The Brexit Party has published its first paid-for posts.

The party has funded 24 versions of the same advert saying: “This deal is not Brexit."

The ads are being seen overwhelmingly by men over the age of 45.

This is some of the strongest demographic targeting we have seen for a group of adverts.

Around 85% of the people seeing these ads (of either sex) are over the age of 45 and skewing towards the over 55s.

The ads have been seen by at least 135,000 people in less than a day and hardly any of those people were under the age of 35.

Screenshots of targeting info from people who have been shown them also suggests there is location targeting to specific towns.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson goes to Buckingham Palace to formally dissolve Parliament.

Vicki Young
Chief Political Correspondent

These political parties - all of them - have electoral grids - the kind of subjects they want to cover every single day.

And there's no doubt about it the resignation of a cabinet minister would not have been on day one.

Added to that, the Conservatives were hoping to be able to go on the attack over Labour Party economic policy.

Treasury civil servants had been asked to draw up an analysis of what they would mean and, of course, then the cabinet secretary said look 'you can't do that - it's too close to polling day and the civil service has to remain impartial'.

So today absolutely has not gone according to plan.

Now, I suppose the only positive for the Conservatives is that we are some way away from polling day and some of this may well be forgotten by then.

Ofcom has received 23 official complaints following Kay Burley's "empty chairing" of Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly on Sky News this morning.

The media watchdog is considering whether to investigate after the Sky News presenter conducted an empty chair "interview" and claimed Mr Cleverly had missed a planned interview on her breakfast show.

The complaints are understood to relate to Ms Burley's claims and empty chair gesture, PA news agency reports.

A spokeswoman for Ofcom said: "We are assessing these against our broadcasting rules before deciding whether or not to investigate."

Mr Cleverly denied that he was scheduled to appear on the show, adding that he was being interviewed on Talkradio at the time.

Sitting next to a vacant seat, Ms Burley listed a number of questions that she wanted to ask the party chairman, including Jacob Rees-Mogg's comments about the Grenfell Tower tragedy and Boris Johnson's comparison of Jeremy Corbyn to Joseph Stalin.

Image source, PA Media

Jeremy Corbyn's ally Chris Williamson, who represented Derby North and was suspended in an anti-Semitism row, has been banned from standing by the party's National Executive Committee.

Mr Williamson was suspended by Labour in February after claiming the party had "been too apologetic" in its response to criticism of handling anti-Semitism allegations.

He was reinstated in June but was suspended again after a backlash from MPs, peers and Jewish groups.

Last month, he lost a High Court bid to be reinstated by the party - but the judge also ruled Labour acted unlawfully when it re-opened the disciplinary case against him.

Two other former Labour MPs have also been banned - Stephen Hepburn, ex-MP for Jarrow, was being investigated over a sexual harassment claim, denied by him, and Roger Godsiff was facing a reselection battle in Birmingham Hall Green.

New candidates will be chosen instead.

Read the full story.

Image source, Getty Images

The leader of the Scottish National Party says there is a significant prospect of a hung parliament after the general election.

In an interview with the BBC during a campaign visit to Alloa in Clackmannanshire, Nicola Sturgeon was asked if she thought Jeremy Corbyn has any chance of getting into No 10 without her help.

She says: "I think the prospect of a hung parliament is a significant one. I actually think in many respects that would give Scotland maximum influence that neither of the big parties have a majority and the interest and the voice of Scotland has to be listened to.

"And I am absolutely clear that if we are in that situation, with effectively Scotland holding the balance of power, my job will be to stand up for Scotland's interests, make Scotland's voice heard [and to] prioritise the kind of policies that are important - public services, a decent social security system [and] action on climate change.

"But [my job will also be to] make sure that the kind of progressive values that the Tories have jettisoned, and that are important to many in Scotland, but also many across the UK, are absolutely at the fore of everything we do".

Confused by the latest election developments? Got a question about polling or policy? Or is there anything else you'd like us to explain?

Send your questions to BBC News via the form on this page and we'll do our best to give you the answers.

We've answered this one from David Zech in Farnham:

Q - Why can't the electoral process be brought into the 21st Century and have online voting?

A - In 2007 Estonia became the first, and so far only, country to introduce the option of internet voting for parliamentary elections. At its 2019 general election, 43.8% of voters there used this option.

As regards the UK, in 2015, the Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy, external, made up of MPs and others from a "range of relevant professions and backgrounds", recommended that "by 2020, secure online voting should be an option for all voters".

However, parliamentary legislation has not yet been proposed, with the question of security being cited as one reason this system has not been adopted.

You can read answers to more of your questions here.

The chair of the Welsh Conservatives thanks Alun Cairns for his "hard work" as the secretary of state for Wales.

Speaking after Mr Cairns resigned, Lord Davies of Gower says: "Alun has been successful in championing investment into Wales, through his involvement in, and promotion of, the various growth deals that are now taking shape.

"He was also instrumental in the decision to remove the tolls on the Severn Bridge - providing a major boost to our economy.

