Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn clash in ITV election debate over 'NHS for sale' claim – as it happened

Here are some of the newspaper front pages from tomorrow.

And this is what Nigel Farage,the Brexit party leader, said about the ITV debate.

Well, there is no doubt that Jeremy Corbyn is a better debater than Boris Johnson.

But on the key issue of the day, Brexit, nine times Jeremy Corbyn would not say as prime minister that a second referendum that he’d call, whether he’d vote leave or remain.

That is a failure of leadership.

Here is Sian Berry, the Green party co-leader, on the ITV debate. She said:

I actually can’t believe that climate chaos was relegated to the quickfire round in that debate.

That neither of those two men who want to run the country brought it up as part of their main points.

This is the most important issue that we face, alongside Brexit, and yet it wasn’t part of the debate.

And here is a Guardian panel with verdicts on the debate from Owen Jones, Jonathan Freedland, Katy Balls and Sonia Sodha.

Here is my colleague Rowena Mason’s take on who won.

And here is her verdict.

Corbyn: The Labour leader gave a solid performance with no big slip-ups, but no breakthrough moment that caught Johnson on the hop. He also did not attack Johnson personally on scandals such as his relationship with Jennifer Arcuri, or having been sacked for lying.

Johnson: The Tory spinners will most likely be pleased with his performance, given they sent him out with the primary objective of not creating much news. He was also able to repeatedly press home his key attack lines on Brexit. But they may be worried about his inability to be convincing on matters of trust.

Here is my colleague John Crace’s sketch about the debate.

And this is how it ends.

Yet despite all this, the debate had revealed something. That voters hold both leaders in open contempt and are in despair that one of them will end up as prime minister. Given the chance to show off their best selves, Johnson and Corbyn had merely proved they didn’t have one. The country was even more screwed than anyone had previously imagined.

And here is Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minster and the SNP leader, on the debate.

The clear takeaway for Scotland from this debate is that neither of these men should be able to determine Scotland’s future.

Jeremy Corbyn can’t decide if he is leave or remain and Boris Johnson is determined to take Scotland out of the EU against our will.

Only a vote for the SNP in this election can help Scotland escape from Brexit – and secure our right to choose a better future as an independent country.

Here is Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, on the debate.

People watching at home deserve so much better than what was on offer tonight.

Both people on that stage want Brexit and there was no one on that stage arguing to remain in the European Union.

Staying in the EU is better for our economy, better for our environment, and better for our NHS.

A brighter future is possible, but it is not on offer from either of the two old, tired parties.

YouGov has sent out a more detailed news release about its poll. (See 9.10pm.) It points out that the 51% to 49% result is “so close as to be within the margin of error”.

“Leaving politics aside” during the ITV leaders’ debate, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn told the British public what they would get each other for Christmas:

They are now on final statements.

Corbyn urges people to register to vote, and to vote for change.

Johnson says we need to get Brexit done. He says if Corbyn cannot answer whether or not he would vote for Brexit, or whether he would do a deal with the SNP, he is not fit to govern.

He says he will get Brexit done, and allow parliament to move on to other things.

Q: What present would you give each other for Christmas?

Corbyn says he would give Johnson a copy of A Christmas Carol.

Johnson says he would give Corbyn a copy of his Brexit deal. When Etchingham insists on a non-political gift, he says a pot of damson jam.

Q: Which foreign leader do you admire most?

The EU27, because they did me a fantastic deal, says Johnson.

Corbyn says it is the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, because he is trying to bring people together.

Q: Is climate change the biggest crisis facing the UK?

Johnson says it is the biggest crisis facing the world. That is why we must get Brexit done.

Corbyn says this is the biggest problem for the world.

Q: Is the monarchy fit for purpose?

It needs a bit of improvement, says Corbyn.

Johnson says it is beyond reproach.

Q: Is Prince Andrew fit for purpose?

Corbyn says we should think about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein first. Johnson agrees.

Etchingam points out that all of this depends on what sort of Brexit deal is achieved.

She seems to be making the point that comparing domestic spending plans without taking into account what sort of Brexit we will have is a mistake, because that will affect tax revenues.

Etchingham asks if Johnson has found a magic money tree, and if Corbyn has found more than one of them.

Johnson says Corbyn has found a forest of them.

Corbyn says the levels of poverty caused by austerity must change.

Corbyn says:

We are a society of billionaires, and the very poor - neither of which are right.

Q: You say there is plenty to spend. But I’m worried you will throw it away on silly election giveaways. What can you say to reassure me?

Corbyn says we have had a decade of austerity. He says he wants a £10 an hour living wage. He thinks this election will be a turning point in terms of handling the economy.

Johnson says the question was about handling the public finances. He has shelved a corporation tax cut, saving £6bn for public services. He says if we fail to get Brexit done, we will have more deadlock and division.

Q: Is austerity over?

Corbyn says:

We will end austerity. I’m absolutely clear about that.

Johnson says he wants a dynamic economy. Corbyn has said he wants to overthrow capitalism. That would be disastrous, he says.

Q: Will you rule out privatisation for the NHS?

Corbyn says the internal market must go.

And social care problems are not being addressed.

Q: Will there be a social care policy in the Tory manifesto?

Yes, says Johnson. He says no one should have to sell their home to pay for social care.

Johnson says nothing could be more ruinous to the NHS than a “crackpot” four-day working week.

Corbyn says Labour’s plan is for shorter working hours across the economy, paid for by productivity increases.

This prompts some laughter.

Corbyn says shorter working hours are good for people’s health.

He says the Johnson claim about there being 40 new hospitals has turned out to be false.

Johnson says the government is working on six new hospitals now, but has plans for 40.

He says the biggest threat to the NHS is not getting Brexit done.

They’re back. And the rest of the questions are on domestic issues.

Q: How will you ensure the NHS meets its demands? And should there be any more privatisation?

Corbyn says the NHS is under great pressure. Yesterday a friend of his died from secondary breast cancer. She had gone to the hospital earlier, but the nurses had been under pressure. She recorded a video of her experience.

This must be the video.

Q: [To Johnson] You promised 40 times that we would be out of the EU on 31 October. One of your staff once said you had betrayed everyone who worked with you. And, Mr Corbyn, can you take responsibility for antisemitism in your party?

Corbyn says antisemitism is a scourge. He has taken steps to deal with it. He understands the desperate history of antisemitism.

Johnson says he was “open mouthed” listening to Corbyn.

Etchingham asks him to address the points she put to him.

Johnson tries to talk about Labour’s Brexit policy.

Etchingham tries again, and says the nastiness seems to be getting out of control.

Q: Will you promise to improve the nature of debate if you become PM?

Corbyn says the recent quality of debate in parliament was horrible. He called for a meeting for it to be improved.

Etchtingham asks them both to make this a pledge.

They do shake hands.

And now we have the ad break.

Etchingham says they are now turning to trust and leadership.

Q: How can we trust you?

The questioner gets a round of applause.

Q: The debate has become toxic, with an appalling level of lies. How can we trust you to bring this country together?

Addressing the questioner by his name, Johnson says that is an important question. The problem was that parliament repeatedly blocked Brexit, he says. He says the way to restore trust is to get Brexit done.

Corbyn says trust has to be earned. As an elected representative, you have to listen to people. He has spent a lot of time listening to people, from chief executives to the homeless. Everyone you meet knows something you don’t know. His style is to listen to people, and to bring people together.

Johnson says most of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet have spoken against Corbyn’s deal.

Corbyn says Johnson told the DUP conference he would not allow a border down the Irish Sea. But his deal does involve this.

Johnson disputes this.

Corbyn says, if the SNP want to vote down a Labour government, that is up to them.

Johnson says Corbyn has not ruled out a second referendum.

