Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will go head to head for a final TV clash as both leaders scramble to turn the tide of the election campaign in the final week.
The BBC debate comes as Labour narrowed the Tory poll lead with a four-point bounce and Jeremy Corbyn unveiled leaked Northern Ireland-related Brexit documents, claiming they show the public has been misled.
Meanwhile, Sir John Major urged traditional Conservative voters to ditch Boris Johnson's party in favour of independent rebels, as hundreds gathered at a rally in London to demand a Final Say referendum.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the general election campaign, with only six days until we go to the polls.
Andrew Neil goes on the attack over PM’s failure to agree interview
As he closed his interview with Nigel Farage, Andrew Neil set aside several minutes last night to shame Boris Johnson for failing to submit to a prime-time grilling of his own.
“Leaders’ interviews have been a key part of the BBC’s prime-time election coverage for decades. We do them on your behalf to scrutinise and hold to account those who would govern us. That is democracy,” Neil said.
“It is not too late. We have an interview prepared. Oven-ready, as Mr Johnson likes to say.”
Neil said his questions would’ve been about why so many people who know Johnson “deemed him to be untrustworthy”.
Andrew Neil tells Boris Johnson he has 'oven-ready' interview in attack on PM for dodging scrutiny
PM would have faced grilling on trust, the NHS and social care, says veteran broadcasterMajor and Blair come together for second referendum rally
Two former prime ministers – Sir John Major and Tony Blair – are to address a Final Say rally where supporters of a second EU referendum will call for tactical voting to block a Tory majority.
The rally in London is the most explosive intervention in the campaign so far by the two ex-PMs, who contested a general election 22 years ago, both of whom are staunch opponents of Brexit.
More details here:
Two former PMs to join Final Say rally calling for tactical voting to block majority for Boris Johnson
Exclusive: Vote for a Final Say campaign targets seats in bid to oust BrexiteersGove: Allowing EU citizens to vote would be ‘unfair’
Cabinet minister Michael Gove has said allowing EU citizens to vote in another Brexit referendum would go against the principle of democratic fairness.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Gove said: “There’s a basic principle of democratic fairness. It is the case that EU nationals don’t vote, have never voted, in general elections, and therefore don’t vote, have never voted in referendums like the Brexit referendum - and, therefore, we just think it would be unfair.
“It’s a bit like a rugby league final, 13 players on either side. If one team suddenly said we’re going to play rugby union instead and bring two extra players onto the field, that simply wouldn’t be fair.”
He added that he understands Labour’s argument but that it is “fundamentally an assault on the basic democratic principle”.
“What makes it worse, I think, to fair-minded observers is the idea that the referendum next time round, if the Labour party were to come into power, would be run according to different rules, and rules that every objective observer says would be more likely to favour Remain,” he said.
It follow Boris Johnson’s claim yesterday that Labour would “rig” a second Brexit vote – appearing to refer to the idea of allowing EU nationals and possibly 16 and 17-year-olds to take part.
Gove added that the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister has to be taken “very seriously”.
Asked whether the election is on a knife edge, he said: “Oh yes, we do have to take very seriously the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister.”
Labour wants to put business advisers in Post Offices
Labour has announced plans to set up a network of business advisers in Post Office branches to help small firms access support and finance.
The party said that a Corbyn-led government create a Post Office bank called the Post Bank and appoint experts at larger branches to help advise local businesses.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, announced the plans as she unveiled 20 pledges designed to help small businesses and reinvigorate high streets.
Labour announces 20-point plan to help small firms
Party says new organisation would be 'one-stop shop' for smaller companies, while Liberal Democrats announce new plans to help disadvantaged childrenBoris Johnson dodges ITV interview
The prime minister has snubbed a second showpiece TV election interview, despite mounting criticism of his refusal to face Andrew Neil.
ITV News has revealed that it offered the prime minister several times and dates for its Tonight programme hosted by Julie Etchingham, but has now accepted it will not take place.
“Every other leader of Great Britain’s main political parties that has been approached has done an interview for Tonight,” a source said.
