Stephen Lynch was an adviser to the now-Chancellor Sajid Javid during his run to become Tory leader.

He tells BBC News the debates can be "tremendously important".

"The BBC debates in 2017 - the seven-way debates - seven million were watching that," he says.

"We have seen in the past over in the US, and here in the UK, how people can change the narrative and get a surge of momentum from these debates."

But he says the incumbent - in this case Boris Johnson - is "at a slight disadvantage" as he has had "get on with running the country" while preparing for the debate.

"When you're the opposition, I would hazard a guess that you have slightly more time on your hands to prepare," he says.

"And even though the two men are familiar with each other, you can prepare to be much more combative and punchy to attack the government's record."

BBC News Channel

Image source, BBC Sport

Theo Bertram, former adviser to two Labour PMs - Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - says the two candidates in tonight's debate will have been "drilled to within an inch of their lives" ahead of the programme.

He tells BBC News: "When we were preparing Gordon Brown for the debates in 2010, I think there was only one question across all three debates that we hadn't anticipated and rehearsed.

"I think we should expect almost every question tonight to be thoroughly practised and prepared."

Image source, Getty Images

We're limbering up for tonight's head-to-head debate on ITV in a couple of hours. Get yourself up to speed on today's political developments with our latest summary:

• Jeremy Corbyn has been prepping himself with Caesar salad and cups to tea, as Labour says it will tackle "excessive" pay for bosses and give employees more say in their companies
• Boris Johnson has been practicing his footwork in a boxing gym and announcing plans for more stop-and-search powers for police
• Prominent Brexit supporter and funder of the Leave.EU campaign Aaron Banks had his Twitter account hacked and private messages leaked
• Nigel Farage says he has "written evidence" of offers of peerages and other jobs to Brexit Party candidates to persuade them not to stand against Tories. He's also called for a 50,000 cap on migration to the UK
• Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, excluded from tonight's debate after a legal challenge failed, has been visiting a hospital to announce her £26bn-a-year NHS funding boost
• And Nicola Sturgeon, also left out of the debate, calls Boris Johnson a "big scaredy-cat" for refusing to debate other party leaders

Our poll tracker measures how people say they are going to vote at the election.

Voting intention is a tricky thing to measure and predict, but we're monitoring all the polls closely and will bring you the most accurate picture we can as the campaign goes on.

The host of tonight's ITV's election debate Julie Etchingham says it is "the most nerve-wracking" part of her job.

In an interview with the ITV News election podcast, she reveals how she prepares for these debates.

"The second you know it’s even looming on the horizon, the moment you know it’s a possibility there’s a bit of your brain that is working on it the whole time.

“Every political interview that you listen to, every article you read, everything. That’s in my sight the whole time from the moment I know that it’s even a possibility.”

Asked how she feels in the moments before the debates start, she says it's "really, really frightening”.

She says things get "difficult" if the participants don't engage with each other: “That’s where you have to interject as moderator."

The BBC's head-to-head election debate on 6 December will be hosted by Today presenter and former BBC political editor Nick Robinson. Fiona Bruce and Emma Barnett will also host special BBC events in the coming weeks.

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 answer them.

Today we have been answering questions specifically about education, like this one from Macauley Moseley in Derby:

A - Head teachers cannot refuse to allow their schools to be used as polling stations on election day in the UK.

Schools that are publicly funded can be used free of charge., externalThey must set aside a room to be used for voters to cast their ballots, including in academies and free schools.

Polling stations need to meet accessibility requirements. They also need to be in easy-to-find locations to ensure voters do not face any problems on the day.

Given that schools often meet these criteria, this makes them a popular choice with returning officers, who choose the venues in each constituency.

You can read more questions on education here

Image source, Getty Images

As we mentioned, the BBC's Reality Check team will be looking at the claims made by the two leaders during the debate tonight.

Ahead of that they've written their latest bit of helpful analysis dissecting the Conservative Party's claims that Labour's spending plans would cost an extra £1.2tn over the next five years.

