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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Mattha Busby, Matthew Weaver and Molly Blackall

Senior politicians clash on Channel 4's 'Everything but Brexit' debate – as it happened

Channel 4 debate
Left to right: Philippa Whitford, SNP; Angela Rayner, Labour; Adam Price, Plaid Cymru; Jonathan Bartley, Green party; and Jo Swinson, Lib Dems. Photograph: Everything But Brexit/Channel 4

Summary

That concludes the debate tonight.

Representatives from all of the main parties were present, except the Conservatives and the Brexit Party who had declined an invitation to join. There were two empty podiums, but no melting ice sculptures this time around.

Boris Johnson was widely criticised for his “cowardly” behaviour in failing to show up for interviews and debates, but chair Cathy Newman did fill in the Conservative policies on each of the debate topics.

There were no major policy surprises, with all panellists launching attacks on NHS underfunding and emphasising the need for climate action.

Jo Swinson was the target of much scathing criticism from her fellow panellists, who took the opportunity to raise her record on austerity measures during the coalition government, when she was a minister. Labour’s Angela Rayner and the SNP’s Philippa Whitford led in taking Swinson to task, saying she couldn’t condemn the impact of austerity measures she helped to create.

Swinson apologised explicitly for her role in policies such as the bedroom tax, and the infamous tuition fee promises.

Updated

The discussion on: trust

There seem to be a wide acknowledgement across the panel that voters lacked trust in their politicians.

Jo Swinson explicitly admitted her coalition government had broken a promise on election fees, but said the last time she lied was “about how many chocolate biscuits were in the tin” to her son, a joke which fell rather flat.

Asked how Jewish voters could trust Labour, Angela Rayner insisted that the party were working to tackle anti-semitism. She emphasised the need for open debate, in a thinly veiled jab at Boris Johnson, calling politics and democracy “the best of British” and saying prospective leaders shouldn’t “hide from scrutiny”.

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price was more explicit, calling Johnson a “coward”. “Those who lead us should not mislead us and get away with it,” he added.

Jonathan Bartley came out with the best line of the round, and was met with broad laughter.

“Why should you trust us? You don’t join the Green Party for political ambition”.

“If you don’t want refugee children coming to our country, I don’t want your vote”, he added.

The SNP took the opportunity to call for votes at 16.

Updated

Jo Swinson admits the Liberal Democrats got it wrong on tuition fees, conceding that they broke a promise

The discussion on: health and social care

A pretty unanimous verdict from tonight’s panellists that the NHS is under-funded, with over-crowding and long waiting times key issues.

Angela Rayner, who was a home carer, condemned cuts for causing either undignified or totally inaccessible care.

“When my Nan was dying, she said ‘If I was a dog, you’d put me down’, and no older person should feel like that”, Rayner said.

The discussion on: the economy

As well as heated criticism of Jo Swinson, this debate centred around child poverty, which Adam Price insisted could be eliminated given the political will.

Philippa Witford of the SNP claimed that the UK lost 14,000 children per year before their 15th birthday. Commenting on this, she said:

“That’s the size of a secondary school - can you imagine if a secondary school had it’s roof falling in every year? Maybe then we’d get off our bahookies and do something about it.”

Swinson under fire for role in the coalition government

Jo Swinson is getting a lot of criticism from her fellow panelists over her role in the coalition government, with Angela Rayner saying Swinson couldn’t criticise the impact of austerity caused by a government she was part of.

Swinson apologised for her part in the policies such as the bedroom tax, but the SNP’s Philippa Whitford said that would not compensate for the policies which had “destroyed lives and families”.

Swinson told of how her son’s school had been offering free bagels to combat child hunger.

“They don’t want a bagel, they want a job”, Rayner retorted.

Updated

The discussion on: the climate crisis

There was a lot of common ground on this issue, with all representatives agreeing much needed to be done to tackle the climate crisis.

The target for reaching zero-carbon varies across the representatives, with the Green’s having the most ambitious target of 2030. When criticised for the Green’s commitment to spend £100bn a year on climate action, Jonathan Bartley said:

“If the climate was a bank, we’d have bailed it out by now.”

The SNP were criticised for being “too late” with their target of 2045, but Witman said that Scotland got most of its energy from renewable sources.

The most well-received statement of this round came from Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price, who said that the climate was “bigger than party politics”, with “one in seven of our species at risk of extinction”.

Updated

The discussion on: terrorism

Angela Rayner and Jo Swinson refused to be drawn specifically on whether convicted terrorists should always serve their full sentence, but both said the safety of the public should come first.

Swinson also criticised Boris Johnson for politicising the death of Jack Merritt in the London Bridge attack, citing his father Dave Merritt who specifically requested his son’s death was not used in this way.

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price said they should serve the length of their sentence, and the balance had to “err on the side of caution” because the consequences of mistaken release were so high.

The SNP’s representative appeared to take a different approach, saying that “to change people’s futures you have to actually solve their problems. There are far too many people in prison who should be helped in a public health approach”. However, Witson condemned automatic release of prisoners.

Updated

The discussion on: mental health

In a discussion on mental health, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price revealed his own battle with depression, saying he had reached “the darkest points of all”.

“I’m one of the one in four”, he said, referring to the number of people in the UK thought to be suffering with mental health problems.

Labour’s Angela Rayner and the SNP’s Philippa Witford had more in common on this topic, both saying that health problems should be prevented early through social services.

