General election news – live: Boris Johnson campaign hit after ‘secret plan to sell off NHS’ revealed, as PM’s most senior adviser warns about hung parliament
Follow all the latest developments
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Jeremy Corbyn has released an uncensored version of government documents which he claims shows the NHS is “on the table” in any post-Brexit trade deal with the US. “This is not only a plot against our NHS, it’s a plot against our country,” said the Labour leader.
It comes as a record number of people registered to vote on the final day applications were open, with 660,000 signing up in the huge last-minute spike. Around 450,000 of them were under the age of 35 – the demographic most likely to vote Labour at the general election.
Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, has warned “there is worse to come” if the Tories win the election as she launched the SNP manifesto today. She claimed her party can stop the Conservatives “selling off Scotland’s NHS” under any future trade deal with the US.
General election: Tory candidate 'suspended for anti-Muslim language'
A Conservative general election candidate has been suspended for alleged “anti-Muslim language”, in a further embarrassment to Boris Johnson.
Flora Scarabello, who is running for the Glasgow Central seat, will be “thoroughly investigated” over a complaint, the Scottish Conservatives said.
It comes after the prime minister was accused on live television for of inflaming racism over his notorious newspaper columns, which he defended as free speech.
Tactical voting in just 57 marginal seats could keep Boris Johnson out of Downing St
Fewer than 120,000 anti-Brexit tactical votes in the right seats could deny Boris Johnson an overall majority in the House of Commons, new polling suggests.
A large-scale survey of almost 40,000 voters found that Conservatives are heading for 366 seats in the House of Commons, giving Mr Johnson a comfortable majority of 82.
But analysis for the Best for Britain campaign for a second EU referendum found that in 57 seats, the Tory candidate could be defeated by 4,000 or fewer anti-Brexit voters voting tactically.
Brexit Party MEP shut down after questioning economic credentials of Green Party MEP
This is the spectacular moment a Brexit Party MEP fell headfirst into a trap of his own creation during a debate in the European Parliament about the economic impacts of Brexit.
After hearing evidence from Green Party MEP Molly Scott Cato on the economic risks of implementing prime minister Boris Johnson‘s post-Brexit trade deal strategy and the huge cost of failing to recognise the climate crisis, Brexit Party MEP Richard Rowland questioned Ms Scott-Cato’s authority on the subject.
Standing in the chamber, he said: “I’d just like to ask Ms Scott Cato what empirical proof she has that the end of the transition period, when we will be leaving the European Union, hopefully on a ‘Canada plus’-style trade deal, will result in a cliff-edge – when as far as I’m aware she does not have any degree in economics.
Dominic Cummings posts warning about hung parliament
Boris Johnson's most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, has used a lengthy blog on his personal website to warn about the prospect of a hung parliament. He offers no evidence for said thoughts, but it is quite unprecedented for a Downing Street adviser to share their own personal thoughts on social media.
He says: "You will see many polls in the coming days. Some will say Boris will win. Trust me, as someone who has worked on lots of campaigns, things are MUCH tighter than they seem and there is a very real possibility of a hung parliament."
Mr Cummings also warned that a vote for the Brexit Party iin seats the Conservatives need to win could hand them to Labour.
"If Leave supporters vote for the BP, then many of these seats will go to Corbyn, maybe by just a few hundred votes," he said.
"Imagine how cross you will be if you vote BP then see the results and realise that the BP has simply split the Leave vote and you've helped put a pro-EU Corbyn supporter in Parliament."
Andrew Grice: Antisemitism won’t kill off Corbyn’s chances – but his bad moods and poor spending promises might do it
"Jeremy Corbyn played his Trump card in the election today: 451 pages of secret documents about six rounds of initial trade talks between the UK and US which undermine Boris Johnson’s denials of Labour claims that the NHS would be on the table.
"The Conservatives think the public do not believe Labour’s “NHS for sale” attack. I’m told they considered a manifesto promise of a law to protect the NHS during the talks on a free trade agreement with the US that would run alongside similar negotiations with the EU after Brexit, but Tory focus groups suggested no such pledge was needed.
"Public opinion might change now, after Corbyn revealed unredacted documents suggesting the possible impact on drug prices and “total market access” demanded by the US."
Liberal Democrats target PM with new election posters: 'He lied to the Queen, parliament, the people'
The Liberal Democrats have gone on the attack on Boris Johnson personally, with new general election posters accusing the prime minister of lying to the Queen and parliament and being in league with Donald Trump and Nigel Farage on Brexit.
The posters, which focus on the question of trust in the 12 December election, will be displayed in target seats which Jo Swinson’s party believes it can win from the Conservatives to deny Mr Johnson the overall majority he needs to deliver Brexit.
They come after TV debate audience members laughed at the prime minister when he said that trust was an important issue in the election.
Johnson refusing to agree date for Andrew Neil interview with BBC
PM Boris Johnson has so far failed to agree to give a pre-election interview to the BBC’s Andrew Neil, it has emerged.
The BBC said they had “not yet been able to fix a date” for the proposed encounter – one of a series of planned interviews with party leaders which last night saw Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn subjected to a bruising interrogation on his tax plans, Brexit and his handling of antisemitism allegations.
A Downing Street source said that no interview date had been confirmed, and Mr Johnson’s team were still “in discussions” with the BBC.
Tory candidate 'suspended for anti-Muslim language'
A Conservative general election candidate has been suspended for alleged “anti-Muslim language”, in a further embarrassment to Boris Johnson.
Flora Scarabello, who is running for the Glasgow Central seat, will be “thoroughly investigated” over a complaint, the Scottish Conservatives said.
It comes after the prime minister was accused on live television for of inflaming racism over his notorious newspaper columns, which he defended as free speech.
↵James Moore: The bookies now think there's a higher chance that Boris Johnson could lose his seat – here's why
"The polls have narrowed a bit in recent days but the bookies still think the Tories are nailed on to secure the majority they crave. The commonly available best price of 4/9 on that outcome represents an implied probability of 69 per cent. You can easily find 2-1 on a hung parliament which represents grim news for the opposition parties if the oddsmakers have this one right."
Labour's Barry Gardiner criticises journalist over question
After an ITV journalists pressed Jeremy Corbyn on allegations of antisemitism at an NHS press conference this morning, Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, claimed she "failed to ask a question on the subject of the press conference".
Unfortunately for Mr Gardiner, he does not get to chose the subject of journalists' questions at press conferences.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments