Election 2024 latest updates: Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer go head-to-head in final TV showdown in the race to be Prime Minister before country heads to the polls

If the Conservatives social media account is anything to go by we suggest tax will be at the top of Rishi Sunak's agenda tonight as he takes the fight to Sir Keir Starmer.

The party has launched somewhat of a blitz of attack ads throughout the day suggesting Labour will raise taxes if it wins the election.

Here are just a few examples of posts that have been shared today.

James Cleverly is appearing to remain upbeat about the Tories election hopes as he insisted 'shocks happen in politics' despite polls suggesting none other than a landslide Labour victory.

Speaking to Sky News, the Home Secretary said

Mr Cleverly will be among politicians in the spin room tonight so expect to hear more from him after the debate.

The Labour leader is in the building and so is the Prime Minister

Sir Keir Starmer shook hands with Director-General Tim Davie as he arrived at Nottingham Trent University for the BBC debate.

He was followed by Mr Sunak who was also greeted by Mr Davie before heading inside the building.

Nigel Farage's Reform party have closed the gap with the Conservative party to less than two points with just under one week to go until a potentially disastrous general election for the Tories.

Mr Farage's outfit are now less than two points off the Conservatives, according to MailOnline's poll of polls. One recent survey even suggested Reform had taken a slight lead over the Tories.

Labour has maintained its near 25-point lead, with seat-by-seat analyses predicting a majority for Sir Keir Starmer as big as 240 – enough to secure a landslide bigger than Tony Blair's in 1997.

Read MailOnline's ultimate poll of polls here:

The polls have provided miserable reading for the Conservatives throughout the election campaign and even further back than that.

And this one is no different as a new poll released tonight has found more than a third of the public say the election betting scandal is the story they have heard most about recently.

As many as 15 Conservatives may be under investigation by the betting watchdog over money put on the date of the election, it was claimed today.

While Labour has also been dragged into the scandal after it suspended one of its candidates for placing a bet on him losing his constituency.

Before we look ahead to tonight's action, let's take a look at the goings on in Westminster today.

Here are just some of the stories published by our political reporters today.

See the video below for a full election round-up:

The battleground for the final TV showdown between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer is set in Nottingham Trent University.

Rumours spread across campus this week following the sudden closure of two major buildings at the university.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Edward Peck told the Nottingham Post:

BBC journalist Mishal Husain is tasked with performing the role of referee during tonight's debate in Nottingham.

The Today presenter and newsreader is an experienced operator in the format, having already hosted a debate involving seven political leaders and senior representatives on June 7.

The 51-year-old was not meant to be involved tonight but stepped in when her colleague Sophie Raworth fractured her ankle during the London Marathon.

Speaking to BBC before the debate, Ms Husain said:

MailOnline's Political Editor James Tapsfield reports Rishi Sunak is gearing up for the critical final TV election debate tonight as he struggles to avert a Tory meltdown.

The PM will face off against Keir Starmer on BBC One with barely a week left until the country goes to the ballot boxes.

The primetime head-to-head clash in Nottingham is seen as Mr Sunak's last major opportunity to revive his fortunes after a nightmare campaign.

Read his preview here:

Tonight's debate in Nottingham is the second head-to-head debate between Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer with the first broadcast by ITV on June 4 in Salford.

Mr Sunak was declared the winner in a snap poll following that encounter which saw both men interrupt one another forcing ITV host Julie Etchingham to intervene.

Sir Keir was widely considered to have performed better than his counterpart during the Sky News election event which saw both men take questions from political journalist Beth Rigby and members of the audience.

The Labour leader agreed to only two head-to-head debates at the start of the election campaign despite Mr Sunak challenging him to face him once a week, meaning six separate occasions.

The leaders also appeared at an event for Sun readers on Monday.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline's live coverage of the final TV debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.

With the country heading to the polls this week, the showpiece event live on BBC marks a final opportunity for each leaders to attract voters and inflict damage on one another.

With Mr Sunak flagging in the polls, he will be desperate for a gamechanger tonight as he seeks to revive the fortunes of the Conservative campaign.

Follow our live blog for updates from throughout the debate plus reaction and analysis from Nottingham.

To watch the debate tune into on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 8.15pm or you can also listen on BBC Radio 4.