Summary

  • Representatives from Labour, the Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have taken part in a TV debate

  • The Tories and Brexit Party both declined to join Channel 4's 'Britain Decides: The Everything But Brexit Debate'

  • Politicians have been making their final pitches to voters on the morning's political programmes

  • Boris Johnson insisted there would be no checks on goods going between NI and GB under his deal

  • John McDonnell said he worried that the anti-Semitism row may cost Labour votes on Thursday

  • Nigel Farage said the Brexit Party will change its name to the Reform Party after the UK leaves the EU

  • On the campaign trail, the Conservatives are today focusing on their "Australian points-based system"

  • Labour are setting more detail on their plans for social care, including a National Care Service

  • And the Liberal Democrats are talking about investment in infrastructure projects outside London

  1. What happened today?published at 23:37 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    It was a rather quiet Sunday considering there are only four days to go before the election.

    The parties were on their respective campaign trails and leaders made their final pitches to the morning's political shows and tonight's Channel 4 debate.

    Here are the main moments from earlier:

    • Speaking at a rally in Colwyn Bay, Wales, Jeremy Corbyn thanked campaigners and canvassers - "very very much, from the bottom of my heart" - who have been door-to-door despite the rain. "Don't let up till 10 o'clock on Thursday night," he told them.
    • Many of the Conservatives' cabinet members joined Boris Johnson at his party's headquarters to meet the staff working the phones on behalf of the party - and they had a go themselves. He warned that the "horses can still change places" in the final week of the campaign. "Do not forget what happened in 2017 - we remember. This is a close-fought election," he said.
    • In the morning, he told Sky there will not be any checks for goods travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under his Brexit deal. Catch the full story here.
    • Jo Swinson said she will not resign if the Lib Dems lose MPs
    • And Brexit Party's Nigel Farage revealed that he’s already registered a new political group – the Reform Party – to replace the Brexit Party if the UK leaves the EU.
    • The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon said that her “key priority” is stopping Mr Johnson moving into No 10, adding that Jeremy Corbyn will have to look to the SNP for support if Labour fails to secure an overall majority.

    Join us tomorrow for more news from the campaign trail.

  2. Johnson targets Labour Leave seats in final pushpublished at 23:35 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Boris Johnson will visit four Brexit-voting Labour-held seats across Humber and north-east England on Monday, with three days to go before polling day.

    In a speech in Sunderland - 61% of which voted to Leave - the PM is expected to tell voters: "The Labour party has let you down."

    Read more here

  3. Labour Budget to 'end austerity' in first 100 dayspublished at 23:32 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    John McDonnell will promise to deliver a Budget to "end austerity", in a speech setting out Labour's priorities for its first 100 days in government.

    The shadow chancellor will also vow to get "money moving out of Whitehall and the City" if Labour win the election.

    Read more here: Labour vows Budget 'to end austerity' in first 100 days

  4. What's on Monday's front pages?published at 22:22 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Tomorrow's newspaper front pages have come in and many lead with election stories.

    Daily Telegraph
    Image caption,

    "Corbyn will betray Brexit, says Johnson as he takes fight to Labour's heartlands," says the front page of the Daily Telegraph.

    Financial Times
    Image caption,

    The Financial Times doesn't lead on a domestic story, but its lead picture is from Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid's call centre session at party headquarters this morning. "Johnson outlines plans for points-based immigration," says its headline.

    Daily Mail
    Image caption,

    "PM blasts Labour Brexit betrayal," is the lead headline of Monday's Daily Mail.

    The Guardian
    Image caption,

    "Corbyn in last-dich drive to focus on voters' finances," says the Guardian.

    The Times
    Image caption,

    "Johnson to blitz seats in Labour heartlands," says the Times.

    The Daily Express
    Image caption,

    "Boris: The last chance to save Brexit and Britain," reads the splash on the Daily Express.

    The Sun
    Image caption,

    A Jeremy Corbyn government would be a "nightmare," says the Sun.

    Daily Mirror
    Image caption,

    "Desperate," says the Daily Mirror which reports a four-year-old boy was treated on the floor of an NHS hospital.

    The i paper
    Image caption,

    The i paper says the extent of rising NHS waiting times has been covered up with the use of misleading data.

