us, seek to somehow, however imperfectly, personify the country they want to lead. and we had a bit of it from keir starmer today, talking about this place, basically, and where he came from, trying to paint a picture of what he's all about and what made him as he sees it the man he is, as well as the north london thing, the constituency thing, where he now lives and represent in parliament. and indeed some of those labels that some of his opponents will seek to throw around his neck that might sort up lean into that kind of metropolitan detachment thing that goes with seeing to be from an representing north london. and that thing about landing being somewhere in many senses, it is a world city that

happens to be our national capital may be atypical of the wider uk. later on, you did an interview with him and i had to laugh, not at your interview because it was very good and interesting, but the actual setting, the main camera shot was you and him in a room where there was unionjack bunting on the walls. it looked like you were leaning against the bar in a traditional pub and then you could see there was quirky mugs and floral wallpaper. it was like you were in a middle england theme park. yeah, totally. there were unions like absolutely everywhere. funny enough, i saw kind of cardboard box that had "union flag" written on it as part of the kind of paraphernalia of election campaigns that the various party leaders all carry around the kind of helpe create the staging and choreography of these kind of events.

there was a bit of concern as they were sort of setting up the spot where i did the interview and various journalists at that their interviews, because i think one shot showed kind of the security on this. just to protect this village hall on the coast of sussex. i think some were worried that it looked like a prison or whatever. it gives you some sense of the kind of attention to detail. it bordering on sort of paranoia. perhaps understandable that they are absolutely conscious of everything at the moment. you might remember the photo the other day that was doing around and lead to some over rishi sunak, where he was photographed on this plane when he was dashing around all corners of uk. it seems quite trivial and whatever, but those sort of images kind of matter in political campaigns. they are always punches about the backdrop. labour really, really conscious about not leaving

anything to chance and avoiding any kind of errors that either knock them off their campaigning stride or allow people to sort of tease and take the mag. some might not like the abundance of union flags, but it's something that labour and keir starmer absolutely lynn into to counter that perception under the previous leadership under jeremy corbyn, that they weren't keen to be seen to be patriotic, and that's something that absolutely keir starmer is very keen to — describing this place as essentially english, but also surrounding himself and those we union flags. that was the look of the interview, let's talk about the content. a few thingsjumped out at me from it. describing this place as essentially english, but also surrounding himself and those we union flags.

that was the look of the interview, let's talk about the content. a few thingsjumped out at me from it. first of all, his unapologetic adoption of the label "socialist". that makes me think a few things. 0k, there have been times when socialist has been the word that's been used to the labour party to criticise criticise them and to make people maybe a bit scared of them. then there's the fact that actually, lots of people within the labour party would say that keir starmer used to be a socialist and he's rejected socialism to get to where he is now. it's not a simple word. it isn't a simple word, and it's a word that comes with a certain amount of... some people would attach pride to it, others would regard it with certain scorn.

certainly, keir starmer�*s opponents use that word negatively. when i put the question to him, i thought, i know he's used the word to describe himself before, but will he do in an election campaign when you're five and a bit weeks away from polling day, less than that from those of a postal vote? will there be any ducking and diving the user out of that world backward? he described himself as a progressive and tried to explain and define his own label, his own use of that word, socialist, to say it was about, as he puts it, be in the service of working people. i think that was the phrase that he used. but i put that direct question to him and he did and there's less of an answer, maybe you say differently, when you did the follow—up laura kuenssberg

question about tax policy. yesterday, rachel reeves had very explicitly said a labour government would not put up rates of income tax or natural insurance for the entire duration of the next parliament. what did you make of his answer? you then asked the same kind of question. so, it seemed like a direct answer, but there was probably a little bit of wriggle room. he said in his answer that they had costed all of their plans for their manifesto, which we haven't seen yet. and that didn't require the need to put up any taxes. of course, that doesn't quite mean the same as vat wouldn't go up at all. we know some specific vat will go up, because the idea of up, because their idea of putting vat on private school fees

would be a particular element of vat that would change because at the moment, it's not charged that would change cos at the moment, it's not charged on private school fees. but i was asking about the main rate of vat, the stuff on pretty much everything — so for those things that are vat—exempt. he said it wasn't part of the plans that they need, that they were going to unveil in their manifesto, the ideas that they set out in terms of their spending it was pretty much a direct answer, but with a little bit of wriggle room about circumstances changing in the future is labour win and if stuff happens that makes that a necessity. now, that's happened since the last general election with the conservatives, cos we've seen the pandemic and what's happened with the war in ukraine