We suggest you read it in full, but, spoiler alert, they come to the conclusion that without having seen the Labour manifesto, it's impossible to reach an accurate tally.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he has "written evidence" that some of his party's candidates were offered "inducements" not to stand against the Conservatives.

Included in the list is Ann Widdecombe, the party’s candidate in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport - and a former Tory minister.

Mr Farage tells the BBC his party also has "lots of witnesses" and he'd be "very happy" to discuss the evidence with the police.

Other candidates, he claims, have received phone calls "verging on intimidation" asking them not to stand.

But Boris Johnson says the claims are "nonsense". A Tory spokesperson said: "Neither the Conservative Party, nor its officials, have offered Brexit Party candidates jobs or peerages."

The Metropolitan Police says the alleged offer of honours is one of three allegations linked to the election they are assessing.

In a statement, they say it is "common" for the force to receive "high numbers of allegations in relation to election issues" - during a campaign.

A smiling Jeremy Corbyn is arriving at the television studios in Salford ahead of the debate, and greeting supporters.

The Labour leader says he is hoping for a "respectful and informative debate" later, and is "confident in Labour's policies and its ability to transform this country."

Asked if he is nervous, Mr Corbyn says: "Not in the slightest, why would I be?"

And how did he prepare?

"Well, I have eaten a Caesar salad, had a couple of cups of tea, read a bit, talked a bit to my team, it was very pleasant."

The Brexit Party leader told a BBC Question Time Leaders Special figures should return to a "sensible post-war number".

The BBC One programme - part of a series ahead of the general election - will air at 22:45 GMT.

With less than three hours to go until the ITV election debate, a quick heads-up on what you can expect from us tonight:

• Live commentary on what Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are saying - and later on what Jo Swinson, Nigel Farage, Sian Berry and Nicola Sturgeon say in the second interview programme
• Up-to-the minute analysis from BBC Reality Check - fact-checking what the politicians say, as they say it
• Correspondent analysis - the BBC’s Nick Eardley will give us his thoughts as the debate progresses and we’ll bring in other BBC voices as and when we can
• Selected clips to watch back at your leisure
• Afterwards, a run-down of the key moments - probably five of them – that really stood out for us

So, with all that, stick with us!

Further to the aforementioned boxing bonanza, here's a round-up of the action, and a chance to enjoy those pictures all over again.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Image source, AFP

Boris Johnson's visit to a boxing gym today is the fourth appearance by a politician in the ring so far in this election, after Jo Swinson and Nigel Farage (twice).

Now Mr Farage has taken a jab at his Conservative rival for stealing his election gimmick, accusing Mr Johnson of copying "everything" he does.

Meanwhile, former MP Nick Boles is just exasperated with the trend.

"Am I the only person whose vote on 12th December will not be influenced by which party leader looks more or less ridiculous in a boxing ring wearing gloves in their party colours?" he asks.

He is not alone, apparently. Other Twitter users say it's "pathetic" and "ridiculously cringe".

The BBC's political correspondent, Nick Eardley, is the live page's eyes and ears on the ground at the debate tonight. He'll be sending us his thoughts and analysis to hopefully help you make sense of what's going on.

Here, he gives us a look inside the so-called spin room where journalists watch the event and work on their copy for newspapers, online, radio and TV outlets.

The "spin" comes into it because the Tories and Labour will have their own representatives there - usually other senior politicians and advisers who'll be talking to those journalists and doing interviews, trying to persuade those in attendance that their man was the best.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Boris Johnson is prime minister and most opinion polls suggest the Conservatives are comfortably in front. That may not translate into seats come the election, but certainly they have the advantage. So Mr Johnson has more to lose in tonight's debate.

There are perhaps fewer expectations around Jeremy Corbyn and if he puts in a good performance tonight he will see that as a boost.

Talking to Labour insiders, some of them were saying during the course of the campaign in 2017 Mr Corbyn picked up a lot of support - unexpected support for them at the time.

Now they’re saying there’s been a few sparks in the campaign - an uncertain start from Boris Johnson, the broadband announcement last week - but nothing has really ignited yet.

Labour really need something that will give them a boost and a good performance by Jeremy Corbyn may do that.

