This is the last day of the general election campaign before UK residents cast their votes tomorrow

Theresa May wants to restrict the freedom and the movements of terrorist suspects

Pound to plunge in event of hung parliament

Investors to seek saven havens as election looms

Theresa May to rip up humans rights laws to address terrorism

UK M&A to rise with general election

4.04pm...General election campaign coverage concludes

Our election campaign coverage has finished and we'll be back tomorrow when voters head to the polls.

3.53pm...Pound strengthens ahead of election

The pound has strengthened, rising 0.33% versus the dollar at US$1.2954 and 0.38% against the euro at €1.1492.

Connor Campbell, financial analyst at , said while this suggests the election-jitters that have bothered the pound for the last fortnight have eased.

“However, there are potentially other explanations for its growth,” he said. “The euro has been hit by reports that the European Central Bank is preparing to cut its inflation forecasts, something that would further kick the rate hike can down the road. In the US, meanwhile, the dollar is gearing up for tomorrow’s testimony from former FBI chief James Comey, an event that could destabilise an already shaky White House. “

He added: “Regardless of the reason for the pound’s gains, they had a detrimental effect on the FTSE, which gave up its lunchtime growth to fall by around 30 points, causing the index to flirt with closing below 7500 for the first time in nearly three weeks.”

Evening Market Comment: Sterling surge pushes FTSE back below 7500... https://t.co/nf46sIRowp — Connor Campbell (@Connor ) 7 June 2017

3.30pm...Hung parliament would make it hard to secure deal with EU on Brexit, says analyst

The widely held view is that sterling will tumble in the event of a hung parliament as it would cause political uncertainty and worries over the outcome of Brexit.

James Trescothick, senior global strategist at easyMarkets, also seems to think so.

“Hung parliaments make passing legislation extremely difficult for the party in power, as all the other parties can team up and prevent any laws it wants to pass. The sterling is likely to crash on this outcome. Why?

“Because with this result securing any deal with the EU will prove to be very difficult as any set direction for negotiations will be lost amongst all the bickering that will very likely occur between all the parties in the commons. The GBP/USD rate could once again fall as low as $1.20.”

3.17pm....Pound could falter on hard Brexit fears if Tories secure majority, says analyst

Joel Kruger, analyst at LMAX Exchange, has a different view on what the pound will do should the Conservatives secure a majority in the election. Many analysts think sterling will swing favourably on a Tory win.

“Interestingly, the base case outcome of a Conservative majority may not be as supportive of the pound as the market thinks, with any sterling upside in the aftermath potentially at risk on a sell the fact reaction and renewed fears of a tough negotiation process resulting in a hard Brexit,” he said.

3.07pm...Sturgeon defends claim on Dugdale about second independence referendum

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has defended her claim that Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale told her privately she thought Brexit could justify a second independence vote. Sturgeon said Dugdale had herself put the conversation in the public domain.

Sturgeon has claimed that Dugdale told her Labour should drop its opposition to a second independence referendum because Scotland had voted heavily to remain. Dugdale accused Sturgeon of telling a “categoric lie”.

Sturgeon said: "The fact of this conversation and a very selective account of the content of that, was first put into the public domain on the 23 February in the Times newspaper, where it said Ms Dugdale revealed that she held secret talks with the first minister."

"That is what gave me the ability to talk about that. The part of course of that conversation Kezia Dugdale didn’t refer to I stand by 100%."

2.30pm... Diane Abbott tweets on election as she takes break from campaign

Diane Abbott has taken a break from the election campaign due to illness but she has taken to to show her support for Labour.

Touched by all the messages of support. Still standing! Will rejoin the fray soon. Vote Labour! — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) 7 June 2017

1.52pm...Tory lead narrows in spread betting

Spread betting on the Tories has fallen to 365-371 seats on the eve of the election from a peak of 396-402, according to .

Conor Campbell, financial analyst at the spread betting firm, said the Conservatives have been hit by controveries surrounding its so-called dementia tax and police funding following terror attacks in London and Manchester.

"Labour have, obviously, been the main beneficiary of this shift, climbing to 198-204 from 157-163 three weeks ago," he said.

"However, if accurate, that would still leave Corbyn on track to lose around 30 of the seats won by the Miliband campaign back in 2015."

1.10pm... Theresa May has no regrets

Theresa May told reporters she was feeling good about the election as she flew from Southampton to Norfolk on a private jet for final campaigning in East Anglia.

In response to a question on whether she had any regrets, she said: "No, I’ve enjoyed the campaign. Obviously the two terrible terror attacks have been something that nobody wants to see taking place at any time, including during an election campaign.

"But outside of those I’ve enjoyed the campaign and I particularly enjoyed getting out and about meeting a whole range of different people across the country."

12.22pm...Jeremy Corbyn says Labour will "properly fund" NHS

Jeremy Corbyn has repeated his vow to pledge free school meals for every child in primary school and to "properly fund" for the NHS.

During a campaign speech in Runcorn, he told supporters that five more years of the Conservatives would mean five more years of NHS spending cuts. He added that the NHS was the most "the most precious and civilised thing that we have in this country".

