Election live: Keir Starmer warns only the Left can beat the far right

“Yet the event had an air of deliberate caution, tempered by fears of comparisons with 1992 and that the feeling a Labour government is already guaranteed will see the party leak votes to the Lib Dems and the Greens.”

Jonathan Ashworth was asked at a press conference if he would, as paymaster general, remove the requirement brought in by the Tories for civil servants to spend three days a week or 60% of their time in the office.

He said it was “sensible that civil servants are in the office and at their desks.”

Mr Ashworth said that if elected, a Labour government would get started with their plans that include growing the economy, recruiting more teachers and fixing the NHS.

“And I’m confident that the impartial Civil Service, and we are very fortunate this country to have an impartial Civil Service, will want to turn their mind to that agenda as well,” he said.

Asked to confirm that he had no plans to change the requirement, he said: “We want to see civil servants in the office, yes.”

Sir Keir Starmer has been mocked by Tories after saying he wanted to protect time to spend with his son and daughter.

The Labour leader and his wife Victoria have a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter.

He told Virgin Radio: “We’ve had a strategy in place and we’ll try to keep to it, which is to carve out really protected time for the kids, so on a Friday – I’ve been doing this for years – I will not do a work-related thing after six o’clock, pretty well come what may.

“There are a few exceptions, but that’s what we do.”

But Rishi Sunak took a swipe at the Labour leader, telling reporters: “I haven’t finished at six ever.”

A Conservative source told The Sun: “Whether he likes it or not, if he became PM, Sir Sleepy would be required to work after 6pm. If he thinks he can just put his slippers on and make a mug of Horlicks while he tunes into The One Show, then he is in for a shock.”

The Prime Minister told the BBC he had spoken to the England manager when it was announced the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland will co-host the Euro 2028 football tournament.

“His and I are the jobs everyone thinks they could probably do it better, and has a view.

“But look, you know, I think when it comes to those things, and the criticism, which of course is par for the course, you know, it’s easy to deal with when you have a conviction in what you believe – and I do.

“And I appreciate that not everyone will agree with me, but I’m clear about what I want to do for our country.”

Asked whether he could move the electoral dial against the odds, in the same way Jude Bellingham rescued England’s Euro 2024 match against Slovakia on Sunday with a stoppage-time overhead kick, Mr Sunak instead made a cricket analogy.

He said: “Mine is probably more a kind of flashy, cover drive or off drive, or something instead, but there we go.

“Look, it is not over till it’s over.”

Rishi Sunak has promised to take personal responsibility for the result of Thursday’s general election.

Despite the polls predicting a huge majority for Labour, the prime minister has vowed to own it.

Asked on Times Radio if he would, the Mr Sunak replied: “Of course I do, and this election is not over.

“There’s a clear choice for everybody in a few days’ time. If you want your taxes cut, your pension protected, your border secure, only a vote for the Conservatives is going to deliver that for you.

“And look, I appreciate that people have got frustrations. The last few years have not been easy. People are frustrated with me, with the party.”

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has warned that some Scots could be “disenfranchised” by issues around the printing and delivery of postal ballot packs in some local areas.

But asked whether the Prime Minister shared Mr Swinney’s concerns, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman told reporters on Monday: “No.

“We are aware of some concerns around the printing and delivery of postal ballot packs in some local areas.

“We’re working closely with the Electoral Commission, returning officers, Royal Mail and the print suppliers to support the resolution of these issues.

“We understand that the Royal Mail will also be conducting sweeps of their delivery system on polling day to make sure that any ballot packs still in the postal system are identified and passed to returning officers ahead of polls closing.

“And anyone who hasn’t received their postal ballot yet may want to contact their returning officer or arrange for it to be reissued, or to arrange for an alternative avenue to cast their ballot.”

The Independent is giving readers the chance to chat directly with candidates from some of the major political parties in a special general election series of Ask Me Anything events.

Two of Reform’s core five pledges are to do with migration. The party says it would freeze non-essential immigration, but concedes there would be exceptions with work in healthcare considered essential.

Elsewhere, the party pledges big tax cuts for small businesses, an overhaul of the adult social care system, scrapping the net zero target, banning ‘transgender ideology’ in schools, and axing the rest of the HS2 rail link.

Sir Keir Starmer has said he opposes the idea of a united Ireland and backs Northern Ireland’s place in the union.

During the campaign trail in Buckinghamshire, the Labour leader was asked: “In the 1990s, when you were in Northern Ireland with the delegation of Haldane Society of Lawyers, you helped write a report which called for a united Ireland. Is that something you still support?”

He replied: “No, and I didn’t at the time. I think somebody else wrote that introduction.”

Our expert panel will be analysing the major triumphs, biggest setbacks and key outcomes for each of the UK’s major political parties.

Hosted by our chief political commentator John Rentoul, this event will also offer a deep dive into the immediate and long-term challenges facing the newly elected government, including immigration, the cost of living, the NHS, education, Brexit and more.

Our panel includes The Independent’s own Andrew Grice, a political columnist and former political editor from 1998 to 2015. He has worked in Westminster since 1982 and unearthed many political scoops.

Also joining our event is Anand Menon. A leading expert on Brexit, Professor Menon is director of UK in a Changing Europe, an initiative which includes academics from universities across the country who specialise in the EU. It is an authoritative source of independent research on UK-EU relations.

Our final panellist is Kate Devlin, our Politics and Whitehall Editor. She has been in the lobby for more than a decade and covers everything from dodgy MPs to general elections.

The event will be hosted on Zoom and will last one hour. It will take place on Thursday July 11 and will start at 7pm BST. Once signed up you will be able to ask questions to the panel.

For more information and to sign up for a free ticket click here.