“Health isn’t about the NHS, that’s what picks you up when you fall. Poverty drives people into mental health issues”, Witford said, to rapturous applause.

Updated

The discussion on: the NHS

The first clash of the debate has come over the NHS, which all parties insisted they would preserve.

Green party leader Jonathan Bartley said the NHS shouldn’t be used as “political football”, but claims Labour “built the bridge the Tories are walking towards privatisation”.

Angela Rayner asked why A&E in Scotland are failing to meet NHS targets, but Philippa Witford insists Labour are missing theirs in Wales, where they run the health service.

“People have the right to #GoCompare”, said Witford, in what is surely the first of many one-liners of the evening.

Updated

Cathy Newman, chairing the debate, confirms that both the Conservatives and the Brexit Party were invited to join the debate but declined.

Instead, we’ll be hearing from Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, SNP health spokesperson Philippa Whitford and co-leader of the Green party, Jonathan Bartley.

Updated

Good evening, I’m Molly Blackall and I’ll be taking over the live blog tonight.

Coming up, we have the ‘Everything But Brexit’ debate on Channel 4, where senior politicians from the main parties are set to be quizzed by audience members on key election issues - with no mention of the B-word.

Earlier in the week, the Independent reported that neither the Conservatives nor Brexit party would send a representative to the debate, but it’s currently unclear who will be attending.

We’ll have all the updates as they unfold, from 6.30pm.

Updated

The Conservative David Davies, who is defending his seat in Monmouth, South Wales, has floated the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

In an interview with the BBC, the pro-Leave former minister also dismissed criticism that the Tories’ campaign slogan “get Brexit done” was misleading, since trade negotiations would likely go on throughout 2020 if the UK did indeed leave the EU early next year.

Asked whether a no-deal Brexit was possible after the transition period, Davies said:

It’s a possibility, you have to accept that. We don’t want a no-deal Brexit. It’s not the first choice of anyone in the Conservative party.

We want a deal, we want a good relationship with Europe, but we want them to accept that we’re leaving. However, anyone who’s done any kind of negotiating knows you cannot negotiate anything unless you’re prepared to walk away.

Updated

ITV’s Hannah Miller subjected the prime minister to a tough line of questioning from the side of a football pitch near Stockport and has won plaudits throughout today for holding him to account. Boris Johnson’s evasive responses may well explain why he has avoided being interviewed by the BBC’s Andrew Neil.

Updated

Shots fired.

Afternoon summary

  • Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, floated the suggestion for the second time that her party could be amenable to an accord with Labour in a hung parliament, in order to secure a people’s vote, if Jeremy Corbyn stood down after the election.
  • Corbyn urged activists to “go flat out until 10 o’clock on Thursday” and celebrated that for the first time in British history, the Labour party could have more female than male MPs in the next parliament (see 1.55pm).
  • The Scottish Tories claimed that a pact between Labour and the SNP was being drawn up and warned unionists in Scotland to vote for Conservative to prevent a second independence referendum from taking place.
  • The Labour candidate for Glasgow North East, Paul Sweeney, said Labour would support a second referendum only if an explicit mandate for such a vote came out from the 2021 Scottish elections. “Ultimately, we’re democrats,” he said. “We respect the right of the Scottish people to self-determination.”
  • Comedian and Labour supporter Steve Coogan urged voters to be smart as he campaigned with the Lib Dem candidate Oliver Henman on Sunday in his local constituency of Lewes in East Sussex.
  • The Conservative party chairman, James Cleverly, apologised for Islamophobia in the party. “Well, course, I’m sorry and I’m sorry when people do or say things that are wrong. But I am confident that my party has a robust mechanism for dealing with it.”
  • Ed Davey, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, dismissed Boris Johnson’s claim that riding his bike on a pavement is the naughtiest thing he has ever done (see 9.38am), saying the prime minister has done many other “far naughtier” things.
  • The anti-Brexit Best for Britain campaign released data showing the Tories are on course for a 40-seat majority, but it claims that tactical voting in 36 marginal seats would block this outcome (see 11.56am).
  • Activists from Extinction Rebellion cycled to Heathrow airport to protest against plans to build a third runway, while highlighted the prime minister’s previous ardent opposition to the transport hub’s expansion.
  • Repurposing his famous scrum metaphor, Boris Johnson urged Tory activists to keep the ball within the pack and to learn from the lessons of 2017 when his party squandered a healthy lead in the polls come the election.

And here’s the morning summary. Do drop me a line on my Twitter if I’ve missed anything.

Updated

Ruth Davidson, a former Scottish Conservative leader, has hinted at a return to frontline politics to lead the Tories in Westminster when they are next in opposition, my colleague Frances Perraudin reports.

In an interview for the Sunday Telegraph’s Stella Magazine, the MSP for Edinburgh Central suggested she could re-enter politics once her one-year-old son was older.

It may well be that my time in politics doesn’t come again until we’re in opposition. I’ve probably got more experience than anyone in the party on how to lead from opposition.

If someone tapped on my door and asked me to help, I’d be there in a heartbeat. But at the moment, I’ve got four or five years when my son isn’t at school and that is not a time that I’m contemplating moving 450 miles away for the majority of the week. It’s just some things are more important than politics.

Updated

Surprising scenes in Sunderland this afternoon where a group of dancers removed their overgarments to reveal they were wearing Brexit party T-shirts. It’s unclear whether they are actual supporters, or if they were merely paid to perform a routine.

