Tom Symonds
Home Affairs Correspondent

It's been a busy morning for Jo Swinson, who has been speaking to activists and stressing the importance of hitting the streets in the next 36 hours to try to deliver every possible vote to the Liberal Democrats.

The three constituencies she’s visiting this morning - Esher and Walton, Guildford, and Wimbledon are all Conservative-held.

The Lib Dems aren't even second in two of them - so why push for these constituencies?

Well, the reason is of course Brexit. All three seats had big votes for Remain and the Lib Dems have prioritised stopping Brexit.

What they’re hoping is that this will be a Brexit election and that will spell the end for these Conservative candidates.

Interestingly, on her campaign bus just now, Ms Swinson told journalists she thought Zac Goldsmith, the Tory candidate in Richmond Park and North Kingston, would be toast - he’s got quite a slim majority and the Lib Dems are very hopeful of taking that seat.

You can find lists of all the candidates standing in these seats here.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The leaders are out and about trying to get their message over, mobilise their own support, maybe even to win over a few undecideds in these last few hours.

Jeremy Corbyn started the day in Glasgow. He's going to wind his way south going through six different marginal constituencies before eventually making it back to London this evening.

Labour folk know the polls show them behind but they console themselves with the fact that they didn't look so good last time (in the 2017 election campaign) and Jeremy Corbyn did much better than people expected. They hope, too, that the issue of trust is beginning to bite Boris Johnson.

I think Boris Johnson was up even earlier than Jeremy Corbyn, with the dawn milk delivery set in West Yorkshire and has now moved on to Derby.

If there's one hallmark of the Johnson campaign it's been this endless diet of photo opportunities. We've seen Mr Johnson in sheep markets, we've seen him out early with the fishing people, we've seen him in warehouses, we've seen him in pubs it's all been manna from heaven for photographers from the tabloids.

The Tories are encouraged that in Scotland they might be doing a little bit better than they thought.

But Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, has been arguing today that if voters there want to stop Brexit and stop Boris Johnson the only and most effective way to do that is to vote for the SNP.

The Lib Dems are still pushing the message that they are the party of Remain, although they've struggled a bit with their revoke policy. Their leader Jo Swinson is flagging up to today that in many, many constituencies they are the party in second place so they're the party best placed to challenge Boris Johnson.

All in all, we're facing one of the most seismic elections many of us will know in our lifetimes because the choice is a huge one.

Jeremy Corbyn is offering a real change in direction for the country - a much bigger role for the state.

And Boris Johnson is pledging to deliver Brexit, which would be another huge moment of change.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Nadhim Zahawi, business minister and Conservative candidate, spoke to the Emma Barnett Show about the false story alleging that the picture of a young boy lying on a floor in a Leeds hospital had been staged.

The fake story was shared by several Conservative candidates.

He said: "I think they’re wrong to have shared it and they should apologise."

When pressed, Mr Zahawi said they were still fit for public office, though.

"As long as they reocgnise their mistake, why wouldn’t they be?"

He added: "I think we should always remember the young toddler, and also his mother, who has pleaded for privacy."

A lot has been made of which interviews and debates the party leaders have chosen to take part in - or avoid.

Boris Johnson, who has been widely criticised for not taking part in a one-to-one interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil, has also opted out of appearing on BBC Radio 2.

Mr Johnson did take part in a Q&A with BBC Radio 5 Live earlier in the campaign - something Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has chosen not to emulate.

Image source, Getty Images

It's been one of the most anticipated forecasts of the year - so what's the weather looking like for polling day on Thursday?

BBC weather says it will be a wet start to the day for Northern Ireland, Wales and the south-west of England, with rain spreading northwards and eastwards throughout the day.

Expect heavy rain in the south, and even the possibility of snow over the higher ground of the Pennines and Scotland.

The Met Office has issued two weather warnings, external for ice and wintry showers on Thursday, covering some areas of Scotland from 18:00 GMT tonight until 10:00 on Thursday morning.

The first yellow warning stretches from Perth north through central Scotland to Wick, and the other, which is further south, covers an area between Thornhill and Lanark.

It's pretty unusual for an election to take place in December - the last time that happened was in 1923.

