General election news – live: Boris Johnson attacked over broken Brexit pledge as campaign begins
Follow all the latest developments
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Boris Johnson has been lambasted over his failure to deliver his “do or die” pledge to deliver Brexit on Halloween, as the prime minister hits the campaign trial ahead of December’s general election.
Mr Johnson, who today marks this 100th day in office, previously claimed he would rather “be dead in a ditch” than extend Brexit beyond October 31, before requesting a fresh delay from the EU.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took aim at the prime minister, saying: “Boris Johnson has spent months promising we’d leave the EU today. The failure to do so is his and his alone.”
Mr Johnson hit back by claiming Labour’s rejection of his Brexit deal had led to “more dither, more delay and more uncertainty for families and business”.
Bercow bows out
Commons speaker John Bercow bowed out of his final Commons debate, closing proceedings with a simple utterance of "order, order".
Corbyn slams Trump for 'interfering' in British politics
The Labour leader accused the US president of seeking to get 'his friend' Boris Johnson elected - in the wake of his interview with Nigel Farage.
He tweeted: "Donald Trump is trying to interfere in Britain’s election to get his friend Boris Johnson elected. It was Trump who said in June the NHS is “on the table”.
"And he knows if Labour wins US corporations won’t get their hands on it."
Trump says Boris Johnson's Brexit deal might hinder trade agreement with the US
Donald Trump has warned the Brexit agreement brokered by Boris Johnson could get in the way of a much sought after trade deal between the UK and America.
In a conversation with Nigel Farage, a longtime supporter of the US president, Mr Trump predicted Mr Johnson and the Brexit Party leader, would “end up doing something terrific”.
Having said he did not want to seek to interfere with domestic politics, Mr Trump then said electing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister, would be damaging for Britain.
Bercow ends 10-year stint as Commons speaker
John Bercow stepped down as the House of Commons speaker on Thursday having spent his last afternoon in the role embroiled in a furious spat with a backbench MP.
Mr Bercow engaged in a bitter and bad-tempered exchange with Tory MP Andrew Bridgen as MPs debated a report recommending the suspension of Labour MP Keith Vaz.
MPs had earlier paid tribute to the outgoing speaker, who stepped down after more than a decade in the chair.
How much does the Speaker speak?
The BBC has compiled this impressive chart of how much Speakers have spoken in the Commons. Bit of a rise under John Bercow...
'Whitewash' claim after £100,000 Arcuri grant deemed 'appropriate'
A £100,000 grant awarded to a cyber-firm owned by Boris Johnson’s friend Jennifer Arcuri was “appropriate”, government officials have ruled – despite evidence it was being run from the US.
The award to the former model’s Hacker House company was investigated after criticism it was intended for businesses in the UK, yet she and her business partner had moved to California.
Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson called the ruling of the internal audit agency “a complete whitewash”.
Rob Merrick has more:
'No one reading Hacker House’s grant application would give the company a penny, let alone £100,000 of taxpayers’ money'
Trump backs Johnson-Farage pact
Donald Trump's interview with Nigel Farage closed with the president hinting he would like to see Boris Johnson work more closely with the Brexit party leader.
Speaking to Mr Farage about Mr Johnson on the LBC interview, he said: "I know that you and him will end up doing something that could be terrific. If you and he get together it’s an unstoppable force"
Mr Farage has repeatedly called for an election pact with Mr Johnson's Conservatives to ensure the parties do not compete for the votes of Brexit supporters - an idea Mr Johnson has previously balked at.
Scottish Labour rule out SNP pact - but door remains open for independence poll in future
While Brexit may be the big question of the 2019 election - there is another referendum north of the border that is likely to rear its head throughout the campaign.
And now Labour's leader in Scotland has stopped short of ruling out a second vote on the country's independence from the UK, days after Jeremy Corbyn offered a swift retraction over the same issue.
"There will be no deals, no pacts between the Labour Party and any other party" said Scottish Labour's Richard Leonard, addressing claims Labour would seek a coalition with the SNP on the condition of a second independence vote. "We are fighting this election to win a majority Labour government".
He added: "Jeremy Corbyn and I agree that with the election of a Labour government, the priorities would be to end the era of austerity, to transform the economy, and would be to fix the Brexit chaos that has been created by the Tories.
"They would be the priorities for an incoming Labour government, not a second independence referendum."
Farage to come forward on Tory-Brexit Party pact
Nigel Farage is set to reveal whether his party will field candidates against Conservative MPs at the general election, as he offered to support Boris Johnson if the prime minister abandons his “dreadful” Brexit deal.
In a move that could have a major bearing on the outcome of the election, the Brexit Party leader will announce his party’s strategy at an event in Westminster on Friday amid speculation that it could stand aside in areas represented by Eurosceptic Tory MPs.
It comes after Donald Trump appeared to give his blessing to such a pact, telling Mr Farage "If you and he get together it’s an unstoppable force".
Benjamin Kentish reports:
Reveal your social media campaigns, parties told
Political parties have been challenged to commit to openness in social media advertising ahead of a general election in which online campaigning will play a bigger part than ever before.
The challenge came as Twitter announced a global ban on paid political advertising, putting massive pressure on Facebook to do the same.
And it followed a warning from the European Union that political disinformation is still rife on social networks.
Andrew Woodcock has more:
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