More details here:
Boris Johnson snubs another ITV interview after avoiding Andrew Neil
'Every other leader of Great Britain's main political parties that has been approached has done an interview for Tonight'YouGov poll shows Tory surge in Scotland
The latest survey by YouGov shows the Tories up six points north of the border, on 28 per cent. The polling guru Sir John Curtice told The Times it suggests the party could win eight seats in Scotland.
Jo Swinson throws beanbag at Boris Johnson toy
The Lib Dem leader hasn’t had a great campaign, forced to watch her personal and party poll ratings decline. But she appears to be having fun anyway.
Swinson leader held up a Boris Johnson toy at a rally in Edinburg last night – then threw a beanbag at the thing in thing in a game of “topple Boris”.
She also had a serious, if slightly below-the-belt, point to make: Johnson cannot be trusted to look after the UK’s “family of nations” because “all know he’s not much of a family man”.
Labour’s Rebecca Long-Bailey hasn’t read antisemitism submission
Shadow business secretary Rebecca-Long Bailey admitted she has not read the Jewish Labour Movement’s submission but said that some of the comments are “shocking”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Long-Bailey said: “I haven’t looked at it, no. I’ve certainly seen media reports.
“And what I’d say is, I mean some of the comments that I’ve seen in the press have been absolutely shocking and the Labour party would never under any circumstances condone any antisemitic behaviour in the way that’s been outlined in that report.”
She added that the Labour Party “did not deal with the problem quickly enough when it was first presented” but that now they have “sped up our processes”.
On EU citizens being able to vote in a potential future Brexit referendum, Long-Bailey added: “I think it’s right.
“I think it’s fair to ensure that those people have the opportunity to vote over their future, because essentially this isn't just about the future of people who were born here, it's about the future of people who contribute to our economy and have done for a very, very long time.”
Long-Bailey was also questioned on Labour’s claim that the average family would save £6,700 a year under a Labour government, something the Institute for Fiscal Studies has described the chances of as “remote”.
Addressing the claim, she said: “That’s why it’s important that the word ‘average’ is used – we’ve not said that every single family will benefit in this way.”
Senior Tory: Andrew Neil format ‘tired and broken’
One of Laura Kuenssberg’s senior Conservative sources has responded to all the flak over the decision to duck the Andrew Neil interview. “The format is tired and broken and needs to change.”
Michael Gove gives out Downing Street phone number
The cabinet secretary has given out the Downing Street switchboard number – telling people they could call the diary secretary if they were upset about the PM’s failure to sit down with Andrew Neil.
Asked on Radio 5 Live what the chances of the Andrew Neil interview happening were, he replied: “I think the number would be 0207 930 4433 – that’s the Downing Street number and if you ring the prime minister’s diary secretary he will know or she will know what the prime minister’s going to do. I’m not the prime minister’s diary secretary.”
Top Tory: public ‘fed-up’ with interviews
That senior Conservative source has had more to say about sit-down broadcast interviews.
“The public are fed up with interviews that are all about the interviewer and endless interruptions,” the source was quoted as saying by the Press Association.
“The format is broken and needs to change if it is to start engaging and informing the public again.
“The PM will focus on talking to voters about people's priorities including investing in our NHS and helping with the cost of living.”
Labour’s David Lammy tweeted: “The public is not fed up of interviews. It’s fed up of being lied to.”
Corbyn holds up leaked NI document: ‘What else are they hiding?’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is giving another press conference – and is holding up another document.
He claims a leaked document, marked “official, sensitive”, had provided the “cold hard evidence” that Boris Johnson had been “misleading” people about his Brexit deal.
Brandishing the document titled Northern Ireland Protocol: Unfettered Access to the UK Internal Market, Corbyn said it was proof there would be customs checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after Brexit.
“What we have here is a confidential report by Johnson's own government, marked official, sensitive, that exposes the falsehoods that Boris Johnson has been putting forward,” he said.
“This is cold hard evidence that categorically shows the impact a damaging Brexit deal would have on large parts of our country.”
He said the PM “sold out” his friends in the DUP. “What else are they hiding. What else are they going to sell you out on?”
Corbyn goes on to accuse Johnson of “avoiding scrutiny” at this election, and re-states his own position on Brexit.
‘We’ve caught Johnson re-handed,’ says Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn is now answering questions alongside Sir Keir Starmer and shadow policy minister Louise Haigh.