Equally, it remains unknown whether Kanye West – who has cultivated a friendly relationship with Nigel Farage ally Donald Trump – has consented to his song Power being used repeatedly by the Brexit party during the election campaign.

Updated

The former Labour home secretary, Alan Johnson, has backed an app that is offering motorists free parking on Thursday near polling stations.

Heavy rain and high winds are forecast in places on Thursday for the first December general election in almost a century, with only eight hours of daylight expected. To encourage people to go and vote, however, JustPark is allowing people half an hour of free parking through its website.

“I am pleased to be part of a campaign that aims to get more people voting on 12 December,” Johnson said.

This will be the first December election for 96 years and for the elderly and infirm in particular, there will be real worries about the cold and dark conditions. Being able to park, free of charge, close to the polling station will make a significant contribution to voter turnout.

Updated

Vote smart and box clever to defeat the Conservative party, the actor Steve Coogan has urged.

Campaigning with the Lib Dem candidate Oliver Henman on Sunday in his local constituency of Lewes in East Sussex, the comedian said he would be voting Liberal Democrat on Thursday because it was the “smartest thing to do”.

Although he is a Labour supporter, the party came a distant third in 2017 in Lewes and it is one of a number of seats where the Lib Dems are best placed to beat the Tories and a vote for any other party would likely be wasted.

Conservative MP Maria Caulfield holds the seat, where people voted narrowly to remain during the 2016 EU referendum, with a majority of 5,508. Just over 6,000 voted Labour.

Coogan, best known for his portrayal of Alan Partridge, said he would be visiting other constituencies where he would urge people to vote Labour in order to keep out the Tories if they were the main opponent.

It’s such a crucial issue facing the nation. The most important thing across the country is to defeat the Tories by any means necessary. It’s about being smart and boxing clever.

Updated

Ed Davey, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, has poured scorn on Boris Johnson’s claim that riding his bike on a pavement is the naughtiest thing he has ever done (see 9.38am), saying the prime minister has done many other “far naughtier” things.

From lying to the Queen to insulting single mothers, Boris Johnson has done far naughtier things than cycling on the pavement. He has tried to laugh off his dismal track record of lying to the public and attacking women and minority groups. But this is no joke.

One of the other things he could have mentioned was his previous use of drugs such as cannabis and cocaine, and earlier Jo Swinson told PA Media she had smoked “a fair bit of cannabis at university”, when asked the same question.

“I don’t know whether that counts as particularly naughty, but your readers and viewers will be able to make up their own mind on that,” she said, adding: “It wasn’t just one, and I did inhale.”

Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, said in 2017 that his own admission would be “far too naughty to say”.

This week, he was asked to reveal “the most romantic … wild and reckless” moment of his life, to which he confessed to having enjoyed some “wonderful holidays” with his wife and referred suggestively to having a “great time together” when “you’re with somebody”.

Updated

Elsewhere, activists from Extinction Rebellion are protesting against plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport.

Guy Shrubsole, from Friends of the Earth, notes the prime minister’s previous opposition to the transport hub’s expansion. Johnson said famously in 2015 that he would “lie down with you in front of those bulldozers and stop the building, stop the construction of that third runway”.

Updated

Jeremy Corbyn has declared that Labour would invest to achieve prosperity and restated its pledge of free personal care for older people to end the crisis in social care.

During a speech in Bangor – in the ultra-marginal Arfon constituency, held by Plaid Cymru with a majority of just 92 ahead of Labour in 2017 – he paid tribute to the determination of party campaigners and waxed lyrical about the beauty of the Welsh countryside.

Corbyn urged activists to “go flat out until 10 o’clock on Thursday” and said that for the first time in British history, the Labour party intended to have at least an equal number of female MPs in the next parliamentary party.

The [Labour] government of Wales is doing its best in very difficult circumstances. But it’s lost a billion pounds in funding because of austerity imposed by the Tories and the Liberal Democrats in Westminster in 2010.

And then you drive through Wales … beautiful countryside, fantastic hills, wonderful diversity of topography and everything else. And then behind all that, is stunted aspirations and a great deal of poverty because of a lack of investment and the cruelty of how austerity has worked.

In modern Britain, there are 4 million children living in poverty. This Christmas, 135,000 children will wake up not knowing if the place they’re waking up will be there home for much longer because they’re on short term tenancies.

The price of austerity is not paid by the very rich [or] the 150 billionaires in Britain. It’s paid for by those going through mental health stress, those who are homeless, our children going hungry, by the underfunding of public services all over Britain. None of this is at all necessary. You can’t cut your way to prosperity. You invest your way to prosperity.

However, in spite of the funding cuts from Westminster, Plaid Cymru accused Labour of “hypocrisy” over its social care policy.

Plaid’s MP in Carmarthen, Jonathan Edwards, suggested Labour could have already delivered free social care in Wales but chose not to and criticised the party for not giving “credible answers” about its government in Wales.

Edwards said in a statement:

Labour in Wales could deliver free social care tomorrow if they wanted to. But they choose not to. Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru is promising free social care at the point of need for everyone in Wales.

In Wales, Labour has had 20 years in government to deliver real change but has failed to do so and instead find themselves defending worse A&E waiting times than England, health board scandal after health board scandal and a worrying fall in the number of GPs.

