Watch as health minister Victoria Atkins was questioned on NHS funding and the state of dental care in England on Wednesday, 7 February.

       Under plans to boost services, dentists will be offered cash to take on new patients and given ￡20,000 “golden hellos” to work in communities with a lack of NHS dental care.

       It came after Rishi Sunak faced Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, after sources said Downing Street is planning a general election for October.

       A source told The Independent that the prime minister is looking at an election in early October, rather than waiting until November as it has previously been reported, as the timing would clash with the US presidential election.

       Mr Sunak had previously ruled out a vote in the spring, indicating he would like to go to the polls later in 2024.

       He told broadcasters at a visit to a youth centre in Nottinghamshire earlier this month that his "working assumption" was that the UK would have a general election "in the second half of this year."

       The Sun reported that Mr Sunak’s fears over “global insecurity” triggered by Donald Trump potentially winning the US election mean he is “moving away” from a November election.