Party leaders are braced for a televised grilling in the first seven-way debate of the election – but Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are expected to snub the clash.
Senior members of the Tories, Labour, the Greens, Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Brexit Party will each face questions from the audience at a BBC debate in Cardiff, chaired by Nick Robinson.
It comes amid tensions between the BBC and the Tories over Mr Johnson’s refusal to confirm an interview with Andrew Neil, and criticism from David Attenborough over his decision to snub a climate change debate.
The prime minister instead took part in a radio phone-in on LBC, where he was confronted over his past comments about single mothers.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the general election campaign, with only 13 days left until we go to the polls.
BBC demands Tories take down Facebook election ads
The BBC has demanded the Conservative party pulls adverts posted on Facebook that use edited snippets of its news output.
The Tory promotional material “distorts our output,” could “damage perceptions of our impartiality,” and was “completely unacceptable,” the broadcaster said.
One of the adverts Beeb bosses objected to included an edited clip of Laura Kuenssberg saying the phrase ”pointless delay to Brexit”. She was followed by newsreader Huw Edwards stating: “Another Brexit delay.”
BBC demands Tories take down Facebook adverts featuring its presenters
‘This is a completely unacceptable use of content which distorts our output,’ bosses say‘A coward and a bully’: Tories threaten C4 after ice sculpture stunt
The Conservatives are threatening a review of Channel 4’s broadcasting remit following a row that saw a melting block of ice stand in for Boris Johnson during last night’s climate change debate.
The PM was branded “a coward and a bully” by Labour after the Tories complained to Ofcom about the leaders’ debate and accused the broadcaster of “conspiring with Jeremy Corbyn”.
Johnson refused to take part in Channel 4’s debate, and the broadcaster refused to accept his underling Michael Gove as a stand-in when turned up at the studios demanding to be allowed on – stating that Gove was “not the party leader”.
In place of the Tory leader and Nigel Farage, Ben de Pear, editor of Channel 4 News, said the broadcaster would put “two ice sculptures [that] represent the emergency on planet Earth”.
A Conservative source later told BuzzFeed News: “If we are re-elected, we will have to review Channel 4’s public service broadcasting obligations.”
More details on the row here:
Tories threaten Channel 4 after ‘coward’ Boris Johnson replaced with melting ice sculpture
The prime minister has refused to take part in a climate change debateBoris Johnson accused of ‘running scared’ after refusing to commit to Andrew Neil interview
The prime minister is still refusing to commit to an interview with the BBC’s most fearsome inquisitor Andrew Neil.
Johnson has been accused of “running scared” after the BBC revealed it had not yet been able to pin him down to a date for an interview.
It emerged the PM has offered to appear on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, sparking speculation in Westminster that he would prefer to submit to the less combative style of the regular weekend host.
Pressed on when he would do the Neil interview at some point, Johnson replied: “I’m in discussion with all sorts of people about all sorts of interviews and look forward to doing many, many more.”
Boris Johnson accused of 'running scared' after refusing to commit to Andrew Neil interview
PM also under fire for dodging Channel 4 debate about climate crisisFormer Tory minister says ‘not sensible’ to threaten C4
Ed Vaizey said it is “not a sensible strategy for political parties to threaten broadcasters”.
The former Tory minister was asked about a reported briefing from a Conservative source which suggested the party may review Channel 4’s public service broadcasting position after it replaced the PM with an ice sculpture when he refused to take part in a climate change debate.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “It’s not a sensible strategy for political parties to threaten broadcasters in that way, so I was disappointed.
“It was an anonymous briefing, I don't think it's the settled view of the Conservative party or the government.”
Vaizey was culture minister between 2010 and 2016. He had the Tory whip removed after voting for efforts in the Commons to block a no-deal Brexit but later had it restored. He is not standing for re-election.
John McDonnell tells BBC: PM has ‘played you’
Labour’s John McDonnell accused Boris Johnson of “playing” the BBC by avoiding an interview with veteran inquisitor Andrew Neil.