That’s why twice on TV debates this election, poorly briefed Labour politicians have failed to give credible answers to questions on their own Labour government’s record in Wales. Richard Burgon simply smiled when asked why Labour had chosen not to deliver free social care in Wales, where they have the power to do so.

You only have to look to Labour in government in Wales to see that Labour promises and Labour in government mean different things.

Updated

Swinson hints at possible accord with Labour to secure people's vote

Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, has suggested once more that her party could amenable to an accord with Labour in a hung parliament, in order to secure a people’s vote, if Jeremy Corbyn stood down after the election.

She told PA Media:

Obviously we don’t know who the personalities would be in that circumstance, but we will obviously take a view on that depending on what circumstance we find ourselves in.

I have been working with people from the Labour party, and people from the Conservative party, and the SNP, and Plaid Cymru, and the Green party to try and stop Brexit and try and secure a people’s vote so that we can remain in the EU. I’ve been doing that for the last couple of years and I will certainly be continuing to do that.

Obviously, Jeremy Corbyn … is completely unfit to be prime minister, as is Boris Johnson for a whole host of different reasons. And so, if Labour are in a situation where they consider that Jeremy Corbyn is no longer fit to lead them, then we will of course look to keep working with people to try and secure a people’s vote.

On Friday, Swinson told LBC that the party would not go into coalition with any other party.

She told a caller: “There’s lots of places that we can win as Liberal Democrats where previously they might have been Conservative strongholds and will not put Corbyn in No 10. I will work constructively cross-party. I don’t think we’re in coalition territory.”

Updated

Remember when Boris Johnson, then mayor of London, mused back in 2013 that “if the ball came loose from the back of the scrum” he would like to be prime minister?

Now, as PM, he has urged Tory activists to keep the ball within the pack and to learn from the lessons of 2017 when his party squandered a healthy lead in the polls come the election.

We’re now in the final furlong of this race and that is when of course the horses can still change places.

We’re in their 25, to use a rugby metaphor, or is it 22 metres now? I can’t remember. Anyway, we’re still not quite there yet and do not forget what happened in 2017.

To get back to rugby, we’ve got to drive for the line, keep the ball firmly at the back of our feet and we’re going to get there but only if we work really hard. Keep the ball firmly at the back of the scrum and drive for the line, if you know what I mean.

Boris Johnson poses for a photograph at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters on Sunday.
Boris Johnson poses for a photograph at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters on Sunday. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AP

Updated

'A Labour-SNP pact is being drawn up', claim Scottish Tories

Good afternoon, I’m Mattha Busby, taking the reins from my colleague Matthew Weaver.

Earlier, the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, said Labour would have “questions to answer” if it does not accept the SNP’s post-election demands.

Shortly after, the Labour candidate for Glasgow North East, Paul Sweeney, said his party would not “stand in the way” of a second referendum if independence-supporting parties return a majority to Holyrood in 2021.

However, he stressed there was no clear mandate for a second vote and Labour “would not be going into that at this stage” although he noted Ian Blackford would “meet regularly” with Jeremy Corbyn while parliament is sitting.

He told Sunday Politics Scotland:

Ultimately, we’re democrats. We respect the right of the Scottish people to self-determination. If there were an explicit mandate for that, say, after the Scottish elections in 2021, it wouldn’t be for any British government to stand in the way of that.

The interim Scottish Tory leader, Jackson Carlaw, said Sweeney’s comments were confirmation of a deal between the two parties and he restated what has become a traditional line of attack for his party.

Paul Sweeney has set it out in black and white. A Labour-SNP pact is being drawn up; it’s just a matter of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. This is what could happen by Friday if Sturgeon and Corbyn succeed.

It means our union is on the line this week. Ian Blackford said today that he and Jeremy Corbyn speak regularly, and he doesn’t expect Corbyn to oppose the Nationalists. So pro-UK voters in Scotland face the very real risk of an Indyref2 pact being stitched up by the end of this week.

Pro-UK voters in Scotland must act on Thursday to stop this happening. And it is only by voting Scottish Conservative and Unionist that we can do that.

Jackson Carlaw, interim leader of the Scottish Conservatives, urges voters to back the party to stop ‘Indyref2’
Jackson Carlaw, interim leader of the Scottish Conservatives, urges voters to back the party to stop ‘Indyref2’ last month. Photograph: Ken Jack/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat candidate, Christine Jardine, has said her party would “not put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street, full stop”. However, the Lib Dems would back legislation for another Brexit referendum, she said.

Speaking to Andrew Marr this morning, Sturgeon had said every Tory-held seat in Scotland faced the SNP as the main opposition and she raised the spectre of what damage a Boris Johnson-led government would cause.

She said Labour would have “some big explaining” to do if it refused the conditional support of the Scottish Nationalist party.

Well look, I lead a minority government so I probably know more than most politicians in the UK what it takes. You can’t do anything in a minority government unless you have the support of another party. I don’t believe Labour if against of all of the odds and what the opinion polls are suggesting they get into a position where they can govern and implement their manifesto.

They would turn their backs on that. But can I just say my key priority in this election, because I think it’s in Scotland’s interest and the UK’s interest, is to try to stop Boris Johnson getting a majority on Thursday. Every Tory-held seat in Scotland has the SNP as the main challenger and my appeal to people is to make sure we’re not waking up on Friday with the prospect of five years of Boris Johnson because I think it would do real damage.

