Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

We can expect tonight’s debate to take on a more muted tone after the London Bridge attack.

Party sources have acknowledged the need to reflect the serious nature of events in London and have been considering how best to respond.

Getting the tone right while getting their message across will be crucial for all seven party representatives.

Journalists are camped out in the spin room ahead tonight's seven-way debate in Cardiff.

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Asked whether campaigning would continue, following the London Bridge attack, Boris Johnson said: "I obviously stopped my campaigning for this evening but we will be reviewing that over the course of the next few hours."

Speaking from Downing Street, he added: "Clearly my thoughts are first with the emergency services, with the police, the bravery that they showed in going towards danger as they do.

"I also want to pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery of those members of the public who physically intervened to protect the lives of others.

"For me they represent the very best of our country and I thank them on behalf of all of our country."

Mr Johnson said he was "very saddened" that some people had been injured and offered them sympathy.

Read our full story on the London Bridge incident here.

It is still not clear if Boris Johnson will follow in the footsteps of other political leaders and take part in a BBC interview with Andrew Neil.

Earlier this week, the BBC Press Office tweeted it was "in ongoing discussions" with No 10, but said it had not "yet been able to fix a date" for the sit-down discussion between Mr Neil and the PM.

A day later, Mr Johnson refused to say whether he would take part, after programmes with Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola sturgeon had already aired.

Rumours swelled that the PM's team instead wanted him to face Andrew Marr on the flagship BBC show.

But a BBC source today said: "The PM isn’t booked on Marr this weekend. He won’t be doing Marr until we have confirmed and announced a date for the Neil interview."

Image source, UK Parliament/Getty Images

Not long now until the BBC's election debate, which Nick Robinson is hosting in Cardiff.

Politicians from the seven major political parties will take part in the debate, which starts at 19:00 GMT and will be broadcast on BBC One and via the BBC News website.

Out of the seven, just three of the seven are the actual leaders of their parties - the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, the Lib Dems' Jo Swinson and Plaid Cymru's Adam Price.

On her Instagram, Ms Swinson shared a photo of a packed buffet table, writing: "Can't accuse the BBC of not feeding us before the debate."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said "anybody involved in this crime and these attacks will be hunted down and will be brought to justice".

He paid tribute to the "bravery" of the emergency services and members of the public who intervened in the London Bridge attack.

He said the UK would "never be cowed" by this sort of attack and "our British values will prevail".

The incident on London Bridge comes less than a month after the UK's terrorism threat level was downgraded.

It was changed from "severe" to "substantial" on 4 November, meaning attacks were thought to be "likely" rather than "highly likely".

The decision is taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre - an organisation made up of government departments and other public bodies, reporting into MI5 - and a review is carried out every six months.

At the time, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "Despite the change in the threat level, terrorism remains one of the most direct and immediate risks to our national security.

"Substantial continues to indicate a high level of threat, and an attack might well occur without further warning.

"As ever, the public should remain vigilant and report any concerns they may have to the police."

The level was raised to "critical" in May 2017 after the Manchester Arena bombing and it was later downgraded to "severe" in September of that year.

• The biggest story of the day is the terror incident in London Bridge. PM Boris Johnson cancelled a constituency visit to return to Downing Street so he could be updated on the incident, which occurred slightly before 14:00 GMT. He was given a briefing at Number 10 from Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, shortly after the attacks were confirmed to be a terror incident.
• Earlier, Labour accused Boris Johnson of "running scared" of an interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil. Mr Johnson has yet to confirm a date, despite Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon facing half-hour long interrogations.

• The Conservatives announced they would bring in a state aid regime after Brexit, which would help struggling firms by making it quicker to intervene, and bring in "buy British" guidelines for public bodies.
• Meanwhile, the Scottish Lib Dems unveiled their manifesto while at a curling rink in Edinburgh. It includes pledges to end fuel poverty in Scotland by 2025, ensure mental health is tackled with the same urgency as physical health and give every child 35 hours a week of free care from nine months old to when they start school.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, Boris Johnson said under EU law "you cannot ban the shipment of live animals". Is he right?

Find out more here.

A remark by a Conservative general election candidate about a Sikh politician's turban is being treated by police as a "hate incident".

Philip Dunne, who is seeking to return as MP for Ludlow, Shropshire, said Labour rival Kuldip Sahota was "talking through his turban" during a local hustings on Wednesday night.

Mr Dunne has declined to comment - but previously apologised "unreservedly for the offence caused".

Read the full story.

Image source, Getty Images

First time voting? Or just can't wait until the election and want to read all about what will happen on the day itself?

Well, this guide is for you.

A call to end "constitutional chaos" sits at the heart of the Scottish Liberal Democrat agenda.

Read our full story here.

Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, gave a speech at a climate change protest in Glasgow's George Square earlier.

He criticised Boris Johnson for refusing to take part in last night's leaders' debate hosted by Channel 4 News.

"I think it's a bad sign the Conservatives couldn't be bothered sending their leader to the climate debate," Mr Harvie told the PA news agency.

"I'm not sure he would have added anything and most people I think know that any word that comes out of Boris Johnson's mouth cannot be trusted, cannot be believed."

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has expressed concern about the London Bridge incident.

During a visit to Cardiff, Ms Swinson said: "Clearly, we don't know the exact details of what has happened, and my thoughts are with everybody who has been caught up in that incident in whatever way.

"Including, of course, the brave police who are dealing with it with professionalism and in the way in which they do become the first responders in these difficult times."

She will appear at the BBC's seven-way TV debate tonight.

Image source, PA Media

Read the latest from London Bridge here.

Image source, Getty Images

Chancellor Sajid Javid says the government has a right to say what it thinks about decisions made by the broadcaster Channel 4.

This comes as a row continues over Boris Johnson being empty-chaired last night in a debate about climate change.

On a visit to a factory near Stirling, Mr Javid said discussions were ongoing with the BBC after the prime minister has failed so far to set a date for the Andrew Neil series of interviews with the party leaders.

The chancellor said he didn’t want to preempt discussions but said the prime minister has been involved in many debates and interviews.

Among those paying tribute to the emergency services are London MP David Lammy, who shares a tweet from Brendan Cox, the widower of murdered MP Jo Cox.

Home Secretary Priti Patel also tweets that she is "grateful for the rapid response of our police".

Read the latest coverage on the London Bridge incident here.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood, who tried to save a police officer killed outside Parliament in 2017, has tweeted:

Image source, Reuters

The Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has described ant-Semitism and Islamophobia as “stains on our society”.

Addressing members of the Jewish and Muslim communities at the Cardiff United Synagogue, Ms Swinson says “people should be able to express their religious identity without fear” and describes a rise in hate crime as “deeply worrying".

Ms Swinson adds people found “what the Labour Party has been doing has been horrific” and adds that she has Muslim friends who were “worried about the rise in Islamophobia in the Conservative Party”.