BBC Radio 5 Live

Bishop Auckland - home of today's BBC election special - has, like everywhere else, a contingent of young people who have effectively joined the Brexit debate half way through.

Not old enough to vote in the referendum but faced with a general election, they're now having to decide what they want and which party is likely to provide it.

Alex Robertson, who runs an eco-friendly gift shop in the town, is finding it "difficult trying to catch up on everything now that I am old enough to vote".

“I’m mainly Green but tempted on Labour just as a tactical vote to get the Tories out," she says.

"I feel like my vote could more of an impact if I voted Labour than if I voted Green."

Bishop Auckland voted Leave in the referendum.

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BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Lib Dem MP Cuka Umunna says "an approach was made" through the Unite to Remain organisation about whether Labour would be interested in an alliance with other parties that support another EU referendum.

Mr Umunna - a former Labour politician, of course - tells Politics Live it was "totally dismissed out of hand".

He emphasised the alliances that had been made with the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

The Women's Equality Party has agreed to stand aside in the Cities of London and Westminster seat to give Mr Umunna a clearer run at things.

Image source, Getty Images

Colleagues and political opponents are adding to the tributes for Frank Dobson, the former Labour health secretary.

Labour's David Lammy says Mr Dobson was a mentor to him and "an icon in London Labour and the wider movement".

"Rooted in the community he loved a curry, was v funny, kind and patient," he says on Twitter.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweets: "From one health secretary to another, thank you for your years of service and devotion to our health service."

The leader of the Conservatives in Camden, where Mr Dobson's seat was located, says that whatever your politics, constituents rarely had "reason to have a bad word to say about him as a constituency MP".

And London Mayor Sadiq Khan says he was "a hero of the London Labour movement - his kindness, commitment to reducing inequality, and unique sense of humour will be much missed."

A bit more on the role of the Brexit Party in this election. Nigel Farage said on Monday he was clearing the way for some Conservative candidates, but wanted to "take the fight" to Labour ones across the country.

Asked about that a short time ago, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner was bullish.

She said it was clear that if you want a hard-right deal between Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson, then you vote for the Brexit Party or the Tories "because it's the same party".

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BBC2's lunchtime political programme

"My heart goes out" to people forced out their home by flooding, says Conservative Helen Whately.

"There's been a very strong response," she adds in response to accusations from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that the government is not doing enough.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Back to Politics Live, the national co-ordinator of grassroots Labour campaign group Momentum, Laura Parker, says Boris Johnson is guilty of a "capitulation" to Nigel Farage.

The prime minister released a video yesterday restating that his position that the future relationship for the EU he wanted was based around a "free trade deal".

In his announcement that Brexit Party candidates would be standing down in Conservative-held seats, Mr Farage cited just that position as something in Mr Johnson's favour.

Arts minister Helen Whately insists there was no agreement with Nigel Farage ahead of his move.

Lucy Moody
Journalist

Investing in more shops seems to be a popular answer in Bishop Auckland to the question: "What could politicians do to improve your town?"

Stacey Spindley, 41, from Howden-Le-Wear, said more stores need open in the town to encourage people to visit.

The charity volunteer said it was “dying for trade at the moment".

“In the 13 years I’ve lived here there have been hundreds of shops closed, there’s just cafes now and the cafes are struggling because there aren’t any people. It’s not fair on them."

Jeremy Corbyn is also asked about the cyber attack on Labour’s digital platforms was and if the party knows who was responsible.

He describes it as “very serious” and says such an attack during an election campaign is suspicious.

He adds: “If this is a sign of things to come, I feel very nervous about it.”

Mr Corbyn says the party is looking into who was responsible.

Just a reminder that our security correspondent, Gordon Corera, has been told it was a low level incident. It was reported to the National Cyber Security Centre but they did not need to take any action as it was all resolved.

Back to the press conference involving Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow education secretary Angela Raynerm where they are now taking questions from the press.

Mr Corbyn is scathing about the government's response to the flooding. Asked what he would have done differently if he was in No 10, he says he would have convened Cobra - the government’s emergency response committee - immediately.

He says this would have enabled the government to release more money so local authorities could have dealt with the situation more quickly.

He adds that he would also be "far more assertive and assiduous about flood protection and flood defences" in the longer term.

Tom Burridge
Transport correspondent, BBC News

Image source, PA Media

A draft copy of a review into HS2 has recommended the project should go ahead - even though it might cost more than planned.

The government commissioned a review into the new railway in August, promising a "go or no-go" decision by the end of the year.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps refused to rule out scrapping it entirely, even though billions had already been spent on it - with the current price tag set at £88bn.

Panel members have told the BBC the draft only suggests relatively minor alterations, like reducing the number of trains from 18 an hour to 14 - in line with other high speed networks abroad.

The document says even the most controversial stretch of the railway - linking west London to central London - should go ahead.

Business leaders and politicians in the north of England have welcomed the review’s preliminary findings. But the draft does not have the support of the review’s deputy chair, Lord Tony Berkeley.

In a letter seen by the BBC, he criticised the review’s "lack of balance" and said the cost of the scheme had not been properly scrutinised.

The review will not be published until after the election.

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BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Dipping into Politics Live now for a moment on BBC2, they're discussing the cyber attack on Labour's systems.

Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller says her pro-EU Remain United website also experienced two cyber attacks on Monday.

Theresa May's former chief of staff Gavin Barwell, who now sits in the House of Lords, says Westminster "should be concerned" at the news.

He adds that there are "hostile states out there with a record of trying to interfere" in the UK's political system.

Today we have been answering questions on Brexit, like this one from Sophie in Romford:

Q - If the Conservatives win without a majority, what is the likelihood of them forming a coalition government with the Brexit Party?

A - The government has ruled out forming an election pact with Brexit Party during the election campaign.

But if the Conservatives fell short of a majority, and the Brexit Party won a handful of crucial seats - then it may choose to support the Conservatives on specific issues in order to get Brexit over the line.

So a temporary alliance of convenience is probably more likely than a formal coalition government.

Read more answers to questions.

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

As we mentioned, the veteran Labour politician Frank Dobson has died at the age of 79.

Mr Dobson stood down as a Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras in North London at the general election in 2015. He had represented the constituency since 1979.

He said he decided to "pack in" when people stopped him in the street to say they hoped he wasn't going.

Mr Dobson was made Health Secretary when Tony Blair came to power in 1997.

He stood as Labour's candidate to be the first mayor of London in 2000 but finished third to independent candidate Ken Livingstone.

In Blackpool, Jeremy Corbyn finished his speech with the Labour slogan saying "it's time for real change", before welcoming onto the stage shadow education secretary Angela Rayner.

She says Labour is presenting "a comprehensive plan to change our country for the better" and says she wouldn't be here without adult education.

She says as a young mum she had left education early but got "a second chance" at college.

"Adult education changed my life. It gave me, and so many others, a vital second chance, but too many others today are missing out."

It's all got rather hectic in the last hour or so. Here's a quick run-down for you of the main stuff:

• Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson have both criticised Boris Johnson's handling of the flooding to hit northern England. The Labour leader, in particular, blamed cuts for a failure to treat the situation seriously enough
• Mr Johnson is due to hold an emergency Cobra meeting today to discuss the flooding
• Mr Corbyn has also been speaking about Labour's plans to boost spending on education, especially for adults in need of retraining
• The Conservatives, meanwhile, continue to criticise Labour for the amount they claim the party would spend in government - their figures are problematic though
• Nigel Farage is looking for a quid pro quo after he scaled back his electoral ambitions to help the Conservatives
• Labour says it has experienced a cyber attack, but managed to repel it with "robust" security measures
• And just announced, veteran Labour politician Frank Dobson has died

"Labour Connects", a tool to design & print local campaign materials, was at least one of the systems that was disrupted in the cyber attack reported earlier, according to BBC political correspondent Jessica Parker.

Yesterday, users received a message saying there were issues with the tool due to a "large volume of users".

The site still appears to be down for maintenance, external.

The BBC's Gordon Corera has an important update on the Labour cyber attack story. He's learned that it's believed to be a low-level incident - not a large scale and sophisticated attack.

It was reported to the National Cyber Security Centre, but they did not need to take any action as it was all resolved.

There is no sign of it being anything linked to another state, our security correspondent adds.

The Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson is visiting a library in Stainforth, one of the areas in South Yorkshire severely affected by flooding.

Standing in front of a pile of donated clothing, Ms Swinson said the government should declare a national emergency.

"I think what we have seen in terms of the communities, those families, those individuals have been impacted by this flooding, it is devastating, it is heartbreaking."

But she said she had also witnessed a "a really inspiring sense of community spirit".

She said it was wrong that it was down to local communities to deal with the situation.

"This is clearly a national emergency and the government should be declaring it as such."

The Liberal Democrats have promised to create a £5bn flood and adaption fund.

Ms Swinson said "long-term policy changes" were needed to reduce the chances of other families going through the same "heartbreaking experiences" in the future.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn moves onto the main subject of the speech, saying education should be "like an escalator running alongside you throughout life, that you can get on and off whenever you want".

He says his party’s vision is a national education service - “free education as a right for all”.

Under Labour's plan, adults would be offered up to six years of training, such as for vocational qualifications in the healthcare and engineering sectors or adults wanting to go back to college to get academic qualifications.

He says he would give "rather give a break to a worker who wants to learn, rather than a tax break to a billionaire who wants for nothing".