swinson jo swinson if anyone in recent years but i think poorjoe swinsonjo swinson if anyone had a had swinsonjo swinson if anyone had a hard time tonight, it was her they slammed her for the lib hard time tonight, it was her they slammed herfor the lib dems mrecord both on their own and the coalition. she had the most to see. another paper going with the jeremy she had the most to see. another paper going with thejeremy corbyn neutrality line. who do you think handled this the best? nicola sturgeon. hands down? yes. they made the point quite rightly she does represent 5% of the voting population which is a strange decision but obviously the rules being what they are, she ended up with the same amount of time but she was fluid, she was polite and she landed her messages. we seen this and previous debates. time and again, it nicola sturgeon who actually performs the best in the circumstances but then she can also edit that may adopt a very specific position where she has the track re cord position where she has the track record to defend, clear and consistent records and arguments and

let us see howjo swinson try to sell a policy. parents going back to work with free high—quality child health care and their first year of school. 35 48 weeks a year. another big number on the paper is the remaining bonus, which they saved by the year 2024, 2025, will be raking in14 saved by the year 2024, 2025, will be raking in 14 billion a year. we know they want to stop brexit, that very clear. they'll be more money to spend on public services because the economy will be bigger most economists agree with that premise that the economy will be bigger if we stay in for the first few years, but then you get all of the health warnings about forecasts. it is not a definite number that putting a figure like that in five years times, who knows what is going to happen to the world economy and the time. there will be some criticism saying yes, you can say you're being careful your calculations, but there's a huge amount of uncertainty about forecasting how much money you will have if you stay in the european union as opposed to leaving.

next up, jo swinson, leader of the liberal democrats. launched their manifesto this week, pledging to cancel brexit if they secure a majority. and finally, borisjohnson, the leader of the conservatives. who has promised to — in his words — "get brexit done". and, remember, we'll be fact checking the programme throughout with bbc reality check, and afterwards we'll be getting all the reaction and analysis from here inside the spin room. hello and a warm welcome to viewers around the world to a bbc news special — we're in sheffield building up to the question time leaders special. we are in the spin room where we are going to be watching the debate — let me show you around and give you a flavour of what is going to be happening in here. so the debate is going to be shown on number of big screens. there will be around 100 people crammed in here, most of them journalists, but of course there'll be various senior figures from the political parties here as well, who will be coming up here wanting to give their take on it all. it's not called t

could lib dem leaderjo swinson be our next prime minister?ed to accept today, and our voting system, it would be a huge surprise if the lib dems won outright and she ended up in number 10. but if the lib dems held the balance of power in westminster, they could have a say in who is to be the next pm. jo swinson says she won't back jeremy corbyn or borisjohnson, since he's a brexiteer who won't rule out leaving with no deal. there'll be no coalition government involving the lib dems. they got their fingers burnt afterjoining the tories in 2010. but you won't necessarily need to be in government to have a big say over policy, politics and brexit. that wasjohn that was john pienaar that wasjohn pienaar reporting there. and our political editor laura kuenssberg is in westminster. we heard the lib dems' message loud and clear. it is early days, we know, but politicians can't always control the agenda, can they? that's right, george. the lib dems are aiming high this time. they believe this is a very unpredictable election. and after the crazy poli

jo swinson was criticised for her track record, no real new development there.velopment there. borisjohnson was accused of lying, really no news there. jeremy corbyn, in the previous debate, had had an issue around his position on brexit stop repeatedly asked about it, repeatedly asked about it, repeatedly refused to be drawn on it. clearly he has gone back to his advisers and collectively they have decided they need to come to a position in that position of —— that position in that position of —— that position is one of neutrality. but how did that go down with the audience? i think it went down as well with the audience as it will do with the british public. it shows, his critics will argue, a lack of leadership, and sitting on the fence doesn't really work in politics at the best of times. and it certainly doesn't work when it comes to brexit. just look at theresa may and her position, attempting to play both sides, attempting to placate all different arguments within the brexit spectrum and actually failing to do any of it. i'm not suggesting that theresa ma