  5. Stormont parties clash during UTV election debatepublished at 21:30 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    UTV debateImage source, UTV
    Image caption,

    The debate took place at the Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast on Sunday evening

    The five main Stormont parties have clashed over Brexit, healthcare and the collapse of the assembly in the UTV election debate.

    Some 18 Westminster seats in Northern Ireland are at stake next week.

    Giving her verdict on the debate, our Northern Ireland political reporter Jayne McCormack says: "No-one landed any major blows, but the tone in this debate was more aggressive than what we've witnessed for most of the campaign."

    Read the story in full here.

  6. From the campaign trail: Selfies of the daypublished at 21:01 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    During an election campaign, politicians of all stripes are keen to get their faces in as many places as possible - and today was no exception.

    They may not quite match Oscar selfie standards, but here's what today's leaders had to offer:

    Boris Johnson surrounded by his cabinetImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Boris Johnson snapped a photo with his cabinet colleagues during a campaigning session at the Conservative Party's headquarters in London.

    Jo SwinsonImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson stopped for a snap as she took to the streets in Sheffield for a canvassing session.

    Jeremy CorbynImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn posed with supporters at a party rally in Colwyn Bay, north Wales.

  7. 'I kept having to put my specs on to hide the fact I was crying'published at 20:34 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Philippa Whitford, who is the SNP's health spokesperson in Westminster, says the problem with children living in poverty is that "it will affect their entire lives".

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  8. Key points from Channel 4 debatepublished at 20:23 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Cathy NewmanImage source, Channel 4/ITN

    Tonight's 90-minute debate on everything other than Brexit has finished, with five of the main parties taking part.

    Here are some of the things we learnt:

    • The Tories and Brexit Party declined to take part, leaving two podiums empty at either end of the line-up
    • The health service and social care featured heavily. Many of the party reps cited their own experience when giving their answers - whether it was Angela Rayner's past experience as a young carer for her mother, or Plaid Cymru's Adam Price saying he has suffered from depression. The Greens' Jonathan Bartley - who said his dad was a doctor - said medical staff needed to have a voice. And the SNP's Philippa Whitford, a former breast cancer surgeon, says without sorting the problems in the NHS you can't sort out social care
    • Meanwhile, during another question, Labour's Angela Rayner and Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson clashed over whether each other's party's plans were costed
    • Climate change came up in the debate with parties setting out what action they would put in place. The Greens' Jonathan Bartley said he was "astonished" how the topic didn't come up in the BBC's head-to-head debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson on Friday
    • The politicians were also quizzed about whether they think convicted terrorists should ever have the chance of an early release, after it emerged the London Bridge attacker had been convicted of terror offences but was let out of prison on licence. The parties were broadly in agreement that public protection was a top priority. Jo Swinson said she was "angry" at PM Boris Johnson for not listening to David Merritt, the father of one of the victims, who said he did not want his son's death politicised
    • Jo Swinson also revealed she "felt nauseous" back in 2010 when the Lib Dems made a "fundamentally wrong" decision on tuition fees. Before the 2010 election, the Lib Dems had said they would oppose any rise in fees but they later, when in coalition with the Tories, backed a decision to raise fees.
  9. Swinson: I felt nauseous when we broke tuition fee promisepublished at 20:19 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Addressing the question of trust, which was put to each of the candidates, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson says: "Back in 2010, we got this fundamentally wrong on tuition fees."

    Presenter Cathy Newman interjects to say the Lib Dems broke a promise.

    "We did," Ms Swinson says. "We absolutely got it wrong."

    "I remember the feeling that I had when I sat in the meeting and it became clear to me what was going to happen," she says, adding she felt "nauseous".

    "I vowed that never again was I going to be in that situation without speaking out."

    The Lib Dem leader says she's learned she needs to be "really clear that what I say is what I can do".

  10. 'You need to look at if parties deliver what they said before'published at 20:09 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Channel 4

    Cathy Newman cites a poll commissioned by Channel 4 which found just 10% of people surveyed felt politicians had been honest and trustworthy during the election campaign.

    Questions from the audience centre on the trustworthiness of politicians.

    The SNP's Philippa Whitford says she thinks it is "a shame we don't have a representative from the Conservatives".

    "You need to look back at people who you elected last time or in 2010. Did they deliver what they said then?