We will offer our support to a minority Labour government with certain conditions attached to that and I guess my view here would be to think about that prospect and imagine on Friday Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell are in the position of being able to form a government. I don’t think they’re going to turn their backs on that, and if they do – I think they’ve got some big explaining to do.

Nicola Sturgeon speaks to Andrew Marr on Sunday.
Nicola Sturgeon speaks to Andrew Marr on Sunday. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/AFP via Getty Images

Updated

Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid with other members of the Cabinet at Conservative Campaign Headquarters Call Centre
8 minutes idle: Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid with other members of the cabinet at Conservative Campaign Headquarters call centre Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Media

Boris Johnson and members of his cabinet have had a taste of being call centre operatives in a bid to drum up Tory support.

The prime minister spent a couple of minutes appearing to work out how to use the system, before the chancellor, Sajid Javid, handed him a headset to wear.

After he announced his name to the voter, Johnson helpfully added: “I’m the prime minister”, before having a short chat.

Dominic Raab, Michael Gove and Theresa Villiers were among the other senior ministers who were making calls at the Conservative party offices in Millbank, central London.

Updated

The shadow chancellor has expressed his concern that the row over antisemitism in Labour may have an effect on the election result, adding that the party had “done everything we can possibly do” to tackle the problem.

In a BBC One interview on Sunday morning, John McDonnell apologised to the Jewish community for “the suffering we’ve inflicted on them”. He added: “I say to them, we’re doing everything possible and we are going to learn more lessons and we want to be the shining example of anti-racism that the Labour party should be.”

Asked if he thought antisemitism in the party would be partly to blame if Labour lost Thursday’s general election, he said: “I worry that this has had its effect. We’ve done everything that I think we can possibly do. We’ve apologised to the Jewish community … We’ve always got to learn lessons, of course we have, all political parties. Because it isn’t just the Labour party.”

Tactical voting in 36 seats could deny Tory majority

The anti-Brexit Best for Britain campaign has released MRP data showing the Conservatives are on course for a 40-seat majority, but it claims that tactical voting in 36 marginal seats would block this outcome.

It has calculated that just 40,704 tactical votes in these seats would prevent a Conservative majority.

The seat-by-seat analysis of 28,272 voters found that without tactical voting the Conservative party would win 345 seats. It reckons that less than 2,500 tactical votes in the 36 marginals would stop this outcome. The list of marginals and the votes required in each to block the Conservatives is published here.

In Dewsbury, it would take only 82 Green and Lib Dem voters backing Labour to prevent the Conservative party winning the seat. Other seats on the list include West Bromwich West, Carshalton and Wallington and Sedgefield.

Best for Britain says that if tactical voting were successful in these 36 seats, the Conservatives would win 309 seats, Labour 255, Lib Dems 14, Greens one, Plaid three, and the SNP 49 seats.

Its chief executive, Naomi Smith, said:

“This election is on a knife-edge, and if enough remainers hold their nose and vote for the candidate with the best chance of stopping the Tories in their seat we’re heading for a hung parliament and a final-say referendum.”

Updated

Cleverly was also asked about the investigation the Tory party has promised into Islamophobia and whether it would be included only in a wider look at prejudice more generally.

He said: “It will specifically look into Islamophobia in my party. And it will, by definition, also have to look at other stuff as well, because you can’t always unpick this.”

Updated

Cleverly apologises for Tory Islamophobia

The Conservative party chairman, James Cleverly, has apologised for Islamophobia in the party.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “Well, course, I’m sorry and I’m sorry when people do or say things that are wrong. But I am confident that my party has a robust mechanism for dealing with it.”

Cleverly also falsely claimed that Boris Johnson had apologised for a notorious article he wrote in 2018 when he said women wearing niqabs resembled “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.

Last week the Guardian revealed that at least four ministers have gone on election campaigning trips to endorse Tory candidates facing allegations of Islamophobia since the claims against them came to light.

Updated

PA Media picks up on the very modest ambition Farage has for the election. Asked how many seats the Brexit party could win, Farage told Sky:

Well, I think there’s a handful in which we’ve got a seriously good chance of winning and I think we will get some in, I genuinely do.”

He added:

Of course I want Brexit done, but I want the right Brexit done … We will be back in crisis by June unless this withdrawal agreement is amended and that is the fight I’ve got and I want just to get a bridgehead of Brexit party MPs in parliament to hold Boris Johnson to account, because otherwise we’re going to see Brexit sold out.”

Updated

The SNP Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, says his party would be a “moderating force” on a Labour minority government, while insisting there is no reason why Jeremy Corbyn should deny a second independence referendum.

He said:

“I know that Jeremy Corbyn has supported the right of self-determination all round the world and there’s no reason why he would not recognise that the mandate [for a second independence referendum] it already there and he has to compromise on that. For us it’s very simple.”

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Politics Scotland programme, Blackford was also challenged about how the SNP intended to moderate the Labour manifesto, particularly with the Scottish Tories making the argument that a vote for the SNP is vote for Labour.

Blackford refused to name specific policies, but said: “We will go through this on a case by case basis and we will be a moderating force on Labour”.

On Trident renewal, which Nicola Sturgeon has previously described as a red line in negotiations, he added: “Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t want to press the button. Are we really talking about the situation where a Labour government would want to commit up to £2bn of our money on weapons that will never be reused?”

