A Labour election candidate who apologised for saying she would "celebrate" the deaths of world leaders, including Tony Blair, has been endorsed by the party, following another interview.

Image source, Twitter

Zarah Sultana wrote on social media in 2015: "Try and stop me [celebrating] when the likes of Blair, Netanyahu and Bush die."

She was reinterviewed by the party after apologising for the tweets from a "deleted account dating back several years from when I was a student".

In her apology on Monday, Ms Sultana said at the time she had been "exasperated by endless cycles of global suffering, violence and needless killing".

When she was announced as the Coventry South candidate last week, she wrote on social media: "With your support, I will be a strong socialist voice for working people in this city."

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer says the Labour Party wouldn’t be doing deals with anyone when he was asked about the party’s position on a second independence referendum in Scotland.

Speaking on the campaign trail in Wales, Mr Starmer said the party "is in this election for real change and we’re in it to win it and therefore we’re not in the business of talking about deals with other parties. “

Tory cabinet minister Michael Gove is accusing the SNP of dropping a "bombshell" on the election campaign, with leader Nicola Sturgeon's suggestion that she would seek a fresh independence referendum next year as a price for supporting Jeremy Corbyn in government.

“That would mean there would be two referendums next year - one on Europe and one on Scotland’s Independence," he says.

“It’s the last thing this country needs."

Launching the SNP's election campaign this morning, Ms Sturgeon repeated her insistence that other parties "need not bother picking up the phone" to her unless they are willing to support an independence referendum being held next year.

Challenged on whether there was anything new about Ms Sturgeon's demands, Mr Gove says: “Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed today that she will insist on an independence referendum next year. She has made it crystal clear."

Image source, PA Media

Responding to news that the BBC will run a head-to-head debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson accused the corporation of being "complicit in another establishment stitch-up to shut down debate on the most important issue for generations: Brexit."

"Millions of people voted to Remain in 2016. After three years of chaos, it is shocking that the Liberal Democrats - the strongest party of Remain - are being denied the opportunity to challenge Johnson and Corbyn on Brexit.

"Once again, the leaders of the Tories and Labour are running scared of debating the most important issue for generations," she said.

She said the party would "pursue all options, including legal action, to ensure that our voice is heard in televised leaders' debates."

Read about what the BBC's debate plans are here.

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Image source, Reuters

Targeted political adverts on social media should be suspended until they are properly regulated, says an international group of lawmakers.

Testimony given to the International Committee on Disinformation and Fake News warned of "dire" consequences if action was delayed.

The committee met in the Irish Republic as part of its work to scrutinise how online platforms handle political adverts.

But Facebook told members it should not be the world's "truth police".

Read the full story here.

And you can read our analysis of who parties have been targeting for the 2019 election on social media here.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is grilled by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg on Scottish independence, Brexit and whether she would be willing to form an alliance with Labour's Jeremy Corbyn.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

SNP MEP Alyn Smith says the party's priorities are stopping Brexit and securing Scottish independence.

He suggests that if the party makes a deal to support a Labour government, "it will not be a difficult discussion" to secure the removal of Britain's nuclear Trident submarines from the River Clyde.

He concedes that the SNP would prefer a Jeremy Corbyn premiership but says the party will have to see what happens in the rest of the UK before making any decision on whether it will be part of a coalition.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

BBC Scotland editor Sarah Smith says the SNP is confident of making gains in this election. While it is unlikely they will come close to their previous record of 56 seats out of 59, they are hoping to take up to six of Labour's seven Scottish seats and at least some of the 13 held by the Conservatives.

The party is not deciding whether it would go into a formal coalition or a looser vote-by-vote arrangement with Labour until after the election, says Sarah Smith, as its power over the UK government will be determined by the number of seats it wins.

Image source, AFP/ Getty Images

Speaking to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Nicola Sturgeon says: “If the SNP holds the balance of power, then effectively Scotland is in an incredibly influential position."

She says she would "never put Boris Johnson into Downing Street" and suggests "people are worried about Jeremy Corbyn".

She argues it is "better to have SNP MPs in there [a Corbyn government] making sure the right issues are progressed and the right values protected than having a Jeremy Corbyn government without that influence of the SNP.”

