Rishi Sunak plays toy soldier as he gets behind wheel of an armoured vehicle during whistle

Rishi Sunak looked to be having the time of his life during a whistle-stop tour of the southwest of England while Sir Keir Starmer battled with a civil war breaking out in his own camp.

The beaming Prime Minister played toy soldier as he sat behind the wheel of an armoured vehicle and chatted with locals at a pub on the campaign trail on Thursday.

In his final visit of a quick tour across Cornwall and Devon, Mr Sunak found himself clambering into the seat of a Jackal 3, the latest in a range of armoured vehicles being manufactured at Devon-based company Supacat.

His playful trip came as Sir Keir continued his own campaign for No 10 by outlining his plans to reduce NHS waiting lists during a visit to the West Midlands.

After hosting a Q&A session, Sir Keir took a group selfie with dozens of student nurses and trainee medics - but appeared to be snubbed by a baby who hilariously turned down a photo opportunity by blocking the camera with his hand.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak played toy soldier as he got behind the wheel of an armoured vehicle in Honiton

Sir Keir Starmer's election trail took him to the West Midlands, where he took a selfie with student nurses and trainee medics

But he had less luck with a photo opportunity with a baby who blocked the camera off with his hand

The Labour leader's attempts to convince voters today took a hit as a row over whether veteran MP Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand in the general election engulfed his party.

In another twist in Labour's candidacy drama on Wednesday, MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said he has been suspended by the party over what he called a 'vexatious and politically motivated complaint' against him.

Read More

Diane defies Keir: Furious Abbott tells huge crowd she WILL stand to be an MP again despite 'Labour party wanting to exclude her' as Starmer farce deepens with leader dodging claims she was 'bullied'

The Labour row deepened tonight as a defiant Ms Abbott vowed to stay on as the MP for Hackney North for 'as long as it is possible' - and accused Labour of wanting to 'exclude' her from Parliament.

Mr Starmer is facing a mounting backlash over the treatment of Ms Abbott, 70, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987.

Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid a probe into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April 2023. But it has emerged the investigation ended months ago.

Britain's first black female MP had the Labour whip restored yesterday, but initially appeared to confirm this morning that she had been banned from standing.

The situation descended into confusion again hours later when she posted on social media that she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' she would not be allowed to stand. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sits in an armoured vehicle at Supacat Ltd

Mr Sunak gestures during a question and answer session at Supacat Ltd, during a Conservative Party general election campaign event

The Prime Minister even sat down with locals at The Drewe Arms Community Pub in Exeter 

Labour leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting attend a campaign event at Three Counties Medical School

But a Labour row marred the campaigning as Diane Abbott (pictured) vowed to stay as an MP and accused the party of trying to ban her 

Mr Starmer later told reporters in the West Midlands that 'no decision has been taken to bar Ms Abbott'.

But after a chaotic afternoon in politics, Ms Abbott refuted this by telling a crowd of around 200 supporters outside Hackney Town Hall tonight: 'I was shocked to learn yesterday that I am going to be banned from running for the Labour Party.

'I have been selected by my local party members, many of whom are here today, but the national party is insisting that I be banned.' She said she was not given a reason for the ban, adding: 'They just want me excluded from parliament.

'So I am so shocked and so alarmed about what is going on because it is as if you are not allowed to be a Labour MP unless you are prepared to repeat everything the leader says.'

The Labour veteran vowed to fight on, telling her supporters: 'You have always stood with me, in good times and bad. And I will always stand with you. I am not going to allow myself to be intimidated. I am going to be your MP for as long as I am allowed to.'

She added: 'I remember when I first ran as a Labour MP all the way back in 1987 people thought I couldn't win.

'People thought you couldn't elect a black woman to parliament because it had never been done before. But local people went out, campaigned, knocked on doors and made me Britain's first black woman member of parliament.

'And I have to keep faith with that loyalty - I have to keep faith with my principles, I have to keep faith with supporting and speaking up for equalities, poor people, for the community here in Hackney.

'So I promise you that as long as it is possible, I will be the member of parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.'

The dramatic day inside the Labour camp came as Mr Sunak continued his campaign in the southwest. 

In Drewsteignton in central Devon, Rishi Sunak met with a group of people who had taken over community ownership of a village pub.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during a Labour general election campaign event, at Worcester City Football Club

He sat at a long table with the pub's committee and drank a pint of lemonade from a traditional beer mug.

He was joined by Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary and Conservative MP for Central Devon.

In the corner of the small pub room otherwise filled with Prime Minister, his team, and the pack of travelling photographers and journalists, two French tourists watched the scene with bemusement.

Mr Sunak was earlier told he had perfectly spliced a fibre optic broadband cable during a visit to the South West.

He met apprentices at Wildanet in Liskeard, a company upgrading broadband connections in Cornwall and Devon, where he was given a chance to try out their technical skills.

After unsheathing a cable from a blue casing and wiping it with alcohol gel, he used a small device to join it with another.

In Drewsteignton in central Devon, Rishi Sunak met with a group of people who had taken over community ownership of a village pub

Kiri James, 30, a field service engineer apprentice who led a demonstration for the Prime Minister, ran the cable through a testing machine and said he had carried out a perfect splice.

Mr Sunak pumped his arms in the air to celebrate, as Ms James told him 'Yep, that was a perfect splice. If you are looking for a job in telecoms...'

The Prime Minister had earlier visited Long Rock train depot in Penzance where he also met apprentices while promoting plans to boost apprenticeships while axing 'rip off' degrees.

Mr Sunak did wade into Labour's row by saying the party has to be 'transparent' about Ms Abbott's position. 

Tory chairman Richard Holden wrote to Sir Keir demanding answers about the process. In a letter seen by the Jewish Chronicle, he accused Sir Keir of lying to the British public over the investigation into Ms Abbott's alleged anti-Jewish remarks.

Sir Keir's campaigning was thrown into further disarray when backbench MP Mr Russell-Moyle said he was 'gutted' after receiving an 'administrative suspension letter' and being told he could not stand as a Labour candidate.

In a statement sent to the PA news agency, the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven MP said: 'Someone (who remains anonymous to me) has made what I believe to be a vexatious and politically motivated complaint about my behaviour eight years ago. This is a false allegation that I dispute totally and I believe it was designed to disrupt this election.

'There isn't enough time to defend myself as these processes within the party take too long, so the party have told me that I will not be eligible to be a candidate at the next election.'

A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.'