Updated

Summary

Here’s a summary of what we learned from a packed final round of Sunday morning broadcast interviews:

Updated

Boris Johnson has admitted there will be some customs checks for goods crossing the Irish Sea after Brexit but insisted they would apply only to items destined for the Republic of Ireland.

In an interview on Sky News on Sunday morning, the prime minister promised that “there won’t be checks” despite warnings to the contrary in leaked Treasury documents.

The document, seized on by Labour last week, also raises the prospect that there could be tariffs on trade going the other way.

However, Johnson did admit there would be checks if goods that are then going on to the Republic of Ireland.

The SNP’s leader, Nicola Sturgeon, has said she is not asking Labour to support the idea of another independence referendum, but to “respect the principle”.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Sturgeon said:

“My message (to the Labour party) would be listen carefully, I’ll never do anything that puts Boris Johnson into Downing Street, but Labour, in order to get a Queen’s speech and a budget through, if they’re in a minority position, need the support of another party.

“And if Scotland votes for the SNP in a hung parliament giving Scotland enormous leverage, then I will exercise that firstly in line with Scotland’s interest.

“Labour perhaps are not fully understanding what they would need to do in order to get their policies fully implemented.

“I’m not asking Labour to support Scottish independence, I’m not even asking them to support the idea that there should be another independence referendum.

“I’m making the reasonable request that they respect the principle, which is that if there’s a referendum, and the timing of the referendum, should not be matters for Westminster to determine. They should be matters for the Scottish people in parliament to determine.”

Updated

McDonnell admits antisemitism has hit Labour's campaign

Q: Why have antisemites stayed in the Labour party?

The Jewish Labour Movement report on the problem is well out of date, McDonnell says. The individuals named in the report have been kicked out, he says. New procedures are dealing with the problem. Asked about the 136 cases cited in the report, McDonnell says it is “well below that” now.

He added: “I came on this programme and I said I was angry because we weren’t quick enough or ruthless enough. The new procedures are dealing with that.”

Q: Do you accept that if you lose this election antisemitism will be part of the reason?

McDonnell says:

I worry this has had its effect. We have done everything I think we can possible do. We have apologised to the Jewish community and I repeat that. We have always got to learn lessons. I want us to be a shining model.

I apologise to the Jewish community for the suffering we have inflicted on them. I say to them we are doing everything possible. We are going to learn more lessons and we want to be the shining example of antiracism that the Labour party should be. Having gone through this horrible, horrible period, we come out of it now actually showing respect to the Jewish community and tackling this issue, and enabling the Labour party to tackle antisemitism in our wider society.


Updated

Challenged on Labour’s plans for hospital funding, McDonnell insists Labour would give the NHS the 4% extra it needs.

Labour spending plans will be paid by the richest 5%, McDonnell says. He admits the rest will face a bill of more £200 a year but they will benefit from improved public services.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is being interviewed on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

Q: Do you want to overthrow capitalism?

I want to transform our economy and meet the existential threat of climate change, McDonnell says.

Q: How are you going to pay for the pledge to Waspi women?

McDonnell says it will come from borrowing, which is why it was not costed in the party’s manifesto grey book. This is a historic mess that we have to address, he says.

Updated

Scotland would vote in favour of independence if Brexit goes ahead, a poll suggests, but a majority would vote no to leaving the UK if it remains within the EU.

The Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times found a majority, 51%, would back independence if the UK leaves the EU, while 49% would vote against it.

However, if the UK remains in the EU, a majority said they are against Scottish independence at 58%, with 42% in favour.

In general, support for independence has fallen, down 2% since November to 47%, while support for Scotland saying in the UK has risen by the same amount, to 53%.

The poll results were published as the Scottish Conservative leader, Jackson Carlaw, urged Scots to vote Tory to put plans for a second independence referendum “in cold storage for good”.

He urged unionist Scots to band together to stop a second independence referendum.

But the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, said Scottish voters should “aim higher” than Boris Johnson and Brexit when voting in the general election on Thursday.

Nicola Sturgeon said the “very future” of Scotland was at stake in the election. She said:

“Scotland cannot afford to live under more Westminster chaos for years and potentially decades – and we certainly cannot afford five years of Boris Johnson.

“The people of Scotland can do better than Boris and Brexit – and on Thursday we should aim higher.

“This Thursday, people in Scotland have an opportunity to unite and demand the right to choose a better future as an independent country – where we always get the governments we vote for and where we have the powers we need to make Scotland the best it can be.

“So I am asking Scotland to unite behind the SNP this Thursday – to escape Brexit, protect the NHS and to put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson’s.”

Updated

The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said Boris Johnson is “misleading” the British people by saying he will bring down immigration levels, PA Media reports.

Speaking on Ridge on Sunday on Sky News, Ashworth said:

“We should have a fair and balanced immigration system, of course we should, but he’s (Boris Johnson) imposing a tax on nurses coming from the EU and beyond, to come and work for our NHS to care for our sick and elderly. He’s going to exacerbate the staffing crisis in our NHS with his proposals.

“And he’s also misleading the British people, because he’s trying to give them the impression that he’s going to be bringing immigration down, but when you look at the details of what he’s announced today, he’s saying he’s going to hand over decisions on who will get a visa to an independent committee.”

“There will be no democratic control, there will be no accountability over any decision that any immigration minister makes, because it will be handed over to a statutory independent committee – so again, Boris Johnson’s lying to the British people.”