I’ve been looking back at previous opinion polls, previous debates. In 2015, when there was a big seven-party debate, nearly 40% of viewers said it influenced their vote on the day. This could be quite a significant moment.

The question is whether it will shift the dial. We already know the various scripts of the leaders. Boris Johnson is going to come here and say, let’s get Brexit done. From Labour’s point of view they want to get onto their home turf, which is talking about public services and investment.

The bigger question is about character. It’s the first time we’ve seen the leaders of the two main parties take each other on head-to-head. This will focus on the character of the two men who could be prime minister after 12 December.

Image source, PA Media

As we've already reported, the prime minister has announced plans to "come down hard" on what he called the "scourge" of knife crime. He is pledging to give police more powers to stop and search.

But Labour's shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, says he is just "posturing" and that "tinkering with police powers cannot disguise Tory failure for almost a decade."

But how many teenagers are carrying knifes? And what happens to them if they are caught? The BBC's Reality Check had a close look at the figures earlier this year.

The Radio 1 Newsbeat election camper van is also in Southampton today - a city that has almost 40,000 students spread across two universities.

Newsbeat parked up outside a student house and invited its residents in for a cuppa and a chat about the issues that matter to them in this election.

Top of the list was tuition fees.

Sophie Wales, 22, says that if any of the parties committed to scrapping tuition fees entirely in their 2019 manifestos that would definitely sway her vote.

• Listen to Newsbeat on BBC Sounds

Kenny Field, 20, says he thinks the current system of paying your student loan back after you graduate and start earning over a certain amount, external is “not a bad system” but “scrapping them all together would be better because “further and higher education should be open and accessible to all”.

He thinks maintenance grants would be a better system to help ensure that everyone could afford all aspects of student life, not just the fees. “One of my flatmates who studies nursing had to do placements on her course and got no extra help financially for that - she was in a really tough situation having to work extra shifts to put herself through uni.”

When asked if students across the UK have forgiven the Liberal Democrats for breaking their 2010 election pledge to oppose any rise in tuition fees, Tristan Fancourt, 21, says; “There is still a lot of anger there. It still impacts us right now as we’re having to pay those high tuition fees.

“I think a lot of the anger now isn’t that we are having to pay for our tuition but that there seems to be such a high level interest on student loans - that just compounds the problem meaning we have to pay back more. It’s almost like we’re being punished for taking the loans because we couldn’t pay our fees.”

He says that while it’s not the deciding issue for him, he will take it into account when deciding who to vote for.

When asked if they thought students, rather than the rest of the population, should have to stump up the cash because ultimately they are the ones getting the benefit of their education? Sophie agreed but says she worries that it “could be a disincentive” for students who fear not being able to afford it in the long run. “As Kenny said - education should be an opportunity for everyone.”

• Want to know where the different parties stand on tuition fees?

The deadline to register to vote is 26 November, a week today.

You can register on the government's website. You will need your National Insurance number, date of birth and address.

You can also apply for a postal vote. You don't need a reason to do this, unless you're voting in Northern Ireland.

Check out all the details here.

Image source, Ashfield and Mansfield Conservatives

A Conservative candidate in Nottinghamshire has said "nuisance" council tenants should be forced to live in tents and pick vegetables.

Lee Anderson posted the comments on a video on his Facebook page, saying it was his "own personal opinion".

He says they should be forced to get up every morning at 06:00, pick "potatoes or any other seasonal vegetables" all day, and then return to their tents for a "cold shower, lights out, six o'clock, same again the next day".

The Labour Party says the idea amounted to "forced labour camps" and went "beyond the pale".

Mr Anderson declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

Read the full story

Each leader will have one minute for their opening statement - with Jeremy Corbyn set to go first after lots were drawn - and 45 seconds for closing statements - with Boris Johnson set to close.

The debate will last one hour in front of a studio audience of about 200 people.

Questions will come from ITV viewers and will broadly reflect a cross-section of society and political backgrounds.

The questions have come from viewers responding to a call on news bulletins throughout the UK and online.

Image source, JONATHAN HORDLE/ITV HANDOUT