and the effect on energy bills and all that kind of stuff and the kind of response of the government's had to manage since then. so, i think it was kind of a straightforward answer, at least a straightforward answer in how he wanted to frame it, but there was a little bit of wriggle room there. right, let's talk about the conservative campaign now. and while all that was happening in your checking out keir starmer�*s semi, rishi sunak was in buckinghamshire. there's some footage of him dribbling a ball around some cones. i actually thought he was doing out so badly, but i thought he did it way better than the time i had to do it with peter crouch and it was a disaster. other people are saying he is not that well. but we'll put that to one side. i didn't know you did that! yes, one day when i was on newsround and i was going to see the launch of the new england strip. and i was going to see it and i was going to see involved doing a little trainii with it involved doing a little training with peter crouch. i

it involved doing a little training with peter crouch.— with peter crouch. i got to see this! it's buried underground nowhere to be seen. once i did it once, peter crouch took his credit and asked if i wanted him to take my turn and i said yes, please! back to the people who want to be prime minister. can i give you my theory about the conservative election campaign? go for it. this is based on very little evidence because this is the first full week, so this theory will probably be blown out of the water, i don't know, maybe as soon as tomorrow. but i'm wondering if the conservatives have looked at the modern way people consume politics and the news and have they potentially ditched the old school election thing of having a new thing every day — so different top line, as we would call it in journalism — and have they decided that you maybe need a couple of days for a policy idea to sink in? that's why today, they had a second day of talking

about their national service policy rather than blitzing us with something new today. yeah, it's interesting. i wonder, is it because it's a bank holiday weekend and perhaps they conclude people are doing other stuff scrolling through the apps on social media and listening to the telly and podcasts and radio as much they might do. telly and podcasts and radio as much they might do is it because there is an amount of new apology that people is it because there is an amount of new policies that people are going to announce? conservatives will make the point that they have actually announced a new policy, which we didn't get from keir starmer, and that was part of the conservative he'd spent an hour critique of keir starmer — rishi sunak saying he'd spent an hour saying actually nothing. i think the conservatives�* perspective, yes, over the weekend it's been... i'm not complaining! but james cleverly was talking to laura on her programme on bbc one

about this idea of national service. but it was the first time we'd heard that the prime minister talking about it and talking to reporters about it and doing that football thing. i agree with you, i thought he was pretty good. on little bit i think one thing people have been teasing him on, maybe he lost his footing a little bit. that little bit of dribbling with between the cones — that's not easy, is it? it's the nature of the campaign and clearly people who are in public life and scrutinised, i guess that's how it should be in a democracy with all of the power that a prime minister, either reelected or a new prime minister, managed to assume. but my goodness, when the cameras are on you every minute of the day, it's pretty unforgiving,

particularly when you're doing something like football or whatever else it might be that other leaders get up to in the coming days. but i think the conservative aim today was to double down on this national service idea, try and explain why they think it is a good one. a minister who was out and about on monday didn't have answers to some of the key questions like, where would those who sign up to serve in the military for their national service live? would you have to build loads more barracks? a royal commission, a big old process of working out how on earth this would work, and that would take some time. there would be piloting that was started in 2025, it would take the next five years to get to the place where this whole thing was up and running.

they think it's all about trying to bring people together, take people out of their silos and bubbles, and lots of people from lots of different backgrounds mixing etiher the military or public emergency service or whatever it might be. i think the broader strategy from the conservatives is to try and make a splash in these early weeks of the campaign because even though they're the incumbents, when you look at the opinion polls, they are the challengers. labour are widely seen as the favourites to win when you look at the opinion polls. so, they're trying to grab attention and perhaps take a few risks, grab the conversation, seize the conversation. i think we will get, by the way, a couple of new policies or at least policy announcements that see how do they are when they come, from the conservatives in the next 2a hour and also 48 hours. don't know what they are yet, but i think that's

what's likely to happen. the thing is if you don't give the hyperactive political press pack a new announcement or something new to get the teeth into, they go looking for trouble elsewhere. that's journalists�* jobs, to lift up stones. the things they've been finding today is a lot of ill discipline and quite a lot of criticism of rishi sunak from his own side. for example, you had zach goldsmith, conservative peer, who's been disgruntled for a while now, having a massive go at him, saying he's just biding his time until he packed his bags to california. the have conservative candidate steve baker saying, "if us ministers have been consulted about this policy, we maybe would have tweaked it a bit". and then you have somebody until last week was a conservative mp not standing in the selection endorsing the reform candidate in her seat.

