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| General election: Nicola Sturgeon launches campaign for 'most important election in our lifetimes' – live news | General election: Nicola Sturgeon launches campaign for 'most important election in our lifetimes' – live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| SNP leader speaks in Edinburgh as parties’ promises take shape | SNP leader speaks in Edinburgh as parties’ promises take shape |
| BBC Scotland is to stage a general election leaders debate less than 48 hours before the polls open, which could exclude the Scottish Greens or the Brexit party if they fail to stand enough candidates. | |
| The broadcaster announced that the live debate would be staged at its Pacific Quay headquarters in Glasgow at 8pm on Tuesday 10 December, but the full line-up of party leaders has not yet been confirmed. | |
| The BBC will make an invitation conditional on how many Westminster candidates a party puts up for the election – risking another bitter row with any parties excluded from taking part. Nicola Sturgeon for the SNP, and Jo Swinson for the Lib Dems, have already protested at decisions by broadcasters to exclude them from some UK-level debates. | |
| The Scottish Greens are holding talks later on Friday with the BBC about the threshold it will expect parties to meet. | |
| Scotland has 59 Westminster constituencies and the Scottish Greens, which is separate from the Green party of England and Wales, only have candidates for 21 contests at present, with only three or four of its branches still to decide on whether to stand or not. The rest have opted not to put up candidates. Nominations close on 14 November. | |
| The BBC expects to have Sturgeon, Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour leader, Jackson Carlaw, interim leader of the Scottish Conservatives, and Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Lib Dems. Their parties are contesting all 59 seats. | |
| The Brexit party has still to declare how many candidates it will stand in Scotland, but may struggle to contest all 59 seats. | |
| YouGov has published a thread with predicted voting intentions in the general election by region. | YouGov has published a thread with predicted voting intentions in the general election by region. |
| This just in from ITV’s Paul Brand: | This just in from ITV’s Paul Brand: |
| Several commentators wonder why the shortlist of Conservative candidates for Bassetlaw, a potential swing seat the Tories will need to target, has only been announced today. | Several commentators wonder why the shortlist of Conservative candidates for Bassetlaw, a potential swing seat the Tories will need to target, has only been announced today. |
| Bassetlaw was held by Labour MP John Mann from 2001 to 2019, before he stepped down to become a member of the House of Lords. | Bassetlaw was held by Labour MP John Mann from 2001 to 2019, before he stepped down to become a member of the House of Lords. |
| The constituency has not been won by the Conservatives since 1924, but had a 67 per cent vote for leave in the 2016 referendum. | The constituency has not been won by the Conservatives since 1924, but had a 67 per cent vote for leave in the 2016 referendum. |
| Bassetlaw is making headlines with the deselection of Labour candidate Sally Gimson who was barred from standing by the NEC after internal complaints were made against her. | Bassetlaw is making headlines with the deselection of Labour candidate Sally Gimson who was barred from standing by the NEC after internal complaints were made against her. |
| Mann called the removal of Gimson a Momentum “stitch-up”. | Mann called the removal of Gimson a Momentum “stitch-up”. |
| This from the Times’ Henry Zeffman: | This from the Times’ Henry Zeffman: |
| My colleague Rajeev Syal has written about the former Labour candidate Gideon Bull, who pulled out of the election race for the Clacton seat after accusations that he used the insulting term “Shylock” in a meeting attended by a Jewish councillor. | My colleague Rajeev Syal has written about the former Labour candidate Gideon Bull, who pulled out of the election race for the Clacton seat after accusations that he used the insulting term “Shylock” in a meeting attended by a Jewish councillor. |
| Here’s an excerpt: | Here’s an excerpt: |
| The Lib Dem MP Luciana Berger has criticised he BBC for excluding Jo Swinson from the standoff debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, arguing the decision granted an exclusive platform to two pro-Brexit leaders. | The Lib Dem MP Luciana Berger has criticised he BBC for excluding Jo Swinson from the standoff debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, arguing the decision granted an exclusive platform to two pro-Brexit leaders. |
| A third Labour candidate in one day has been been embroiled in controversy surrounding allegations of antisemitism. | A third Labour candidate in one day has been been embroiled in controversy surrounding allegations of antisemitism. |
| Jewish News reported that Laura McAlpine, the party’s candidate for Harlow, defended her chief campaigner after he wrote about a “Jewish final solution” to the Israel and Palestine conflict. | Jewish News reported that Laura McAlpine, the party’s candidate for Harlow, defended her chief campaigner after he wrote about a “Jewish final solution” to the Israel and Palestine conflict. |