It's lunchtime already! Time to whip out your sandwiches and check out what's happened so far today:

• SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon launched her party's campaign by promising to protect the NHS from privatisation and future trade deals. Read about the launch in full here.
• Labour has set out its policies for women in the workplace, including a promise to increase the length of statutory maternity pay and to set up a body with powers to fine firms failing to report gender pay gaps. Read all about it here.
• The Conservatives said they will make it easier for doctors and nurses from around the world to work in the UK after Brexit, if they win the election. They would introduce an "NHS visa" as part of a promised "points-based immigration system". There are details about that here.
• Meanwhile, the Brexit Party's Nigel Farage denied claims he was trying to split the Brexit vote by standing against the Tories in the general election. See more here.
• And the BBC announced its debate plans for the election, including a head-to-head between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn. Check out the plans in full here.

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

The couple of polls we've had since the weekend don't suggest there has been any dramatic movement during the course of the last few days.

There were two things the polls suggested last weekend - the Conservatives squeezing the Brexit Party and Labour making some progress in getting Remain voters off the Lib Dems.

The net effect has been virtually zero with the Conservative still 10 points ahead.

There is no sign that the picture has been reversed to a significant degree.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Image source, UK government

Conservative candidate Suella Braverman says she has "no hesitation in supporting the [prime minister's] deal.

"It delivers Brexit and get things done," she says.

Labour parliamentary candidate Faiza Shaheen accuses the prime minister of not being able to "explain" his deal.

Did Boris Johnson get his details correct? BBC Northern Ireland business editor John Campbell has been looking at his claims.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Boris Johnson has said "there will not be tariffs or checks on goods coming from GB to NI that are not going on to Ireland."

BBC Reality Check correspondent Chris Morris says: "That is not what his deal says."

"The deal says if goods are deemed to be at risk of moving to Ireland after going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland then they could be subject to tariffs.

"If it then turns out those goods stayed in Northern Ireland, companies would be able to apply for a rebate."

Nigel Farage has challenged Boris Johnson to a head-to-head election debate.

The Brexit Party leader said: “If you really believe that this is a great new deal or as you said in the last couple of days, a fantastic deal, if you are really trying to tell the British public 'this gets Brexit done', let’s have a civilised head-to-head debate on what this EU treaty means.”

Mr Farage also repeated his call to form a Leave alliance, arguing that if it was "put to the country it would win a very big majority”.

He denied trying to split the vote and accused the Conservative Party of not wanting to come to “any sort of accommodation”.

He also confirmed that his party would be fighting every seat in Wales.

The BBC has invited the UK's political leaders to an "ambitious" series of debates.

The corporation's plans include a head-to-head prime ministerial debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson on 6 December, broadcast from Southampton. This will be the first-ever debate of its kind in the UK.

There will also be a seven-way debate involving all the main UK parties, live from Cardiff on 29 November. Both debates will be shown on BBC One.

On 22 November, Fiona Bruce will host a Question Time Leaders’ Special, broadcast from Sheffield on BBC One. Across two hours, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon and Jo Swinson will each be invited to take questions from the audience for 30 minutes.

Other Question Time specials will involve Nigel Farage, Sian Berry or Jonathan Bartley (of the Green Party) and Adam Price of Plaid Cymru.

Separate debates will be held for parties standing in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Finally, there will be a special Question Time focusing on younger audiences, shown on 9 December.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

"This is such a touchpoint for our readers," says Daily Mirror editor Alison Phillips about the NHS.

"People see how the NHS is operating and they are very worried about it and how it will be operating in the future," she says.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

This morning the SNP has proposed a law that would block any UK government from using the NHS as what it calls a "bargaining chip" in trade talks.

Asked if it is needed, the SNP's Ian Blackford says "there is a threat to the NHS". "We don't trust Boris Johnson," he adds.

The prime minister has said the idea that the NHS "is for sale" is "pure Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda Triangle stuff."

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

The BBC will host a head-to-head debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn in the run-up to the general election.

The Conservative and Labour leaders will do a face-off live in Southampton on 6 December - six days before the poll.

A seven-way podium debate will also take place between senior figures from the UK's major political parties on 29 November, live from Cardiff.

And the BBC will broadcast several Question Time specials, including a show focused on younger audiences and first-time voters.

Find out all the details in our story here.