there's been quite a lot of incoming from the prime minister's own side. technically speaking, i can't quite believe i'm picking you up here on a technicality — you're famed, detailed binders of the brexitcaster era. even though parliament is no longer sitting, it hasn't yet completely done technically. i think until thursday, mps are still mps. oh, really? i thought we'd crossed that threshold already. no, i don't think we have. i don't know, you're in possession with the laptop here. you might want to double check that. but i'm pretty sure a couple days until thursday, where people who are elected in 2019 are still mps, even if they are either standing down or... you're totally right. is that write? i'm just going to do a search. when do mps at stopping mps? when do mps at stopping mp5? i think when do mps at stopping mps? i think it's thursday- —

you are completely correct. i am completely wrong. you are completely correct, i am completely wrong, although my summary was completely accurate. it was absolutely on the money and without blemish or caveat or incorrect details! no, it's interesting both... i mean, it's extraordinary, the contribution from lucy allan, the outgoing mp for telford, endorsing reform. that really is what a thing for a conservative mp, albeit with days left with that title, mp to go. really, really quite something. steve baker, the northern ireland minister, making some less—than entirely on—message remarks about the national service idea. and yes, as far as the prime minister is concerned, and those remarks

from zach goldsmith, the prime minister's been talking to on itv news tonight and says that he's not going to california. he is proud to be based here and to have a future here, whatever the outcome of the election. he was talking about his beloved southampton, returning to the premier league. so, he was saying — i don't have his exact words — but the bit was, "i'm not going anywhere regardless of what happens in the election." which makes me wonder what he would have said to southampton had not been promoted. but we never know, that's a parallel universe! first minister of scotland, john swinney has been in dumfries, and ed davey has been hanging out with alexander cole hamilton.

the lib dems in the last few hoursz have launched their battle bus. indeed. the lib dems have been outside today and they have got their eyes on a couple of scottish seats in addition to the ones that they currently hold. so they've got an eye on what was charles kennedy's seat. there is a lot of boundary changes going on. they've got their eyes on his seat. also what was jo swinton�*s seat. the boundaries are changing, but two former lib dem leaders.

where i am in london in surrey and the southwest and some pockets in the north of england like harrogate and stockport and those seats that i mentioned in scotland in addition to the ones that they currently hold. the snp, interesting, the snp in power in the scottish parliament for so, so long. they go all the way back to 2007. and the opinion polls show they face a real battle particularly in and around glasgow and edinburgh with labour looking resurgent. a real tussle between the snp under john swinney and kate forbes, the deputy leader after humza yousef�*s brief status. that could prove crucial for keir starmer to get a majority.

a lot going on between the new look and labour. in a lot going on between the new look and labour. , ., a lot going on between the new look and labour-— a lot going on between the new look and labour. , ., , , , and labour. in terms of the lib dems bus bein: and labour. in terms of the lib dems bus being called _ and labour. in terms of the lib dems bus being called a _ and labour. in terms of the lib dems bus being called a yellowhammer- bus being called a yellowhammer one... a yellowhammer is a yellow bird, very reminiscent of the lib dem logo. i didn't know that! the whole lib dem thing has been they are like a hammer smashing the conservatives' blue wall. number three, alteration hammer was the no deal with the eu, so it reminds people a bit of that. also, it's quite a weird name, so the lib dems get publicity. job done as far as they're concerned. tick, tick, tick!

there's a strategy in this campaign to try and be sort of knowingly fun. the thing they've done for the last couple of years, conscious that as a small party getting attention is half the battle, i would say it's more than that — it's one heck of a battle. there's a real price at stake in this general election, being forced between the liberal democrats and the scottish national party — almost entirely in different places in the uk. they are tussling to try and be the third biggest party at westminster after the general election, because that comes with lots of additional money and lots of additional attention. you get those questions that stephen flynn, the snp's westminster leader, has promised in questions, and before that, ian blackford, in this parliament. in the past, you'll remember lib dem leaders who had — was it tim farron? that was during the time with the snp were the biggest party.