cheering candidate for prime minister, jo swinson!beral democrat government. brexit and build a brighterfuture. cheering some people will ask what‘s happened to the liberal democrats, why are they being so ambitious all of a sudden? we are being ambitious because we can be. and because we have to be. politics is in a state of flux. the fault line is no longer about left versus right. it‘s about values. whether we are open or closed. liberal, authoritarian. the only uncertainty is what will emerge. whether as the two big old tired parties hope that things will go back to business as usual. or whether this is a moment for seismic change. whether a new and different politics can emerge. millions of voters have that choice in their hands at this election! don‘t let anyone tell you what has to happen. change is possible and you get to choose! the mps like louisiana, sam, who chose to join the liberal democrats, to leave those tired old parties that are stuck in the past andjoin us and parties that are stuck in the past and join us and be p

know, there are three candidates and jo swinson is one of them.emy corbyn and borisjohnson support brexit, saw the millions of people who want to hear the voice of remain will not hear it ifjo swinson and the liberal democrats are not in that debate. that would undermine our election, our democracy and i am very surprised that both itn and dare i say the bbc are trying to excludejo swinson and if you look at the opinion polls, you got opinion poll shows two to one voters wanted jo swinson to be in the debate, wanted a liberal democrat voice to be heard. it is quite surprising, frankly, that public broadcasters are not responding to that. 0k, public broadcasters are not responding to that. ok, let's answer some of the viewers' questions directly now. maria from blackpool — i own a small business, battered and bruised by the continuing brexit fight. we import from the eu. though my heart wants to vote liberal democrats, my tactical vote says vote labour in my constituency. is it not time to form a remain alliance with labour even withjeremy corbyn a

they nicola followed byjo swinson and finally boris johnson.ey say and watch their step because previously a political leader stumbled on a programmejust like this a few years ago! the spin doctors will be watching out for that but they will also be wary because this is a particularly challenging format, one that puts the audience in charge, 150 of them designed to be representative of the british public as a whole, and they will put their questions directly to the politicians. from past experience, they can put them on the spot. at the moment, the polls seem to be ossified in this general election with the conservatives out in front, is difficult questions from the audience, a poor performance from that stage, and perhaps the shape of this general election over the next three weeks may change. tune in at 7pm for the question time special. what are we looking for tonight? festival, we will see how the party leaders perform in front of an audience who will ask direct questions from the audience not having a ding—dong with each other as they had

the voice of remain, jo swinson!national stage, why she believes the lib dems matter. we are the only party that can win a significant number of seats from the conservatives and deprive them of the majority. applause. but while the nightclub is different enough to the other parties, can stopping brexit at all costs really appeal? the manifesto calls brexit a national humiliation, is that a way to describe what was a democratic decision?” is that a way to describe what was a democratic decision? i do believe it has become a national embarrassment for our country. when you speak to people in other countries looking at us, and they look at us with puzzlement. but what message do you think that sends to a leave voter, who might have just heard you say that? very candidly, seeking to overturn what was a narrow but clear decision taken by the majority of voters in this country. so, i recognise that the vote in 2016 had that result. the people who want brexit don't know what brexit looks like and that concerns me that i don

it was put tojo swinson, liberal democrat leader, this morning. was put tojo swinson, liberal democratn't necessarily assume the numbers are accurate but we've had those discussions because there are people in those different parties, parties who want to stop brexit, and remain in the european union. we found in the brecon and radnorshire by—election at the beginning of august, we had a successful example of where plaid cymru and the green party did not field candidates. they stood side by side with the liberal democrats and we could return to parliament and mp who would campaign enthusiastically to remain. those discussions are ongoing, i think. we saw that there was the potential for a remain alliance on the isle of wight, anna soubry‘s seat of broxtowe. they will have to conclude those conversations fairly soon. discussions are ongoing. it looks like they could be a remain alliance in certain seats, the question is how widespread it is and how effective it is as well. jessica parker, our political correspondent, thank you. members of the vietnamese community have gathered in london

what isjo swinson saying?ormal complaint and they are not happy that this head—to—head is happening withoutjo swinson. that this head—to—head is happening without jo swinson. the that this head—to—head is happening withoutjo swinson. the lib dems wa nt to withoutjo swinson. the lib dems want to be involved and that is not particularly surprising. the snp have said they think this kind of debate could be misleading, so we will see how that one shapes up. as you know, around elections, there is a lwa ys you know, around elections, there is always a thorough debate about tv debates, who should take part and how they should be run. meanwhile, a lot of discussion about the so—called remain alliance. this idea that certain parties could stand aside in certain seats to get a candidate who supports remaining in the eu and benefit their chances of getting into power. it is something that has been put tojo swinson this morning. i wouldn't necessarily assume that the numbers are accurate, but we have been having those di

