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As it happenedended

Boris Johnson news: Tory peer rounds on Conservatives criticising Labour over antisemitism for their own failure to tackle Islamophobia

Follow all the latest developments, as they happened

Adam Forrest,Lizzy Buchan
Thursday 07 November 2019 14:25 EST
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General Election 2019: Opinion polls over the last seven days

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Jeremy Corbyn's bid for No 10 suffered a blow from two ex-Labour MPs who urged voters to back Boris Johnson at the ballot box.

Former Labour MP Ian Austin said Mr Corbyn was “unfit” to run the country over his failure to tackle antisemitism - but John McDonnell accused Mr Austin of being “employed by the Tories”.

It comes as Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former co-chair of the Conservatives, said the Tories had “lost the moral high ground” on racism because of the failure to tackle Islamophobia. She warned against “weaponising racism” as a political tool.

Meanwhile, the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the Greens announced they will not oppose each other in 60 seats across England and Wales.

To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below

Labour raises £1m in small donations in 10 days

Labour has received more than £1m in small donations since the election was announced 10 days ago - with the average donation totalling just £26.

The party raised as much cash in the first two days of the campaign as in the first two weeks of the 2017 push.

Andrew Gwynne, the party's campaign co-ordinator said: “I am delighted that our campaign has inspired people all over the country to make small donations to help our people powered movement bring real change to Britain. 

“People know that a Labour government will be on the side of our NHS, not Donald Trump and on the side of millions of workers who pay their taxes and serve our communities, not the wealthy few who fund the Conservative Party. 

“Our movement is powered by people and volunteers making small contributions they can afford, because they want to change the country for the better.”

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 16:35

Labour candidate's disastrous interview over under-fire PPC

Jane Aichison, Labour's candidate in Pudsey, was silent for an excruciating 12 seconds during an interview with Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The mammoth pause came when she was asked whether Coventry South candidate Zara Sultana should still be allowed to stand after social media posts emerged saying she would "celebrate" the deaths of Tony Blair, George Bush and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ms Sultana has now apologised for the posts, which were written in 2015.

Ms Aichison said: "People do celebrate deaths, sometimes, it’s not good is it? Is it really good to celebrate deaths? It’s not. But people do sometimes, because they feel strongly about whatever that person represented."

Pressed on this point, she said: ‘What I’m saying is that people, for instance… they celebrated the death of Hitler."

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 16:45

Labour's Brexit policy in (less than) 30 seconds 

Momentum, the grass-roots activist network, has put out a slick and pretty funny video about Labour's Brexit position. It's a clever move, as the Tories are going on the attack in a big way over their stance on leaving the EU.

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 17:08

Labour and Tories are “writing promises on cheques that will bounce”, says Lib Dems  

Ed Davey, Lib Dem treasury spokesman, criticised both parties after Sajid Javid and John McDonnell both made major speeches on their fiscal plans.

He said: “Any form of Brexit, whether red or blue, will make Britain’s economy weaker and people poorer. It means much less tax revenue for the Treasury.

“Neither Labour or the Tories can square their spending promises today with the cost of Brexit. They are writing promises on cheques that will bounce.

“In contrast, every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to stop Brexit, build a brighter future and invest the £50bn Remain bonus in our vital public services and tackle inequality.”

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 17:22

Who would you prefer to ruin your life - Sajid Javid or John McDonnell?

"This election is not a choice of whether you do or don’t want your future destroyed, but how," writes Indy sketchwriter Tom Peck.

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 17:45

Labour election candidate quits over likening Israel to a child abuser

A Labour general election candidate has quit after it emerged she likened the actions of the Israeli government to those of a child abuser.

Kate Ramsden stood down over a blog in which she also reportedly alleged that antisemitism claims against Jeremy Corbyn were "orchestrated by the wealthy establishment”.

The candidate, for the Scottish constituency of Gordon, said she was resigning for “personal reasons”, Labour said.

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 17:56

This election could be won by deepfakes

Boris Johnson understands the dangerous power of social media, writes Indy commissioning editor Kuba Shand-Baptiste.

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 18:19

That's it for The Independent's politics liveblog for the day. Thanks for following!

Lizzy Buchan7 November 2019 18:30

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