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It's been another long day on the campaign trail, with party leaders travelling all over the UK. Here are the key points from Friday:

• SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she would be willing to work with Jeremy Corbyn to stop the Conservatives gaining power in the event of a hung Parliament, as she launched her campaign
• In other cross-party pact news, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said he will try "for a few more days" to agree an electoral deal with the Conservatives, but insists Boris Johnson would have to abandon his deal with the EU
• Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said her party was the only one opposing both Brexit and Scottish independence, as she vowed not to offer another independence referendum
• Labour pledged to increase maternity leave and ensure large companies offer support to staff going through the menopause
• Meanwhile, the Conservatives promised to make it easier for doctors and nurses from overseas to work in the UK
• The BBC was accused by the Liberal Democrats of an "establishment stitch-up" after the corporation announced plans to host a head-to-head debate with Mr Corbyn and Boris Johnson - alongside a debate between senior figures from seven of the UK's political parties
• Mr Johnson's claim that there would "not be tariffs or checks on goods coming from GB to NI that are not going on to Ireland" came under scrutiny.

The shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, has said Labour will make "no deals with the Scottish Nationalists."

Speaking in Crawley, she said: "We keep telling Nicola Sturgeon, and she does need to listen. There are no deals. No deals."

She said this would remain the case even if the party had to form a minority government. "If we get into power and we're a minority government, and the Scots Nats bring us down, they will have to go back to their voters in Scotland and explain how they've let the Tories back in. No deals. No deals," she said.

Ms Thornberry added: "What we're focusing on is that within six months of a general election we get Brexit sorted."

Image source, PA Media

Jo Swinson insists the Liberal Democrats would never allow another Scottish independence referendum.

Ms Swinson is on a campaign visit to North East Fife, the most marginal constituency at the last election, where the SNP beat the Lib Dems by just two votes.

The Lib Dem leader says another independence referendum is "the last thing we need" and warns it would only create further "chaos".

"Our UK family of nations is incredibly precious," she says.

She says her party is the only one explicitly opposing both Brexit and Scottish independence, and adds the Tories' post-Brexit plans to attract more doctors and nurses were "insulting" medical workers.

This Matters is a new BBC series looking at issues that affect you and how you vote. It goes beyond politicians - and Brexit - to explain what's happening and what it means.

This week: the environment.

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Long hours, media scrutiny, angry voters and canvassing in the rain.

Going on the campaign trail is a gruelling experience even for the lucky ones who win.

But what about those who never win but keep coming back for more?

Alice Evans meets the election losers.

Brian Taylor
BBC Scotland Political Editor

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Down the decades, the SNP has deployed sundry formulae to stress their promotion of Scottish interests. One thinks, in particular, of the campaign arguing that the black gold in the North Sea was "Scotland's oil".

Today, at the party's election launch in Edinburgh, Nicola Sturgeon essayed a new version. The SNP, she said, was "Scotland's Remain party".

Now, self-evidently, this is primarily a method of addressing Brexit - the core, defining issue of this entire contest. A way, further, of positing the SNP firmly on the side of retaining membership of the European Union.

But there is a second, equally expected, element. Which is to place Brexit in the context of the SNP's primary aim. Scottish independence.

Read Brian's full analysis here.

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A group of Remain-supporting Labour MPs have criticised the pact agreed between the anti-Brexit parties Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

Earlier this week the three parties announced an agreement not to stand against each other in 60 constituencies across England and Wales.

Labour's Clive Lewis says: "This Remain alliance risks taking votes away from Labour in marginals and targets good, sitting pro-Remain Labour MPs.

Charles Flavell had already made his mind up which way he'd be voting before he read a damning interview from his former Labour - then independent - MP Ian Austin in his local newspaper.

Mr Austin told the Express & Star, external he had to "do everything I can to stop Jeremy Corbyn from getting into power", as he announced he would not contest his Dudley North seat in the election.

He's not standing for re-election and neither is former deputy leader Tom Watson, who represented constituents in West Bromwich East.

Like Mr Austin, Mr Flavell, an 84-year-old former till maker and a lifelong Labour supporter, is backing Boris Johnson.

Read the full story here.

Alistair McGhie, BBC Wales

Image source, Reuters

Former Welsh Secretary Alun Cairn, speaking for the first time since resigning on Wednesday, has refused to answer questions on when he knew about the collapse of a rape trial caused by his former aide.

He said he will let the Cabinet Office look into what happened, adding that he would not be drawn into a "trial by media".

Speaking in the Vale of Glamorgan, the seat which he is defending, he said he's keen to get on with the campaign.

Read more on why Mr Cairns resigned and what he said in the interview.

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For those of you not slavishly following every twist and turn of the election campaign, here is a round-up of what's been going on today:

• SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said she would be willing to work with Jeremy Corbyn to stop the Conservatives gaining power in the event of a hung Parliament

• In other cross-party pact news, the Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he will try "for a few more days" to agree an electoral deal with the Conservatives, but insists Boris Johnson would have to abandon his deal with the EU
• Labour has pledged to increase maternity leave and ensure large companies offer support to their staff going through the menopause
• Meanwhile, the Conservatives have promised to make it easier for doctors and nurses from overseas to work in the UK
• The BBC has been accused by Liberal Democrats of an "establishment stitch-up" after the corporation announced plans to host a head-to-head debate with Mr Corbyn and Boris Johnson - alongside a debate between senior figures from seven of the UK's political parties
• The PM's claim that there would "not be tariffs or checks on goods coming from GB to NI that are not going on to Ireland" has come under scrutiny.
• The International Committee on Disinformation and Fake News has called on social media companies to ban targeted political adverts until they are properly regulated

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon knows her best route to stopping Brexit is through a hung Parliament – if this election is again inconclusive.

