Summary

  • The UK goes to the polls on 12 December

  • Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn attended a vigil for the victims of Friday's London Bridge attack

  • Attacker Usman Khan was jailed in 2012 for a terror offence but released after serving half of his sentence

  • The Tories and Labour have blamed each other for policy decisions which contributed to that

  • Mr Corbyn writes to US President Donald Trump ahead of his visit saying the NHS must be off the table in trade talks

  • The Conservatives have focused on border security

  • SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon took questions from BBC listeners

  • UKIP and Sinn Fein launched their manifestos

  1. That's a wrappublished at 22:48 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    That's the end of today's live coverage of the general election campaign.

    Developments from day 27 of the campaign included:

    We'll be back in the morning - join us then.

  2. Tuesday's papers: Corbyn 'security risk' and NHS dossierpublished at 22:45 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Front page of the Sun
    Image caption,

    The Sun leads on the PM's warning that his main rival in the election, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, is a "security risk"

    Front page of the Daily Telegraph
    Image caption,

    The Daily Telegraph says Labour must "come clean" about how it got hold of documents it says "proves" the NHS is for sale

  3. Nato summit: Johnson to call for unity at UK summitpublished at 22:42 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    At the summit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to call for Nato unity, amid growing tensions within the military bloc.

    The summit will mark the founding of the 29-member defence alliance 70 years ago.

    The two-day gathering is overshadowed by a bitter row between France and Turkey over the Syrian conflict.

    Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron described Nato as "brain dead", saying alliance members were no longer co-operating on a range of key issues.

    Read the full story here.

    Boris JohnsonImage source, Reuters
  4. Donald Trump touches down in UK ahead of Nato summitpublished at 22:38 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Donald and Melania Trump arrive at StanstedImage source, AFP

    As the election campaign enters its final days, Donald Trump has arrived in the UK for a meeting of the defence alliance Nato.

    The US president's plane, Air Force One, landed at Stansted airport ahead of the three-day visit.

    Mr Trump is set to attend a reception for world leaders hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The summit marking the 70th anniversary of Nato starts in Watford on Wednesday.

    His last UK two visits attracted protests and more demonstrations are expected during this stay.

    Read more here.

  5. Tuesday's papers: 'Jack would be livid', says victim's dadpublished at 22:22 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Front page of the Guardian
    Image caption,

    The father of London Bridge attack victim Jack Merritt writes on the front page of the Guardian that his death has been used to reinforce a world view that he fought against

    Metro front page
    Image caption,

    The Metro leads with an image of Jack's girlfriend, Leanne, and father, Dave, at a vigil in Cambridge

  6. At-a-glance: Sinn Fein manifestopublished at 22:17 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Party president Mary Lou McDonald
    Image caption,

    Party president Mary Lou McDonald previously said Boris Johnson's Brexit deal was a "least worst option"

    Sinn Fein has unveiled its manifesto ahead of the 12 December general election.

    The full document, which can be viewed here, external, focuses on Sinn Fein's approach to Brexit, as well as Irish unity, the restoration of Stormont and other issues.

    The party has a long-standing policy of abstentionism, meaning its MPs do not take their seats at Westminster, and it argues that by not doing so it is fulfilling the mandate given to it by it voters.

    The party's manifesto says Sinn Fein has been more effective arguing outside of Westminster - including in Dublin, Brussels and Washington - than it would have been if it had taken its seats.

  7. Watch: Corbyn's message to Trump on NHSpublished at 22:11 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    As we told you a few moments ago, the Labour leader has written to President Trump to "clarify" whether or not the NHS is on the table as part of post-Brexit trade talks.

    Mr Corbyn says there would be "no deal" with the US, under a Labour government, if it insisted the NHS was included in post-Brexit trade talks

    Corbyn's message to Trump on NHS

    Jeremy Corbyn has said he would walk away from trade negotiations if the US insisted on including the NHS as part of a trade deal.