Boris Johnson has yet to agree to a slot for a sit-down with Neil on the BBC who has so far interviewed SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
McDonnell told the Today programme: “The reason he is doing it is because he thinks like, you know, his Bullingdon Club friends, that they’re above the rest of us.
“That they don’t need to be held to account. They don’t need to treated like the rest of us. And so what he's doing now is he’s avoiding, he’s running scared.
“Because he knows that Andrew Neil will take him apart. He’s running scared. But even if he does it now, he’s played you because he’s pushing it later and later beyond the postal vote returns.”
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour is not changing its campaign strategy to target Leave-voting areas.
It was reported the party would change its focus to these areas, following a YouGov poll on Wednesday which suggested the Tories were on course to win a majority by picking up votes in Labour seats which voted to leave the EU.
McDonnell said: “There’s no change in strategy. I don’t know where this story has come. People have put two and two together and made five.”
Boris Johnson: ‘I’ve never tried to deceive people’
The prime minister has claimed he hasn’t told a lie in his political career.
He was asked by ITV: “Can you look me in the eye and tell me you haven’t lied in your political career?”
With an entirely straight face the PM replied: “Absolutely not, absolutely not … I’ve never tried to deceive the public and I’ve always tried to be absolutely frank.”
He added: “I may have got things wrong and I may have been mistaken but I’ve never tried to deceive people.”
A reminder that Johnson was sacked by Michael Howard in November 2004 after assured the then Tory leader that tabloid reports of his affair with Spectator columnist Petronella Wyatt were false and an “inverted pyramid of piffle”. When the story was found to be true, he initially refused to resign.
PM says ‘NHS not for sale’ - and dismisses Labour claims as ‘Bermuda Triangle stuff’
The prime minister is being interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC.
Asked about the Labour accusations that the NHS will be “up for sale” under a Tory government, Ferrari asked: “Is there a trust deficit with you, Mr Johnson? … Because, candidly, you’ve lost your job in the past for lying.”
He replied: “The NHS is not for sale – and under no circumstances will this government or any Conservative government do anything to put the NHS up for negotiation.”
He calls Jeremy Corbyn’s recent press conference – in which he held up a 451-page unredecated dossier of government negotiations with US officials – as “Bermuda Triangle stuff from the Labour party”.
Claiming he always delivers what he sets out to do, Ferrari has reminded him he didn’t deliver the “Garden Bridge” in London. “Well, actually … I will point out it was a viable project.”
Johnson claims government working on ‘about a dozen’ post-Brexit trade deals
The prime minister has struggled to answer a LBC listeners’ question about trade deals after Brexit.
Asked how many trade deals the UK has in place ready to go? “I can’t give you the answer as to how many deals are actually formally … We can’t formally conclude deals [until after Brexit].”
Ferrari asks how many are oven ready? “A number are oven ready – I’ll have to come back and give you the number.”
Pressed again, the prime minister said “I imagine we have about a dozen that we’re currently working on.”
PM admits he plans for 31,000 new nurses – not 50,000
The prime minister has been challenged on the Conservatives’ pledge to have “50,000 new nurses”, with Johnson admitting that only 31,000 would be new recruits.
Johnson said: “I do understand the controversy around this. There are 19,000 that are currently in nursing at the moment... and we thank them very much.”
He added: “The risk is they will leave the profession and we're putting in the funds to make sure that they stay but there a further 31,000 that we wish to recruit.”
Speaking to Janet from Sunderland, a nurse and Waspi woman, the PM refused to commit to compensating her generation of women for the pension they lost when retirement aged was moved from 60 to 66.
Johnson said it was “not clear where the money was coming from” on Labour’s £58 billion commitment to Waspi women.
“On the Waspi point, I really appreciate the frustration and disappointment so many Waspi women feel about their situation. I understand very much how that has come about,” said the PM.
