General election news - live: Tories plunged into spate of fresh fake news scandals, as BBC admits 'mistake' over edited Boris Johnson footage

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General election: Registering people to vote in the street

Boris Johnson has been accused of “deceit” after his promise of 50,000 more nurses for the NHS turned out to include almost 19,000 existing nurses the government simply wants to retain.

It comes as the BBC admitted it made a “mistake” by editing out the audience launching at Mr Johnson in a BBC Question Time clip. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, said it was “unbelievable” that the Tories re-named its official press office account “factcheckuk” during the recent TV debate.

A Tory candidate in Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, was caught getting one of his friends to pose as a fake swing voter, raising further questions about the party’s use of disinformation.

Key Points

• Tory pledge to recruit 50,000 nurses exposed as 'fake'
• BBC admits ‘mistake’ over clip of PM with laughter edited out
• Conservative candidate gets pal to pose as 'fake swing voter'
• Both big parties peddling 'fantasies', says Tony Blair
• UK risks becoming 'Trump's poodle' if Tories win, Lib Dems warn

[25 November 2019 16:40 · Ashley Cowburn]

Tory MP candidate caught getting friend to pose as anti-Labour swing voter

A Conservative candidate has been caught getting one of his friends to pose as an anti-Labour swing voter, raising further questions about the party’s use of disinformation and fake news.

Lee Anderson, who is standing for the Tories in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, forgot he was wearing a live microphone while he phoned his friend to set up the fake encounter to impress a journalist.

“Make out you know who I am... you know I’m the candidate, but not a friend, alright?” Mr Anderson was recorded saying as he spelled out instructions to his friend minutes before bringing a journalist to his door. 

[25 November 2019 17:00 · Ashley Cowburn]

The key seats that will decide the general election

[25 November 2019 18:02 · Ashley Cowburn]

The BBC has admitted to making a "mistake" when it edited footage of Boris Johnson to remove the sound of an audience laughing at him.

During the Question Time special in which each of the main party leaders were questioned by the public, some of those watching in the studio could be heard laughing after the PM was asked whether he thought the "truth matters".

But in later video of the same event shown on BBC News, the laughter was removed. The edit gave rise to suggestions  the video had been changed to make it less embarrassing to the Conservative leader.

[25 November 2019 18:07 · Ashley Cowburn]

Channel 4 threatens to 'empty chair' Boris Johnson

Broadcaster Channel 4 has threatened to "empty chair" Boris Johnson on Thursday during a televised climate change debate. 

Mr Johnson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage have yet to respond to a request to attend the hour-long Emergency On Planet Earth debate on Channel 4 News, which will focus solely on climate change.

The broadcaster said the debate will take place even if they are unable to take up the invitation.

Channel 4 has invited seven party leaders to the discussion, but so far only Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and Green co-leader Sian Berry have accepted the invitation.

Ben de Pear, editor of Channel 4 News, said: "There is no more urgent issue facing the planet and we are delighted to open the whole of our programme for all the party leaders to show what plans they have to confront it."

Presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy added: "It is a huge privilege to be hosting the people who want to run the country debating the most important issue in the world.

"How much do we need to change the way we live? Is it the end of fast fashion, fast cars, foreign holidays and red meat? Do any of them have a credible plan to cut our net emissions to zero?"

[25 November 2019 18:35 · Ashley Cowburn]

Tory MP candidate caught getting friend to pose as anti-Labour swing voter

A Conservative candidate has been caught getting one of his friends to pose as an anti-Labour swing voter, raising further questions about the party’s use of disinformation and fake news.

Lee Anderson, who is standing for the Tories in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, forgot he was wearing a live microphone while he phoned his friend to set up the fake encounter to impress a journalist

“Make out you know who I am... you know I’m the candidate, but not a friend, alright?” Mr Anderson was recorded saying as he spelled out instructions to his friend minutes before bringing a journalist to his door. 

The candidate also appeared to lie about the content of the phone call, commenting to the reporter as he hung up that it was about “some leaflets that have just come for me”.