    "The Conservatives said that they would deliver 5,000 extra GPs but actually there's fewer."

    Asked when was the last time that she lied, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson says: "I have been known to be less than frank with my son about how many chocolate biscuits are left, it has to be said."

  11. Leaders turn on Swinson over poverty and hungerpublished at 20:04 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    DebateImage source, Channel 4/ITN

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson comes under fire from her counterparts as she talks about poverty and hunger.

    She says there's still "much more money" that needs to go into universal credit - the major (and heavily criticised) welfare reform launched in 2010.

    And she tells a story about her child's school, which has started handing out bagels before classes begin in the morning to ensure no child starts the day hungry.

    The Lib Dems don't want to scrap universal credit - but Ms Swinson says she wants to see the policy of limiting welfare benefits to two children scrapped - something she describes as "one of those cruellest measures".

    Labour's Angela Rayner then interrupts her to say: "You can't go here saying 'this is terrible, this is terrible', you voted for austerity, you created the bedroom tax."

    (If you need a reminder, the so-called bedroom tax, introduced during the coalition government, sees working-age families in council or housing association homes docked housing benefit if they are deemed to have more bedrooms than they need).

    Angela RaynerImage source, Channel 4/ITN
    Image caption,

    Angela Rayner says Ms Swinson "voted for austerity"

    "They don't want a bagel, they want a decent job so they can feed their own children!" Ms Rayner says.

    "They do, they do," Ms Swinson replies, adding that she's been "very honest" about the "things we've got wrong" in coalition.

    "I'm absolutely sorry about the bedroom tax," she says.

    The SNP's Philippa Whitford joins in, saying "wrong" is wearing clothes that don't match and she says "destroyed" lives is "a bit more than wrong".

    Ms Swinson responds saying the Conservatives have showed "many" of their true colours after the coalition ended, adding she's sorry she didn't "win all the battles" when she was in government.

  12. How should UK social care be funded?published at 19:51 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Channel 4 debate on Sunday nightImage source, Channel 4/ITN

    We're back after another break (with some light relief with a trailer for the film Cats) and the next question for the five parties is on social care.

    A doctor from Bradford asks: "We have an ageing population, do you think it is fair some people will have to sell their houses to pay for social care?

    "We want a system where the funds can be there," says Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson. "At the moment it is far too stretched.

    "We need to have a mature debate across the country about how we are going to fund this.

    "But we need to be able to do that on a cross-party basis, because this is a long-term issue."

    Would she join Boris Johnson's cross-party social care talks? "Absolutely," says Ms Swinson.

    Angela Rayner responds: "I'm kind of hoping we'll be the one in government doing those discussions."

    She adds that the discussion about social care is "not just an economic argument".

    She says "it's about what type of country" we want to be.

    "When my nan was dying of cancer she said if I was a dog, you'd put me down," Ms Rayner adds. "No old person should feel that way."

    Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price wants social care to be funded in the same way as the NHS, by taxation.

    He asks Ms Rayner: "Will you commit to free social personal care in Wales?"

    She replies that Wales would have the funding to do that.

    The SNP's Philippa Whitford, who spent years working as a breast cancer surgeon on the NHS, says: "You can't sort the problems in the NHS unless you're sorting the problems in social care."

    She says: "Free personal care is something that is cost-effective in the picture of the whole of the NHS.

    "But it's also about the dignity of citizens."

    Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley says his party is pledging free personal care for the over 65s.

    But he says there is a wider discussion which will require some "bold" political decisions.

    "We have got to talk about wealth and how we get that wealth back from the rampant inequality," he says.

  13. How overcrowded are prisons?published at 19:39 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Reality Check

    PrisonImage source, Getty Images

    The Channel 4 debate has been addressing a question on sentencing and prison numbers.

    The prison population in England and Wales is around 83,000, which is around 8,000 above the prisons service's own overcrowding limits.

  14. Labour and Lib Dems clash over whether plans are costedpublished at 19:33 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Channel 4

    Channel 4 DebateImage source, Channel 4/ITN

    Another short break and the next question facing the party representatives is: "Should we be taxing the top 5% earners more?"

    The audience member might be referring to Labour's policy of raising income taxes for people earning over £80,000 (you're in the top 5% of income taxpayers if your salary is £81,000 and above).

