BBC Breakfast

Earlier, the Lib Dems ruled out the possibility of forming part of a post-election coalition, and the SNP has now ruled out any election pacts or deal.

When asked about the possibility of a pact, the party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford told BBC Breakfast: "No, we are in an election campaign and quite unambiguously...we are standing in all 59 seats in Scotland."

Image source, UK Parliament

Commenting on the Guardian story, external that the Conservative manifesto is being written by a lobbyist for Facebook, Amazon and fracking company Caudrilla, Labour’s shadow minister for the Cabinet Office Jon Trickett says: “If ever we needed another reminder that the Tory Party represents the privileged few, this is it.

“It’s an outrage to democracy."

Image source, Getty Images

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been pictured leaving his house in London wearing a green badge in support of the victims of Grenfell Tower - and a tie possibly to match.

Later, a report from the inquiry into the tragedy is due to be published.

Conservative former cabinet minister Sir Patrick McLoughlin has announced that he will be standing down from Parliament.

BBC News Channel

Peter Stanyon, the chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, says staff will "start ramping up" preparations today to organise the election.

He says they have already been making inquiries to find suitable venues for polling stations.

Asked if there's a risk that some venues could already be booked up - especially as it's busier over the Christmas period - Mr Stanyon replies: "Absolutely."

Depending on the building, some scheduled events might be cancelled so the venue can be used as a polling station instead.

"For publicly-maintained buildings, the returning officers have a right to use those buildings so they can actually demand the use of those premises," he says.

"But clearly for private premises there will be other events actually in place: plays, parties and the like which make life an awful lot more difficult."

It's going to be darker and colder than a May election, so temporary lighting or heating may be needed, he adds.

MPs backed a general election on Thursday 12 December, passing the vote by 438 to 20.

Opposition parties had tried to change the date of the election to 9 December, but this was voted down by 315 to 295.

The eventual result was very comfortable for the government, with over two-thirds of the House of Commons backing the bill.

To find out how your MP voted, use the search box linked here.

As the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg pointed out earlier, there is nervousness on all sides about the election.

The Commons voted for a 12 December general election yesterday, but what still has to happen before that election becomes a reality?

• The Early Parliamentary General Election Bill - which prompts the election - will be debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday
• If peers make any amendments to the bill, it will head back to the Commons for MPs to approve or reject the changes
• Once passed, the bill will receive Royal Assent - when the Queen formally agrees to the bill becoming law
• On Monday 4 November, MPs are due to elect a new Speaker to replace John Bercow
• Just after midnight on Wednesday 6 November, Parliament will be shut down or "dissolved" - meaning every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant
• Five weeks later, the country will go to the polls for the first December election since 1923

The election campaign doesn't officially start until Parliament is dissolved on 6 November - but many MPs are gearing up already.

On Twitter, Labour's Jess Phillips responds to a Conservative slogan, used by Boris Johnson in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Greg Hands is out campaigning at a Tube station in south west London:

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

It's worth bearing in mind that two out of the last three elections, what did they result in? Hung Parliaments.

The electoral dynamics in this country have become altogether a lot muddier and less conclusive and so it seems to be quite possible that at the end of this election we may well end up back with another hung Parliament.

Into that a lot will depend on what happens to the other main parties. How well, for example, the Liberal Democrats do, whether they do actually manage to take votes and seats from the other parties.

They are pitching themselves almost it seems to me as a one issue party at this election which is as the "stop Brexit" party which might help them in Remain seats.

The question is what happens in Leave seats. Particularly down in some of their traditional hunting grounds down in the West Country.

And then of course there's also the question mark about the Brexit Party. Will Boris Johnson suffer at their hands because he has failed to deliver his "do or die" pledge or will voters be much more relaxed and see him as a man who's done his best and been thwarted by Parliament?

An inconclusive result is not out the question.

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey has reacted to a story in the Guardian, external which claims a lobbyist for the fracking industry has been hired by the Conservative Party to write its election manifesto.

Ms Long-Bailey said Labour "would ban fracking immediately".

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will face each other in PMQs from midday, in what is widely expected to be a dry run of their campaign rhetoric.

Image source, UK Parliament

The new prime minister will take office on Friday 13 December - a date many believe to be cursed.

So how worried should PM hopefuls be?

It turns out the Friday 13th myth is long standing.

Friday and the number 13 have always been unlucky in their own right, according to Steve Roud, author of The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland.

But when combined, many think they bring out the supernatural.

Read more here.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

What we will get today is the party leaders all trying to get across their core pitch.

For Boris Johnson we know his basic message is "let's get Brexit done".

But he wants to get over other domestic policies too, a point made clear this morning by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

As for Labour, Jeremy Corbyn's core message is that he represents "real change" - pledging to produce the most radical, transformative manifesto this country has seen for many, many years.

Already we're getting a flavour of some of those Labour policies including re-nationalisation of the railways; a reversal of austerity with an end to universal credit; an end to the benefit cap; a significant extension in public spending, with for example free personal care for over-65s, free prescription charges.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

Unpredictable because Brexit has changed the rules of the game when it comes to politics.

The parties can no longer rely on their traditional tribal residual loyalties.

Brexit transcends all normal party politics [and] that forces everyone to change their calculations.

Closely contested because although Boris Johnson does enjoy a lead in the polls at the moment, Theresa May had roughly double the lead that Boris Johnson currently has and, of course, look what happened to her.