The World at One
BBC Radio 4

A bit more on that debate around the PM's lack of a sit-down interview with Andrew Neil now.

The decision to air a shot of an empty chair after Neil challenged Mr Johnson to take part in an interview was "not a problem", says Mark Damazer, former controller of Radio 4.

"It's a production device," he tells the BBC's World At One programme. "At some point producers will tire of it because its effect will be anesthetizing."

He adds that Neil's statement was "completely justified" in the context of the election campaign, as the other party leaders had been interviewed.

"I think that, having given the other leaders a pretty torrid interview, the notion that he would really say 'we've invited the prime minister several times to turn up and he's refused' would have been insipid and weak, and it was better to do what he did," he says.

A bit more from Liberal Democrat leader Ms Swinson, who says the Conservatives and Labour won’t be able to deliver their spending commitments if Britain leaves the EU - because of the cost of Brexit.

Visiting Parkview Community Playgroup in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, she argues the Liberal Democrats would fight for Remain and divert the resulting savings into delivering better public services.

Today, the party is focusing on its biggest item of spending - the offer of 35 hours of free childcare from nine months old, at a cost of around £14bn.

“It is very important to recognise,” Ms Swinson says, “that being able to pay for investment, whether it's in childcare or schools or the NHS, is largely dependent on us remaining in the European Union.

“The long policy wish lists from Conservatives and Labour - if we leave the EU, there just will not be the money to pay for them.”

Image source, PA Media

Jo Swinson has responded to a document obtained by Labour, which the party says shows Boris Johnson is "misrepresenting" the "devastating" impact of his proposed Brexit deal.

Ms Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, says she is not "overly familiar with this particular document".

"What is clear is that the effects of Brexit are hugely damaging," she adds.

Mr Johnson has dismissed Labour's claims as "complete nonsense".

To learn more about the document produced by Labour, as well as BBC analysis of it, read the full story.

Immediately after interviewing Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage last night, the BBC broadcaster turned his attention to Boris Johnson.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Former BBC chairman Lord Michael Grade has appeared on Radio 4's World at One, and is asked about Andrew Neil's decision to issue a challenge to Boris Johnson to take part in a sit-down interview with him before next week's general election.

He says: "I have no problem at all with broadcasters making a clear statement that invitations have been repeatedly offered and have been refused.

"That seems to me perfectly factual and correct."

However, he says he doesn’t agree with broadcasters using an empty chair in place of politicians who refuse to take part.

Last week the Conservative Party became embroiled in a row with Channel 4 over the broadcaster's decision to "empty chair" Boris Johnson during its election debate on climate change.

Lord Grade says: “I think empty chairing is a shocking trend and must be stopped immediately

"Once you start putting an empty chair in a studio you are making a judgement and it is not for broadcasters to make judgements under any circumstances whatsoever."

The UK's main parties are gearing up for a general election in six days time.

If the last few weeks of political news have been a bit overwhelming, we've got just the thing to help.

Our really simple guide to the election will answer your questions on the basics surrounding next week's poll.

BBC Radio 5 Live

On the latest episode of Electioncast, Jon Culshaw does his impressions of Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and the host Nick Robinson.

Listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds.

Confused about who to vote for?

Here’s a concise guide to where the parties stand on big issues like Brexit, education and the NHS.

You can compare their top priorities and key election pledges – to help you work out which party to vote for on 12 December.

If you're just joining our live coverage now, here's a quick update of the latest political developments:

• In a big intervention, former Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major urged voters to re-elect three MPs who were expelled from the Conservatives for voting against Boris Johnson over Brexit.
• In a speech in central London, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had a confidential government report which showed the impact a "damaging" Brexit deal would have on the country. Mr Johnson refuted the claim as "complete nonsense".

• Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson was interviewed by Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and repeatedly refused to say who voters would get as PM if they voted for her party.
• The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon was the latest party leader to appear on ITV's This Morning, where she denied the SNP was a one-policy party that is only focused on Scottish independence.
• Preparations continue as Mr Johnson and Mr Corbyn are set to go head-to-head for the final time during the election campaign when they take part in a live BBC One debate at 20:30 GMT.

• Challenged once more on his refusal to commit to an interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil, Boris Johnson said it is "not possible to accommodate everybody".

• Channel 4 issued a correction and apologised after tweeting a wrongly captioned social media video which reported Boris Johnson said he was in favour of having "people of colour" instead of "people of talent" coming to this country.

Image source, Getty Images

The Conservatives have issued a response to Jeremy Corbyn's claims that a leaked document obtained by Labour shows the "devastating" impact Boris Johnson's Brexit deal will have on Northern Ireland.

Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly says Mr Corbyn is once again "brandishing leaked documents that don’t back up his wild conspiracy theories".

He adds: "This is just another desperate attempt to distract from his refusal to take a position on the biggest issue of the day."

He says the Tories have negotiated a Brexit deal which "takes the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, out of the EU". Here is more on that Brexit deal.

Image source, Getty Images

TV election debates are still a bit of a novelty in the UK, but some people dislike the format. Here are six ways they could be improved.

A Tory candidate has been filmed saying some people with learning difficulties "don't understand about money".

Sally-Ann Hart was defending sharing an article that said disabled people could be paid less than the minimum wage.

She told the audience at an election hustings for the Hastings and Rye seat on Thursday: "It's to do with the happiness they have about working."

Ms Hart later said her comments had been taken out of context but apologised for any offence caused.

Read more here.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Boris Johnson told BBC News in October - just after had he had agreed the Brexit deal with the EU - "what we have agreed is that temporarily and by consent, if there is stuff coming in from GB into Ireland... then yes there can be checks and those checks can be levied by UK authorities".

The prime minister admitted there would be some checks in that interview - he acknowledges this was a compromise with the EU to avoid checks on the Irish border. But he won’t admit it today.

Nick Robinson is warming up on set ahead of tonight's Prime Ministerial Debate.

Conservative leader Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will go head-to-head at 20:30 GMT on BBC One.

Channel 4 news has issued a correction after tweeting a wrongly captioned social media video which reported Boris Johnson said he was in favour of having "people of colour" instead of "people of talent" coming to this country.

The video came from a speech the PM made to workers in Derbyshire on Thursday afternoon as he discussed immigration after Brexit.

The Conservatives strongly denied Mr Johnson said "people of colour", and Channel 4 removed the video before issuing a correction.

Channel 4 tweeted: "Boris Johnson says 'people of talent' not 'people of colour'.

"Our earlier tweet was a mistake. We misheard and we apologise."

Boris Johnson was asked at his press conference about not agreeing to do a sit-down interview with Andrew Neil. Last night the BBC presenter issued a challenge to the PM to take part before next week's general election - all the other main party leaders have been interviewed.

Mr Johnson responds by saying he is the only prime minister to do “not one, but two head-to-head debates” with the opposition leader during an election campaign.

“I’ve done 118 sit down interviews with journalists. I’ve fielded innumerable questions."

He jokes: "There’s a guy called Lord Buckethead who wants to have a head-to-head debate with me. Unfortunately I’m not able to fit him in.”

“We cannot accommodate everybody”.

There is a Lord Buckethead standing against Mr Johnson in Uxbridge.

Chris Morris
BBC Reality Check

This Treasury document sets out things that trade experts have been saying pretty clearly, but that the government has refused to accept.

Under Boris Johnson's EU Withdrawal Agreement, it says, customs declarations and documentary and physical checks on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be "highly disruptive to the Northern Ireland economy".

The document notes that 98% of businesses that export to Great Britain are small and medium businesses that are "likely to struggle" to bear the cost.

None of this is a huge surprise to anyone committed enough to have read the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland carefully, but it is not what the prime minister has been saying about his own deal.

Another striking line from the leaked document says the Withdrawal Agreement "has the potential to separate Northern Ireland in practice from whole swathes of the UK’s internal market".

That is why, in a nutshell, Boris Johnson lost the support of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland; and it was his lack of a working majority in Parliament that led in turn to this election.

Image source, EPA

Earlier, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer joined Jeremy Corbyn in central London for his big reveal of a “confidential report”.

Mr Starmer said that the document reveals fallacies in the PM's claim that no customs checks will take place in the Irish Sea under his deal.

He added: “The evidence is coming from his own Treasury so that's pretty clear."

Despite confirming he would vote Remain again, Sir Keir praised the Brexit deal Labour would pursue as being the only way to leave the EU while preventing the NHS being on the table in trade negotiations with the US.

If it wins the election, Labour wants to renegotiate Boris Johnson's Brexit deal and put it to another public vote. (Here is Labour's Brexit plan in more detail).

He said: "We've taken a view that's the only way to preserve our economy as so much of our trade is with the EU," he said. "Here's the stark choice in this election.

He said: "Once you've ruptured your trading arrangements with the EU, you have to look elsewhere for your trade.

"We've reserved that economic model - or you can rip it up, which is what Boris Johnson wants to do because his deal is to move away from that."