General election debate – live: Tory minister interrogated over Brexit and NHS crisis, as David Attenborough rebukes ‘disgraceful’ Boris Johnson
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Party leaders are braced for a televised grilling in the first seven-way debate of the election – but Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are expected to snub the clash.
Senior members of the Tories, Labour, the Greens, Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Brexit Party will each face questions from the audience at a BBC debate in Cardiff, chaired by Nick Robinson.
It comes amid tensions between the BBC and the Tories over Mr Johnson’s refusal to confirm an interview with Andrew Neil, and criticism from David Attenborough over his decision to snub a climate change debate.
The prime minister instead took part in a radio phone-in on LBC, where he was confronted over his past comments about single mothers.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the general election campaign, with only 13 days left until we go to the polls.
BBC demands Tories take down Facebook election ads
The BBC has demanded the Conservative party pulls adverts posted on Facebook that use edited snippets of its news output.
The Tory promotional material “distorts our output,” could “damage perceptions of our impartiality,” and was “completely unacceptable,” the broadcaster said.
One of the adverts Beeb bosses objected to included an edited clip of Laura Kuenssberg saying the phrase ”pointless delay to Brexit”. She was followed by newsreader Huw Edwards stating: “Another Brexit delay.”
‘A coward and a bully’: Tories threaten C4 after ice sculpture stunt
The Conservatives are threatening a review of Channel 4’s broadcasting remit following a row that saw a melting block of ice stand in for Boris Johnson during last night’s climate change debate.
The PM was branded “a coward and a bully” by Labour after the Tories complained to Ofcom about the leaders’ debate and accused the broadcaster of “conspiring with Jeremy Corbyn”.
Johnson refused to take part in Channel 4’s debate, and the broadcaster refused to accept his underling Michael Gove as a stand-in when turned up at the studios demanding to be allowed on – stating that Gove was “not the party leader”.
In place of the Tory leader and Nigel Farage, Ben de Pear, editor of Channel 4 News, said the broadcaster would put “two ice sculptures [that] represent the emergency on planet Earth”.
A Conservative source later told BuzzFeed News: “If we are re-elected, we will have to review Channel 4’s public service broadcasting obligations.”
More details on the row here:
Boris Johnson accused of ‘running scared’ after refusing to commit to Andrew Neil interview
The prime minister is still refusing to commit to an interview with the BBC’s most fearsome inquisitor Andrew Neil.
Johnson has been accused of “running scared” after the BBC revealed it had not yet been able to pin him down to a date for an interview.
It emerged the PM has offered to appear on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, sparking speculation in Westminster that he would prefer to submit to the less combative style of the regular weekend host.
Pressed on when he would do the Neil interview at some point, Johnson replied: “I’m in discussion with all sorts of people about all sorts of interviews and look forward to doing many, many more.”
Former Tory minister says ‘not sensible’ to threaten C4
Ed Vaizey said it is “not a sensible strategy for political parties to threaten broadcasters”.
The former Tory minister was asked about a reported briefing from a Conservative source which suggested the party may review Channel 4’s public service broadcasting position after it replaced the PM with an ice sculpture when he refused to take part in a climate change debate.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “It’s not a sensible strategy for political parties to threaten broadcasters in that way, so I was disappointed.
“It was an anonymous briefing, I don't think it's the settled view of the Conservative party or the government.”
Vaizey was culture minister between 2010 and 2016. He had the Tory whip removed after voting for efforts in the Commons to block a no-deal Brexit but later had it restored. He is not standing for re-election.
John McDonnell tells BBC: PM has ‘played you’
Labour’s John McDonnell accused Boris Johnson of “playing” the BBC by avoiding an interview with veteran inquisitor Andrew Neil.
Boris Johnson has yet to agree to a slot for a sit-down with Neil on the BBC who has so far interviewed SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
McDonnell told the Today programme: “The reason he is doing it is because he thinks like, you know, his Bullingdon Club friends, that they’re above the rest of us.