But despite the the enduring idea that cold and wet weather makes people less inclined to turn out and vote, experts say there is no evidence from the UK to suggest this.

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

If you take the average of the opinion polls that have come out over the last few days, they put the Tories 10 points ahead of Labour - which is actually where they were at the very beginning of the campaign.

That doesn’t mean to say nothing has happened. What has happened during the campaign is that the Tory vote has gone up by five points, primarily at the expense of the Brexit Party.

The Labour vote has gone up by five points, primarily at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.

The net effect on the lead is zero.

There’s been some variation during the course of the campaign. The Tory lead went up for a while, particularly when Nigel Farage indicated he wasn’t going to stand in Conservative-held constituencies. It’s gone back down again.

That 10-point lead sounds like frankly it’s all over - well no, not necessarily.

We have to remember that this election isn’t simply about who wins, but rather whether or not the Conservatives win by enough.

Sure, the Conservatives are still favourites - looking at maybe 339 seats or so - but we can’t be sure that in the end they won’t fall below the 326 mark needed for an overall majority.

It is that uncertainty that now looks as though it is going to be the focus of interest all the way through to 10pm tomorrow night.

Image source, PA Media

Here's a bold promise... the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, says she will swim naked in Loch Ness if the SNP get 50 seats or more in tomorrow's election.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph,, external Ms Davidson says this election was not like the one in 2015, when the SNP won 56 out of 59 seats in Scotland.

She says if she's wrong, she will strip naked on the banks of Loch Ness on Hogmanay and subject herself to a wild swimming session.

But she adds that she is confident her modesty and other people's eyeballs would remain unmolested.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Labour's shadow policing and crime minister, Louise Haigh, has defended Jeremy Corbyn, following leaked comments from her colleague Jonathan Ashworth criticising the Labour leader.

There's also that open letter from 15 former Labour MPs attacking Mr Corbyn's record on national security.

Speaking on The Emma Barnett Show, Ms Haigh said: "The idea that the Labour Party in government would be a risk to national security is nonsense… and I’d absolutely extend that to Jeremy Corbyn.

"I’ve had many conversations with Jeremy Corbyn around criminal justice system, around national security, and policing and I have complete confidence in him, Jeremy Corbyn’s fitness for government does not worry me."

She also dismissed the leaked recording of Mr Ashworth as a "private, off-the-cuff, joking conversation".

She said: "Not every silly conversation that you have should necessarily be broadcast or is necessarily what you believe."

Image source, AFP

A bit more from Nigel Farage earlier - he's optimistic about the Brexit Party's election prospects, telling supporters that it is "challenging Labour quite strongly" ahead of polling day.

He predicts turnout will be lower than expected, saying many Labour voters in the north of England "cannot stand" Jeremy Corbyn and won't turn out to vote for him.

He finishes his speech by saying the current first-past-the-post electoral system is "no longer fit for purpose" and leads to campaigns with "endless negativity" and attacking of opponents.

Mr Farage argues a more proportional system would result in more "positive campaign", with parties focusing on why voters should back them, rather than why they shouldn't support the opposition.

"I've spent 25 years trying to get us out of Europe," he says.

“I might spend the next 25 years trying to reform our political system."

Mr Farage didn't produce a manifesto this time so we can't point you towards his pledges - he said most people associate the word with "lies"...

Just as an aside, Mr Farage's event seems to have been taking place in a rather interesting venue.

The BBC's George Torr reveals the decor has prompted some comment...

Politicians have been dashing around the country this morning as they look to make the most of the final day of campaigning:

• Boris Johnson is piling on the metaphors to hammer home his core campaign message of "get Brexit done". He made an "oven-ready pie" in Derbyshire, saying it was a symbol for his deal, and began the day "delivering" to voters - milk, that is. He says the contest at this election "could not be tighter".
• Earlier, Conservative colleague Michael Gove defended the PM's response to a photo of a sick boy who was forced to sleep on a hospital floor and insisted his boss was an empathetic individual
• Jeremy Corbyn's first stop of the day was in Glasgow, where he argued Labour's campaign had been "positive" while his opponents had been "negative". He urged voters to back Labour to bring about real change.
• But 15 former Labour MPs have urged voters not to back Mr Corbyn, citing his record on anti-Semitism and "extremism". The group includes several outspoken critics of the leader, such as Ian Austin and Louise Ellman.

• Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson told party supporters in London that the last few hours would be "vital" as people were still making up their minds. She insisted Mr Johnson "doesn't deserve your vote".
• SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, on the campaign trail in Edinburgh, said a "Tory victory can be stopped", adding that in Scotland the SNP were the main challenger to the Conservatives. She called "get Brexit done" a "con".
• Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he fears a Tory majority would see "Brexit sold out" - he's gone much colder on Boris Johnson's deal in recent days. He also says his party are challenging Labour "quite strongly". You can see the latest opinion poll trends with the BBC's poll tracker
• And last but not least, with trust a big theme of this campaign, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price is using its final day to publish a draft law which would make lying by politicians a criminal offence.

Image source, Getty Images

As well as the big map and Jeremy Vine hopping about with his swingometer of course... what else should you be looking out for when voting closes at 22:00 GMT on Thursday?

Elections guru Sir John Curtice has this guide to the key questions and battlegrounds.

They include, what will happen to Labour's "red wall" and will tactical voting make a difference?

Our colleague Joey D'Urso was greeted by this scene outside the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London.

You can read more about how the BBC covers election night here.

Image source, PA Media

Boris Johnson has just made an "oven-ready" pie in what seems to be the metaphor-tastic phase of the campaign, says the BBC's political correspondent Alex Forsyth.

At a catering company in Derbyshire he finished a pre-made beef and ale pie and put it in the oven before removing a ready-made one, saying it was a symbol for his Brexit deal.

Boris Johnson said: "This is a perfect metaphor for what we're going to do in the run-up to Christmas if we can get a working majority.

"We have a deal. It's ready to go. You saw how easy it is."

Mr Johnson has repeatedly referred to having "an oven-ready deal" waiting to be implemented - and in other Brexit-y metaphors in the last 24 hours has delivered milk and smashed down a wall...

But SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon this morning called "get Brexit done" "the biggest con of this contest".

And Mr Johnson doesn't have exclusive dibs on the metaphor - Nigel Farage said the PM's deal would lead to "many long years of indigestion" because leaving the EU on 31 January was just the start.

The Brexit Party leader is certainly right about that - read our piece on what "get Brexit done" really means.

Victoria Derbyshire

On the last day of campaigning, politicians from some of the main parties have been appearing on Victoria Derbyshire.

Following the release of a YouGov poll showing the Conservatives potentially winning a small working majority in tomorrow's election. Labour's Louise Haigh said she still believed her party could yet be successful.

"The feeling on the doorstep… right across the country is that the gap is really narrowing," she said.

Ms Haigh added that she believed the public would support Labour and decide their vote, "based on threat to NHS".

"They will make their minds up on the shocking failure of the criminal justice system, they will make their minds up based on Boris Johnson’s personal integrity."

Conservative Daniel Kawczynski said the only way to stop Brexit "gridlock" was to vote for his party.

He said the "paralysis" in Parliament had been "extraordinarily debilitating" and welcomed the poll suggesting a Conservative victory.

The Lib Dems' Christine Jardine disputed the idea that her party's campaign had gone badly, insisting: "We are second in more than 100 seats. We can take a significant number of seats from the Conservatives."

She also defended the party's Brexit policy, to revoke Article 50 if they won a majority, by saying they still supported another referendum.

"We are saying what we have been saying for more than three and a half years, that we want the public to have a final say."

From Nigel Farage on the campaign trail to Nigel Farage the man. Here's our profile, written by BBC Parliamentary correspondent Mark d'Arcy, of "Mr Brexit".

We've been profiling all the main party leaders during this campaign, so here are the others:

• Boris Johnson's battles
• Can Jo Swinson transform the Lib Dems' prospects?
• Will Jeremy Corbyn's long march lead to power?
• Can Nicola Sturgeon deliver Scottish independence?

Moving onto another party leader - Nigel Farage. The main stop of the day for Brexit Party leader is in Doncaster, where he's been giving a speech to supporters arguing that voting for his candidates will help ensure the UK leaves the EU next year.

