Summary

  • Boris Johnson says a leak of sensitive documents on UK-US trade, suspected to have links to Russia, should be investigated

  • Jeremy Corbyn claims the papers show the NHS is up for sale and their release was in the public interest

  • The two leaders went head-to-head in a live TV debate last night

  • They clashed over Brexit, the NHS, and the terms of future trade deals

  • Labour are today pushing their plan to electrify the entire UK bus fleet

  • The Conservatives are pledging a £550m investment in grassroots football

  • The Liberal Democrats are focusing on initiatives to boost small businesses

  • In Scotland, the SNP say there are five days left to stop five more years of Tory rule

  1. What's coming up tomorrow?published at 22:37 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Sunday will mark day 33 of the election campaign ahead of polling day on Thursday.

    In the morning, we'll be covering the political programmes.

    Guests on the BBC's Andrew Marr show will include SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Home Office minister Brandon Lewis.

    On Sky's Ridge on Sunday, there will be interviews with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.

    We'll also bring you all the news from the campaign trail.

  2. Farage gets mixed reaction at campaign stoppublished at 22:18 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Nigel Farage in Ebbw Vale
    Image caption,

    Farage watched a rugby game in Ebbw Vale

    Nigel Farage has been campaigning in Ebbw Vale today, an area which saw the biggest Leave vote in Wales in 2016.

    Read our full story on the Brexit Party leader's visit here.

  3. Sunday's front pages: Exposed: the secret Labour files of shamepublished at 22:14 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    The Sunday Times

    Sunday Times
  4. Sunday's front pages: Boris: Brexit is now up to youpublished at 22:13 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    The Sunday Express

    Sunday Express
  5. Sunday's front pages: Tories unveil strict limits on unskilled migrantspublished at 21:58 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    The Sunday Telegraph

    Telegraph
  6. Swinson: Shocking that PM has not published reportpublished at 21:49 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson pulls a pint in Dylans - The Kings Arms on Small Business Saturday during her visit to St Albans, while on the General Election campaign trail.Image source, PA Media

    The leader of the Lib Dems, Jo Swinson, has joined calls for the government to publish its intelligence report into Russian interference in the UK.

    The report, by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, was finalised in March and referred to No 10 on 17 October.

    "It's shocking that the prime minister is sitting on a report from the intelligence and security committee into this very topic, into whether or not Russia or other countries have tried to interfere with our democracy.

    "People have the right to know, when we are in an election, whether there has been democratic interference from other countries."

    Ministers have said the report will be published after the election in line with procedures for "sensitive" information.

  7. Sunday's front pages: Save us from a Friday 13 horrorpublished at 21:43 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    The Mail on Sunday

    Mail on Sunday
  8. Sunday's front pages: Calls grow to stop Johnson with tactical voting as race tightenspublished at 21:38 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    The Observer

    The Observer
  9. 'I want to be there when Corbyn removes his bicycle clips and walks into No 10'published at 20:53 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    At a rally in Glasgow, Labour's John McDonnell tells supporters that the next five days are "probably the most important days of our lives".

    "On Thursday we're going to realise a dream, a dream of a Labour government with a socialist programme," he says.

    "I want to be there when Jeremy Corbyn turns up on his bike to Downing Street, takes off his bicycle clips, his cat under his arm, and walks into Number 10.

    "Won't the establishment be quaking."

    Let's hope Mr Corbyn's cat gets along with Downing Street's current feline resident, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, Larry:

    Larry the catImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Larry hasn't been best of friends with his neighbour, Palmerston, who works as Chief Mouser to the Foreign Office

  10. Labour will do 'no deals' with the SNP - McDonnellpublished at 20:42 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    John McDonnell speaking at a campaign event earlier this monthImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    John McDonnell speaking at a campaign event earlier this month

    Labour's John McDonnell repeats his claim that there will be "no deals" with the SNP in the event of the party forming a minority government after the election.

    The shadow chancellor says it would focus on implementing its manifesto and other parties would have to determine which policies they support.

    The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon hasn't ruled out an informal pact with Labour, and previously set out a list of conditions for lending their support including allowing another Scottish independence referendum and scrapping the Trident nuclear deterrent.