“That they don’t need to be held to account. They don’t need to treated like the rest of us. And so what he's doing now is he’s avoiding, he’s running scared.
“Because he knows that Andrew Neil will take him apart. He’s running scared. But even if he does it now, he’s played you because he’s pushing it later and later beyond the postal vote returns.”
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour is not changing its campaign strategy to target Leave-voting areas.
It was reported the party would change its focus to these areas, following a YouGov poll on Wednesday which suggested the Tories were on course to win a majority by picking up votes in Labour seats which voted to leave the EU.
McDonnell said: “There’s no change in strategy. I don’t know where this story has come. People have put two and two together and made five.”
Boris Johnson: ‘I’ve never tried to deceive people’
The prime minister has claimed he hasn’t told a lie in his political career.
He was asked by ITV: “Can you look me in the eye and tell me you haven’t lied in your political career?”
With an entirely straight face the PM replied: “Absolutely not, absolutely not … I’ve never tried to deceive the public and I’ve always tried to be absolutely frank.”
He added: “I may have got things wrong and I may have been mistaken but I’ve never tried to deceive people.”
A reminder that Johnson was sacked by Michael Howard in November 2004 after assured the then Tory leader that tabloid reports of his affair with Spectator columnist Petronella Wyatt were false and an “inverted pyramid of piffle”. When the story was found to be true, he initially refused to resign.
PM says ‘NHS not for sale’ - and dismisses Labour claims as ‘Bermuda Triangle stuff’
The prime minister is being interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC.
Asked about the Labour accusations that the NHS will be “up for sale” under a Tory government, Ferrari asked: “Is there a trust deficit with you, Mr Johnson? … Because, candidly, you’ve lost your job in the past for lying.”
He replied: “The NHS is not for sale – and under no circumstances will this government or any Conservative government do anything to put the NHS up for negotiation.”
He calls Jeremy Corbyn’s recent press conference – in which he held up a 451-page unredecated dossier of government negotiations with US officials – as “Bermuda Triangle stuff from the Labour party”.
Claiming he always delivers what he sets out to do, Ferrari has reminded him he didn’t deliver the “Garden Bridge” in London. “Well, actually … I will point out it was a viable project.”
Boris Johnson on Nick Ferrari's LBC show
Johnson claims government working on ‘about a dozen’ post-Brexit trade deals
The prime minister has struggled to answer a LBC listeners’ question about trade deals after Brexit.
Asked how many trade deals the UK has in place ready to go? “I can’t give you the answer as to how many deals are actually formally … We can’t formally conclude deals [until after Brexit].”
Ferrari asks how many are oven ready? “A number are oven ready – I’ll have to come back and give you the number.”
Pressed again, the prime minister said “I imagine we have about a dozen that we’re currently working on.”
PM admits he plans for 31,000 new nurses – not 50,000
The prime minister has been challenged on the Conservatives’ pledge to have “50,000 new nurses”, with Johnson admitting that only 31,000 would be new recruits.
Johnson said: “I do understand the controversy around this. There are 19,000 that are currently in nursing at the moment... and we thank them very much.”
He added: “The risk is they will leave the profession and we're putting in the funds to make sure that they stay but there a further 31,000 that we wish to recruit.”
Speaking to Janet from Sunderland, a nurse and Waspi woman, the PM refused to commit to compensating her generation of women for the pension they lost when retirement aged was moved from 60 to 66.
Johnson said it was “not clear where the money was coming from” on Labour’s £58 billion commitment to Waspi women.
“On the Waspi point, I really appreciate the frustration and disappointment so many Waspi women feel about their situation. I understand very much how that has come about,” said the PM.
“What I can’t do now, Janet, is extemporise some (compensation amount)... it wasn't at all clear to me where this (Labour) money is coming from, to be polite to Mr Corbyn. We have to manage our economy and £58bn is a lot.”
The Tory leader said his administration would do “everything we can to help” those impacted by the pension change.
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