“What I can’t do now, Janet, is extemporise some (compensation amount)... it wasn't at all clear to me where this (Labour) money is coming from, to be polite to Mr Corbyn. We have to manage our economy and £58bn is a lot.”
The Tory leader said his administration would do “everything we can to help” those impacted by the pension change.
Where is Jacob Rees-Mogg?
Nick Ferrari has asked the prime minister what has happened to the Commons leader – conspicuously absent from the election campaign.
“He’s campaigning round the country,” Boris Johnson replied before dismissing the matter as “irrelevant”.
Pressed again about Jacob Rees-Mogg, the LBC host asked Johnson what he said to him after his Grenfell Tower comments (suggesting it would have been “common sense” to flee the burning building against the fire brigade’s advice).
Johnson said: “I’m not going into my conversations with colleagues. I’m not getting into measuring up the curtains type conversations.”
Johnson also dismissed a question about his no show at the Channel 4 debate on climate change. “I can’t do absolutely everything – I’m here talking to Nick … I can’t do every debate.”
Answering a question about the Tory threat to review the publicly-owned broadcaster’s licence, he responded saying: “What we want is a free, fair and exuberant unbridled media. That’s what I want.
“I think a free press is one of the glories of our country and I want to protect it and enshrine it.”
‘I don’t appreciate what you’ve said’: PM challenged on comments about single mothers
Boris Johnson has been asked by a listener, Ruth from Oldham, about his much-criticised Spectator columns on single mothers. Johnson wrote that the children described the children of single mothers as “ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate” in the unearthed piece.
“I don’t appreciate what you’ve said about single mothers – and by implication my family. Why are you happy to criticise people like me when you refuse to discuss your family?”
The prime minister sighed when Ferrari read out some of the column, and said: “I mean absolutely no disrespect to you or indeed to anybody. These are 25-year-old quotations culled from articles written before I think was even in politics. If you look at the article itself it bear no resemblance to what’s been claimed.”
He claimed his opponents were “just trying to distract”.
Asked about comments made by key Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings in 2017 that “people think - and by the way, I think most people are right - the Tory Party is run by people who basically don't care about people like me”, Johnson replied: “I don’t care – I’m telling you what I think.
“I don’t think Dom Cummings or anyone in No 10 would dispute that we are absolutely dedicated to investing in NHS, public services and taking this country forward.”
Boris Johnson refuses to say how many children he has
The prime minister has been asked bluntly by LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “How many children do you have?”
Johnson said: “I love my children very much – they are not standing at this election.”
Asked by Ferrari if he was “fully and wholly involved” with all of his children, Johnson repeated: “I love my children very much but they’re not standing at this election. With great respect to you Nick, I’m not going to [discuss it] at all.
“I’m not going to put them onto the pitch in this election campaign, when I think what people want to hear is what my plans are for the country, what this country is determined to do, and how we’re going to take the country forward.
“That is the way all parties should be judged.”
Asked if the country could expect the “pitter and patter of tiny feet” if Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds remain in Downing Street, the PM replied: “I’m going to make the same point, I'm not going to get into discussions.”
PM claims ‘no evidence’ of Russian interference in British politics
LBC caller Noel asked about recent reports of donors linked to Vladimir Putin giving to the Tory Party, and why the security committee report has not yet been released.
Johnson said: “What I can tell Noel is that I know absolutely no evidence that Russia or indeed any other power has successfully or otherwise interfered in (pause) the politics of this country.”
Ferrari said: “Why did you take so long to get to that word?” and asked what he was worried about in the report.
Johnson said: “Seriously, there’s nothing. Obviously, I can’t discuss intelligence matters.”
Asked about whether he will take part in an interview with veteran journalist Andrew Neil, something he has yet to commit to, he said: “I’m much happier frankly to talk about my policies, what we’re doing for the people of this country rather than endless debates about media and process.”
Tory video ‘distorts our output’ BBC tells party chairman
Here’s the Tory election video that’s causing so much trouble. The BBC has written to party chairman James Cleverly demanding they pulls the ads appearing on Facebook that use edited snippets of its news output.
