of England.
Don't know who to vote for? Here's a very simple guide to what each party is promising
Pledges and promises are coming thick and fast from every party as the general election approaches.
Struggling to keep up with who is saying what?
Here is a summary of where the main parties stand on major issues.
For a more in-depth look at what each party has pledged, scour ourmanifesto checker...
Poll tracker: Where do the parties stand today?
Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.
With under a week to go, the Tories and Labour have taken a drop, while support for Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats is on the rise.
Read more about the trackerhere.
Labour condemn 'ludicrous lie' as Tories claim party's asylum policy will cost £635 per family
The Conservative Party has claimed that Labour's immigration plans could lead to a "deluge" of asylum seekers, and tax hikes of £635 per family.
Analysis published by the party days before the general election claims that this rise in taxation would be necessary to cover a "blackhole" in Labour's budget.
Home Secretary James Cleverly claimed that Labour has no credible plan to deter Channel crossings, which have skyrocketed under the Conservatives.
He said: "Right now, all we know is that Keir Starmer would stand on the cliffs of Dover to do a rain dance and hope that stops the boats.
"There would be no deterrent under Labour and that means the business model for people smugglers would still be viable – boats would cross the channel in droves."
But Labour said allegations of tax rises are a "ludicrous lie from an increasingly desperate Tory party".
A spokesperson added: "This so-called Tory analysis is actually a costing of their own failing policies, not Labour's plans which will save the taxpayer billions.
"The Tories have already overspent the Home Office budget by £5bn because they let the asylum backlog soar and failed to stop the criminal gangs.
"If they carry on like this for the next five years they will more than treble those costs."
Secret 'bunker' and 17,000 interviews: The science and security of the exit poll
It is the first big moment of election night. The exit poll is the moment millions tune in for a first sniff of the eventual result of the general election.
And inElection 2024this poll, with its impressive track record, sometimes down to a margin of only a few seats, will, once again, be a key part of broadcasters' coverage - including here at Sky News - on Thursday night.
The current model was devised in 2005 by Professor John Curtice and statistician David Firth and it has been consistently reliable, bar 2015 when the seat numbers suggested a hung parliament and David Cameron scraped a thin majority.
But for the most part, its accuracy has been dependable. In 2010, it correctly predicted the exact number of seats for the Conservatives.
Commissioned by the broadcasters - Sky, BBC and ITV - the fieldwork is carried out by IPSOS UK who will have interviewers at 133 polling stations around the country this year.
Leaders ramp up attacks as frantic final days of campaigning begin
Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are set to begin a frantic final few days of campaigning as polling day rapidly approaches.
Both men will today reiterate their core messages as they try to motivate their backers to get out to the polling booths on Thursday.
TheLabourleader will impress on the nation that if they want change they "have to vote for it" - while theConservativeleader will warn there are "four days to save Britain from a Labour government".
Mr Sunakis conceding that Labour are on track for a "supermajority", with the opposition having managed to maintain a roughly 20-point lead in the opinion polls, according to theSky News Poll Tracker- somethingSir Keirwill do everything to ensure does not change.