Corbyn also said: "This generation is being damaged by the austerity created by the banking crisis.

"Our manifesto offers something very, very different for the future."

12.05pm... Diane Abbott diagnosed with 'serious, long-term condition'

Diane Abbott has been diagnosed with “a serious, long-term condition”, according to shadow international trade secretary, Barry Gardiner.

"I have been told that Diane has been diagnosed with a serious, long-term condition,"Gardiner told the Huffington Post.

"I hope people will simply say ‘OK, fair dos, if that’s the reason she’s been under par, we should back off’."

11.24am...UK would have to declare state of emergency to rip up human rights laws

The UK would have to declare a state of emergency if Theresa May followed through on her promise to rip up human rights laws to tackle terror suspects, according to European court of human rights officials.

Damian Green said changes to human rights laws would involve “a derogation” from the European convention on human rights. France took similar action in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.

Theresa May said she wanted to change the laws to make it easier to impose new restrictions on terror suspects, including looking at how to make it easier to deport foreign terror suspects and how to increase controls on extremists where they present a threat.

Shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, has disputed that human rights prevented the government from addressing terrorism.

“If we start throwing away our adherence to human rights in response to what has happened in the last three months, we are throwing away the values at the heart of the democracy, everything that we say we believe in,” he said.

"Nothing in the human rights act gets in the way of tackling terrorism...this is a diversion," says Labour's Keir Starmer #r4today — BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) 7 June 2017

10.47am...Investors to flock to safe havens as election approaches

IG market analyst Joshua Mahony, expects to see investors flock to safe havens this week as the general election draws closer.

“As the week progresses, we continue to see money flood into havens such as gold and the yen, with the Japanese currency representing one of the big winners in the FX space this week. The uncertainty that has been caused by the recent gains in the polls by Labour shows little signs of going away," he said.

"However, with the IG digital 100 market showing an 80% expectation of a Conservative majority, it is clear that not everyone believes it is as close as the pollsters would have you believe. “

10.25am...Pound faces stress test at election, says ETX Capital

Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said: “Sterling could go either way on Friday as the general election result remains too close to confidently predict. The polls have significantly narrowed and there is now a significant chance of a hung parliament."

"The pound faces a major test. If it’s a hung parliament, the pound is likely to plunge on increased political risk and a possible delay to Brexit negotiations. If Theresa May increases her majority the pound ought to rise as part of a broader relief rally in UK assets. The possibilities for cable on the different outcomes might be as much as ten cents - $1.20-$1.30 being the broad range it’s traded in lately."

09.41am...Jeremy Corbyn says ripping up human rights laws won't defeat terrorism

Jeremy Corbyn has told BBC Breakfast this morning that he was “quite alarmed” after Theresa May said she would rip of human rights laws to deal with terrorism.

“We won’t defeat terrorism by ripping up our basic rights and our democracy; we defeat terrorism by our communities, by our vigilance and by police action to isolate and detain those who could wish us harm,” he said.

“The independence of our whole judicial system is absolutely central to our lives and I become quite alarmed when the prime minister and others start talking about the need to change our human rights legislation. Our fundamental rights are very, very important; the right to free speech, the right to free assembly, the right to free elections, the right to access to the media and of course, the right to elect our politicians, all these things are absolutely central to our lives.”

09.13am...UK M&A to rise with general election

The UK general election is expected to spur a boom in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

data has shown that in previous years M&A has jumped the 90 days following an election compared with the preceding 90 days. Aquistions of UK companies rose 4% in 2015 and 8% in 2010 after the elections. UK buyers looking for deals with international firms also gained after the last three elections.

09.04am...Jeremy Corbyn insists Diane Abbott is ill

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Diane Abbott is taking a break from the election campaign because she has been unwell for the past couple of days. She will be replaced by Lyn Brown, the Parliamentary candidate for West Ham.

The Shadow Home Secretary called in sick to an interview on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour yesterday but some were dubious of her excuse after reports suggested Labour was trying to keep her away from the airways following a few botched interviews.

Corbyn defended Abbott, saying: “She's not well a couple of days and she's taking a break from the campaign. Of course Diane is somebody that works extremely hard, that represents her community very well, and I have to say has received totally unfair levels of attack and abuse - not just recently, but over many years. I'll be talking to her later on today, she's not well at the moment."

08.35am..Theresa May promises to shred human rights laws to tackle terrorism....

Theresa May has promised to shred human rights laws to impose new restrictions on terror suspects following the attacks in London and Manchester.

The Prime Minister said she was looking at how to make it easier to deport foreign terror suspects and how to increase controls on extremists.

Some measures she suggested included longer prison sentences for people convicted of terrorist offences, controls on where those under suspicion of terrorism can travel and limits on access to communication devices.

By shredding up the human rights laws, May said she means “doing more to restrict the freedom and the movements of terrorist suspects when we have enough evidence to know they present a threat, but not enough evidence to prosecute them in full in court”.

“And if human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change those laws so we can do it," she said.