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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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 20:30 · Vincent Wood]

Infact: Will a Boris Johnson government deliver 50,000 more NHS nurses?

Unveiling the Conservatives’ manifesto, Boris Johnson sad the NHS would receive the biggest cash boost for a generation if wins next month’s general election.

Central to his pledge was a commitment to increase the number of nurses.

Butr does he mean 50,000 - or is it a case of tricky numbers from the party who pledged to build 40 new hospitals, only to reveal they had put down funding for six?

Find out from The Independent's fact checking service:

[25 November 2019 20:45 · Vincent Wood]

Harry Dunn's family call on voters to unseat Dominic Raab

The parents of Harry Dunn are encouraging voters in Dominic Raab's constituency to back one of his General Election opponents over their frustration at his handling of their son's case.

Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles, whose son Harry died almost three months ago, are set to put pressure on the Foreign Secretary in the Esher and Walton constituency.

The 19-year-old's family plan on confronting the Conservative candidate on Monday evening while calling on locals to vote for a Liberal Democrat hopeful contesting the seat - who is currently second in local polls.

Harry was killed when his motorbike was involved in a head-on crash with a car outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27. Anne Sacoolas, the motorist allegedly responsible for the crash, claimed diplomatic immunity and was allowed to return to the US, sparking an international controversy.

[25 November 2019 21:00 · Vincent Wood]

Former EU ambassador accuses prime minister of 'diplomatic amateurism'

Boris Johnson's claims he will get Brexit done are "diplomatic amateurism" and his deal will be even harder to achieve than Theresa May's, a former ambassador to the EU has warned.

In a speech at the University of Glasgow, Sir Ivan Rogers rubbished claims by ministers that a trade deal with the EU can be completed next year.

He added talks breaking down before the end of 2020 - when the future trading relationship is supposed to be settled - "is much likelier than people realise".

Sir Ivan told the Policy Scotland lecture: "The further 'out' of the European Union we choose to go, and therefore the further we want to go, the longer it will take to negotiate the necessary agreements.

"This is the first critical point which Government ministers either repeatedly continue to get wrong or choose to mislead the British public about when talking in these weeks about 'getting Brexit done'."