Boris Johnson news: Corbyn handed election debate poll boost, as Tories face angry backlash over fake fact checker
Follow events from Wednesday’s day of campaigning as they unfolded
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Your support makes all the difference.The Conservative Party faced accusation of misleading the public during a TV election debate after rebranding its official Twitter account as an independent fact checker.
As Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn endured jeers from the studio audience over their answers on Brexit and the NHS, the Tory press office changed its Twitter handle to “factcheckuk” – mimicking independent organisations such as FullFact.
Twitter warned the party that it would take “corrective action” to prevent such behaviour – but foreign secretary Dominic Raab said “no one gives a toss” about the cut and thrust of social media.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below
Tory ignorance of food banks exposed in figures blunder, Labour says
Conservatives have been accused of ignorance over how food banks operate in the UK, after incorrectly suggesting Labour had inflated figures on the scale of the problem.
It comes as Labour said it would “wage war” against poverty in the UK and reverse austerity measures introduced over the last nine years if Jeremy Corbyn wins power at the election next month.
Highlighting ways the party believed the Tories had failed to tackle poverty, Labour claimed that food banks have “given out 65 million meals” over the last five years.
Tory election candidate suspended over antisemitism allegations
The Conservatives have suspended one of their general election candidates over allegations that he made antisemitic comments
Amjad Bashir, the Tory candidate in Leeds North East, had said British Jews who visited Israel turned into "brainwashed" extremists, attracting criticism from Jewish community groups.
The party confirmed on Wednesday it has withdrawn election support from the candidate and suspended him from the party – though he will still appear on the ballot paper as a Conservative as the deadline has passed to remove him.
Dont-knows give Corbyn the edge in TV debate
Undecided voters gave Jeremy Corbyn a 59-41 per cent lead over Boris Johnson as best performer in last night's ITV general election leaders' debate, according to details of YouGov polling.
The two leaders were tied almost neck-and-neck among viewers overall in the survey, with Mr Johnson edging the contest by 51-49 per cent.
But Labour will be heartened by the fact that their leader appears to have gone down better with the potentially crucial swing voters who could decide the outcome of the 12 December general election.
NHS overtakes Brexit as top priority
An interesting detail from the latest Ipsos MORI issue tracker poll: the NHS has now overtaken Brexit as voters' top priority at the general election.
This will cheer the Labour campaign, who have put the decline of the health service at the centre of their messages – and could trouble the Tories, who want a Brexit election.
The Conservatives are, of course, still well ahead in the voting intention polls. But there's still nearly a month to go before election day, and it's something to keep an eye on.
Protesters call Boris Johnson 'a liar'
Boris Johnson is speaking to workers on Teesside. As with anywhere he goes, there are protesters outside calling him a liar.
PA reports:
Protesters shouting "liar" have demonstrated at a Teesside factory where Boris Johnson is visiting on the election campaign trail.
A dozen people, who said they were local residents, stood outside the factory holding a sign saying "stop lying Boris" as they chanted.
They stood around a hundred yards from where the PM is due to speak to workers, and voiced concerns about education among other issues.
Boris Johnson sets out plan raise national insurance threshold to £12,000
The prime minister appears to have made a key tax offer at a visit to a factory on Teesside, where he promised a "low tax for working people".
Workers pay national insurance once earning above £8,600 at the moment, so it could be quite a significant boost to pay packets.
Johnson said: "If we look at what we’re doing, and what I’ve said in the last few days, we’re going to be cutting national insurance up to £12,000 [ie, lifting the threshold up to £12,000], we’re going to be making sure that we cut business rates for small businesses.
"We are cutting tax for working people."
Reporters travelling with the PM seem to think this was an accidental slip, as No10 aides seem to be in a panic.
Lib Dems manifesto pledges to tax wealthy people more to fly
Frequent fliers would be hit by a new tax in an attempt to cut carbon emissions from aviation, under new plans revealed by the Liberal Democrats.
The party’s election manifesto promises to reform Air Passenger Duty to ensure that people who travel abroad frequently pay more, while holidaymakers would pass less.
The manifesto says a Lib Dem government would ”reduce the climate impact of flying by reforming the taxation of international flights to focus on those who fly the most, while reducing costs for those who take one or two international return flights per year”.
Boris Johnson claims 'no evidence' of Russian interference in elections
The PM came under pressure over why a government report into electoral interference has not been published.
He told workers on Teesside: "There's absolutely no evidence I have ever seen of any interference in UK democratic processes and as for that particular report, I saw no reason whatever to change the timetable of publication of a report, just because there was a general election on."
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