The Tory promotional material “distorts our output,” could “damage perceptions of our impartiality,” and was “completely unacceptable,” the broadcaster has said.
Sturgeon says ‘debate to be had’ about future of monarchy
The SNP have clarified the party would keep the monarchy in an independent Scotland after Nicola Sturgeon has said there is “a debate to be had” over its future in the wake of the controversy over the Duke of York.
Andrew stepped down from public duties after mounting pressure following his BBC Newsnight interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In an interview on ITV, Sturgeon said a debate about the monarchy should not be a distraction from Epstein’s victims. However, when asked if the issue made her consider whether the monarchy is fit for purpose, she replied: “I think it raises a number of questions.
“I think there is a debate to be had about the longer term future of the monarchy, one of the things though in the context of Prince Andrew that I feel very strongly about is that a debate about the monarchy shouldn’t be a distraction from Epstein’s victims and how they now get whatever justice they can get and get the truth and the ability to move on.
“And I think while, yes, there is a debate to be had about the former, I don’t think it should become conflated with that or be used in any way to sort of take attention from that.”
A spokesman for the SNP said: “SNP policy is to keep the monarchy in an independent Scotland.
“The First Minister was reflecting the general discussions that have taken place in recent weeks on issues such as the size of the monarchy. The FM shares the admiration that the Queen is held in across the UK and has no intention of changing of SNP policy.”
‘I am not going to put them onto the pitch’: PM shuts down questions on his children
Our correspondent Lizzy Buchan has more on Boris Johnson’s refused to say how many children he has during his LBC interview.
The PM has four children with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler and a daughter from an extra-marital affair, but he is also believed to have fathered another child outside of his marriage.
You can watch Johnson’s awkward encounter with Nick Ferrari here:
Boris Johnson refuses to say how many children he has in live radio interview
PM under pressure after branding children of single mothers 'ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate' in an old articleSturgeon wants hung parliament to thwart Johnson
Nicola Sturgeon has said she is hoping for a hung parliament in the early hours of 13 December.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, the SNP leader said: “I absolutely would never countenance the SNP doing anything that would allow Boris Johnson to walk through the doors of No 10.
“I will do everything I can to make sure that Boris Johnson is not calling the shots on 13 December.”
Sturgeon also said there would be no formal coalition with Labour – but suggests there could be some informal arrangement that might allow Jeremey Corbyn to become PM.
“I’m not a great fan of Jeremy Corbyn,” she said.
PM says he will bring Brexit bill ‘back before Christmas’
Boris Johnson is speaking at campaign event alongside the former Labour MP and Vote Leave campaign colleague Gisela Stuart – backing him at the election.
“A vote for Boris Johnson is a vote to get Brexit done,” says Stuart.
Johnson says he wants to bring his Withdrawal Agreement Bill “back before Christmas” and get the UK out of the EU by 31 January.
Johnson warned that a hung parliament would lead to Brexit being further “delayed, denied”.
“If there is another hung parliament after this election, then the deadlock will continue,” said the PM. “The probability would be that Jeremy Corbyn would be in Downing Street propped up by Nicola Sturgeon.
“But if there is a Conservative majority government, then we can deliver on the change people voted for.
“Our first move would be to bring the Withdrawal Agreement back before Christmas and then leave the EU on January 31. No ifs, no buts – we’ll get it done.”
PM claims his old columns are ‘twisted and distorted’ out of context
Boris Johnson has been asked again about his remarks on single mothers in a Spectator column (he described the children of single mothers as “ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate” in the unearthed piece).
He told reporters: “Out of millions of words I’ve written everybody is able to find some that they can cull from the text, and twist them and distort them in whatever way they choose.”
Johnson later addressed it by saying: “I’ll just repeat my point – you can always find bits and pieces that seem to mean one thing, in fact almost invariably the article in question is saying something very different.”