when the snp were the biggest party. anyway, there have been lib dem leaders in the past when the lib dems had been the third—biggest party, who have had that pmqs slot when there was great... you end up on the telly and social media much more often. but the lib dems are definitely trying to do the thing that they've done most recently with by—elections and whatever, where they are willing to have a little bit of fun and potentially sometimes, if not of their own expense, then a bit of playful, cartoonish stuff. that's part of the tone and tenor, consciously, their campaign. i remember nick clegg doing that as deputy prime minister in 2015 and his campaign looked like his gap year, and it didn't really go well. i got loads of pictures on the news, but they had a very it got loads of pictures on the news, but they had a very disastrous performance.

so stunts of having fun does not to securely transmit automatically to doing well in the election. should be end with a gimmick? why not, why not? let's make the habit of the lifetime. let's continue the habit. on friday, we were doing that little game where i looked up hansard, which is the official record of primary proceedings, to see how many times euphemisms for "drunk" had been used, and that was very fun. martin robson, newscaster, got in touch on x/twitter, suggesting we do a mashup of newscast, hansard and pointless — in other words, finding words that have never been uttered in parliament in a particular period. that is genius. shall we play newscast hansard pointless mashup? let's do it. here's some non—copyrighted infringement music. chris, to get us going,

we thought we would use a classic chris mason word and see if it's a pointless hansard answer or if it has appeared more or if it has appeared more often than you might think. we used "blimey". 0h, oh, yes. how many times you think blimey has been mentioned? is it zero or loads more? loads more, i think. we found a2. we found 42, the first being in 1940. that is tremendous. so you're going to have to try harder. come up with a word you think has never been said in parliament. what about blimey�*s much appreciated cousin? which is? crikey. how did i not know that after speaking to you for every day for 25 years. i'm going to go do a search from 1980 onward. so that's a ali—year period. the year of our birth.

it's loading. is crikey going to be a pointless hansard answer? no, 55 mentions. it's more popular! i'm going to go for one that i think is a pointless hansard answer. i've gone for vagazzled. what does that even mean? don't make me spell out what it is. look it up. zero. i won it! how do you spell it. how do you spell it? he spells it. chris, it's going to blow your mind. chris, you're in a pub garden. normally i'd say have a nice point, but i was a have a nice edit your piece for the ten o'clock news. thank you, and we're going to head towards our campaign stops for tomorrow morning.

do you know where that is? i do, but... it's op—secret? in the spirit of transparency, i'll explain that a lot of party leaders for understandable reasons are conscious of security, which i understand and respect, and therefore usually prior to them arriving and sometimes prior to them leaving, we are careful not to widely share, which given the events of the last decade, both incredibly serious in some instances — murders of politicians and others perhaps more trivial — it's kind of a thing that we respect. all i will say is that i'm glad that the ripoff pointless music stopped before you got into the really really serious bit! that's how newscast is made! chris, safe travels and best wishes to all your team and everyone who's helped you get on air for newscast today. it's looked and sounded amazing. thank you for the team for my new headphones,

which are great, but quite tight. ifeel like head is about an inch narrower. but it's all good. i'll talk to you soon. see you soon and thank you very much for listening to this episode of newscast. we'll be back with another one very soon. bye. wonder if "ta—ra "has ever been mentioned in hansard. i wonder how to spell that. isaid ta—ra. i wonder if ta—ra has ever been mentioned in hansard. give them that it must�*ve been. i don't know how you spell ta—ra. i'm not sure. t-a-r-a.

loading. "ta—ra" looks like it has appeared... ..once byjess phillips. yes, i can hearjess saying that. not quite a pointless answer than. i think almost one is better than zero. chris, i'll see you later. bye— bye. cheers. newscast. newscast from the bbc.

welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm steve lai. the headlines... international condemnation of israel after at least 45 people are killed at a refugee camp in rafah. the israeli prime minister says the strike was a "tragic incident". in papua new guinea, it's feared more than 2,000 people were buried by a devastating landslide in a remote village. as election campaigning gathers pace — rishi sunak says his plan for a "modern" national service will strengthen uk security, while sir keir starmer says his party will deliver stability and above all — change. there's no doubt that the labour party now is fundamentally different to the labour party of 2019, when we lost so badly. this modern form of national service will mean the younger people get the skills and opportunities that they need, which will serve them very well in life. and it looks like a flying saucer — we'll explain just

what's been caught on camera in the skies above california.