so, we leave the third of the party leaders, jo swinson, at the party leaders, jo swinson, at the endng small businesses, calling them the edge of our economy and she argued scrapping business rates would breathe more life into our high streets, she says we have seen enough of the current business rates. the rates of course i what the tories have promised if they are in government. we heard from borisjohnson they are in government. we heard from boris johnson earlier they are in government. we heard from borisjohnson earlier today. so we will hear more from jo swinson later. and at 5:30pm, we will speak to the brexit party's richard take about their policies, so do get in touch with your questions. you can do so on twitter and you can e—mail us do so on twitter and you can e—mail us all the ways on screen at various points in the afternoon. we look forward to hearing from you later. now though, let's catch up on the weather with darren. sunny across many parts of the country and dry as well, but cold overnight. cloud showing across northern ireland. mostly high cloud, but the breeze p

that was jo swinson speaking that wasjo swinson speaking to injure my earlier.said that scrapping the uk's nuclear deterrent, trident — would be one of her "red—lines" — in the event of her party supporting a labour government. i have a moral objection to weapons of mass destruction, unlikejo swinson, i wouldn't be prepared to press the nuclear button that would kill potentially millions, tens of millions of people, but there is also the opportunity costs of trade—ins, the billions, tens of billions of pounds that are required to renew trident, in my view, better spent on stronger conventional defence that is more effective to protect our country, but also on hospitals, schools, better social security provisions, and these are the choices that we should be thinking very carefully about. you know, if the snp is in that position of influence, then these are absolutely the kind of policies that we will pursue. that was the snp's nicola sturgeon there. and we'll find out how the conservatives' manifesto launch, the rest of the day's election campaign news — and othe

jo swinson heavily challenged about her time in the coalition government.ship policy which informs everything the lib dems are doing of stopping brexit. having someone doing of stopping brexit. having someone there who said she was a former lib dem boater who didn't like the policy and thought it was undemocratic. you know, that is a big challenge. and borisjohnson, we heard him, he wanted to talk about brexit. we could see him going there within the first of his first answer. but voters wanted to talk about other things. they wanted to talk about the nhs. they quizzed him about not releasing a report on possible russian interference into british democracy. and you heard him being challenged, on a personal level there, but those things that he wrote a newspaper articles. so thatis he wrote a newspaper articles. so that is the great thing about elections, it is the voters is that the agender. very quickly, helen, before you leave us. we have got a very important we can coming up for the conservatives. yes, we are expecting the conservatives to finally launch

this is something jo swinson is going to sufferfrom, mps. very patronising and leads on her hair and you just cannot see that happening with the other leaders. no, even though boris johnson's air is an thusly fascinating. so she has a point about the sexism directed towards her. i hope that starts to dissipate, it will probably win her support, if anything, dissipate, it will probably win her support, ifanything, if dissipate, it will probably win her support, if anything, if it goes on too long. -- boris johnson's hehir is an thusly fascinating. we can a lwa ys is an thusly fascinating. we can always assume the cabinet won't be identical to the one we see in the picture at the moment. this story,, is about the conservatives who are hoping to use civil servant calculations as part of their campaign to criticise labour's spending pledges. but it's been stopped in its tracks? when you're close to a general election, the civil service are sort of aghast, they can't keep control of ministers at all in the way that they would like to be able to d

let's see howjo swinson tried to sell it.we, the liberal democrats, will help parents going back to work with free high—quality childcare so when the child is nine months old until the first day of school, 30 53 hours a week, 48 weeks a year. the other big number on my piece of paper of the lib dems numbers is the so—called remaining bonus which they say by the year 2024, 2025 will be raking in £14 billion a year. talk us through what the bonus is arisen. we know they wa nt to the bonus is arisen. we know they want to stop brexit, that's been fairly clear and their argument is that by staying in the european union, we will save money because there will be more money available to spend on public services because the economy will be bigger. i said a vast majority of independent economists agree with that basic premise that the economy will be bigger if we stay in, certainly for the first few years but then you get all the health warnings about forecasts. it is a forecast. it's not definite. they are putting in their spending, a

