General election 2024 live: Sunak not ruling out Boris return as 75th Tory MP quits

The prime minister was quizzed by broadcasters on a flight from Northern Ireland to the West Midlands.

• May 24: Parliament prorogued which means the end of the Parliamentary session, bringing most business to an end.

• May 30: Parliament dissolved. By law, this has to take place no later than 25 working days before polling day.

• June 7: Deadline for candidates to be nominated.

• June 18: Deadline to register to vote. This can be done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

• June 19: Deadline to apply for a postal vote.

• June 26: Deadline to apply for a proxy vote – in other words, for someone to vote on your behalf – and to apply for a Voter ID certificate, if you do not already have a valid form of photo identification.

• July 4: Election day. Polls will open from 7am to 10pm.

• July 9: The new Parliament will be summoned to meet.

• July 17: State opening of Parliament.

Sir David Evennett has announced he is resigning and will not defend the constituency of Bexleyheath and Crayford.

In a statement to X, he said: “With the unexpected calling of a General Election on Thursday July 4, I have been considering my position and have decided to step down from active politics.

“It has been an honour and privilege to represent the people of Bexleyheath and Crayford in Parliament.”

The prime minister was visiting a maritime manufacturing site in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, where the famous ship was built.

Accompanied by secretary of state for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris, he was quizzed by the press about the upcoming election.

A journalist asked him: “Prime Minister, we are just yards away from where the Titanic was built and designed. Are you the captain of a sinking ship going into this election?”

Mr Sunak replied: “If you look at what’s happened over the past few weeks alone, you can see that our plan is already working.”

Rishi Sunak’s government has been accused of letting renters down after it emerged that legislation banning no-fault evictions will not be passed before the election, Social Affairs Correspondent Holly Bancroft reports. Rishi Sunak’s government has been accused of letting renters down after it emerged that legislation banning no-fault evictions will not be passed before the election.

The provision allows landlords to evict tenants without having to give a reason beyond what is in a tenancy agreement.

The bill was first introduced in the Commons in May last year but its progress stalled after Conservative MPs campaigned for stronger protections for landlords. Read the full story here

A total of 118 MPs have so far announced they won’t be standing at the General Election on July 4.

The number includes 75 Tories, which represents the highest in modern political history.

It surpasses previous a post-war record pf 72 Conservatives who stood down ahead of the 1997 election.

The contest saw Tony Blair enter Downing Street after a huge defeat for John Major.

During the morning round of broadcast interviews, Sir Keir Starmer claimed Palestine should be recognised as a state but refused to set up a timing.

Sir Keir told BBC Radio 4: “I think recognition of Palestine is extremely important. We need a viable Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel and recognition has to be part of that.”

He said that recognition “has to come at an appropriate, the right time in the process, but I absolutely believe in it”.