[25 November 2019 19:00 · Ashley Cowburn]

Johnson to hold fast-tracked Queen's Speech before Christmas if Tories win general election

The Queen’s Speech will be fast-tracked and held before Christmas if Boris Johnson wins the general election, as he seeks to ram through his Brexit deal within weeks. 

Downing Street said a session of the new parliament will be held on Tuesday 17 December if there is no change in government, allowing time for the traditional swearing-in of new MPs.

Two days later, the government will then hold a Queen’s Speech – setting out the prime minister’s policy agenda and marking the start of a new parliamentary year.

[25 November 2019 19:24 · Vincent Wood]

Heseltine warns no-deal threat not over at rally of former Tories

A number of former Tory MPs who are running as independents - including David Guake and Anne Milton - are due to speak at a Beaconsfield event to support Dominic Grieve as part of his bid to retain the seat. 

Appearing in front of a banner bearing the phrase 'country before party', the rally marks a uniting of energies by politicians who had the Conservative whip withdrawn by the Prime Minister over their decision to block a no deal Brexit in parliament.

They have also been joined by by former Conservative cabinet minister and party heavyweight Micheal Heseltine, who has warned attendees the risk of a no deal Brexit is very much alive and well.

Lord Heseltine - once the deputy prime minister under John Major - had the Conservative whip suspended earlier this year after announcing his support for the Liberal Democrats.

The Independent's Lizzy Buchan is among the audience: 

[25 November 2019 19:40 · Vincent Wood]

Why claims from polls about what 'working class people' think are usually wrong

You may occasionally see claims based on political polls suggesting that "working class" people hold a particular view - but its an assertion that is probably worth ignoring.

Here's Jon Stone on why:

It is common for political journalists to simplify ABC1 as "middle class" and and C2DE as "working class". If you haven't spotted them already, there are some big reasons to think that a classification system that made sense in the 1950s does not make sense now.

The first alarm bell is that a solid majority of the British population are now in ABC1: 55 per cent, according to the 2016 NRS calculation. C2DEs – which some journalists present as "working class" – are apparently a minority making up just 45 per cent. 

Find out more in the Tactical Voting blog: 

[25 November 2019 20:06 · Vincent Wood]

Independent Scotland would return to EU 'relatively quickly'

Scotland would be able to rejoin the EU relatively quickly if it were independent, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Ms Sturgeon said that Scotland would be "seeking a way back in" to the EU if Brexit goes ahead - arguing that the nation's 62% vote in support of remaining was another instance of the nation's voice not being heard by Westminster.

Asked by the BBC's Andrew Neil how quickly an independent Scotland would join the EU, she said: "I'm not going to give you a specific timescale for that.

"In all of my experience of discussions with different interests in the European Union I think that could be relatively quick but that will depend on the discussions we have.

"We understand the conditions we would require to meet and the discussions that would require to take place but if we're in a position of Scotland being taken out of the European Union then we will be seeking a way back in."

[25 November 2019 20:20 · Vincent Wood]

Greenpeace accuse Boris of 'running scared' after refusal to announce climate debate attendance 

Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace has hit out at Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister declined to respond to a request to attend a debate on climate change to be held by Channel 4.

Both he and the Brexit Party's Nigel Farage have neglected to tell the broadcaster if they will attend the debate on Thursday - two of the seven party leaders invited on air.

Channel 4 has since threatened to "empty chair" the prime minister - keeping a space available for him on the debate stage to highlight his absence.

Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said if the Prime Minister fails to attend the debate it would show the Tories "aren't taking the climate crisis seriously enough".

She added:

 

"This Thursday's climate debate is a monumental moment in an election campaign that should have the climate and nature emergencies at its heart.

"The pitiful 45 seconds given to the topic in the last head-to-head was an absolute joke. And while Boris Johnson acknowledged that the climate emergency is a colossal issue for the entire world, his failure to commit to this 'oven-ready' climate debate raises question marks over his sincerity.

"An empty chair on Thursday night would confirm his party aren't taking the climate crisis seriously enough.

"The Prime Minister cannot afford to run scared of public scrutiny on the defining issue of our generation. This is a test of leadership anyone wishing to run the country must pass."