Summary

  • Campaigning continues ahead of general election on 12 December

  • Jeremy Corbyn went to an Amazon depot in Sheffield to highlight planned changes to workers' rights

  • Labour is promising to put an extra tax on foreign companies and trusts buying property in the UK

  • He also launched his party's 'Youth Manifesto' at an event in Loughborough

  • Jo Swinson went to the Design Museum in London to talk about innovation and technology

  • All four leaders took part in a BBC Question Time Leaders' Special on Friday

  • Jeremy Corbyn said he would take a neutral stance in a future Brexit referendum - a position he has defended today

  • Boris Johnson stuck by his claims that the health service was receiving the biggest cash injection in its history

  • Conservatives pledging to put an extra £83m a year into dementia research in the next decade

  1. Saturday on the campaign trail: A recappublished at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    In three words, it was quiet. Before we take a pause for today, here's a recap of how this Saturday on the election campaign unfolded:

    • Interestingly enough, the big news of the day happened yesterday. In the BBC Question Time leaders' special, Jeremy Corbyn said he would adopt a neutral position in a future Brexit referendum if Labour comes to power. Watch the highlights
    • Reacting this morning, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Labour leader "decided to be indecisive" with his stance while Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said it showed a "total absence of leadership"
    • Corbyn defended his position, saying it showed "a sign of strength" and "maturity". Read more here
    • Away from Brexit, Corbyn unveiled Labour's Youth Manifesto at a rally in Loughborough, promising to give 16-year-olds the right to vote and an end to tuition fees
    • Earlier, during a visit to an Amazon depot in Sheffield, he promised to end zero-hours contracts
    • Meanwhile, the Conservatives have pledged to put an extra £83m a year into dementia research over the next decade. We have more on that too

    Tomorrow promises to be busier with the Conservative Party launching their manifesto in the afternoon.

  2. Watch: Corbyn's Brexit stance 'will feed suspicion' says Sturgeonpublished at 17:02 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Party leaders have been weighing in on Jeremy Corbyn's decision to adopt a neutral stance in a future Brexit referendum.

    SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said that Labour leader's stance will "feed the suspicion" that he "actually wants the UK to be out of the European Union but just simply isn't willing to say that."

    Watch what she's got to say in full here:

    Media caption,

    Corbyn's Brexit stance 'will feed suspicion' - Sturgeon

  3. Unions angry at expected Tory plan to ban all-out rail strikespublished at 16:53 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    We are still waiting for the Conservative manifesto which is being launched tomorrow.

    But there has already been angry reaction from union bosses over reports they plan to introduce a ban on all-out rail strikes.

    According to the Times, , externalthe plans would force rail staff to provide a minimum service during strikes.

    Rail operators and unions would have to sign “minimum service agreements” that would set out in advance the numbers of staff who would continue to work during a strike.

    Any strikes held by unions who had not signed such an agreement would be declared illegal.

    RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Banning strikes is the hallmark of the right wing junta, not a democratically elected British government."

    Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef, said: "The right to strike - to withdraw your labour - is a fundamental human right. We are not slaves."

  4. A haircut like no otherpublished at 16:22 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon gives her party's candidate for North East Fife Stephen GethinsImage source, PA Media

    After meeting some voters in Leven, Fife, Nicola Sturgeon dropped by a hairdressing business to hear how workers there were providing free trims for school children from low-income families.

    The SNP leader then gave it a go on Stephen Gethins, who is seeking re-election as MP for North East Fife. (We can tell you it all went well - the true hairdresser finished the job.)

  5. How to register to votepublished at 15:59 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    We told you earlier about a spike in voter registration yesterday - 308,000 people, according to official figures., external

    The deadline to register for the election is 23:59 GMT on Tuesday.

    Anyone on the electoral register aged 18 or above on polling day has a vote. You have to be:

    • a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, external or a Republic of Ireland citizen
    • resident at a UK address, or a UK citizen living abroad who has been registered in the last 15 years
    • not legally excluded from voting

    You can register to vote at any time if you are 16 or over - or 14 or over in Scotland. Here are some questions answered.

  6. Recap: What's been happening today?published at 15:34 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    It's fair to say, after the excitement of last night's BBC Question Time special, that it's been a relatively quiet day on the campaign trail today. Here's what's been going on:

    • Jeremy Corbyn has launched Labour's Youth Manifesto at an event Loughborough. The plan includes giving 16-year-olds the right to vote and an end to tuition fees. (See our posts about it at 13:45 GMT and 14:53)
    • He has defended his decision to adopt a neutral stance in a future Brexit referendum if Labour wins power. We have more on what he is saying (and also what he said yesterday, in the unlikely event you haven't heard it yet)
    • Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Labour leader "decided to be indecisive" on Brexit with his position
    • Speaking of Conservatives, they have pledged to put an extra £83m a year into dementia research over the next decade. We have more on that too
    • Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage have also been out campaigning, at the Design Museum in London, and a market in Hartlepool respectively.
  7. CBI reacts icily to Corbyn's tax warning to multinationalspublished at 15:25 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a business lobby group, has some thoughts on Jeremy Corbyn's promise to stop multinational companies offshoring their tax bills.

    Earlier, the Labour leader warned big companies they would have to pay taxes on all operations in the UK.

    In response, the CBI's chief economist Rain Newton-Smith says the "vast majority" of businesses already followed "responsible" tax practices.

    "Businesses in the UK have faced too much political uncertainty. Jeremy Corbyn's announcement today leaves companies asking, 'should I stay or should I go'?" she says.

    "Labour need to recognise that the best way to push up wages and tackle inequality is by improving productivity."

  8. What else is in Labour's Youth Manifesto?published at 14:53 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Jeremy CorbynImage source, PA Media

    We've been having a read of Labour's new youth manifesto - called The Future Is Ours - which he's just launched at a rally in Loughborough.

    Alongside the main pledges we outlined in a previous post, Labour says it will:

    • Review the curriculum to ensure it covers subjects like black history and the science of "climate and environmental emergency, and the skills necessary to deal with them"
    • Introduce automatic voter registration as well as allowing 16-year-olds the right to vote
    • Double the funding of child and adolescent mental health services
    • Cap rent with inflation for private renters, and give cities the power to cap rents further
    • Provide "sufficient funding" for schools to deliver mandatory LGBT+ inclusive relationships and sex education
    • Abolish the youth rate for the minimum wage, external and introduce a "Real Living Wage" of at least £10 per hour for all workers

    You can read the document in full here., external

  9. Watch: Corbyn has 'decided to be indecisive' on Brexit - Hancockpublished at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock tells the BBC the Labour leader's decision to adopt a neutral stance in a future Brexit referendum "won't wash".

    Jeremy Corbyn says it'll allow him to act as an "honest broker" whatever the outcome.

  10. What is in Labour's Youth Manifesto?published at 13:45 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    abour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn at the launch of the party"s youth manifesto at the Loughborough Students" Union in Loughborough.Image source, PA Media

    Here's more on Labour's Youth Manifesto - called The Future is Ours - that is being launched by Jeremy Corbyn in Loughborough.

    According to Labour, the document includes:

    • Giving 16-year-olds the right to vote
    • An end to tuition fees and the return of maintenance grants
    • Free bus travel for under 25s
    • A ban on unpaid internships
    • An additional £250m to build up to 500 new youth centres
    • 3,500 qualified counsellors to guarantee every child access to school counsellors
  11. This morning in picturespublished at 13:43 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    It may have been a quiet morning on the campaign trail, but it still served up a few photo ops:

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has been visiting the Design Museum in LondonImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson paid a visit to the Design Museum in London

    Jo Swinson speaking with someone at the museumImage source, PA Media
    Jo Swinson at the design museumImage source, PA Media
    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visits an Amazon depot in SheffieldImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited an Amazon depot in Sheffield

    Corbyn outside Amazon depotImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    He set out his plans for workers' rights, including promising to end zero-hours contracts

    Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage looks for a card for his mother in the Market Hall at Middleton Grange Shopping Centre whilst on the General Election campaign trail in Hartlepool, County Durham. PA Photo. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday November 23, 2019Image source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    And Nigel Farage, as we have already told you, has been at a market in Hartlepool

  12. Who is standing wherepublished at 13:33 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    We also have a very handy tool with all candidates standing in this election - there are 3,322 of them. (And 650 parliamentary seats.)

    Check it out here.

    You can also browse the A-Z list.

  13. Finding it all confusing? Here's an easy way to get up to speedpublished at 13:24 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Canvassing? Hung parliament? Tactical voting? Can you explain what they mean?

    What about a by-election? Hustings? Maybe you're a psephologist?

    OK, enough.

    We have a number of election-related explainers. From a policy guide to a jargon buster. You may be in a safe seat without even knowing it. (Now we stop.)

    PS: Speaking of seats, we also have an explainer on the seats that could turn the election.

  14. Quick pub stop for Faragepublished at 13:08 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage speaks with drinkers in the Kings Johns Tavern inside Middleton Grange Shopping Centre whilst on the General Election campaign trail in Hartlepool, County Durham.Image source, PA Media

    Meanwhile, in Hartlepool, having eaten a piece of millionaire's shortbread earlier, and snapping up a Christmas card for his mum from a stall in the shopping centre, Nigel Farage has stopped for a quick refresher in a pub.

    Weighing in to the discussion of Jeremy Corbyn's stance on Brexit, he said, unsurprisingly, that it was "astonishing".

    "It's also a reflection that he knows his own parliamentary party are Remainers... so he's still trying to stay on that fence and it's not working", he said.

  15. Corbyn to launch Youth Manifesto in Loughboroughpublished at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in LoughboroughImage source, Pool

    Jeremy Corbyn is now in Loughborough at an event to launch Labour's youth manifesto.

    We'll bring you more on that when we have some detail on it.

  16. A recap of the morning's eventspublished at 12:32 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    We're not going to say it was a super busy morning because, well, it wasn't. There were a few campaign events here and there, and more reaction to yesterday's BBC Question Time leaders' special. (Watch the highlights.)

    If you're just joining us, here's a brief recap:

    • Jeremy Corbyn visited an Amazon depot in Sheffield, where he promised to "absolutely end zero-hours contracts"
    • Reaction is still coming in to his statement in the Question Time special that he would remain neutral in a future Brexit referendum if Labour wins power. Read more here
    • One of those reacting was Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, who visited the Design Museum in London, where she said it showed a "total absence of leadership"
    • Meanwhile, GPs have voted to reduce visits to patients' homes, saying they "no longer have the capacity" to offer them. We've written a full story on that
    • And the Conservatives have pledged to put an extra £83m a year into dementia research over the next decade if they form the next government. There's more here
  17. Farage campaigns in Hartlepoolpublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Nigel Farage eats a millionaire shortbread in the Market Hall at Middleton Grange Shopping CentreImage source, PA

    Nigel Farage has also been out campaigning this morning, in Hartlepool, where he was joined by candidate and party chair Richard Tice.

    The Brexit Party leader visited the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, where he met voters, talked to stall owners and... ate a millionaire shortbread.

  18. Swinson accuses Corbyn of 'total absence of leadership'published at 11:52 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    Jo SwinsonImage source, PA Wire
    Image caption,

    Jo Swinson is visiting the Design Museum in west London

    Back on the issue of a second referendum, and Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson says Jeremy Corbyn of showing a "total absence of leadership" by pledging to remain neutral in any further vote.

    During a campaign visit to the Design Museum in west London, Ms Swinson said: "I think it is quite astonishing that Jeremy Corbyn is refusing to say, and so publicly, not even just refusing to say now where he stands on remaining or leaving the European Union, but is basically saying that he is never going to tell people what he thinks about that.

    "I mean, this is the biggest issue facing our country for generations and he is just saying he is not interested in telling people what he thinks."

    "Remainers in this country need a leader, not a bystander," she adds.

  19. We'll absolutely end zero-hours contracts, says Corbynpublished at 11:43 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November 2019

    As we've said, Jeremy Corbyn has been campaigning outside an Amazon depot in Sheffield, where he has pledged to "absolutely end zero-hours contracts".

    "[We'll] guarantee everyone in work gets at least a basic number of hours which could go higher than that but at least you know what your income is,” he says.

    The Labour leader has also criticised "probation periods [that] are often abused in [the] retail sector".

    "We'll end that practice", he said, promising to introduce a new department that would be in charge of employment rights.