“I won’t see Brexit sold out and I fear that if Boris gets his majority, that is what he will do," he tells the audience.

He warns that a Tory majority would see the UK "back in crisis by May next year" and facing further extensions to the Brexit process.

If he believed either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn would deliver Brexit Mr Farage insists his party would have stood aside to support them.

He describes the Tory mantra of "get Brexit done" as "a tempting slogan", but adds: "If only it was true life would be great".

Remember, Nigel Farage did stand down his candidates in seats the Tories' won in 2017 - he did that a few weeks ago when he sounded a lot more positive about Boris Johnson's commitments on Brexit than he does now...

In the final hours of the campaign, prioritising resources is crucial and that can mean some tough decisions for parties.

An interesting aside noticed at the Lib Dem event a short time ago - the Lib Dems’ deputy leader Sir Ed Davey told an activist the party was “closing down” some target seats in Surrey, in terms of boots on the ground, where it believes it cannot win.

The party, he said, was now focusing its efforts on Esher and Walton and Guildford – pro-Remain seats where it hopes to overturn sizeable Conservative majorities.

Not coincidentally, those are two places that leader Jo Swinson is visiting on her battle bus this morning.

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has started the morning in south-east England, joining Ed Davey - deputy leader and her party’s candidate for Kingston & Surbiton.

She tells Lib Dem supporters that “time is short” and there is “just one day of campaigning to go to stop Brexit”.

Asking the crowd of supporters and activists if they are going to stop Boris Johnson and other hard-line Brexiteers, the question is met with roars of approval.

"The last hours of any campaign are absolutely vital, but I think particularly this time," she says. "So many people are still making up their mind and in so many seats it looks like the results will be very marginal indeed.”

She says there are lot of places where the Lib Dems are the challengers to the Tories and that what Labour supporters decide to do in those seats will determine the result.

Apart from stopping Brexit, what else do the Lib Dems want? Check out our manifesto guide to find out.

Image source, EPA

During a general election campaign, it's hard to escape politics in the media, but come polling day it suddenly goes very quiet. How come?

The BBC, like other broadcasters, isn't allowed to report details of campaigning while the polls are open.

On polling day specifically, the BBC doesn't report on any of the election campaigns from 00:30 BST until polls close at 22:00 BST on TV, radio, online or on social media.

However, online sites do not have to remove archived reports, including, for instance, programmes on iPlayer.

Coverage on the day is usually restricted to uncontroversial factual accounts, such as the appearance of politicians at polling stations, or the weather. Dogs at polling stations tend to feature heavily...

While the polls are open, it is a criminal offence to publish anything about the way in which people have voted in that election.

But on the stroke of 10pm, that all-important exit poll is released...

Image source, PA Media

On the final day of campaigning, 15 former Labour MPs are urging voters not to back Jeremy Corbyn in Thursday’s election.

The group cite the Labour leader’s record on anti-Semitism and "extremism", as well as his views on national security.

The former MPs have signed an open letter - organised by campaign group Mainstream - that they say will run as full page adverts across a number of local and regional newspapers in the north of England, including dozens of marginal constituencies.

The group includes several outspoken critics of Mr Corbyn, including Ian Austin, Gisela Stuart and Louise Ellman, as well as others who have not previously spoken out directly against him.

The advert reads: “Everyone wants a safer, fairer society. But in this election the Labour Party is set to deliver the opposite.

“We were all lifelong Labour voters and all former Labour MPs. We are voting for different parties at this election, but we have all come to the difficult decision not to vote Labour.”

Ian Austin, chairman of Mainstream, says this is a “hard decision for Labour supporters" but “the risk is just too great”.

The other signatories are Ann Coffey, Jim Dowd, Rob Flello, Mike Gapes, Tom Harris, Chris Leslie, Tom Levitt, Ivan Lewis, Michael McCann, Joan Ryan, Gavin Shuker and John Woodcock.

Labour, of course, deny these sorts of accusations - they say Jeremy Corbyn has made great improvements in the way anti-Semitism allegations are being handled and has apologised for mistakes made in the past.

In years gone by, Mr Corbyn publicly supported withdrawal of the UK from military alliance Nato - something his critics now often point to - but the 2019 Labour manifesto states the party is committed to ongoing membership.