This would hugely increase the leverage of her party.

And today she gave her clearest indication yet that she would be prepared to help Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street as part of that attempt to stop Brexit – but at a price.

And that price would be the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland, and above all the granting of another independence referendum next year.

That’s probably not a message that Boris Johnson will be too worried about.

Because his core campaign message at this election has been: Vote Labour and you’ll get two more referendums – one on Brexit and one Scottish independence.

You can read more about the SNP's campaign launch here.

Our political reporter Peter Saull reports that Boris Johnson has told the BBC there will not be a specific inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party.

Earlier this week Michael Gove told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “We will have an inquiry into Islamophobia and it will be established before the end of the year absolutely.”

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Earlier the BBC announced its plans for a series of election debates - including a face-off between the Conservative Party's Boris Johnson and Labour's Jeremy Corbyn.

It will also host a seven-way podium debate and several Question Time specials - but the Liberal Democrats said the decision to exclude them from the head-to-head was "another establishment stitch-up to shut down debate".

So why did the BBC do it?

In a blog post, Jonathan Munro, the head of BBC Newsgathering - the part of the corporation which provides live coverage and news reports - explains the decision.

"The regulatory framework (which is the same as that for other broadcasters) means that we can scrutinise and give coverage to parties in a way that relates to their different levels of electoral support - in other words, parties may have different amounts of airtime and won't all necessarily be included in all programmes in the same way," he writes.

"So potential prime ministers can get more scrutiny - and airtime - than other party leaders. But that judgement is based on real votes cast, not speculation about the upcoming result.

"It means the Conservative and Labour parties - who between them secured more than 80% of the vote in 2017 - will have more prominence at times than all the smaller parties.

"That explains why head-to-head debates are now part of the mix; in 2010, the Liberal Democrats entered the election with more than 60 MPs, having won 22% of the vote - three times higher than they managed at the 2017 general election - and far ahead of the next largest parties, including the SNP, who back then, had just six MPs."

Read the post in full here.

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Shadow women and equalities minister Dawn Butler says a Labour government would "dismantle the structural barriers" facing women in the workplace.

This morning, the party set out a number of policies in this area, including increasing the length of statutory maternity pay and promising the right to choose flexible working when starting a job.

Speaking on a visit to Stevenage Ms Butler says many men have "a privilege code to the lift", fast-tracking them into managerial positions.

She adds that Labour would "lay the grounds for an elevator" for women, to help them secure a level playing field in the world of work.

Image source, AFP

Earlier on, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon launched her party's election campaign.

Talking about the prospect of the UK leaving the EU's single market and customs union, she said: "Economic analysis says that it will cost every person in Scotland £1,600".

We put that to our Reality Check team. They said the figure came from a Scottish government assessment, external in January 2018 - before either Theresa May's or Boris Johnson's deals.

It estimated that leaving the single market and customs union would knock £9bn off Scottish output (in 2016 pounds), which it divided by the population of Scotland to get about £1,600 per person.

So it's saying that GDP per person would be £1,600 lower than it would otherwise have been in 11 years, but that's not the same as costing each individual £1,600.

Read the team's full analysis here.

Image source, Twitter/@Cheappanini

A couple whose homemade football stickers won fans around the world have drawn a selection of politicians ahead of the general election.

Alex and Sian Pratchett, known as the Panini Cheapskates, have won a loyal fanbase with their crude imitations of the playground collectables.

The Pratchetts began drawing during the 2014 World Cup as they could not justify the cost of filling the album with official stickers, with their efforts attracting international media attention.

Their latest sketches include Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, and Jo Swinson.

Read more here.

The prime minister is facing scrutiny over comments he has made about Northern Ireland.

Speaking to a room of party activists on Thursday, Boris Johnson said there would not be customs checks on goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under his Brexit deal.

This appears to contradict his Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, who has previously said that "minimal targeted interventions" would be required.

Confused? BBC Northern Ireland's economics and business editor John Campbell has fact-checked Mr Johnson's comments here.

It wouldn't be a general election campaign without bizarre photo ops - and the odd candid snap. So let's take a look at what Friday has served up so far:

Image source, WPA Pool/Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

We will of course be bringing you photos from across the political spectrum during the campaign period as and when they make us chuckle.

Labour shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth says Boris Johnson should apologise for “a decade of running down our NHS”.

He was responding to reports of patients spending hours on trolleys in corridors at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

In an interview outside the centre, Mr Ashworth said the prime minister, who’s been elsewhere in Nottinghamshire today, “should be here, apologising to the patients on trolleys, apologising to the staff who work so hard. He should be apologising for cutting over 15,000 beds in our NHS.”

He described the Conservatives’ new medical visa plans as a “nurses tax on those nurses who come from the EU to care for the sick and the elderly.”

Read here about the Conservatives' NHS plans to attract more overseas staff.