    Read More
  8. Corbyn writes to Trump over NHS trade-talk rowpublished at 22:05 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019
    Breaking

    US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania TrumpImage source, REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
    Image caption,

    President Trump and the first lady left the White House earlier for the Nato summit in London earlier

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to US President Donald Trump to ask him to “urgently clarify that our NHS is genuinely off the table in UK-US trade talks and that it will not be exposed to higher costs from US drug companies".

    Speaking ahead of President Trump’s visit to London for a Nato summit, Mr Corbyn says Labour would “negotiate a trade arrangement with the EU that means we will protect our manufacturing industries' primary market, and we’ll have to trade with rest of the world of course. But we’re not putting our public services on any negotiating table in any circumstances".

    Mr Corbyn has claimed government papers he released last week are "proof" that the NHS was at risk under a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the claims are "nonsense" and the NHS would not be part of trade talks.

    Mr Corbyn says there would be “no deal” with the US, under a Labour government, if it insisted the NHS or other public services were included in trade talks.

    In his letter to Mr Trump, Mr Corbyn added: “I am sure you understand that our coming general election on 12 December means the British public need urgent clarity that our NHS is genuinely off the table in UK-US trade talks and will not be exposed to higher costs from US drugs companies.”

    Mr Corbyn says he would be “very happy to talk to Mr Trump”.

    His message to the president, he says, is “firstly, welcome" - but, "secondly, our public services will not be included in in any trade deal with the United States. Our NHS is not for sale and we’re not going to allow the extension of medicine patents that will push up drug prices in this country".

    Read our full story here.

    Jeremy CorbynImage source, Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
    Image caption,

    Mr Corbyn says this 451-page dossier showing initial talks between the UK and the US proves the NHS is "for sale"

  9. Tuesday's papers: Vigil for victims and 'you decide' electionpublished at 21:56 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Front page of the FT

    It's that time of the evening again - we've been sent the first of Tuesday's front pages.

    The Financial Times splashes with a picture of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, at Guildhall Yard, London, to honour the victims off the London Bridge terror attack.

    The faces of Mr Johnson and Mr Corbyn are all over the i's front page, too, in a busy collage of headlines and articles.

    "The media won't decide this election," the paper says.

    Front page of the i
  10. Small parties focus: Christian Peoples Alliancepublished at 21:27 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Pregnant womanImage source, GETTY IMAGES
    Image caption,

    The Christian Peoples Alliance is anti-abortion

    The Christian Peoples Alliance is fielding 29 candidates across the UK.

    The centrepiece of its manifesto is a pledge to give all newly-weds a £12,000 grant when they marry and a further £6,000 on the birth or adoption of their first child.

    Opposite sex couples only would be eligible for the financial support.

    The move would be funded by a new £3bn annual sales tax on high-tech companies.

    On Brexit, the party supports another referendum but not until five years after the UK has left the EU. It says the UK’s decision to leave must be honoured but there should be a “mechanism” to go back if the UK does not make a success of leaving.

    Other pledges include:

    • Scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system
    • Free night shelters for all rough sleepers
    • Ending most Sunday trading
    • Removing UK development aid from countries violating freedom of religion.

    The party's leader Sid Cordle has also vowed to maintain the party’s “uncompromising” anti-abortion stance – by repealing the 1967 law legalising abortion and giving full legal protection to the unborn child.

    You can read the Christian Peoples Alliance manifesto here, external - and our full policy guide comparing various parties' pledges here.

  11. Small parties focus: The Yorkshire Partypublished at 21:19 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Swaledale, YorkshireImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Swaledale, Yorkshire

    The party’s manifesto, entitled Yorkshire Deserves Better, calls for a radical shake-up in the relationship between Westminster and Yorkshire’s 5.4 million residents.

    Its main goal is a new devolved assembly for the region, which it says would empower business and end the current situation where Yorkshire is left fighting for “scraps from the table”.

    Transport is a key focus, with a pledge to build a new “northern powerhouse” railway line linking Hull, York, Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield with Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester.

    Other pledges include:

    • A total ban on fracking across the region
    • Planting six million trees to help meet a 2030 zero net emissions target
    • 23,000 new energy efficient homes per year
    • A big rise in schools funding, with a minimum £5,250 per pupil cash floor

    The party, which is fielding 28 candidates this time, did not campaign either way in the Brexit referendum.

