Boris Johnson news – live: Expert warns Tory rail fund ‘would only buy 25 miles of track’, as PM makes string of false claims in BBC interview
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Boris Johnson has made a series of claims about immigration and knife crime picked apart by fact checkers, and said there was “no evidence” of Russian interference in the UK. He also shut down questions about his family in testy BBC interviews.
He has also earmarked £50m for the rejuvenation of railways closed under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s - however figures in the rail sector are unconvinced by the amount pledged
It comes as Labour promises to nationalise part of BT and deliver free broadband for all the country if elected, with Jeremy Corbyn set to reveal more as he campaigns in the north-west today.
Nigel Farage, meanwhile, has claimed that the Tories offered jobs and peerages to his Brexit Party candidates in a bid to get them to drop out of marginal seats. Mr Farage said he expected “police investigations into what has gone on here”.
Varadkar condemns Johnson’s plan to give soldiers ‘amnesty’
The Irish premier has said he raised the issue of an “amnesty” for soldiers who served in Northern Ireland with the British government.
On the first night of the British Irish Council on Thursday, Leo Varadkar said he raised the election promise by Johnson that he would protect soldiers who served in Northern Ireland from prosecution.
Making the announcement about prevent veterans facing “vexatious” legal action, Johnson told veterans: “We will always support you.”
Varadkar said he brought the issue up with secretary of state for Northern Ireland Julian Smith.
“Yeah, we actually discussed that matter last night, and I expressed the very strong view of the Irish government, that there shouldn’t be any amnesty for anyone who perpetuated crimes in Northern Ireland, no matter whether they were state actors or not,” Varadkar said.
When the issue was put to Smith, he said the British government is dedicated to the agreement previously signed by both governments.
“The British government, as you know, on legacy is dedicated to the Stormont House Agreement,” he said.
“We are talking at the moment about how we ensure the Stormont House Agreement is implemented in full, and we are talking at the moment - depending on the election result, we will push forward in consultation with all groups and want to deliver on that.”
Leo Varadkar with Julian Smith (PA)
Hillary Clinton: female politicians not standing in UK is ‘terrible loss’
Hillary Clinton is speaking at Swansea University. And she has criticised the “heavily misogynistic” atmosphere online which has seen female parliamentary candidates announce they are not standing in our election.
The former US secretary of state also claimed social media culture was serving the “amplification of hatred” which she said led to the “political assassination” of Labour MP Jo Cox.
She said: “Unfortunately, the atmosphere online is heavily misogynistic … What they say is often vile, and when I was in London over the last few days, a number of people told me about women not standing for parliament this time because of the threats they have received.
“And it’s really particular to them. Threats of death and terrible attacks, including going after their families, in particular mentioning their children.”
Clinton said she had met with an unnamed female politician who had decided she was not going to stand for the December election, who told her, “I just can’t take it”.
She said: “It is a terrible loss and a loss to democracy if anybody is intimidated out of running, and disproportionately the people choosing not to run in the first instance or for re-election are women.”
Hillary Clinton at Swansea University (PA)
Javid says Labour’s free broadband plan ‘primary school politics’
Chancellor Sajid Javid has described Labour’s plan to deliver free full-fibre internet to all by making broadband a public service as “primary school politics”.
“Labour’s fantasy broadband would have to be paid for by your taxes - and it’s ANOTHER attempt to confiscate billions of pounds worth of people’s savings,” Javid tweeted.
“This is primary school politics not grown-up government. Labour are on track to beat their last manifesto record of using the word ‘free’ 39 times. People can see through these fantasies.
“The truth is there is no private company McDonnell wouldn’t nationalise, no private investment he wouldn’t confiscate, no ‘limit of ambitions’.
“It’s about blind Marxist ideology, no matter what the cost to working people.”
Momentum mocks Johnson’s struggle to relate
The Corbyn-supporting campaign group Momentum has put together an amusing new video based on Boris Johnson’s struggle to think of answer to a question about relatability.
Asked on BBC Breakfast this morning how ordinary families could relate to him, there was a lot of umming and ahing from the PM.
Trump will make three-day trip to Britain during election
As if we didn’t have enough on our plate. Donald Trump will travel to Britain during the election campaign in early December, the White House has confirmed.