Questioned on whether a Labour government would raise migration levels under any circumstances, Ashworth added: “You want an immigration system which reflects your needs in the economy.”

Asked whether if the economy needs it, Labour would permit a rise, he added: “If the economy needs it, then of course people should come here to work in our economy.”

Discussing Labour’s social care policy, he said: “Essentially we’re announcing free personal social care”.

He added: “It means that no one will have to pay anything for the care that they get in their home, support getting out of bed … this is about ensuring fairness in the system.”

Pushed on the costings of the policy, Ashworth said: “Well, we’re putting £10bn extra in.”

On whether Labour would agree to cross-party talks on social care legislation, Ashworth said if Labour loses the election, “we’ll deal with it then”, but that he’s “always prepared to talk to whoever”.

Updated

Boris Johnson

Here’s PA Media’s write-up on Johnson’s claim that naughtiest thing he had ever done and was “prepared to admit” was riding his bicycle on the pavement.

Much has been made of Johnson’s past record, which has included being sacked as a Times journalist for making up a quote and lying to then-Tory leader Michael Howard about his affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt – another decision that led to him being sacked, this time from his role as a shadow minister.

But when asked on Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme whether he had given his naughtiest deed any more thought, he exclaimed: “Oh no, not this again,” before asking his aides to provide him with suggestions of the naughtiest thing they had witnessed him do.

He then coughed up the confession of having cycled on the pavement in the past.

The Conservative party leader said: “I think I may sometimes, how can I put this, I may sometimes when I was riding a bicycle every day – which I used to do – I may sometimes have not always obeyed the law about cycling on the pavement.

“But I want you to know how firmly and strongly I disapprove of people who cycle on the pavement and I think it’s wrong and I feel bad about it but I might sometimes have scooted up onto the pavement rather than dismounting before.”

Asked if that was actually the naughtiest thing he had ever done, he replied: “No, no, it was a very careful rubric. What you said was the naughtiest thing that I was prepared to admit …”

The same question brought one of the stand-out moments of the 2017 election campaign when Theresa May said her naughtiest moment was running through fields of wheat on local farms when she was growing up.

Updated

Brexit party to renamed Reform party if UK leaves EU

Q: What happens to the Brexit party if the UK leaves EU in January?

Farage says:

It will have to reform into the Reform party. It’ll have to campaign to change politics for good. Get rid of the House of Lords, change the voting system, so much to do. On Thursday, you’ll see a turnout much lower than the pundits expect, because people have lost faith already.

Q: Will your party be renamed the Reform party?

Absolutely, I’ve registered it already.

Updated

Q: Why did three Brexit party MEPs defect to the Tories?

Look at Annunziata Rees-Mogg’s class, she is a Conservative.

In Labour areas we will take Labour votes, Farage says. I have not fallen out with anyone. I am standing on principle. I have not moved, I want Brexit done, but I want the right Brexit done.

We will be back in crisis if Johnson’s deal goes through, Farage says.

Updated

Q: Why is support for the Brexit party dropping?

We have a chance of getting a “handful” of seats, Farage says. But he admits the party’s support could be split.

Updated

Now it’s the turn of the Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage.

Q: What did you make of Boris Johnson’s claims about immigration?

Boris Johnson has always been very soft on immigration, but there is an election on so he is saying what people want to hear. How can people trust him, Farage says.

Updated

Q: Has the Lib Dem campaign been too presidential?

All Lib Dem campaigns have emphasised the leader. I’m taking a clear position on Brexit, I recognise that some people don’t like that. I want to stand up for what I believe in. That’s politics.

Q: Has criticism of you been sexist?

Politics is sexist, Swinson says. One of the ways of challenging that is to vote for more women.

Updated

Q: Was the decision to revoke article 50 a mistake?

It is a policy that is popular among remain voters, even among Labour remainers, Swinson insists.

Our position is that we want to remain in the EU. It would have democratic legitimacy if people voted for it in the election.

Q: What’s the point of voting Lib Dem?

To have more Lib Dem MPs.

Q: Would you resign if the Lib Dems get fewer MPs after the election?

No. The party is in good health, she claims. I’m absolutely here to stay. Four months is not long enough to turn round the party, she says.

Updated

Q: What will your tactics be if there is a hung parliament?

Neither Corbyn or Johnson are fit to be prime minister, Swinson says. She cites new allegations about antisemitism in the Labour party. We will continue to work with MPs who want to stop Brexit, she adds.

Next up is Jo Swinson.

Q: How is the campaign going?

We still have an opportunity to stop Boris Johnson forcing the UK out of the EU without a deal, she says.

Updated

Q: Why isn’t Labour way ahead in the polls? Is Corbyn a problem?

I hear people raising issues about Corbyn and Boris Johnson, Ashworth says. He claims a voter told him yesterday that Donald Trump wants to get his hands on the NHS market.

Q: Should Corbyn resign if Labour loses?

We are going to win, Ashworth claims.

Updated

Ashworth promises a National Care Service for social care. He insists it will not mean writing a blank cheque to pay for it. The initiative will be paid for by the better off, Ashworth says.

Q: Would you work with other parties on the future of social care?

Ashworth ducks the questions by claiming he won’t need to talk to other parties because Labour is going to win.

The shadow health secretary, Jon Ashworth, is next up on Sky.

Asked if he is happy for immigration to go up under Labour, Ashworth says “if the economy needs it, of course people should be able to come here to work”.

