The first multi-party debate comes less than a month before voters go to the polls on July 4.
Follow MailOnline’s live coverage below and join in the conversation in our comments section
Analysis: Let the battle commence!
Read analysis from MailOnline’s deputy political editor David Wilcock on the start of the debate.
Moving on to the NHS…
Daisy Cooper, Libs Dems
Under the Conservatives health and social care services have been driven into the ground.
Across all of our policies we will not tax struggling family during the cost of living crisis but we will be taxing the big companies.
Stephen Flynn, Westminster SNP leader
I was a disabled man and I would not be here today without the wonderful treatment from the NHS.
Shouting match kicks off between Mordaunt and Rayner
The two leading women clashed over defence.
Mordaunt took aim at Labour’s Rayner for voting to end Trident, the country’s nuclear deterrent.
Mordaunt brings up Russian President Vladimir Putin, and says if you’re doubting Labour would use that force – ‘imagine what Putin is thinking’.
‘Without credibility, we become a target’, Mordaunt says.
While Rayner hits back saying: ‘I will not be lectured by you on this.’
Mordaunt defends Sunak leaving D-Day celebrations
Penny Mordaunt, the Tory leader of the Commons, said:
What happened was completely wrong and the Prime Minister has rightly apologised for that, apologised to veterans but also to all of us, because he was representing all of us.
I’m from Portsmouth, I’ve also been defence secretary and my wish at the end of this week is that all of our veterans feel completely treasured. And I’m hoping tonight to convince you of some of the things that are important to them.
Debate kicks off on defence and D-Day scandal
Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader
In what is a very insecure world at the moment. First of all Labour’s committed to the triple lock on the nuclear deterrent, especially in the climate they’re in… and we will continue with the upgrades.
We will have a commitment to the 2.5 per cent spending of GDP, and one of the other things that is a real scandal at the moment is the Armed Forces and the accommodation they’re given.
‘A vote for any other party is a vote to hand Keir Starmer the keys to No10’, says Tory spokeswoman
A conservative spokeswoman has urged voters to back to party:
In this election, the choice is clear – the Conservative Party, who have a clear plan and are taking bold action needed to deliver a secure future, or Keir Starmer’s Labour Party – which has no plan whatsoever.
There are only two people who will be Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, or Keir Starmer. A vote for any other party is a vote to hand Keir Starmer the keys to No10.
This is the man who will pick the British public’s pockets from day 1, with a £2,094 tax bombshell on working families and raiding pensioners’ hard-earned savings with his Retirement Tax.
Labour will take us right back to square one, and only a vote for the Conservatives can stop that.
Watch: Political party leaders arrive for big BBC election debate
Not long to go…
Five minutes to go until we are underway with the BBC Election debate in London.
We will be providing live updates as well as analysis and reaction throughout – so make sure to follow along!
Labour hits out at Tory chaos on social media
The post was shared by Angela Rayner, Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy who will be representing him tonight.
Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator: ‘Conservative in choas’
Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, speaking ahead of the BBC’s debate, said:
Tonight the British people will witness the choice at this election: five more years of chaos with the Conservatives or change with the Labour Party.
The Conservatives’ campaign is in chaos. While Rishi Sunak’s scatter-gun approach is the latest sign of his desperation, Keir Starmer is offering a credible plan to change Britain.
On 4 July, the British people will have the chance to vote for change. To stop the chaos, turn the page and start to rebuild our country.
Reform MP Lee Anderson voices his support for Farage
Watch: Squirming Rishi Sunak apologises AGAIN for leaving D-Day events early amid huge Tory backlash
A squirming Rishi Sunak today issued a grovelling apology in front of TV cameras for leaving D-Day commemoration events early.
The embattled Prime Minister, who is facing a huge Tory backlash, admitted that he ‘made a mistake’ in skipping a major international ceremony in Normandy.
