The UK's Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer have entered the final straight in the race to Downing Street, with voters going to the polls on July 4.

The general election is being fought largely on the issue of the economy. But Mr Sunak’s campaign has been hit by false starts and pitfalls, putting in jeopardy the prospect of his party continuing to govern after 14 years in power.

In this episode of the Year of Elections podcast, host Damien McElroy, London bureau chief at The National, looks at how a change of government could affect the Middle East and analyses how Scottish politics is changing.