General election – as it happened: planned opportunity for media to question Sunak ‘cancelled’ as D-day fallout continues

Rishi Sunak during a visit to Big Help Out project in Bishop Auckland. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

5.08pm BST

The BBC General Election debate between seven senior political party figures was watched by more than three million viewers, the broadcaster said.

An average audience of 3.2 million tuned in across BBC One and the BBC News Channel on Friday evening to watch the politicians clash over D-Day and support for war veterans, immigration and the state of the NHS, according to overnight ratings.

The line-up for the first multi-party debate in this year’s campaign featured Penny Mordaunt, the Conservative Leader of the House of Commons, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.

The debate had a peak in viewers towards the end of the broadcast, as figures rose to between 3.3 million and 3.4 million, the BBC said.

That is an increase from their seven-way debate in the run-up to the 2019 General Election, when an average audience of 2.5 million watched Rishi Sunak, then the Conservatives’ chief secretary to the Treasury, Labour’s Rebecca Long Bailey, Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon, Adam Price of Plaid Cymru, the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas and Richard Tice of the Brexit Party go head-to-head.

4.53pm BST

Anthony Mack, Reform’s original candidate in Clacton, Essex, will stand against Nigel Farage as an independent, ITV News is reporting.

V interesting, Anthony Mack, Reform's original candidate in Clacton, will stand against Nigel Farage as an independent

I was at the ‘emergency press conference’ when Farage was asked if he had spoken to Mack before taking his spot, he simply said Mack always knew it could happen

— Shehab Khan ITV (@ShehabKhan) June 8, 2024