Speaking to broadcasters on a general election campaign visit to Swindon, Wiltshire, Mr Sunak was grilled about veterans saying he had ‘let the country down’.
‘I care deeply,’ the PM insisted, as he called for D-Day events not to be ‘politicised’.
Breakdown of the Big Three
Read: Why Rishi Sunak NEEDS to win over Boomers to stop Keir Starmer storming No10
Cool, calm, collected: Speakers arrive at BBC Studios for debate
Breaking:Unite did not endorse Labour’s election manifesto
It has been reported that Unite the Union, Labour’s biggest donor did not support its manifesto.
Sky News reported that this was due to concerns about fire and rehire and the banning of new oil and gas licences.
Senior party figures and associates including union leaders met at a top secret location in Westminster this afternoon to sign off its manifesto for the July 4 vote.
Sir Keir and his top team are expected to face fights over a range of social and geopolitical issues including the fighting in Gaza.
Scottish National Party representative: Stephen Flynn
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn will be leading the charge for his party.
He has been the Westminster representative since 2022, after being elected as an MP in 2019.
The 35-year-old made headlines earlier this year when he called for Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to step down over his handling of a vote on Gaza.
Nigel’s ready to go
Carla Denyer represents the Greens
Ms Denyer has been the co-leader of the greens since 2021.
She has a long history in politics after started campaigning at just 18 years old before becoming a city councillor in Bristol for nine years.
In 2018, she wrote Europe’s first Climate Emergency declaration, pushing Bristol to become carbon neutral by 2030 – a measure later adopted by hundreds of councils and the UK Parliament.
She describes herself as bisexual or pansexual and was recognised as one of Bristol’s most influential LGBTQ+ people by media website Bristol Live in 2021.
Watch: Rishi Sunak heckled in Wiltshire
Rishi Sunak has been heckled while campaigning in Wiltshire.
While speaking about healthcare in the UK a member of crowd got increasingly infuriated at the PM and shouted:
The country’s not stupid Rishi!
They were discussing filling GP practices with enough qualified doctors.
Daisy Cooper arrives to represent the Lib Dems
Deputy leader of the Lib Dems Daisy Cooper will be representing her party in tonight’s head-to-head.
She was finally elected as an MP for St Albans in 2019, after three previous unsuccessful attempts.
The 42-year-old was previously the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Education in 2021 and the spokesperson for Justice and Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2020.
Reform UK speaker Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage will be speaking on behalf of Reform UK following his appointment as party leader this week.
The former MEP and face of the Brexit campaign is back hoping, for the eighth time, to win a seat in Government.
He resigned as UKIP leader in 2016 and later helped launch the Brexit Party, which in 2020 rebranded as Reform UK.
It is expected that he will go in hard on Rishi Sunak for missing the end of the D-Day celebrations, while pushing the narrative that his party is the clear alternative to the Tories.
Labour representative: Angela Rayner
Deputy leader of the Labour party Angela Rayner will be standing in for Keir Stamer tonight.
The 44-year-old was elected an MP in 2015 and became deputy leader five years later.
Her plan for the evening is likely to showcase that the country can’t face another five years under Conservative rule and to disprove allegations made during the ITV debate that the public could face a £2000 tax bill increase under Labour.
The Conservative representative: Penny Mordaunt
Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt will be representing the Tory party for tonight’s debate.
The 51-year-old was elected as an MP in 2010, and has held a number of ministerial posts including being the first female defence secretary in 2019.
She ran unsuccessfully twice to be leader of the Conservatives, following the resignations of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Her aim for the evening is likely to be to limit the fallout from Rishi Sunak leaving the D-Day celebrations early and to push the line that a Labour government will raise taxes.
Good evening
Good evening and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of the BBC election debate which will see seven leading political figures go head-to-head.
The programme will be presented by Mishal Husain in front of a live audience and can be viewed on BBC 1, BBC News and BBC iPlayer from 7:30pm.
We will be providing live updates from the debate as well as analysis and reaction throughout.