approach and jo swinson is bringing in people from both sidesm approach and jo swinson is bringing inulous whenjo swinson says that i am your candidate for prime minister when it is pretty obvious thatis minister when it is pretty obvious that is almost impossible. it is not impossible, it is not. everybody goes out to any start from scratch. the lib dems had to win over 300 seats falter every time we vote in a general election, we all start from scratch. the labour candidate and conservative candidate are laughing at you. of course they are. they are from the old politics. you say you will go back to the people in another referendum. how can people trust you will actually carry out that referendum when you don't want to deliver on the previous one? the previous one was, in principle, a decision. what has become clear now, even within brexit supporting people from the brexit party to the conservative party, there are disagreements as to what kind of brexit is a decent brexit kind of a settle m e nt brexit is a decent brexit kind of a settlement they want. this referendum is not a reru

and what about jo swinson? cani thing. and what about jo swinson? can i speed this up a bit?”e didn't put anything.” didn't put an animal down because i wasn't sure who they were. anybody else not sure? does that mean you're not sure who jo swinson else not sure? does that mean you're not sure whojo swinson is? that is interesting. that is about half the group. i put a kitten. she is learning something new, so give her time to go into politics and then from her own opinions so people get to know who she is and what she is about. i put a bush baby, nocturnal, big eyes. nobody is sure where she coming from. nocturnal? she is in the shadows. she is so new to leadership. i put elephant, because she feels like the elephant in the room. everyone is looking at her like, what is she doing here? nicola sturgeon, let's move on to her.” put a red squirrel, because she is quite resourceful. i put lion s. i put meerkat because she is always on the lookout for anything she can bend towards getting independence.” put leopard. i put horse. iwasn't sure. didn't know enough to decide. i agree w

jo swinson i5 of our leader is unique. be allowed to 5ide5tep debating the i55ue be allowed to 5ide5tep debating the issue of brexit with someone who wa nts to issue of brexit with someone who wants to remain and itv should not give them the opportunity to do so. that is why this is an incredibly disappointing verdict. not just for liberal democrats, but also for democracy in this country. and for every remainer who deserves to have a voice in this data. you can clearly observe what is going on. we have fantastic support from the people of scotland with very clear message that we have that scotland was that future should be in the hands of the people of scotland. yet, in crucial time, hands of the people of scotland. yet, in crucialtime, where hands of the people of scotland. yet, in crucial time, where we face the very clear risk of being dragged out of the european union against our will, the people of scotland having expressed and desire to remain, that we are not permitted to ta ke remain, that we are not permitted to

jo swinson went to school in cambridge this morning. this is nonfiction.esto, 96 pages, but one topic dominates. the liberal democrats will be fighting to stop brexit. that is our priority because we believe we are better in the european union, it is better for our public services like the nhs, our environment and it is better for people's jobs. the party's main pitch is to cancel brexit. they point to economic forecasts suggesting remaining in the eu is better for the economy — they would have more money to spend. they also want 80% of our electricity generated by renewable sources within a decade, and are promising 20,000 extra teachers in england within five years. today we have set out the details of our plans on schools funding and making sure that there can be up to 20,000 new teachers employed in schools across the country. that is incredibly important for our children's education at a time when schools have really been struggling with funding. what else is in here? more stuff on schools in england, getting rid of 0fsted and replacing it with an alt

leaderjo swinson will claim that staying in the eu will result in a £50 billion "remain bonus" for thenomy. our political correspondent jonathan blakejoins me now. he is keeping a close watch on olive today's developments. the parties last week started off by talking about issues other than brexit, but about issues other than brexit, but a couple of days and we are back to, effectively, the main event? a couple of days and we are back to, effectively, the main event7m a couple of days and we are back to, effectively, the main event? it is a taste of things to come, with brexit absolutely dominating the general election campaign this morning. as you set out, the main parties are putting forward their messages, promises and claims in terms of what brexit will mean for the uk and how they will go about either delivering it all stopping it. the conservatives and labour very focused on the time frame after the general election in which they could deliver on their big promises. for the tories, of course, it is about winning a majority so boris johnson as prime minister can get the brexit dea

as a sojo swinson responded.50 saying that 17 million people are stupid and do not they were voting for? the other democrats standing on a manifesto to unilaterally cancelled brexit has absolutely question my vote. liberal democratic party title is now a misnomer, how can you defend that decision? applause you have an unhappy leave an unhappy remain. what i would say in terms of a policy, we have been very straightforward as a party that we wa nt to straightforward as a party that we want to stop brexit. you might agree oi’ want to stop brexit. you might agree or disagree, i do not think you can accuse us or disagree, i do not think you can accuse us of not being upfront about wanting to stop brexit. we have been crystal clear about that from the very beginning. not for one second doi very beginning. not for one second do i think that that means that you are anybody like you is stupid, i think it means you disagree. i really wa nt think it means you disagree. i really want us to be any situation in this country w

