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The last guest on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge this evening is Victoria Atkins, the health secretary.

The discussion started with tonight’s debate, and she says the PM will “set out his plans for the future of our country”. She immediately says UK has had “a tough couple of years with COVID and with the war in Ukraine”, but insisted we are “turning a corner”.

To that end, she says she hopes the economy, lowering taxes, and reducing migration will all be discussed tonight, as well as the national service plans and policies to “protect pensioners”.

“Also, I hope that we hear the Labour leader answer some questions because so far his campaign has consisted of walking around with a single word placard [change] and describing that he’s carrying a [Ming] vase.

“Well, I’m sorry, but governing our great country is much more complicated than walking around with a vase.”

Asked about yesterday’s YouGov MRP poll that showed the Tories on course for defeat – as most have in recent months – Ms Atkins replies: “We can all think of polls in the past that were out of step with the British public and got it wrong.”

She says they are working towards the actual election day, and they are getting “a very good reception on the doorstep”.

Conservatives ‘concentrating on sectors that need international workforce’

The topic moves onto the party’s annual visa cap to reduce immigration and how the pledge is going.

Victoria Atkins says the public “opened their arms to people fleeing the war in Ukraine” and also those fleeing Hong Kong and Afghanistan.

“On top of that, the health and social care visa, which is an important part of ensuring that we are able to attract the brightest and the best from around the world – that was incredibly popular,” she says.

“The UK is an incredibly respected and popular country and around the world people want to come to work in our NHS. 

“And so that’s why we are bringing these measures in to ensure that we are really concentrating on those sectors that need the international workforce.”

That concludes tonight’s edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge.