tonight at six, seven weeks of campaigning are drawing to a close, a last—minute dash for party leaders. they've debated, they've argued — and they want your vote in just over 12 hours‘ time. on the road at daybreak — theresa may says the question now is the same as it was at the beginning of the campaign. who do you trust to actually have the strong and stable leadership that is going to deliver the best dealfor britain in europe? jeremy corbyn has addressed more than 80 rallies — he says britain faces a clear choice. five more years of tory cuts, longer waiting lists, underfunded schools in many parts of our country. and hope under labour. the liberal democrat leader tim farron calls for tactical voting to prevent giving the tories a blank cheque. the snp is defending its huge majority in scotland — they want to give scots a bigger

voice in the brexit negotiations. ukip‘s paul nuttall‘s message — when it comes to brexit his party is the real deal. we'll be across the country, bringing you the latest from the electoral front line — also tonight. police searching for xavier thomas after the london bridge attack have found a body in the thames — the eighth victim. they were first on the scene at last saturday's attack — then they had a job to do, today they offered a tribute. celebrities, friends and fans gatherfor a memorial to comedian ronnie corbett. and coming up in sportsday on bbc news. the lions still to hit their stride as they slip to defeat in their second tour match of new zealand. welcome to the bbc news at six.

with just over 12 hours until polls open, party leaders have spent the day criss—crossing the country, making their last pitch to voters. fifty days after calling the general election, theresa may said that brexit was the priority and she was the leader best able to build "a stronger, more prosperous britain". beginning his day in glasgow, the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, warned voters against five more years of austerity and pledged more spending on health and education, delivering hope not fear. we'll be bringing you the last word from all the campaigns but first our political editor, laura kuenssberg, has been following the two major parties — labour and the conservatives. morning. she called it to win it,

but it's not her choice. it's all of oui’s. but it's not her choice. it's all of ours. if you had calls at 530 following her trail like the missteps in the last few weeks. jolly photo 0ps aren't quite her style, and there's not much jolly about this campaign. with security and tighter terror laws on her mind. at eight o'clock in glasgow, jeremy corbyn enjoying his time in the sun. i signed corbyn enjoying his time in the sun. isigned up corbyn enjoying his time in the sun. i signed up just for you. with corbyn enjoying his time in the sun. i signed upjust for you. with his long—held views on security, cautious about the idea of changing laws on human rights. our human rights act protects our rights. the way you deal with a threat to democracy is not by reducing democracy, it's by dealing with the threat. the day before the election, moving his shadow home secretary aside. where is diane abbott? diane abbott isn't well and she's not campaigning. if that is unusual,

much has been about this campaign. theresa may was knocked on social care, a policy that might have caused alarm on many bowling greens, before returning to script. it's about who people trust to have the strong and stable leadership to get the best deal for britain strong and stable leadership to get the best dealfor britain in europe. and who has the will and, crucially, the plan to deliver an brexit. legions ofjeremy corbyn fans want something else. 0pponents say his thumbs don't stack up, but they love labour's manifesto that promises more borrowing and a much bigger state. the first time it's been jeremy corbyn with phil on socialism versus the conservatives and it's giving people the eat opportunity. theresa may doesn't care about people like us. vote labour, for crying out loud, to help this country get out of the mess we are m, country get out of the mess we are in, with this tory government. the

poor are suffering in this blinking country. our manifesto offers something very, very different. they say well it's going to cost a lot of money. yes it is, i know that. but we are very clear about this, we have fully costed it. 95% of the population will pay no more in tax, no more in national insurance, no more in vat. cheering the two main campaigns look so different because the parties are. it's not an election where anyone can say politicians are all the same, they have different vision is an brexit, an immigration. different hopes for the economy. labour would tax more and spend more on schools and hospitals. under the tories there would still be cuts to keep trying to balance the books. they have very different takes on the kind of country this is and what they wanted to be, and very different leaders who are trying to

persuade you to let them take us there. campaigns are not a contest of who covers more miles. mrs and mr may in the tory plane today. at the start of this journey she seemed unassailable, not any more. we've set out in our manifesto the challenges that we face as a country, and how we as government would deliver on those challenges. how we would ensure we were addressing those challenges. isn't it the case, you didn't have to call this election, and you're asking people to trust you for five years after a campaign where the sense is you've said as little as possible. what i have said to the british people is to be open with them about the challenges this country faces. but also about the opportunities that we have in this country. i think that's absolutely the right thing to do. the tory hope... why do

you want this job? the core, not the quality of the campaign will see how a home. my fate will be with mrs may because of her experience. i compared them, one is a lot more qualified, in my opinion, for the job interview on offer tomorrow's. qualified, in my opinion, for the job interview on offer tomorrow'slj think she's a ruthless candidate who can get the country through brexit, which is what we voted for. you think she's ruthless?” which is what we voted for. you think she's ruthless? i think she can be. we shall see. laughter elections aren't straightforward popularity contests. its turnout tomorrow, not tonight, that really matters. elections are decisions on just one day, a choice that changes all our lives for years. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, birmingham. so just what are some of the choices on offer from labour and the conservatives in tomorrow's election? the conservatives' number one goal is to deliver the best brexit dealfor britain.

they plan to increase the nhs budget in england by £8 billion pounds over the next five years. they've restated their pledge to cut immigration to the tens of thousands. and they say they will achieve a balanced budget by 2025. labour have a brexit deal in mind too, putting the economy and living standards first. they promise to end austerity and invest in public services and they'll increase taxes on business and the highest paid. they say they will nationalise a number of companies, and abolish tuition fees for university students in england. 0ur deputy political editor, john pienaar, reports. it may feel like a long march, this election, but then britain is deciding its future, choosing between candidates to run the country. whether you havejoined the battle like the labour faithful here in runcorn today, all you had other pressing business. people everywhere have been making their minds up. my mum works in the nhs, she deserves a pay rise.

my school, the children who go to school, the two schools have got to find almost £1 million worth of cuts in the next three years. my niece goes to university and she is going to leave with £44,000 worth of debt. we havejust had enough. you go to university, you have got a student loan, it hasn't stopped you? no, but i feel it will affect me later on in life and i do not think that is fair. you go to university to get a betterjob, but why should you have to pay? stop privatising the railways and bring them back into the public, you know. instead of selling them off to these private franchises. the glaring differences between the parties and the leaders has grabbed the attention of people who will make such an important, even historic decision tomorrow. government for the many, not the few, isn'tjust a labour slogan. it is what all the parties and both main contenders

for downing street realise they have to offer post—brexit britain. in the hours before the polls opened, people are deciding instinctively in many cases, who they trust to deliver what they think matters most. in deep blue tatton, conservatism has grown deep roots. so what is it today that is making tory support here flourish? theresa may has been in it from the start with the brexit situation. so what about the worry some people have that she is going to go for too hard a break, it is going to disrupt and damage the economy? no, i think she is prepared for that because as i said she has been in it from the start. and therefore she knows the ins and outs and she obviously has the economy at heart. ijust have more faith in theresa may and she is stronger minded. what is it for you? i agree with what she says about helping older people. personally i will lose the benefit for heating, but... and does that not put you off,

losing the winter fuel allowance? probably somebody else will need it more than i do. i'm sure the people who really need it will get it. the race is very nearly over. what comes next, a new government, a new plan, a new place in the world after brexit. that future starts tomorrow, june the 8th. john pienaar, bbc news. the liberal democrat leader, tim farron, is calling for tactical voting, telling labour supporters to back his party where it is the main challenger to the conservatives. mr farron, who's making a six—stop tour of england, claimed it's the only way to prevent theresa may having a blank cheque to do what she wants after the election. 0ur political correspondent vicki young has been travelling with him. serving sausages in solihull where tim farron is hoping to pile on the votes. be generous. yes. he says every vote for the lib dems sends a powerful message to theresa may that she can't have it all her own way. here there were worries about cuts to school budgets.

but they are coming and we have got past the point where you can shave a bit off this budget and that budget. the very clear evidence that all the capital money should be spent on upkeep of schools is actually going on keeping teachers in theirjobs, but that's running out now. next stop, st albans, where mr farron urged labour voters to get behind the lib dems. he said that the only way to prevent a tory landside. how are you feeling? pleased to be in a pub! and onto south—west london. here the party hopes its promise of a referendum on the final brexit deal will go down well with the large number of remain voters. for many voters, this election is the first chance to see and hear what tim farron has to offer. he has built his campaign around persuading those who voted to remain in the eu to swing behind the liberal democrats but he is hoping that promises of more money for health and education will broaden the party's appeal. the lib dems would put 1p on income tax to increase nhs and social

care spending in england by £6 billion a year. and if you want to send a message to theresa may that you are not to be taken for granted, that the dementia tax is not to be given the all clear, and that police and school and hospital cuts are not ok, the liberal democrats is the party you should get behind. after a disastrous result two years ago, tim farron knows it's a long way back for the lib dems but he is confident they are on the road to recovery. vicki young, bbc news, twickenham. the uk independence party leader, paul nuttall, has spent the final day of campaigning on the east coast of england. top of ukip's agenda is brexit — they want the process completed without handing over any cash, whilst cutting net migration. let's listen in to theresa may. 0n the eve of the start of polling, in what is the most crucial general

election that this country has faced in my lifetime. serving in government is a huge honour. but also a great responsibility. and that responsibility is greater now thanit that responsibility is greater now than it ever has been. because our country is facing great challenges but great opportunities as well. and we can come together and build a stronger and more prosperous britain, we can come together and build a country where no one is left behind. that is the choice people face tomorrow. who is it that they wa nt to face tomorrow. who is it that they want to see leading this country into a brighter future. want to see leading this country into a brighterfuture. i was going

to offer you the choice, but you have already made it! this is important because this election is not just about the next five years, it is about setting this country on the right course for generations to come. and i believe we can build that stronger, fairer and more prosperous britain, that we can build a britain where nobody and no community is left behind. i want to see a country where it doesn't matter where you came from or through your parents where, what matters is you and how hard you are willing to work. applause. i want to see a country that is global and outward looking, trading around the world. a country that is

confident in itself. and i believe we can create that country because i believe in britain and i believe in the british people. so let us go out and let us reignite the british spirit because together we can do great things. applause. as people go to the polls tomorrow and cast their votes the questions that they will be asking themselves will be the same today as they would have been right at the start of the campaign. the question is who do you trust to have the strong and stable leadership to get the best deal for britain in europe. because brexit

matters. it is the basis for everything else. who do you believe has the will and crucially, the plan to just has the will and crucially, the plan tojust get on has the will and crucially, the plan to just get on with the job and deliver a brexit and make a success of it because those brexit negotiations start in less than a fortnight. 11 days after polling day. and there is a stark reality which is that if we lose just 60, then the government loses its majority. and that meansjeremy corbyn in number ten and john mcdonnell at the treasury. and we all know what that combination would mean, iraq's economy, highertaxes and borrowing and who would pay the price? the ordinary working people would be paying the price. but we can work to prevent that happening. every vote for me and my team is about to strengthen my hand in those

brexit negotiations, every vote for me and my team is about to get a better deal. every vote for me and my team is about to build that stronger, fairer and more prosperous britain for us all. it is about getting the right deal abroad but also about a better deal for ordinary working people here at home. we need to get the brexit deal right, bring back that control of oui’ right, bring back that control of our money, laws and borders. we need to build that special partnership with the eu, comprehensive free trade agreements with the eu, but we also need to build new trade deals for goods and services around the world with new friends and old allies alike. and here we need to ensure that we are backing those who work hard, helping new businesses to set up newjobs, create newjobs, better paid jobs. and give more

rights and protections to workers. we need through a modern industrial strategy to make sure that growth, prosperity and opportunity are spread across the whole country and people see the benefits across the whole of the united kingdom. we need to ensure that by securing our economy we can fund our national health service, putting record levels of funding into the health service, ensuring we provide the ca re of service, ensuring we provide the care of our elderly need and deserve. and we can put record funding into our schools, a good school place for every child. and for the first time in this country proper technical education to give young people opportunities. we wa nt we want more people to have the chance to earn —— to own their own homes, building more affordable

homes, building more affordable homes and a great new house—building programme. we want to ensure that we build a more united kingdom. protecting our precious union of four nations and one people. and we want to protect our nation's defence and security. we want to deal with the terrorists and stand up deal with the terrorists and stand up to the extremists who try to divide our society. applause. so this is our vision for building a fairer, stronger, independent and more prosperous britain for us all. this is the vision that we as conservatives have. we have the

will, we have the plan and we have the vision to take this country not just through those brexit negotiations but beyond into a brighterfuture. and negotiations but beyond into a brighter future. and a negotiations but beyond into a brighterfuture. and a brighter future for all. so there is a clear choice at the election tomorrow. and it is not about who people have voted for before. it is about who they want to see leading this country into the future. there is no safe vote for labour or the liberal democrats. that would mean that coalition of chaos. it is the conservatives that have the team, the leadership, the plan and the vision to take this country forward. but only the people can give us the mandate. so my message to people is very simple.

give me the backing to lead britain, the authority to speak for britain, strengthen my hand as i fight for britain. give me your backing and i will deliver for britain. thank you. thank you. theresa may on the final rally of her campaign here in birmingham. talking to an audience, but looks to be several hundred supporters. but returning to those core themes of the campaign, called around 50 days ago now, basically she's the only person she says who can negotiate the right deal when it comes to brexit. also highlighting some of the other campaign issues that have been slightly blown off course in the past few weeks by the dreadful terror attacks and other problems about the so—called dementia tax.

for example talking about national productivity investment funds, housing, building social housing and then being able to buy that after a period of ten or 15 years. so that is the final rally in birmingham for theresa may. well the ukip eder paul nuttall has spent his final day of campaigning on the east coast of england. they want brexit to be completed without handing over any cash while cutting net migration. he says his party is the real deal when it comes to leaving the eu. cheering. confident smiles for the last push. ukip's leader paid a visit to one of the party's strongholds. they are convinced they still have a role, even now the uk has voted to leave the eu. ukip says it is the guard dog of brexit. i think people are coming round to the idea that theresa may won't give us the kind of brexit that we really want. the party is pushing

its broader policies, too. it has promised to cut immigration, improve security, put more money into the nhs by cutting back on foreign aid, protect british culture, and promote a fair democracy. the leader says they are prepared to talk about things other politicians don't. we have spoken openly about extremist islamist within our society. i have called it a cancer, said it needs to be cut out. come up with a load of proposals on how we could do that. the other parties wanted to ignore it. ukip had its best ever results at the last general election. this time it is standing fewer candidates in fewer seats. and the party is trying to prove it is still relevant beyond brexit. supporters are convinced they have plenty to offer. it seemed like yourjob is done, brexit, that is done. you're finished. no. we're not. fresh english strawberries! three boxes for a pound! not everyone agrees. i voted ukip last time. so what changed your mind?