  11. Watch: Johnson and Corbyn on UK-US trade document leakpublished at 20:31 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn were quizzed on the leaked UK-US trade documents while they were out and about campaigning today.

    If you need a reminder, Labour says the documents show the NHS would be at risk under a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. But the Conservatives flatly deny that.

    Speaking pitch-side at a football training session in Cheadle, Boris Johnson described the papers as "just another distraction" but said "I do think we need to get to the bottom" of the leak.

    While Jeremy Corbyn, speaking from a coffee shop in the Vale of Glamorgan, defended sharing the leaked documents, saying "at no stage did the prime minister or anybody deny that those documents were real".

    Read our write-up of the row in full here.

  12. What's been happening today?published at 17:44 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Here’s what’s been going on:

    • One of the big election stories of the day comes from social media website Reddit, which says leaked documents detailing UK-US trade talks were posted on its platform by an account linked to a campaign that originates from Russia. Mr Johnson said "we need to get to the bottom" of what's happened, while Mr Corbyn said the bigger point was that nobody had denied the documents were true.
    • Also away from the main campaigning, the Conservative party has confirmed that three of its election candidates are being investigated over allegations of anti-Semitism. Labour has called for the candidates to be suspended. You can read this story in full here.
    • In other news today, Boris Johnson has been in north-west England where he was pictured playing football. He's pledging to invest £550m in grassroots football.
    • Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn went to Barry, the Vale of Glamorgan, and dropped into a zero-waste cafe where he tried some Welsh cakes, and later addressed a rally in Swansea.
    • Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has been playing tennis in Shinfield, Reading, to talk about childhood obesity. She later visited a pub in St Albans where she's been talking about a pledge to scrap business rates to help small firms.
    • SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has been ice-skating at a campaign event in Aberdeen supporting local candidate Kirsty Blackman.
    • And Nigel Farage has been in Sedgefield with the local parliamentary candidate. The pair visited a factory.

  13. Tories probe candidates over anti-Semitism claimspublished at 17:41 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts on goalkeeping gloves before a girls' football match during an election campaign event on December 7, 2019 in Cheadle Hulme, United KingdomImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Boris Johnson "must answer" for anti-Semitism, Labour says

    Earlier we told you about a report in the Guardian, external, that said three Conservative election candidates are being investigated over allegations of anti-Semitism.

    We have now confirmed that ourselves.

    Sally-Ann Hart, Richard Short and Lee Anderson are facing claims relating to their social media use.

    Labour has called for the candidates to be suspended, adding that leader Boris Johnson "must answer for the anti-Semitism being promoted in his name".

    A Conservative spokeswoman said abuse or discrimination of any kind is wrong.

    You can read our story about it here.

    Tories probe candidates over anti-Semitism claims

    The Conservative Party says it is investigating, after claims of anti-Semitism against three candidates.

    Read More
  14. Who should you vote for?published at 17:30 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Still undecided?

    Use our general election policy guide to help you decide who you might vote for on 12 December.

    The guide is a concise summary of where the parties stand on big issues like Brexit, education and the NHS.

    You can easily compare what each party is promising to do if they get elected.

  15. Former aide says PM 'would love to face Andrew Neil'published at 17:17 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Media caption,

    Former adviser Guto Harri: 'I think Boris would love to do Andrew Neil'

    As you probably know, there's been a lot of discussion this week about whether Boris Johson will give an interview to the BBC's Andrew Neil - culminating in Mr Neil addressing the PM directly at the end of his programme on Thursday.

    Well, a former aide now says he believes the PM may have been advised against it.

    In a clip from today's episode of Electioncast - or "Reflectioncast", as the look-back-at-the-week version is known - Guto Harri adds that he thinks Mr Johnson would have wanted to do the interview.

    But Laura Parker, chief coordinator of Momentum, says the UK public will not want a prime minister who is "running scared".

  16. Swinson: 'Shocking' of PM to 'sit on' Russia reportpublished at 16:56 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Jo SwinsonImage source, Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

    The leader of the Liberal Democrats has a dig at the prime minister for not publishing an intelligence report into alleged Russian interference in UK democracy.

