In his latest interview with the main party leaders in the run-up to the general election, Andrew Neil is grilling the UKIP leader Paul Nuttall.

He starts by asking him, “Why not just stop now – rather than see this agonising decline in support?” given that the party’s mission to win a referendum on EU membership has been achieved.

Mr Nuttall says he is worried that Theresa May will “backslide” on Brexit – over fisheries, the divorce bill or freedom of movement - and the party needs to be there if she does.

The Conservative candidate for Batley and Spen - the seat of the murdered MP Jo Cox - has apologised for comments she made at a hustings event last week.

Mail Online, external and the Daily Mirror, external have published a video clip where Ann Myatt is heard saying: "We've not yet shot anybody so that's wonderful."

Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair just days before last year's EU referendum.

The candidate, who is a doctor, said:

Image source, Reuters

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has urged European MPs to be vigilant throughout the Brexit talks because there is a risk of unfair British competition.

Mr Barnier was speaking at an EU parliamentary conference in Malta. The negotiations on UK withdrawal from the EU are scheduled to start less than a fortnight after the general election and Mr Barnier has said he wants "full transparency" for the negotiations.

He told the gathering today: "Once it leaves the Union, the UK could be tempted to distance itself from our standards, for example on consumer protection or on financial stability rules.

"We must ensure that this inevitable divergence does not become unfair competition. Since if that were to happen I think most of you would feel very reluctant to approve such a deal.

"To avoid that situation, it is necessary for your parliaments to follow closely the entire negotiation process."

Image source, Getty Images

Jeremy Corbyn has said he will "open discussions" with the Scottish government over an independence referendum if Labour wins the election.

But the Labour leader said he would "ask them to think very carefully about it".

He's also again ruled out doing a deal with the SNP to gain power at Westminster.

Read more.

The Liberal Democrats say the fact that Theresa May campaigned with Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith today in his old south-west London seat of Richmond Park gave a message to voters that he was now "pro-Heathrow".

Lib Dem Sarah Olney took the seat from Mr Goldsmith in a by election last year, after Mr Goldsmith protested about plans for Heathrow expansion.

She said: “Theresa May is committed to Heathrow expansion. Zac Goldsmith claimed he had resigned from the Conservative Party because he said he opposed this policy.

“But the Conservative Party remains as committed to Heathrow expansion as ever, so why is Zac Goldsmith canvassing with a Conservative leader who intends to inflict misery on the lives of local people?

“The only conclusion is that Zac Goldsmith now supports Heathrow expansion, despite the noise and air pollution this would cause in this constituency, along with Theresa May’s Dementia Tax."

The full list of candidates standing in Richmond Park in the election is:

Conservative – Zac Goldsmith

Labour – Cate Tuitt

Liberal Democrat – Sarah Olney

UKIP – Peter Jewell

If you have been out enjoying the Bank Holiday and have missed the latest election news, here's a quick run-down:

• The Conservatives have said they would crackdown on "the hidden scandal" of domestic abuse if re-elected
• UKIP's Paul Nuttall has told the BBC he would not rule out internment for terror suspects
• The Lib-Dems are warning the UK could be cut off from an EU-wide crime and security database after Brexit
• Tonight Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn face separate question and answer sessions with the public and interviews with Jeremy Paxman. It's on from 20:30 BST.

Here's a sneak preview of the Conservatives' attack lines for this evening's Q&A involving Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. The live show might still be two hours away, but an email has gone out to party supporters with their "briefing notes for tonight", urging them to join in online:

Europe's MPs must help ensure the UK doesn't ditch EU standards, the top EU negotiator says.

Image source, AFP

Hundreds of anti-fox hunting protesters made their way from central London today to Downing Street, in a protest at Conservative plans to allow a fresh vote on the issue.

Among those taking part in today's march, and who addressed the crowds, was animal welfare campaigner and TV personality Bill Oddie who called it "ridiculous" the issue had been put back on the agenda.

Andrew Neil has grilled the UKIP chief as part of his series of interviews with party leaders.

Mr Nuttall suggested he could support "internment" - detention without charge - of terror suspects and said he supported the death penalty.

You can watch the whole interview at 19:30 BST on BBC One and the video tab above.

Here's a reminder that we've got this comprehensive - and easy-to-read - clickable guide to the General Election 2017 in a simple question and answer format.

For the who, what, where, when, why & how, click here

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said it was right not to gloss over differences with the United States on climate issues, Reuters reports.

On Saturday she said Europe can no longer "completely depend" on the US and UK following the election of President Trump and Brexit.

President Trump refused to endorse a global accord on climate change during the recent G7 summit, saying he would make a decision in the coming week.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has insisted the UK wants to maintain a "deep and special partnership" with the EU after Brexit.

And German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere highlighted the importance of security cooperation:

Campaigners in Ireland have abandoned a legal challenge they had mounted against the UK going ahead with Brexit.

The four-strong group - a lawyer and three politicians - had lodged papers in the High Court in Dublin earlier this year, seeking a ruling on the issue from the European Court of Justice.

But Jolyon Maugham QC, director of the Good Law Project, said the length of time the challenge would take and the costs involved have forced the group to ditch the challenge.

But Mr Maugham said the decision to drop the case did not mean that Brexit was inevitable. "Each of the (European) Council, (European) Commission and European Parliament has said the United Kingdom could withdraw the Article 50 notice with agreement," he said. "There is no doubt this is so."

Journalist Quentin Letts asks if Theresa May is enjoying the election campaign.

"I don't mean to be rude but you seem to be a bit of a glum-bucket," he says.

"Will we see a bit more optimism, a bit more Boris perhaps, a bit more life?"

The PM says she is "optimistic about what we can achieve for the future".

Theresa May has been defending her record on security as home secretary from 2010 to 2016, when taking questions from reporters after her campaign speech.

"I excluded more hate preachers from coming to this country than any other home secretary has ever done before," she said. "And there were one or two who I booted out of the country as well."

She claimed that Jeremy Corbyn had "voted against or opposed every piece of anti-terror legislation in his time in Parliament".

Following a question over comments by current Home Secretary Amber Rudd that powers to stop suspected extremists returning to the UK have been used for the first time. Mrs May says:

Image source, ITN

Theresa May has asked voters to back her and give her a mandate to tackle Brexit negotiations.

Speaking at a campaigning event in south-west London this afternoon, Mrs May told supporters that she was offering herself as Prime Minister to get on with Brexit with "resolute determination" and get the best deal.

Mrs May said:

Theresa May is in Twickenham in south west London, telling supporters: "There's no safe way to vote Labour."

She adds: "If you don't want Jeremy Corbyn negotiating Brexit, you need to vote for Conservative candidates."

She's back to her campaign message of contrasting her "strong and stable leadership" with a "coalition of chaos" of Jeremy Corbyn "propped up" by the Lib Dems and the SNP.

The Scottish Green party has apologised to voters north of the border - for only fielding three candidates in the general election.

Launching his party's manifesto today co-convener Patrick Harvie said sorry to "many Green voters around the country who don't have a chance to vote Green and I know many of them have been coming down to help in [those constituencies] where we are able to stand candidates".

Where voters did not have the option of voting Green, Mr Harvie urged them to "challenge all of their candidates on the issues that are most important to them", citing as examples the issues of climate change, nuclear weapons, economic policy and "Scotland's ability to choose its own future".