He also claims Labour could deliver free social care for those that need it.

Updated

A commuter gestures Boris Johnson as he cycles across Vauxhall Bridge
A commuter gestures Boris Johnson as he cycles across Vauxhall Bridge Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

The interview was recorded on Saturday, so PA Media had an embargoed write-up:

Boris Johnson has refused to say whether he would resign if he fails to win a majority in Thursday’s general election.

The prime minister’s high-stakes decision to call the snap vote could hand Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No 10 – making Johnson one of the shortest-serving PMs in British history.

But, in an interview with Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Johnson would not be drawn on his political future when asked three times if he would stand down if he fails to secure a majority.

The PM admitted he was nervous and “fighting for every vote” ahead of the poll, but when asked if he would resign if it did not go his way, he replied: “The choice on Thursday is unbelievably stark, it’s between going forward with a one nation Conservative government that can get Brexit done …

“… or spending the whole of next year in complete paralysis with two referendums, one on Scotland, one on the EU when Jeremy Corbyn cannot even tell us what his position is on Brexit and who is going to campaign for the deal that he proposes to do.”

Pressed again, Johnson said: “If you don’t mind, Sophy, what I’m going to do is concentrate on the five days before us because that is what I think the people of this country would expect. We have got a very short time to get our message across. It’s a message of hope and optimism about this country.”

He restated his insistence that there would be no checks for goods travelling between Northern Ireland and Great Britain under his Brexit deal, saying the government documents shared by Labour were “wrong”.

Corbyn said on Friday his party had obtained a confidential government report he claimed was proof that there would be customs checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after Brexit.

But the PM told Sky: “There’s no question of there being checks on goods going NI/GB or GB/NI because they are part of – if you look at what the deal is, we’re part of the same customs territory and it’s very clear that there should be unfettered access between Northern Ireland and the rest of GB.”

Johnson also said immigration to the UK would fall under his proposed system after Britain has left the EU.

“I can make sure that numbers will come down because we’ll be able to control the system in that way and what I don’t think is right is to have an uncontrolled and unlimited approach to that,” he said.

The PM confessed to having sometimes ridden a bicycle on the pavement when he was asked to reveal the naughtiest thing he has ever done. “When I was riding a bicycle every day which I used to do, I may sometimes have not always obeyed the law about cycling on the pavement,” he admitted.

“I may sometimes, OK – but I want you to know how firmly and strongly I disapprove of people who cycle on the pavement and I think it’s wrong and I feel bad about it but I might sometimes have scooted up on to the pavement rather than dismounting before.”

Johnson claimed he had been asked to say what was the naughtiest thing he was prepared to admit, rather than the naughtiest thing he had ever done.

And he pledged: “I still strongly disapprove of anybody breaching the laws of the road and we’ll invigilate them very thoroughly if we’re lucky enough to be returned with a working majority on Thursday which is what we need to get Brexit done and move this country forward.”

Updated

Q: What’s the naughtiest thing you have done?

Not this again, Johnson says. I’ve been so busy to try to get Brexit done, he claims. “Help me out folks?” Johnson turns to his staff. I may sometimes when I was riding a bicycle may not have obeyed the law about cycling on the pavement, Johnson says.

Q: Would you resign if you failed to get a majority?

Johnson dodges the question. I’m going to fight for every vote. I’m going to concentrate on the five days before us. He added: “We have got a very short time to get our message acros. It’s a message of hope and optimism about this country.”

Updated

Q: How many of the 50,000 nurses promised in the Tory manifesto will be new?

Thirty-one thousand, Johnson admits. Challenged on the number of hospitals the party is promising, he again suggests that seed money will help delivery 40 new hospitals.

Updated

Q: What is the most radical thing in the Tory manifesto?

Brexit, Johnson says at first. Then he talks about infrastructure, homes, police and the prison system.

The whole agenda is transformative of this country, Johnson says. He again claims that the programme is that of a one nation Conservative party. “This will bring the country together,” Johnson says.

Updated

Q: Will there be higher or lower immigration under the Australian points-based system?

Lower, Johnson says. But he accepts that the Australian system has resulted in more immigration. He says he is not against immigration. It depends how the new system is applied. We want to bear down on immigration particularly on low skilled workers who have no job to come to, Johnson says.

Q: Can you guarantee numbers will come down?

Yes. Unlike Labour who will keep free movement. People are not hostile to immigration in the UK but they do want to see it democratically controlled.

Updated

Q: Will there be checks on the Irish border?

No, says Johnson. There won’t be checks both sides of the border, Johnson says, despite the leak of a document suggesting there will be.

We are a UK government, why would we put on checks from GB to NI or NI to GB, Johnson says.

Updated

Ridge asks Johnson why people should trust him.

He talks about his record as London mayor and insists he is someone who delivers. “We want to get on and deliver,” he says.

He doesn’t take long to change the subject to Brexit and getting it done.

Welcome to our final Sunday edition of politics live before Thursday’s general election.

Boris Johnson is still refusing to do an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Neil, but he has agreed to face Sky’s Sophy Ridge this morning.

She will also interview the Lib Dem leader, Jo Swinson, and the Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage. There’ll be no last-minute appeals from Jeremy Corbyn on either Sky or the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

Marr will be speaking to the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, and the polling guru John Curtice.

There is also no sign that the polls are shifting. The Tories still enjoy a lead of about 10%.

Updated

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