    While it says the Leave vote must be honoured, it wants to maintain a close economic relationship with the EU and as few barriers to trade as possible.

    Party leader Chris Whitwood says the possibility of the UK joining the European Free Trade Association in the future should not be ruled out, while the UK’s exit provides an opportunity for powers repatriated from Brussels to be handed to the region.

    You can read the Yorkshire Party's manifesto here, external - and our full policy guide comparing various parties' pledges here.

  12. Small parties focus: The Independent Group for Changepublished at 21:15 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Anna SoubryImage source, Getty Images

    Formed by a breakaway group of Labour and Conservative MPs in February, the party is fielding only three candidates after other key figures either joined the Lib Dems or decided to retire.

    The trio – former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie, former Tory minister Anna Soubry and ex-Labour MP Mike Gapes – say they are flying the flag for “centre ground values” and a politics rooted in “fairness, responsibility, truthfulness, opportunity and long-termism”.

    Their nine-page policy statement, entitled 2020 Vision For Change, has at its heart a commitment to hold another Brexit referendum and to campaign to remain in the EU.

    Rather than publishing an “exhaustive” manifesto, the party says the abbreviated document contains only policies that are “compelling, appropriate and deliverable” and reflect its values.

    Its pledges include:

    • Retaining full freedom of movement between the UK and EU
    • Phasing out non-essential, single-use plastic by 2025
    • A 20-week mid-career “retraining sabbatical” for all workers
    • Compulsory voting at general elections

    If it succeeds in returning MPs to Westminster, TIG says it will push for cross-party working “to become the norm” in Parliament and challenge the “cartel” of the big parties over election rules.

    You can read TIG's manifesto here, external - and our full policy guide comparing various parties' pledges here.

  13. Turning away from Corbyn and Johnson for now...published at 21:11 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Now that Mr Corbyn's Labour rally and Mr Johnson's Conservative event are over, let's take a look at some of the smaller parties you might not have heard so much about in the election campaign so far.

    Over the next few minutes we'll profile the Yorkshire Party, the Christian Peoples Alliance and the Independent Group for Change.

  14. PM: Tories 'more trusted than Labour' on health and educationpublished at 20:59 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Boris JohnsonImage source, Sky pool

    There's a big cheer from the Conservative-supporting crowd when Johnson says his “get Brexit done” line for the first time in this speech.

    He then moves on to compare the various plans his party has for the country if it wins a majority on 12 December.

    He says the Tories' understanding of the UK economy is why "this party is more trusted on health now, and on education, than the Labour Party".

    He continues to lay into Labour's record on the economy.

    "It would be comical if it weren't so tragic," he adds, attacking the spending pledges made in the opposition's main campaign.

    On education, Mr Johnson says the choice is "stark".

    "You can come with us - a party that supports fantastic education for every pupil. Or go with Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party who actually want to abolish Ofsted."

    You can view the main policies of the Conservative and Labour parties - as well as the other main parties in this election - in our policy guide here.

  15. PM: The public is the AA to Parliament's broken-down buspublished at 20:48 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Boris JohnsonImage source, Sky pool

    The PM's speech is littered with metaphors as usual - this "dog in the manger" Parliament is like a bus "slap bang in the middle of the yellow box junction, stopping the traffic in every direction".

    He says the people of this country are like the "AA" - they will fix the broken-down country.

    "And we can do it... in just 10 days' time, we can get out of the rut we've been in for the last three and a half years [since the EU referendum]," he adds.

    He's applauded as he says that once Brexit is delivered, a Tory government will bring in legislation to stop the automatic early release of serious and violent offenders - "not to speak of terrorists" he adds.

    This line comes after the PM faced criticism for what some have called "politicising" Friday's London Bridge attack, where a convicted terrorist stabbed two people to death.

  16. Corbyn's 'simple message' to Trump and Johnson on NHSpublished at 20:44 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Mr Corbyn says he wants to "lead a government that is serious about dealing with injustices".

    He says he has been asked whether the country can afford Labour's manifesto promises.

    "Are you sure the country cannot afford it?" he says he replied.