He says there would be a “chaotic coalition” between Labour and the SNP.

Corbyn says we’ve had nine years of “chaotic coalition” already.

That gets a round of applause.

Q: Is the union worth sacrificing for Brexit?

Corbyn says he hopes the union does not break up. But Johnson’s deal gives Northern Ireland a different status. There are issues there, he says. This deal is damaging to this country.

Johnson claims his deal would keep the whole of the UK together. To get into No 10, Labour will do a deal – probably have already done a deal – with the SNP, he claims. And he says the price will be a second Scottish independence referendum.

Johnson says he wants a mandate to govern. But Corbyn wants to strike a new deal, he says.

He asks if Corbyn wants to do a deal, and he asks if he will campaign for his own deal.

Corbyn says he wants to bring people together.

Corbyn repeats the point about a trade deal with the US taking seven years.

And he claims Johnson has already indicated this deal would put the NHS at risk.

Etchingham says Corbyn ducked the question about whether he would campaign for remain or leave.

The Tories have changed the name of their Twitter account - making it highly misleading.

UPDATE: Later in the evening they changed the name back, from factcheckUK to CCHQ Press. Our story about the row the change generated is here.

Boris Johnson says there is only one reason to have an election; to remove the block in parliament, get Brexit done, and to then unleash this country’s potential.

Under Corbyn there would be dither and delay, and two referendums.

Together, let’s take this country forward, he says.

Jeremy Corbyn goes first with the opening statement.

The election gives a real choice, he says, about the future.

Labour is offering real hope. The Tory government is failing. He says he will get Brexit sorted by giving people the final say, and he will implement what they decide.

Too many policies are failing. Labour will govern for the many not the few.

The programme starts with Julia Etchingham introducing the debate, with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn standing alongside her.

From ITV’s Robert Peston

From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg

We won’t have a live stream of the debate at the top of the blog tonight, as we do for many political events. ITV won’t allow us one. They have this old-fashioned notion that people should be watching on their channel.

But we will get clips of the key moments later.

And here’s the latest Tory Twitter offering.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, is among those spinning for the PM.

From Labour

From the Financial Times’ John Burn-Murdoch

Boris Johnson has just arrived at the ITV studios in Salford.

From the BBC’s Iain Watson

Here is the Jeremy Corbyn version of the “let’s do this” tweet. We saw Boris Johnson’s version earlier. (See 4.50pm.)

From ITV’s Liam Calland

This is from Jeremy Corbyn.

Tez Ilyas is a comedian.

From Bloomberg’s Kitty Donaldson

There are two new polls around this afternoon.

YouGov has the Conservatives 12 points ahead of Labour. This is from the Times’s Matt Chorley.

And a Kantar poll has the Tories 18 points ahead. This is from Reuters.

Usual reminder: polls aren’t always an accurate guide to the election result.

And here is another useful Twitter thread on the likely impact of the debate tonight, from the academic Prof Tim Bale. It starts here.

Labour’s Dawn Butler has posted a video on Twitter from the “spin room” for the ITV debate tonight.

And, while we’re on the subject of debates, this is from Nick Anstead, an academic specialising in political communication, commenting on my point about “knockout blows” earlier. (See 2.33pm.)

And here is Anstead’s take on what impact debates have.

Boris Johnson has posted this on Twitter ahead of tonight’s debate.

It’s interesting mainly because it’s a bit - well, Donald Trump.

According to the Financial Times’s Sebastian Payne, Rishi Sunak, the chief secretary to the Treasury, is expected to stand in for Boris Johnson in the seven-party debate on the BBC on Friday week.

The New Statesman’s Stephen Bush posted a very good thread on Twitter yesterday about why, in his view, Boris Johnson was mad to agree to two one-on-one debates with Jeremy Corbyn. Do read it. It starts here.

A Labour source has been in touch to say that journalists might have been reading too much earlier into what John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, seemed to be saying about ruling out a windfall tax on oil companies. (See 11.42am and 1.16pm.) When McDonnell said no, he was saying no to a request to explain how a windfall tax might work, the source claims. “He has not discussed what will or won’t be in the manifesto.”

Election debate reporting is often blighted by references to the prospect of a “knockout punch”. Apart from being a terrible cliche, the phrase is not particularly pertinent because such moments almost never happen in election debates, and so it is unhelpful to pretend that they do. You probably have to go back to Ronald Reagan to find a moment when a single line was so effective and memorable it decided a debate.

But Boris Johnson’s media team are not averse to hackneyed metaphors, and they had him doing a photo opportunity in a gym earlier showing him preparing for said knockout blow.

Johnson said he was “excited” rather than nervous about the debate tonight.

Meanwhile, as Sky’s Beth Rigby points out, Jeremy Corbyn has been preparing for the debate with a trip to the barbers.

Good afternoon. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Haroon Siddique.

Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has been commenting on Prince Andrew. He’s a lot less censorious than Chuka Umunna. (See 7.25am.) Talking about the prince, Farage said:

For him it’s bad. He’s eighth in line to the throne so it’s not a direct threat to the monarchy.

The Queen just becomes this ever more exalted figure and the public are starting to look at those who come after her with a degree of scepticism, but it’s not uncommon. That has happened throughout history.

Scotland’s Catholic voters will be advised to elect MPs “who reflect as closely as possible their beliefs”, in a pastoral letter from bishops which will be read out at all 500 Catholic churches this weekend.

In the letter, the bishops will also warn that “a creeping intolerance towards religious belief” has become “a part of life”.

The letter urges voters to seek candidates’ views on a variety of issues, including abortion, assisted dying and heterosexual marriage, as well as poverty and nuclear weapons. It’s quite hard to think of many Westminster candidates who will tick all of the bishops’ boxes, but perhaps readers can pitch in with a few suggestions.

Kezia Dugdale, the former leader of the Scottish Labour party, has provided some insights into how politicians prepare for debates – and score points – ahead of tonight’s head-to-head between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson.

Louis Stedman-Bryce, Scotland’s only Brexit party MEP, has announced that he is leaving the party because “I find myself in a situation where my personal values are now in direct conflict with the party”.

In a video posted on Twitter, Stedman-Bryce explains that he feels the party has “repeatedly failed to deliver” its promises on Brexit, and adds:

The Brexit party’s recent decision to select a Scottish candidate who has openly posted homophobic views across social media is not only a betrayal of LGBT community but of everyone who believes such divisive and hateful views have no place in society.

Last night, the Brexit party withdrew support from its Glenrothes candidate, an evangelical pastor called Victor Robert Farrell, who Stedman-Bryce is referring to.

He said he would continue to represent those in Scotland who had voted for him, as an independent MEP.

The Evening Standard has an exclusive on measures to tackle knife crime that will be included in the Tory manifesto.

It says the measures will include:

• Three-times-faster charging and prosecution times of knife offenders to act as a better deterrent. Anyone caught with a knife will be arrested, charged within 24 hours and in court within a week.
• A new form of court order called a serious violence reduction order allowing police to search habitual knife carriers in the street without requiring suspicion. It could be used against acid and guns, as well as blades.

The Conservatives have been keen to appear tough on crime in this election. Earlier today they announced their plan for whole-life terms for people found guilty of the premeditated murder of a child.

During conference season they talked about stopping the release of the most serious violent and sexual offenders at the halfway point of their sentence, while the home secretary, Priti Patel, told criminals: “We are coming for you.” Boris Johnson has also talked tough on crime, vowing to put more police on the streets, increase use of stop and search, and incarcerate more offenders with longer sentences.

During a phone-in on Friday, Johnson claimed an increase in stop-and-search operations when he was London mayor between 2008 and 2016 had allowed 11,000 knives to be taken off the streets.