ijust, i like her. i like theresa may. he knows he is fighting to prove ukip still has a point. but says whatever the result... toodleoo! goodbye! ..the party is not going anywhere. alex forsyth, bbc news, essex. in one of his final election m essa 9 es in one of his final election messages the co—leader of the green partyjonathan messages the co—leader of the green party jonatha n ba rtley messages the co—leader of the green party jonathan ba rtley said messages the co—leader of the green partyjonathan bartley said people faced a stark choice at this election. we are at a fork in the road and if you do not want to waste £110 billion on trident and look at countries to make the country fit for the 21st century, if you want more investment in the nhs than any other party is offering unique to vote green. well aprilia -- the plaid cymru leader leanne wood has been giving herfinal plaid cymru leader leanne wood has been giving her final pitch for votes in wales said electing an increased majority conservative government would pose a threat to wales and only her party was stand up wales and only her party was stand upfor wales and only her party was stand

up for welsh interests. we face a number of different threats from a tory government with an increased mandate. threats to people in our communities, threats to our and threats to the process of leaving the european union, tojobs and livelihoods. it is only by having a strong team of plaid cymru mps will make sure that wales is taken seriously and not ignored in the way it has been since the referendum took place lastjune. it has been since the referendum took place last june. in scotland the assembly leader nicola sturgeon urged voters to show their support for a urged voters to show their support forafairand urged voters to show their support for a fair and prosperous society and stop the tories in their tracks. she walked a vote for labour risked handing the keys of ten downing st to theresa may. the snp, the party defined by scottish independence, do not want it to define this campaign. nicola sturgeon would much rather talk about her opposition to tory cuts and what she says voting snp

means. it means voting for mps who will stand against tory austerity, voting for mp5 who will stand up for investment in our public services, who will protect the incomes of pensioners, who will protect the winter fuel allowance, the triple lock and who will protect free personal care and stand against dementia tax. they call this the nicola helicopter, flying the snp leader to all the places where her body looks vulnerable. all but three of scottish seats were won by them last time around so they're not fighting for new seats but open to limit losses. nicola sturgeon says she believes theresa may will win the election but may not increase their majority. she thought she gets steam—rollered the opposition and have a landslide but she has been found wanting and has come across as wea k found wanting and has come across as weak and evasive. it is possible

that scotland could stop getting a bigger majority and hold the tories in check. in places like the scottish borders the snp are trying to fight off emboldens scottish tories who said they are the only party who can stop a second independence referendum. they hope to pick up seats like this as a result. scottish voters are effectively being asked to choose whether they want another vote on independence, the outcome of this election could well determine when or if that might happen. some breaking news away from the election. just getting reports of a controlled explosion being carried out outside the embassy, the american embassy being built in nine elms. just south of the river. so that embassy has been under construction for some time now. but a controlled explosion carried out outside the american embassy being

built in the wandsworth area south of the river. no more information at the moment but we will keep you posted on that. let's go backjust while we're waiting for more information on that, to the election tomorrow. the outcome of which of course will be decided in key marginaland course will be decided in key marginal and target seats around the country. jeremy vine is in our election studio and has been considering the scale of the electoral challenge facing each of the main parties. let's look at what the parties may be hoping for, and perhaps fearing as well. here is the map as it was painted in in the 2015 election only two years ago. let's look first at the conservative battleground, the seats they are defending, the most marginal, the tightest last time. gower, derby north, croydon central. these are all ones that they will struggle to hang

onto if they're on the back foot. if they lose just this first column here, the conservatives will be plunged into a minority where they can't outnumber all the other mps in the house of commons. but look at it from the other angle. when this election campaign started people were talking about a conservative landslide. well, these are their targets, the ones that they were closest to winning last time. chester, ealing, berwickshire, brentford, halifax, and so on. if they won the whole of this board, that is 32 extra seats. if they took the whole of the next board as well, right down to 0ldham and luton, that is another 64 seats, you're talking there about a majority in the house of commons of about 130. you would call that a landslide for the conservatives. if it happened. now, for labour the story is different. it is about trying to improve on ed miliband's performance, bad performance, two years ago. so here are their targets. these are the ones they came closest to in 2015. gower, derby north, croydon central, vale of clewyd, bury north. these are the ones that labour will aim at first this time. if they win the whole of the board, 32 seats.