The US president and his wife Melania will be in the UK from December 2-4 for a gathering of Nato leaders.
The summit will feature a reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Trump has faced large-scale protests on his two previous visits to London as US president.
He has regularly expressed concern that many Nato members are not providing sufficient financial support for the military alliance.
A White House statement said the president “looks forward” to meeting with the other Nato heads but also complained about “burden-sharing”.
It stated: “The president will also emphasise the need for the Nato alliance to ensure its readiness for the threats of tomorrow, including those emanating from cyberspace, those affecting our critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks, and those posed by terrorism.”
The Queen with Donald Trump at state banquet in June (Reuters)
Scotland Yard receives allegations of electoral fraud following Farage claims, says report
Nigel Farage accused No 10 of offering peerages to Brexit Party figures to get them to stand down before nominations closed.
Farage has said: “I expect there will be police investigations into what has gone on here.”
Well, according to the editor of the Left Foot Forward website, the Metropolitan Police has received “two allegations of electoral fraud and malpractice”.
Farage says he was ‘doubled-crossed’ by Brexit Party candidate
Nigel Farage offered an apology to party supporters in Dudley North - and accused Brexit Party MEP Rupert Lowe of “disgusting behaviour” in withdrawing his nomination for the seat.
Farage said he believed Lowe had deliberately sabotaged any chance of fielding a replacement Brexit Party candidate by announcing his withdrawal at 3.59pm – just one minute before Thursday’s 4pm deadline.
Asked if the Brexit Party had sanctioned Lowe’s actions, Farage said: “No, it was disgusting behaviour.
“What he probably hasn’t told you is that he met a senior official from No 10 in the middle of last week, somebody quite close to Boris, and this was obviously stitched up.
“If he made a decision, he went and changed course, he’s entitled to. But to let everybody else down at the eleventh hour, dreadful behaviour - shocking.”
Asked for his message for party supporters in Dudley North, Farage added: “I’m sorry - we have been double-crossed, let down badly by a man who has behaved dishonestly. I’m sorry, that’s all I can say.”
Tories enjoy 13-point lead in latest poll
We have a new poll. It’s by Panelbase, and it shows a three-point boost for the Conservatives – which appears to come at the expense of the Brexit Party. The Tories are 13 points ahead of Labour in the survey.
Reversing Beeching cuts ‘would cost far’ more than Tory fund
A £500m fund pledged by the Tories to restore rail lines and stations axed in the 1960s “is not going to buy you very much”, a rail expert has warned.
More than 5,000 miles of track and nearly 1,500 stations were closed between 1964 and 1970, following a report by British Railways chairman Dr Richard Beeching.
The Conservative Party has pledged to establish a Beeching Reversal Fund to restore services to “many of the towns cut off” from the rail network.
But Sim Harris, managing editor of industry newspaper Railnews, said reopening many of the lines which fell victim to the Beeching cuts would cost “billions”.
Asked about the £500m fund, he said: “It is not going to buy you very much railway. A rebuilt railway costs millions for each kilometre.
“It would cost far more than that to really reverse Beeching.”
Sir Ed Davey has laid out the Liberal Democrat plan for the future if Labour or the Conservative party seek to form a minority government - while ruling out any coalition or confidence and supply agreement.
The runner up in the Lib Dem race for the leadership said his party would seek to "force any government to come to the centre" by voting on an issue by issue basis - no matter who moved into Downing Street.
Speaking at a press conference he said:
We will not support either a Boris Johnson or a Jeremy Corbyn premiership. We’re not going to vote for them to be the Prime Minister.
But if either of them form a minority government – as is possible – we will vote issue by issue. We will vote where we agree with the government, and when we disagree we will vote against - and that will force any government to come to the centre, to be more moderate.
And whether it’s stopping the Conservatives going ahead with Brexit, or stopping the Conservatives deregulating our economy so we can be like Singapore on Thames, we will stop Johnson doing that.
And equally with Jeremy Corbyn – if he puts things on the table we like, of course we’ll vote for those. But if he puts on the table things we don’t like we’ll vote against them.
But what we will not do is form a coalition or a supply and confidence relationship, because we believe these parties have become too extreme and both of them basically support Brexit. And we don’t trust Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit, and we certainly don’t trust Boris Johnson.
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