However, this was a total that included weapons seized through means other than stop and search.

Meanwhile Johnson has been doing a photoshoot at a boxing gym (don’t know whether this is obligatory in this election – Jo Swinson has already done her own). For what it’s worth, his technique could do with some – make that a lot of – refinement.

Nigel Farage gives a speech in Peterborough. You can watch it below.

Labour will implement a “much-needed” overhaul of the regulatory system.

The public is poorly represented on the boards of these regulators.

He mentions Carillion plus “scandals” at Tesco and HBOS. McDonnell says regulators are failing in many instances and the media is filling the gap.

Labour will overhaul company law to bring about “real change” in the corporate sector.

It will improve long-term economic performance, tackle the climate crisis and reduce inequality. The shadow chancellor emphasises that he applauds good business practice.

He concludes and will now take questions.

The shadow chancellor now talks about the “obscene” fact that billionaires are buying access and tax breaks from the Conservatives.

McDonnell says Jeremy Corbyn is on the side of the people.

Labour will introduce a 20-1 pay ratio between the highest- and lowest-paid employees in the public sector as well as companies bidding for public sector contracts.

It will be a statutory duty that no one in companies is paid less than the national living wage.

Companies will have to set out their policies for tackling the gender and ethnic pay gaps.

Under Labour the big four auditing companies will be prevented from “acting as a cartel”. They will not be allowed to offer other services to prevent conflicts of interest, says McDonnell.

Large firms should change auditing company at least every five years.

We’ll regulate to ensure that auditing firms provide socially useful information.

If you refresh the page you can watch McDonnell’s speech live.

McDonnell says the existential threat of climate change is Labour’s principal priority if it enters office.

Companies not taking adequate steps towards decarbonisation should be de-listed from the London stock exchange, he says.

John McDonnell says a new business model is needed with partnership at its heart.

Labour will rewrite the Companies Act so directors have an obligation to take into account long-term interests of shareholders, employees, the wider public and the environment.

Labour will also consult on incentives to hold shares longer term, says McDonnell.

He talks about inclusive ownership, giving employees collective ownership eventually of 10% of the company. He says Bernie Sanders has advocated 20% in the US.

The shadow chancellor has just begun his speech on the economy, saying the unfettered pursuit of profit has been allowed to override all other factors.

The relentless pursuit of shareholder profit has been to the detriment of workers and the environment, says John McDonnell.

He gives Carillion and Thomas Cook, which both went into liquidation, as examples of failures caused by corporate greed.

The Conservative candidate in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire (Labour majority of 441 at the last election) has suggested the way to deal with problem tenants is to house them in tents, wake them up at 6am and then get them to pick vegetables followed by a cold shower, BuzzFeed reports.

This is an interesting observation from Sky News’s economics editor about the Green party’s manifesto. Says something about the degree to which the other parties – including the Tories, eager to proclaim the end of austerity – are competing on public spending.

It feels like every time a Green politician is questioned during this election campaign they are asked about how they can get the message across that they are the party to be trusted to tackle the climate crisis, given movement by the other parties – particularly Labour – on the issue.

The party’s co-leader Jonathan Bartley addressed the issue of differentiation with Labour this morning, not just on the climate emergency, but also Brexit. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:

Our proposals today are very much about remaining in the EU, another point of differentiation with Labour, but also transforming the country, getting to that net zero target by 2030.

Looking at every sector of the economy, spelling out how we need to decarbonise and what kind of investment is going to be needed, being honest about that investment.

He added:

When there’s a war, when we’re facing an existential threat, we don’t hold back. We know that we have to tackle it. Frankly, if the climate were a bank, we would have bailed it out by now.

Bartley said the party wanted to introduce a frequent flyer levy and was against airport expansion. You can read more about the Greens’ manifesto, which is launched today, below.

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has just taken a dig at Boris Johnson for refusing to debate her or facilitate a second independence referendum.