, people who have been in power, well not jo swinson, people who have been in power, well notjo swinsonts have destroyed the lives of people up and down this country. in this very show we look at the coverage of doncaster, a big reason why we are not seeing adequate relief effort is because the tories have not invested in flood relief and flood defence. in your earlier segment you had brooke talking incredibly about how a death in herfamily combined with the lack of youth services led to her being homeless. i think it's very interesting that whilst in the westminster bubble there has been a lot of effort to frame this as the brexit election, of course brexit is really important in a peoples minds when it comes to going to the ballot box but i really think the question of what austerity, the political choice of austerity, as done to this country has been the overriding question whenever borisjohnson in particular has come into contact with members of the public. whether it is on the street or in interviews. this week on the programme to find out what the average person is programme to fi

meanwhile, nicola sturgeon and jo swinson were both challenged on their views over scottish independence and cancelling brexit. i can't force scotland to choose independence, just as i can't force the uk to stay in the eu, but i do believe we should have that choice, so that whatever path we take as a country, whatever kind of country we are going to become, it's one we've chosen ourselves. in this election, my conscience would not be clear if i didn't make sure that right across the country, people have the chance to vote for a remain party, for a candidate that wants to stop brexit, because this might be the last chance that we have to stop it. tonight, jeremy corbyn revealed he'd stay neutral in any new eu referendum he'd call as prime minister. we'll have the latest. also tonight... grace millane was strangled by a 27—year—old man she met online while visiting new zealand. but her parents say his conviction, won't ease their pain. grace was our sunshine and she will be missed forever. she did not deserve to be murdered in such a barbaric way. a group of orphaned british children caug

of the liberal democrat leader, jo swinson. time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins.t of mist and murk, low cloud. some of us were lucky enough to see some bright skies, but that brightness has been at a premium. the next spell of rain is already making its presence felt across western parts of the uk. gusty winds associated with that, 50 miles an hour across south—western london south wales. that is tracking north and east woods, getting as far north as the midlands, southern parts of northern ireland. staying mainly dry further north, but some low cloud, freezing —— well above freezing temperatures. this front is continuing north and east woods. the heaviest of the rain tomorrow is across england and wales. a number of the met office rain warnings in place. the rain becoming patchy as it pushes into northern ireland and scotland. still quite a windy day for the shetland isles and still stronger winds across parts of south—west england and south wales. mild again, nine or 13 celsius the top temperature. we get rid of one area of low pressure, here is another one wait

over five years if brexit is stopped — as they launch their general election campaign their leaderjo swinson change is possible — and hers is the only party that can stop britain leaving the eu when i look at borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn i am absolutely certain i could do a betterjob than either of them! jeremy corbyn says labour would get brexit done in six months — promising to secure a better deal with the eu a labour government will get brexit sorted within six months by giving you, the british people, the final say. the conservatives insist they are the party to deliver brexit — we'll have full analysis of the election pledges made today. also on the programme: jacob rees mogg apologises after saying people living in grenfell tower should have ignored fire brigade advice and fled the fire that killed 72 people. could a home testing kit revolutionise screening for cervical cancer? scientists say trial results are promising, and could increase the take—up of smear tests and we get a sneak preview of the new series of the crown — with olivia colman stepping into the queen's robes. and co

well, meanwhile, the liberal democrat leader, jo swinson, has said there has "been a squeeze" on herso attacked jeremy corbyn's neutral stance on brexit and said the liberal democrats priority was to stop brexit from happening. well, of course the liberal democrats want to stop brexit and we will be campaigning to stop brexit. ok, if that is the case, jeremy corbyn is offering a referendum, you may not like every aspect of what he is saying, but he is offering a referendum, and borisjohnson very much isn't, doesn't that mean you are inevitably going to have to lean towards the labour party and help them form a government, vote things through for them, rather than the conservatives? well, first of all, as things stand, as things stand, borisjohnson is on course to get a majority, and liberal democrats are the best placed party to stop it. towards the labour party and help them form a government, vote things through for them, rather than the conservatives? well, first of all, as things stand, as things stand, borisjohnson is on course to get a majority, and liberal democrats are the be