    Speaking on a visit to a pub in St Albans, Hertfordshire, Jo Swinson tells us: "It's shocking that the prime minister is sitting on a report from the intelligence and security committee into this very topic.

    "The prime minister has decided that he will keep that secret and that is appalling. People have a right to know, when we are in an election, whether there has been democratic interference from other countries.

    "Everybody should be worried if there's any sign that there could be foreign interference in our own democratic election," she adds.

    No 10 has previously denied it's suppressing the report.

    She also says it's "all to play for" in the final days of the election campaign - and that there is no chance she would help either Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson to form a government.

    "I'm absolutely ruling out Liberal Democrat votes putting either Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson into number ten."

  17. Analysis: Reddit trade document leak 'double-edged sword'published at 16:42 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Jonathan Blake
    BBC political correspondent

    Read our story on this: Reddit says UK-US trade talks document leak 'linked to Russia'

    Labour are saying nothing in fact about where they got the documents from. A bit like journalists never reveal their sources, Labour are quite happy to focus on what these documents say rather than where they come from, or at least how they came to be made public.

    I think it's worth focusing on exactly what Reddit have said here. Whilst they are clear that this document came to light as part of a coordinated effort by accounts that they have now suspended, they say only that they believe this was part of a campaign that's being reported as originating from Russia.

    So they're not identifying specific individuals who they know are Russian or living and operating in Russia and working to put documents such as this one out there in the public domain.

    But they have said it shows a pattern of coordination and linked it to a campaign originating in Russia which was identified by researchers relatively recently.

    So it does add a new dynamic to this narrative but I think if you look at where it leaves the discussion, it's both helpful and slightly problematic for Labour.

    On the one hand, people are asking 'where exactly did you get those documents from?' We have to remember of course that they've been online in their un-redacted form for several weeks even before Labour brought them to everyone's attention.

    But at the same time, we're still talking about these documents and what Labour claims that they show. 'That the NHS is up for sale,' in their words. Boris Johnson and the Conservatives flatly deny that. So it's a bit of a double-edged sword.

    Add then for the Conservatives you've got this uneasiness around Russian interference in an election campaign which isn't good for them because then people will start talking about that report by Parliament which the government hasn't released. And that's not very helpful for the Tories either.

  18. Pun of the day winner: Swinson or Sturgeon?published at 16:26 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

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  19. Farage's 'mixed response' in Welsh area with biggest Leave vote in 2016published at 16:02 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Alistair McGhie, BBC Wales

    Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has had a mixed reception on a visit to a South Wales rugby club this afternoon.

    He came to watch a game at Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent.

    As he stood on the sidelines, some fans started a Jeremy Corbyn chant and one fan said that Mr Farage wasn’t welcome. Others did greet Mr Farage.

    He’s campaigning in an area that saw the biggest Leave vote in Wales in the 2016 referendum.

    The Westminster seat of Blaenau Gwent is held by Labour.

    When asked about his reaction to reports of Russian interference in leaked documents, Mr Farage said that the content of the documents is “suspect”.

    He criticised Labour's use of the documents.

    And when asked whether there is a problem with interference in British politics, he said: "Not unduly”.

  20. Labour will 'right wrongs of the past'published at 15:59 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December 2019

    Jeremy Corbyn at a rally in SwanseaImage source, PA

    Jeremy Corbyn has been addressing a rally in Swansea this afternoon.

    He told the crowd that Labour would right "the wrongs of the past," referencing the party's proposals for a mineworkers' pension scheme, overhauling the Universal Credit system and compensating so-called Waspi women.

    The Labour leader says Waspi women have been treated "grievously" by the Conservative government, reinforcing his pledge to commit £58 billion to compensate some of those who lost out as a result of changes to the pension age.

    Mr Corbyn says: "It is a moral duty that this country pays that contract to them. And we will do exactly that. And that moral debt will be repaid in full."

    He adds: "It's also about righting wrongs of the past, those that suffered grievous industrial injuries and conditions in mines and steelworks and so many other places, and the nastiness of the Universal Credit system that drives so many people into death and poverty and desperation."