Inside Politics: Voters head to the polls after final pitches

Are you ready to elect your next set of leaders? Having instigated a global movement and inspired four million people to come out onto the streets, Time magazine has elected to give Greta Thunberg the 2019 Person of the Year accolade. Al Gore said she had undoubtedly become a leader of “moral authority”. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are not, undoubtedly, leaders of moral authority. They cannot boast about any of Greta’s world-changing achievements. But they are hoping to end 2019 with an accolade of their own: the keys to No 10. And it’s an accolade that makes a difference to an awful lot of people. So time to get out and vote. As Greta says: “I want you to act.” I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing.

Our political correspondent Lizzy Buchan on what to look out for today:

After weeks on the campaign trail, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and the other party leaders will be joining voters at the polls today to cast their ballots in their own constituencies. The airwaves will be politics-free until the polls close at 10pm, giving the candidates time to catch up on sleep for the long night ahead. Johnson will be thinking of his own constituency in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where he faces a strong challenge from Labour, while Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, is also under pressure from the SNP in East Dunbartonshire. All eyes will be on that all-important exit poll at 10pm, kicking off a night that will decide the political fortunes of many.

FRIDGE TO NOWHERE: The prime minister will be mightily relieved campaigning is over: no more interviews to duck; no more awkward encounters with voters talking about dog poo and immigrants; no more milk to deliver at 7am. Johnson started his final day on the trail by hiding from a GMB reporter inside a giant fridge – and ended it by “misspeaking” at a rally in Stratford. “50,000 new nurses! ... 50,000 more nurses I should say, while the BBC are checking it.” The final BMG Research poll for The Independent showed the Tories maintaining a nine-point advantage, but a series of other surveys showing Labour cutting the lead. Close enough for the Tory-supporting press to sound a warning. The Daily Mail keeps it simple and authoritarian this morning, telling readers: “You MUST brave the deluge to go to your local polling station and back Boris.” The Sun revives its classic lightbulb theme: Johnson shining brightly from a bulb; Corbyn left in the dark. “If Red Jez gets in, the lights will go out for good.”

SONG OF THE LADDER: Red Jez won’t give a hoot about those front pages. He ended his campaign at a rally in Bedford, telling voters to “shock the establishment”. Corbyn concluded by doing a very Corbyn thing, reading a poem by the Latin American radical Victor Jara: “My guitar is not for the rich. No, nothing like that. My song is of the ladder we are building to reach the stars.” His comrade John McDonnell was a bit less romantic when he appeared on ITV’s Peston last night, claiming Labour would win a majority or “form a minority government and implement our manifesto” without any pacts. According to The Times, conversations have already been held about how co-operation might work in the event of a hung parliament. The SNP has not ruled out backing a Queen’s speech by Labour to allow Corbyn and his book of Victor Jara poems into No 10.

GET IT DONE UNSPUN: What will they be hoping for in Brussels after the election? A bit of realism, perhaps? In a leaked recording obtained by The Independent, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier told a private meeting the UK government’s 11-month timetable to wrap up trade talks by 2021 was “unrealistic”. He suggested negotiations will drag on until long after the end of next year. Doesn’t sound like Brexit is going to get done any time soon, does it? The Lib Dems said our exclusive story confirmed “Boris Johnson is lying to voters about his damaging Brexit plans,” while Labour said it showed the PM was “playing the British public for fools”. If the Conservatives do get a majority, you can expect another year of make-or-break summits, deadlines, ticking clocks and cliff edges. What larks!

WASTE NOT WANT NOT: I wouldn’t expect too much excitement from candidates today, but there was a bit of election-eve drama when not one but two Lib Dems effectively endorsed their Labour rivals and advised people not to waste votes. Rhys Taylor in Cardiff told people not to be “tribal,” and Brendan Devlin in Stockton South said his Labour opponent was an “honest, sincere man”. Jo Swinson, of course, urged people to vote tactically for her party, but she did admit she had missed a “moment of opportunity” for a major realignment in British politics. Nigel Farage was downbeat too, grouchily insisting there would be a low turnout. Is Nigel about to become a scapegoat-villain for the Conservatives? New YouGov analysis shows there are nine seats in Labour territory the Tories would be set to take if not for those pesky Brexit Party tribalists.

WEE SMALL HOURS: That bum cheek-clenching moment comes as voting closes at 10pm, when the results of a huge joint exit poll for the BBC, ITV News and Sky News are announced on the telly. You can expect the action to start around 11pm, as Houghton & Sunderland South and Newcastle upon Tyne Central battle it out to be the first result. I don’t know why – they think it’s important for some reason. A patronising reminder that if you’re voting today, you’re not allowed to take selfies in the polling station. You can still vote if you are drunk. You can bring children so long as they don’t disrupt proceedings, because it’s seen as educational. And you can wear a party slogan. So if you’re a little bit rebellious, why not get drunk, put on a political T-shirt, bring a child and take a photo outside?

“Eleven months is very unrealistic for such wide-ranging negotiations.”

EU negotiator Michel Barnier blows a hole in Boris Johnson’s “get Brexit done” plans.

“Who gives a flying f*** what Coogan & Grant have to say about this election? Honestly, the stupefying pomposity of these clowns trying to thwart democracy is beyond parody.”

Piers Morgan thinks actors should stay out of election campaigns…

“You’ve changed. You used to care so much about what actors said that the paper you edited hacked Nigel Havers phone for years while his wife was dying of cancer.”

…but Hugh Grant has quite the comeback.

Gina Miller, The Independent: Please Corbyn and Swinson, don’t give Boris Johnson an early Christmas gift

Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Does the weather hold the key to who wins?

Patrick Maguire, New Statesman: The Conservatives are right to fear a hung parliament

Jenni Russell, The New York Times: Britain’s miserable election