Boris Johnson is interviewed in a number of Scottish papers this morning “snubbing” the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, by refusing to debate.

He told the Daily Record:

Although she can be very influential on our politics, she has no seat in the House of Commons nor can she be prime minister. The candidate to be prime minister who Nicola Sturgeon would support is Jeremy Corbyn. That is why he is the appropriate person to debate.

The interview took place yesterday just as the SNP and Lib Dems’ unsuccessful court action to participate in the ITV leaders’ debate was concluded, a decision the SNP has described as a “democratic disgrace”.

Sturgeon threw down the gauntlet to Johnson to debate her during last month’s independence rally in Glasgow’s George Square, but I also remember her telling reporters after Johnson’s first visit to Scotland as prime minister, back in July, that she had suggested a TV debate on independence to him then, and he had sounded so interested that his aides had blanched at the prospect. The PM has obviously changed his mind since then …

Sarah Wollaston, who switched from the Tories to the Lib Dems via Change UK, and who is a GP, has raised questions about the government’s attempt to tackle the staffing crisis by agreeing a deal to pay doctors’ pensions bills this year, a move which could cost hundreds of millions of pounds (see 9am update).

This takes the biscuit for the most unusual politics story of the day so far … although it does make a serious point about fake news.

Doctors’ groups have begun responding to the emergency scheme ministers and NHS chiefs have come up with to stop what critics call the “NHS pensions tax trap” deterring hospital consultants and GPs in England from working extra shifts this winter.

The British Medical Association, which represents about 70% of the UK’s doctors, has given the proposal a cautious welcome.

Under it, doctors who work enough hours this year (2019-20) to then receive a hefty bill linked to the rising value of their pension will have that bill in effect paid for by the NHS. The unprecedented move could cost the NHS between tens and hundreds of millions of pounds.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the BMA’s ruling council, said:

These proposals under discussion could, if properly implemented, provide the respite needed to enable significant numbers of doctors to increase the work they are doing, giving vital patient care at a time of unprecedented demand.

However, we don’t yet have important details about how such a scheme will work; details that are crucial to the BMA and to the tens of thousands of doctors that we represent in order to provide the necessary reassurance that doctors can take on additional work without this resulting in any financial penalty.

We look forward to having those details in the very near future, and call on the next government to urgently scrap the annual allowance in defined benefit schemes such as the NHS, a solution proposed by their own advisory body, the Office for Tax Simplification.

However, EveryDoctor, which campaigns to improve medics’ working conditions in the NHS, dismissed the plan as a “short-term fix” that would not solve the problem of an estimated 40% of doctors reducing their workloads in order to avoid being hit by a bill for up to £100,000.

A spokesperson said:

The pressures on the NHS are no longer isolated to the winter months. We are in a constant, spiralling recruitment crisis and the NHS is 10,000 doctors short.

Vast swathes of UK doctors have been forced out of work by the 2016 punitive tax rules. A short-term fix to cover the winter period will not solve this problem. The government instead needs to create a long-term, sustainable solution which safeguards the NHS and its hard-working staff.

The Green party is formally launching its manifesto this morning. The centrepiece will be a pledge to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030.

In an election broadcast later today, the party’s sole MP, Caroline Lucas, will tell voters that the 12 December election offers “the greatest – perhaps the last – opportunity to change course” for the UK.

You can read more about the Green party’s manifesto below.

Q Do you need to get rid of billionaires to help others?

A John McDonnell says people are understandably upset that the wealthiest are getting tax breaks. £100bn has been given away in tax cuts, it’s gone to corporations, cuts to capital gains tax, inheritance tax and the highest rate of income tax.

Q The Institute for Fiscal Studies says the headline figure – £100bn – about tax cuts for the wealthiest is wrong as some have benefited people who are not so well off.

A McDonnell insists the figure is not wrong.

Q The Phones 4u billionaire, John Caudwell, says he can’t tolerate “spiteful envy”.