"Alun has worked tirelessly to raise our country’s profile, both at home and abroad, and for that I am grateful. I wish Alun well for his future.”

The Tory campaign in Wales "could not have had a worse start" with the resignation of Alun Cairns, Professor Laura McAllister from Cardiff University says.

Prof McAllister, who specialises in public policy, says Wales is a "battleground" for the Conservatives in this election, with the party hoping to gain seats from Labour, particularly in the north-east of Wales.

“They are going to need to win those seats if they are going to come anywhere close to winning a majority in this election," she adds.

BBC Wales Politics

Two members of Alun Cairn's local Conservative Association are standing by their MP to stand again, despite him resigning as a minister over claims he knew about a former aide's role in the "sabotage" of a rape trial.

Russell Spencer-Downe, deputy chair of Vale of Glamorgan Conservative Association, says: “I have faith in Alun Cairns. He’s been a very good MP and has always had the support of the association.”

He also says that Tory party rules mean local associations cannot have meetings once Parliament has been dissolved, so there is no way of the association taking a vote on Mr Cairns’s candidacy.

Mr Spencer-Downe is backed by chairman of the Vale of Glamorgan association, Jeff James, who adds: “I have every confidence in Alun Cairns as the constituency candidate.”

Image source, Getty Images

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says schools should not be used as polling stations in the general election - to avoid disrupting nativity plays and Christmas concerts.

He has written to returning officers, saying there is funding available for councils to find alternative venues for places to vote on 12 December.

The timing of the general election means it risks clashing with long-arranged plans for Christmas events in schools.

Read more here

Image source, PA Media

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has called Brexit "the biggest foreign policy mistake in the post-war period".

A recording of Mr Bercow has emerged when he was speaking at the Foreign Press Association in London.

He told journalists that while he was impartial when in the post, he could now tell all on his own opinion.

In the recording from the Turkish Anadolu Agency, Mr Bercow said: "I'm no longer the Speaker. I don't have to remain impartial now.

"And, if you asked me honestly, do I think that Brexit is good for our global standing? The honest answer is no, I don't.

"I think that Brexit is the biggest foreign policy mistake in the post-war period, and that is my honest view."

Image source, EPA

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn questions the “moral right” of former Wales Secretary Alun Cairns to stand as a candidate in the election.

Speaking on a visit in Crewe, Mr Corbyn says: "He can legally stand, but does he have a moral right to stand as candidate?

"If he’s stepping down as a minister because of his involvement, I would have thought the very least the Conservative Party can do is not put him up as a candidate in the next election.”

Mr Corbyn says the victim involved in the rape case also “has to be apologised to and supported”.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer says the doctoring of the TV interview he did on ITV’s Good Morning Britain was an "act of desperation" by the Conservatives.

The Tory Party came under fire after it tweeted out a video of Sir Keir being interviewed where he appeared to not answer a question - despite a full clip showing he did.

Sir Keir tells BBC London: "On social media, all sorts of tricks are played. They shouldn’t be done by a political party which aspires to office and to government.

"I think it’s completely backfired on the Tory party and they’ve had to spend this morning explaining what they were doing.

"Personally, I saw it as an act of desperation. For me it spelled out that the first week hasn’t gone well for them.”

The shadow Brexit secretary also calls on Tory Party chairman James Cleverly to apologise for the video rather than defend it - as he did in a round of interviews this morning.

“He should frankly apologise and say he’s not going to do it again," says Sir Keir.

"For a political party that wants to govern the nation to get involved in doctoring videos just tells you how desperate they are.”

Until Wednesday Alun Cairns could be described as something of a survivor.

Appointed as Welsh secretary by the then Prime Minister David Cameron in March 2016, he survived both Mr Cameron's resignation and that of his successor Theresa May.

He is the only cabinet minister to have stayed in the same job.

But a row about what he knew and when about his aide's involvement in the collapse of a rape trial has led to his resignation.

Read more here.

Image source, PA Media

Labour's ruling body, the NEC, was also considering the case of former Leicester East MP Keith Vaz and it's understood no final decision has been made on whether he can stand for the party again.

Mr Vaz was suspended by Parliament for six months after he was found to have "expressed willingness" to purchase cocaine for male prostitutes.

We were expecting to hear from Labour's ruling body, the NEC, who are meeting today and now we have.

Former MPs Chris Williamson, Stephen Hepburn and Roger Godsiff have not been endorsed by the executive - meaning new candidates will be selected to replace them in their constituencies.

Mr Williamson and Mr Hepburn had been suspended from the party. Mr Hepburn was suspended while a sexual harassment claim was investigated. Mr Williamson has been involved in a long-running dispute over anti-Semitism.

Mr Godsiff had been facing a re-selection battle after being triggered by local activists. He had been reprimanded after comments made in relation to protests over LGBT teaching at a Birmingham school.

Labour’s rule book says individuals suspended from the party cannot stand as Labour candidates.