General election - live: Nigel Farage faces grilling from Andrew Neil after four Brexit Party MEPs defect to Tories

Follow all the latest developments as they happened

Nigel Farage faces grilling from Andrew Neil after four Brexit Party MEPs defect to Tories

Boris Johnson has promised to cut taxes in a “post-Brexit budget” within weeks of the UK leaving the EU. But the plan – based on an existing pledge to raise the threshold for national insurance contributions – was branded as “pure fantasy” and the PM accused of lying.

It comes as Conservative officials are said to be concerned about evidence of a narrowing poll lead over Labour. Appearing on This Morning, Mr Johnson likened Labour's leaked, NHS-related government trade documents to “UFO photos”.

Sajid Javid has claimed Mr Johnson could secure a complex trade deal with the EU “within months”. EU documents leaked to The Independent show leaders in Brussels will issue an election result-day warning to Mr Johnson about the “limited” time to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage was grilled by the BBC's Andrew Neil, who issued a challenge to the prime minister, who has dodged appearing on his programme, telling him he has an interview "oven-ready".

Key Points

• Boris Johnson snubs second television interview
• Tories’ tax cut promise dismissed as ‘pure fantasy’
• New poll shows surge for independent candidates
• PM likens Labour’s leaked NHS documents to 'photos of UFOs'
• Sajid Javid repeatedly fails to rule out no-deal Brexit
• Three Brexit Party MEPs quit and back the Tories
• Brexit 'one of most spectacular mistakes in EU history,' says Tusk
• Andrew Neil says he has interview 'oven-ready' for PM
• Labour accuses BBC of 'slanted and biased' election coverage

[5 December 2019 20:25 · Chiara.Giordano]

The Scottish Conservatives have contacted police after campaign signs for a candidate in Aberdeenshire were damaged.

Several incidents were reported to Police Scotland by the party following five signs being either vandalised or removed from a field in the Banff and Buchan constituency.

One sign had two expletives and a message to "vote SNP" scrawled on it, while two were knocked down and two more were taken down and removed.

[5 December 2019 21:00 · Chiara.Giordano]

The Labour Party has written to the BBC’s director general accusing the broadcaster of “slanted and biased” election coverage.

In a letter to Tony Hall, the party claimed to have examples of where Labour’s leadership and policies have faced “more negative treatment” and “harsher scrutiny” by the BBC compared to those of the Conservative Party.

Labour's co-campaign coordinator Andrew Gwynne also raised concern about Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "failure" to be interviewed by BBC's Andrew Neil.

Mr Gwynne said the party agreed to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's interview with Mr Neil based on the "clear understanding" that Mr Johnson had agreed the same terms.

"Instead, the BBC allowed the Conservative leader to pick and choose a platform through which he believed he could present himself more favourably and without the same degree of accountability," Mr Gwynne claimed in the letter.