A McDonnell says tell Caldwell to come see him and he’ll explain Labour’s policies to encourage entrepreneurship. It’s a misunderstanding by Caldwell, the shadow chancellor suggests.

Q Is student debt going to be addressed?

A It has to be addressed by whoever is in government. He declines to say whether or not it will be cancelled.

Q Are your policies on cracking down on foxhunting etc a “townie’s policy”?

A It’s making sure the hunting ban is adhered to.

That concludes the interview.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is on the Today programme now.

Q Is it correct to say no one should be a billionaire?

A We need to attack the gross levels of inequality through a fair taxation system.

Q How flat should society be?

A Most of us will think on the one hand you’ve got 150 billionaires and on the other hand people queueing at food banks and that’s not fair.

The Lib Dem justice spokesman, Dr Phillip Lee, is also doing the media rounds this morning. He told the Today programme the staffing crisis in the NHS will get worse if Brexit goes ahead (quotes from PA Media).

We can see that there is a clear staffing crisis in the NHS and this is being exacerbated by the prospect of Brexit. In my own professional experience I meet many doctors over the years who are trained in the EU and indeed nursing staff and I think if we proceed with Brexit, the staffing crisis will get worse.

So by investing extra money, by remaining within the EU, Liberal Democrats will protect the NHS.

The Lib Dems say they would boost the NHS by raising income tax by a penny if they gained power. Asked about the prospect of the Lib Dems winning, Lee added:

The fact that we’re on 20 MPs and to get to 326 is quite a target, yes. We will get to the other side of the election and if the Conservatives haven’t got a majority then discussions will take place, but we will take each issue as it comes and vote accordingly and we will not be putting Jeremy Corbyn into No 10 …

We do have a choice not to put either of the two prime ministers into No 10, which is why we think that there should be more of an offer put to the public in terms of who should be prime minister.

Another interesting front page from Scotland: You can read the story here.

Good morning. This is Haroon Siddique taking over the blog until about 1pm-ish GMT when Andrew Sparrow will be in. If you want to catch my attention the best way is by tweeting me @Haroon_Siddique.

The justice secretary, Robert Buckland, and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, are doing the rounds for the Conservatives and Labour respectively this morning.

Buckland will be talking, among other things, about the Tory pledge of a whole life term for adults who commit the premeditated murder of a child

McDonnell will be talking about the super-rich and the tax breaks they have enjoyed under the Tories.

Just back to the election debate tonight for a moment, and although Nicola Sturgeon and Jo Swinson lost their bid to be included in ITV’s programme tonight, there will be other debates later in the campaign. Swinson is due to take part in a three-way debate with Johnson and Corbyn hosted by Sky on 28 November. The following day, the BBC will host a seven-way debate in Cardiff between leaders or senior figures from the seven major political parties. And the BBC will then host a “prime ministerial debate” on 6 December from Southampton between Corbyn and Johnson.

Away from the main parties:

• Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will today call for immigration powers to be devolved from Westminster to to Scotland.

• The Green party will launch its election manifesto today, stressing its status as the only major party committed to zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Here’s one more front page that I didn’t link to earlier – The Scotsman. It quotes Boris Johnson: “I will never go on a TV debate with Sturgeon”.

And here’s a taste of what Guardian comment writers are saying:

• Suzanne Moore has written why voting in this election feels like “clinging to the wreckage of a system we should dismantle. All the issues that really matter require cooperation, not silly, point-scoring conflict.”
• You can read John Crace’s take on Boris Johnson’s bumbling speech at the CBI in which he shelved planned corporation tax cuts (“the less effort he was seen to make, the more the public seemed to like him”).
• Polly Toynbee has written about the poverty crisis and why the PM doesn’t care.