    "Well you won't be shocked from me to say, yes," says Labour's Angela Rayner.

    She says she believes the country "won't mind paying a little bit more" if it means helping others such as the four million children living in poverty.

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson and Angela Rayner go on to clash over whether their parties have costed some of their plans.

    "You're making a plan for policies that if you get into government you cannot deliver," says Ms Swinson, while Ms Rayner says the Lib Dems' plan for free child care is not costed.

    Meanwhile, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley says his party would save money by - among other policies - not renewing Trident nuclear deterrent, or through fossil fuel subsidies.

    "If the climate were a bank, we would have bailed it out by now," he adds.

  15. Is Rayner right to say there are 4 million children in poverty?published at 19:28 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Reality Check

    Angela Rayner says there are "four million children living in poverty in our country".

    There's no single measure of poverty but it's true to say there are around four million children living in low-income households, and it has increased slightly in the last few years.

  16. 'A lot of rhetoric on climate change, but not much substance'published at 19:24 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Channel 4 debateImage source, Channel 4/ITN

    The question of how to tackle climate change is up next.

    The Greens' Jonathan Bartley says he wants to see a carbon tax and wants the UK to be carbon-free by 2030.

    He says he was "astonished" how the topic didn't come up in the BBC's head-to-head debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson last week.

    "There seems to be a lot of rhetoric but not much substance," he says.

    Labour's Angela Rayner points out that Friends of the Earth ranked her party's manifesto as the greenest. But Mr Bartley quickly intervenes to say Greenpeace gave his Green Party the highest score.

    "No, we're ambitious Jonathan, come on side," Ms Rayner shoots back.

    The Lib Dem's Jo Swinson says it's false to present tackling environmental problems as expensive. "Actually saving the planet needn't cost the earth," she says. "It really can be a win-win for us to tackle this climate emergency."

    She gives the example of how tackling air pollution can save money as it reduces health problems.

    Plaid Cymru's Adam Price is quizzed about a potential tax on meat and the impact that might have on Welsh beef. "Farmers shouldn't be demonised here, farmers care deeply about the environment," he says. "They can make a positive contribution to decarbonisation."

    But he says the issue of climate change is "bigger than party politics". "We agree with that!" says the Greens' Mr Bartley.

  17. Has spending to private NHS providers increased?published at 19:20 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Reality Check

    Privatisation and the NHS and the amount of money that goes to private providers have been raised in the Channel 4 debate.

    Out of a budget of more than £120bn a year, 7.3% was spent on private providers in England in 2017-18, according to government accounts.

    That's up from 5.3% in 2011-12.

  18. What impact did nurses bursary cut have?published at 19:16 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Reality Check

    NursesImage source, Getty Images

    Asked about nurses, Labour's Angela Rayner says "the government cut the nursing bursary".

    Nursing bursaries were cut in England. There's been a fall in people accepting places on courses since 2016.

    They've gone up in Scotland and Wales where the bursary remains.

  19. 'Most important thing is keeping public safe'published at 19:09 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2019

    Channel 4

    Channel 4 debateImage source, Channel 4/ITN

    Everyone's had a quick break while the adverts have been on, but now we're back with host Cathy Newman who is asking the audience what they want to hear.

    The next question is on the subject of crime. Should convicted terrorists serve the whole of their sentence without the chance of early release?

    Plaid Cymru's Adam Price answers first, saying "public protection needs to be at the heart of the policy".

    But he adds that, in the most recent case at London Bridge, the lessons will only be known once there has been an investigation into what happened.

    "So I think it's important not to rush to judgement in terms of that specific case."

    Labour's Angela Rayner says "the most important thing is that the public are kept safe".

    She says prisons are "overstuffed" and "lots of people re-offend on petty crime doing time for that".

    She gets a brief clap after saying that if convicted terrorists need to spend 10 or 20 years in prison "they should do that" - but adds that rehabilitation must be part of the justice system.

    Ms Rayner says that when people are allowed out, then "they have to be watched and monitored".

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson says there must be a proper assessment "before anyone is released".

    "One of those grieving parents, David Merritt, he has called on politicians not to politicise his son's death," says Ms Swinson.

    Ms Rayner interjects: "That's why I didn't mention that."

    Ms Swinson says she is angry at Boris Johnson for ignoring Mr Merritt's request.