    "Unless we invest for the future where will the jobs of tomorrow be?"

    He goes on to talk about the NHS, calling it "Labour’s greatest achievement".

    He says he has "studied" the papers that detail meetings the UK government has been having with the US Department of Trade in the last two years.

    "It’s frightening," he says.

    "They are discussing extending the patents on medicines for export to the British market.

    "Discussing access to our health service by American pharmaceuticals and others."

    He adds: "My simple message to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson is - our NHS is not for sale."

    Here's our Reality Check on what those documents tell us about the talks.

  17. Corbyn invokes Obama's wordspublished at 20:36 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Mr Corbyn criticises the "abuse thrown at people" campaigning for Labour and the "media investigations into them".

    "When they go low and attack us with personal abuse and the rest of us," he says.

    "When they go low we go high.

    "We are better than them."

    You may recognise these words - they were first uttered in the 2016 US presidential campaign by former first lady Michelle Obama, external who said this when talking about Hillary Clinton's detractors.

  18. PM cheered on stage in Colchesterpublished at 20:33 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Boris JohnsonImage source, Sky pool

    In a schedule clash that's keeping us busy, the prime minister is on stage in Colchester at the same time as Mr Corbyn is in Hastings.

    Mr Johnson is speaking at a rally in the Tory-held seat in northern Essex.

    He starts by thanking his supporters for all the campaigning they've helped with.

    "We had no choice" but to have an election, he says, blaming the poll on the "Brexit-blocking Parliament".

    His speech follows words from his close allies, party chairman James Cleverly and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

    The Conservatives held the Colchester seat in 2017 with 5,677 more votes than second-placed Labour.

    You can see a list of all of the candidates in the constituency here.

  19. Jeremy Corbyn on his 'absolute priority'published at 20:29 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Jeremy Corbyn

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn begins his speech in the marginal seat Hastings & Rye, in Sussex.

    He says he has been asked what his priorities are.

    "My absolute priority is dealing with the situation facing rough sleepers and the homeless," he says.

    "There is something morally wrong about a wealthy country that tolerates people sleeping rough."

    Labour lost out to the Tories by a mere 346 votes in Hastings & Rye in the 2017 election.

    You can see a list of all of the candidates in the constituency here.

  20. Why didn't the PM get heckled in Southampton?published at 20:08 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2019

    Our political correspondent's thoughts from the Tory campaign bus...

    Ben Wright
    BBC political correspondent

    Boris JohnsonImage source, REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool

    It’s an old story but I’ll tell it anyway.

    During the 1964 general election campaign Harold Wilson was trumpeting his support for the navy at a vast public meeting in the dockyard town of Chatham.

    “And why am I saying all this?" he asked rhetorically. "Because you're in Chatham!” shouted a voice from the crowd.

    A famously fine heckle from an era where prime ministers had to contend with the electorate face to face. They still do from behind their TV studio podiums of course but the public meeting and town centre walkabout has mostly gone.

    We’re 10 days from polling day and from my perch in the Tory campaign I’ve yet to hear a heckle. Not one.

    Today Boris Johnson turned up at a deserted cruise liner terminal at Southampton docks to plug his party’s policies for border control after Brexit.

    He chugged around the quiet port in a boat and did a quick television interview on his response to Friday’s terror attack before heading off to a rally for Tory activists this evening.

    The PM was in and out before the city’s voters twigged he was there. It’s the same wherever Mr Johnson goes.

    The Conservative campaign feels efficient, focused and sterile. Clips for broadcasters are provided, Tory social media content is recorded and pictures of the prime minister in different bits of Britain are taken that will appear online and in tomorrow’s newspapers.

    But spontaneous encounters between the PM and the general public hardly ever happen.

    It’s now impossible to imagine Boris Johnson copying John Major’s 1992 campaign and plunging into the crowd to argue his case.

    During the 2016 referendum, Mr Johnson seemed to relish the chaotic cut and thrust of town to town campaigning but there’s none of that now.

    The Tory battle bus still ploughs up and down the country’s motorways carrying the media from one event to the next but it feels the real electioneering is happening somewhere else.