Two other stories in brief that you can get stuck in to to start your election day:

• Momentum is scaling up for a “once in a generation chance” to change the country with a sophisticated online and doorstep campaign that borrows ideas from the US and an innovative use of WhatsApp.
• Labour will pledge to close loopholes used to hunt foxes, hares and deer as it launches its animal welfare manifesto.

The Tories will make a push on law and order today as they pledge that adults (over 21) who commit the premeditated murder of a child (under 16) will be given tougher sentences of life without parole. The current rules require the murder to be of multiple children or to be sexually or sadistically motivated.

Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, said it was his aim to stop the parents of murdered children seeing the “sickening” spectacle of their killers walking free.

Labour’s focus today will be on skewering Boris Johnson on what it describes as the Tories’ £100bn tax giveaway to billionaires. The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, will tell a campaign event in central London that Labour intends to “rewrite the rules of our economy”. He outline party analysis that claims to show 48 of the country’s 151 billionaires have donated to the Tories since 2005 while the government is on course to hand out £100bn in tax breaks and other giveaways by 2023-24.

“Someone on the national minimum wage would have to work 69,000 years to get paid £1bn and a newly qualified nurse would have to wait 50,000 years. No one needs or deserves to have that much money. It is obscene,” he will say, telling his audience that Boris Johnson is on the side of “the billionaires, the bankers and big business”.

You can read the full story about McDonnell’s speech here.

Let’s take a look at today’s papers, and the Guardian splashes on the NHS staffing crisis.

The FT carries a big picture of the violent crackdown in Hong Kong, but keeps its lead for Johnson shelving the corporation tax cut during a speech to the CBI yesterday (you can read John Crace’s take on the PM’s lacklustre performance here).

The Telegraph echoes the FT, carrying a big picture from Hong Kong and a headline on the PM’s speech to the CBI: “Johnson accused of appeasing socialists in corporation tax U-turn”. (It also headlines the continuing fallout for Prince Andrew on its front page).

The i leads on the TV debate tonight between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, with the headline “Election ignites”.

The tabloids carry varying takes on Prince Andrew. The Sun reports backers “pull the plug on Prince” as “Net closes in on Andy”.

The Mirror splashes on Prince Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, filming an interview with the BBC’s Panorama programme.

The Express reports the Queen still backs her son.

Finally, the Mail has “Andrew out in the cold”.

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of all things politics today, as we count down to the first leaders’ election debate tonight (well, two leaders anyway – more on that later). I’ll be looking after the blog for the first hour or so of the day before handing over to colleagues. Feel free to get in touch: alison.rourke@theguardian.com.

First up and NHS bosses have made a dramatic intervention into the campaign, with nine out of 10 saying the staffing crisis is endangering patients. Almost 60% believe this winter will be the toughest yet for the service.

It may scare the horses in the Tory campaign where there is concern that the growing crisis in the health service risks derailing the party’s Brexit-dominated campaign.

That’s unlikely to be helped today by the Lib Dem policy pledge add an extra £35bn for health and social care over the next five years, by adding a penny to the basic rate of income tax. It puts the Tories in third place, pledging to spend £140.3bn on the NHS up to 2023-24, with the Lib Dems on £142.2bn and Labour in front on £143.5bn.

No doubt this will get a fair amount of attention at tonight’s leaders’ debate on ITV at 8pm. You will only be seeing Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, after Nicola Sturgeon and Jo Swinson lost their court bid to appear.

You can read Peter Walker’s guide to what to expect in the debate here, including the key subjects (Brexit, the economy, the NHS and personal character) and the curly questions for the PM (Jennifer Arcuri, how many children does he have) and Corbyn (antisemitism).

You can also start to get ready for your own election bingo. Walker says a drink isn’t mandatory for every repetition the the phrases, but it could be helpful.

Here’s his list, feel free to let us know if you have any additions:

• Get Brexit done.
• Dither and delay.
• Coalition of chaos.
• Propped up by billionaires.
• Many, not the few.
• Forty new hospitals.
• British Broadband.

Now on to the rest of the day.