Labour on course to win more than 400 seats and majority of 154, suggests poll – as it happened

Labour leader Keir Starmer at a campaign event in Dudley on 28 March. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images

5.21pm BST

Afternoon summary

• Labour is on course to win the general election by a landslide, new polling by YouGov suggests, with Rishi Sunak set to win even fewer seats than John Major did in 1997. (See 4.10pm.) The poll also suggests Reform UK will not come close to winning a seat, although it is in second place in 36 constituencies. Here is the list of those seats.

• Ministers are under pressure from Tory MPs and peers to stop arming Israel after seven humanitarian aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

• A majority of voters in Britain back a ban on arms sales to Israel, according to a YouGov poll.

• Labour has fewer members than it did under Jeremy Corbyn in part because it is willing to make compromises to prepare for government rather than being “a party of protest”, a senior shadow minister has argued.

Updated at 5.22pm BST

5.11pm BST

Government publishes details of post-Brexit food import charges

The government has announced details of how much companies will have to pay to import food into the UK, the BBC’s Faisal Islam reports. In posts on X, he says that these post-Brexit charges, which are only now coming into force as transition arrangements come to an end, will lead to food prices going up, according to industry bodies.

NEW

post Brexit “common user charge” for inspection of food/ plant imports from the EU from later this month… £10 or £29 for every different type, even for small consignments … charge capped at £145 for a mixed consignment with fish, salami, cheese, sausage and yoghurt” pic.twitter.com/I6LZ3Yn65Y

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) April 3, 2024

post Brexit “common user charge” for inspection of food/ plant imports from the EU from later this month… £10 or £29 for every different type, even for small consignments … charge capped at £145 for a mixed consignment with fish, salami, cheese, sausage and yoghurt

This is what industry called the “Brexit Border food import tax” when they tried to delay it (successfully)… and multiple industry bodies not happy:

“Quite brutal” said one privately saying reality is lots of small importers now paying £145 for even a small mixed consignment

Cold Chain Federation:

“extremely disappointing… last minute, leaving affected businesses little time … reinforces the Government’s slapdash approach …

“Our main concern is that this is now certain to negatively affect food prices”.

Horticultural Trade Association : “policy that feels like it is constructed on back of envelope at best...come at worst time...undoubtedly increase costs. increase likelihood of empty shelves.”

“announcement at eleventh hour confirms our fears in just one month, UK horticulture’s competitiveness again hit for no material gain”

Government says that this is necessary for biosecurity, and farming groups and other have called for a level period as Uk exporters are charged the equivalent of these fees when exporting from GB to EU… applies to all medium-high risk imports even if not actually inspected…

The full details of the charges are here.