| McAlpine, who is aiming to unseat the Tory MP Robert Halfon, refused to condemn the remarks of Brett Hawksbee, despite a party official having warned that Hawksbee had “breached IHRA (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism) in almost every single way possible”, the article stated. | McAlpine, who is aiming to unseat the Tory MP Robert Halfon, refused to condemn the remarks of Brett Hawksbee, despite a party official having warned that Hawksbee had “breached IHRA (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism) in almost every single way possible”, the article stated. |
| Hawksbee blogged in September 2018: “The fear of many on the left is that the ideological successors of the bombers of the King David hotel, the mass murderers who decimated Deir Yassin, would be quite happy to see a pogrom in Gaza and the West Bank, a Jewish final solution to the Palestine problem.” | Hawksbee blogged in September 2018: “The fear of many on the left is that the ideological successors of the bombers of the King David hotel, the mass murderers who decimated Deir Yassin, would be quite happy to see a pogrom in Gaza and the West Bank, a Jewish final solution to the Palestine problem.” |
| According to the article, one email circulated to Labour staffers stated that McAlpine “isn’t happy with the first line (of the apology) because she doesn’t want to be disloyal to someone who ‘organises so much for her and who she is on the phone with three times a day’”. | According to the article, one email circulated to Labour staffers stated that McAlpine “isn’t happy with the first line (of the apology) because she doesn’t want to be disloyal to someone who ‘organises so much for her and who she is on the phone with three times a day’”. |
| Boris Johnson has turned his failed “Brexit - do or die” pledge into a “do or dry”, claiming he has given up alcohol until after Brexit is sorted, PA Media reports.But according to the report, the prime minister was “watched sipping whisky during a distillery visit in Scotland on Thursday, casting doubt on his commitment to the alcohol ban”. | Boris Johnson has turned his failed “Brexit - do or die” pledge into a “do or dry”, claiming he has given up alcohol until after Brexit is sorted, PA Media reports.But according to the report, the prime minister was “watched sipping whisky during a distillery visit in Scotland on Thursday, casting doubt on his commitment to the alcohol ban”. |
| Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will face each other in a live BBC debate in Southampton on 6 December just six days before Britons head to the polls. | Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will face each other in a live BBC debate in Southampton on 6 December just six days before Britons head to the polls. |
| The BBC will also present a live seven-way podium debate between senior figures from the UK’s major political parties on 29 November in Cardiff. | The BBC will also present a live seven-way podium debate between senior figures from the UK’s major political parties on 29 November in Cardiff. |
| The Today presenter and former BBC political editor Nick Robinson, who will present the two debates, said he hoped they would “illuminate the choice we all face between competing parties, leaders, policies and visions for the country”. | The Today presenter and former BBC political editor Nick Robinson, who will present the two debates, said he hoped they would “illuminate the choice we all face between competing parties, leaders, policies and visions for the country”. |
| This from Kamal Ahmed, the BBC’s editorial director: | This from Kamal Ahmed, the BBC’s editorial director: |
| Nicola Sturgeon had previously described the decision by Sky to only invite Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson for a live debate as “outrageous”: | Nicola Sturgeon had previously described the decision by Sky to only invite Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson for a live debate as “outrageous”: |
| A good point made by the Sun’s Kate Ferguson: | A good point made by the Sun’s Kate Ferguson: |
| This from my colleague Kate Proctor, reporting from Nigel Farage’s rally in Pontypool, south Wales. Pontypool is in the Torfaen constituency, which has been held by the Labour MP Nick Thomas-Symonds since 2015. | This from my colleague Kate Proctor, reporting from Nigel Farage’s rally in Pontypool, south Wales. Pontypool is in the Torfaen constituency, which has been held by the Labour MP Nick Thomas-Symonds since 2015. |
| As predicted by some, the official Twitter account of the Conservative party just shared a meme featuring Nicola Sturgeon with a miniature Jeremy Corbyn in her pocket. | As predicted by some, the official Twitter account of the Conservative party just shared a meme featuring Nicola Sturgeon with a miniature Jeremy Corbyn in her pocket. |
| Many of you, dear readers, will remember the original, a billboard showing Ed Miliband stuffed into the pocket of Alex Salmond, with some believing it was this poster that forced Miliband to rule out an SNP coalition during the 2015 general election campaign. | Many of you, dear readers, will remember the original, a billboard showing Ed Miliband stuffed into the pocket of Alex Salmond, with some believing it was this poster that forced Miliband to rule out an SNP coalition during the 2015 general election campaign. |