“We have now caught Johnson red-handed misrepresenting his own Brexit deal,” Corbyn told journalists.
The 15-page document shared appears to be a slideshow prepared by the Treasury and is titled “NI Protocol: Unfettered access to the UKIM”.
Johnson had said there would be no checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain under his exit terms, but Corbyn said the document suggested that was not true.
The Labour leader said page five of the document stated: “There will be customs declarations and security checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.”
He added: “It is there in black and white. It says there will be customs declarations, absolutely clearly, for trade going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
On various claims made by Johnson, he said: “You sometimes feel you’re in the realm of Alice in Wonderland.”
Tory candidate says disabled people should be paid less – because they ‘don’t understand money’
A Tory candidate has told voters that disabled people and those with learning disabilities should be paid less because some “don’t understand money”.
Sally-Ann Hart, the Tory candidate for the marginal seat of Hastings and Rye, was met with jeers and boos when she made the comments at an election hustings this week.
“Some people with learning difficulties, they don’t understand money,” she said, in an exchange that was captured on video.
One person told her “how patronising, how dare you” while others shouted “shameful”.
Watch the shocking video here:
Tory candidate says disabled people should be paid less as they 'don't understand money'
Sally-Ann Hart is Tory candidate for the marginal seat of Hastings and RyeVoters identify more strongly with Leave/Remain than parties
A survey shows 55 per cent of people very strongly identify with their Leave/Remain Brexit affiliation, up from 44 per cent in 2018. In contrast, just 22 per cent very strongly identify with their political party.
Supporters of two main parties rate each other almost equally negatively on a “feeling thermometer”, where 0 is as cold/negative as possible and 100 is as warm/positive as possible:
Labour supporters give Conservatives just 15 out of 100.
Conservatives give Labour supporters just 18 out of 100.
These ratings are more negative than the scores Republicans and Democrats gave each other in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election. The Ipsos MORI poll was done for the Policy Institute at King’s College London.
Andrew Neil: four million viewers watched my monologue
Andrew Neil has fired back at the “senior Conservative source” for the claim the one-on-one live interview is “tired”.
The BBC broadcaster boasted his monologue against the PM’s no show last night got four million views – and used a Boris Johnson phrase by saying the source was talking a “pyramid of piffle”. His editor Rob Burley also criticised the Tories.
Johnson spares time for donuts
Boris Johnson might not feel he has the time for interviews, but he does have time to prepare some donuts.
He visited a bakery in Golders Green, north London, on Friday morning and tweeted: “This morning I made some ‘Get Brexit Done’ donuts at a wonderful bakery in Golders Green, North London. Thank you Grodzinski Bakery & to everyone who stopped by to say hello.”
The prime minister is going to be out campaigning in Kent today.
Labour cut Tory lead in new Ipsos MORI poll
Another surge for Labour sees Jeremy Corbyn’s party up four points.
The new Ipsos MORI poll puts Labour on 32 per cent, but the Tories still have a 12-point lead on 44 per cent. The two-party squeeze continues, with the Lib Dems down three and Brexit Party down one point.
‘They would have my vote’: Sir John Major backs independents running against Tories
Sir John Major has endorsed three ex-Conservative independent candidates running against the Conservatives.
The former Tory prime minister said he would vote for ex-ministers David Gauke, Dominic Grieve and Anne Milton – who all lost the party whip earlier this year after rebelling on Brexit – if he lived in their constituencies.
In an extraordinary intervention, he will tell a rally demanding a second EU referendum in London: “Let me make one thing absolutely clear: none of them has left the Conservative Party, the Conservative Party has left them.
“Without such talent on its benches, parliament will be the poorer, which is why - if I were resident in any one of their constituencies – they would have my vote.”
Sir John is set to describe Brexit as the “worst foreign policy decision in my lifetime”, and will say leaving the EU will affect “nearly every single aspect of our lives for many decades to come”.
He will say: “It will make our country poorer and weaker. It will hurt most those who have least. Never have the stakes been higher, especially for the young. Brexit may even break up our historic United Kingdom.”
“Don’t wake up on Friday December 13 and regret not making a choice.”
He will be joined at the rally, jointly organised by the Vote For A Final Say and For Our Future’s Sake campaigns, by former Labour PM Tony Blair.