swinson, and snp leader nicola sturgeon.ll for them a, it is a big night.st up, the labor leader, and from jeremy corbyn a clear answer to the brexit question. >> will you campaign to remain or leave the eu is elected? why would anyone vote labor without knowing the answers the john: the answer was neither one, and his frustration showed. mr. corbyn: we will negotiate a credible leave deal with the european union - please!finish, i'm trying to answer the gentleman's question. second, we will put thatid alonremain in a referendum. i will adopt a neutral stance so i can credibly carry out the sults to bring our communities and country together. john: then, a question that has rt him, anti-semitism in the party, his own treatment of a jewish woman mp. >> a jewish mp was heckled out of the press conference, and two years at least. john: another answer that will be remembered. but nicola sturgeon wants more and hopes to get it if no party wins the eleion outright. >> if there is a hung e rliament, what is the pr your corporation with a minority government? ms. s

well, this afternoon, jo swinson is in bermondsey.rant, and she has been speaking to eu citizens, some 3 million of them living in the uk, and she has been talking to them about their concerns, about the uncertainty caused by brexit and, of course, the lib dems pitching themselves very much as the party of remain. but it is interesting, if you look at the seat where we were this morning, hampstead and kilburn, in 2017, the lib dems got only 7% of the vote. but they are targeting that, believing they can take it off labour because in those areas, they did vote very heavily remain in the referendum. in camden as high as 75% of people voted remain. they believe that by pitching themselves as the party of remain, they can win seats such as that of the labour party. joining me now isjonathan bartley, the co—leader of the green party. good afternoon. as other parties talk green issues, does this encourage you or do you look at it and say this is not nearly enough? it is encouraging. we are setting the agenda in the election, that is what we

should we hear from jo swinson, the lib dem leader?d years and years of and was trade negotiations. more time and energy wasted on getting something that will never be as good as what we already have. more time and energy wasted fulfilling the ideological fantasies of nigel farage so that borisjohnson can play at being prime minister. more time and energy wasted that we could spend on improving everyone's wives. the solution is clear. if you want to put an end to this, if you want to put an end to this, if you want to stop borisjohnson to put an end to this, if you want to stop boris johnson and to put an end to this, if you want to stop borisjohnson and his cabal of hard—line brexiteers, then you need to vote for the liberal democrats. we are the only party that can win a significant number of seats from the conservatives and deprive them of a majority. —— everyone's live. a couple lines that stand out to make a similar length to the labour manifesto, same size as well. the striking thing though laura, that point thatjo swinson making

our liberal democrat candidate for prime minister, jo swinson.ate for prime minister"? could jo swinson really transform a dozen from 2017 into a group who could govern? this is not a normal election. it's not a typical choice about whether you want the red team or the blue team to be in government. her ranks have grown, as brexit has rippled through the two big parties. but as a tribe who unashamedly wants to keep us in the eu, the lib dems believe their best chance is now. i never thought that i would stand here and say that i'm a candidate to be prime minister. but when i look at borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn, i am absolutely certain i could do a betterjob than eitherof them. applause honest whispers suggest number 10 is out of reach, so if no—one got a majority, would she — could she — prop up one of the others? i am absolutely, categorically, ruling out liberal democrat votes putting jeremy corbyn into numberio. you said this morning you want to bring the country together, but how would you do that if your plan is to disregard the vote of m

borisjohnson, jeremy corbyn and jo swinson make their election pitches to business leaders at the cbi'snnual conference in london. the violent protests in hong kong intensify. hundreds of anti—government demonstrators have escaped a university campus, where they had been held by police. but many remain trapped inside the building. they came running out over the barriers, a large amount of tear gas fired down in their direction. gunshots. and this is them escaping basically. you can hear what the police are doing in response. two teenage drug dealers are jailed for life for the murder of 17—year—old jodie chesney, who was stabbed to death in a park in east london. it has been one of the hardest investigations i've ever dealt with. it felt like the world was watching, the world was waiting for answers. and i am adam fleming. join me in half an hour for all the latest from the campaign trailand half an hour for all the latest from the campaign trail and an investigation into a bar chart in hastings. it will make sense when you see it, trust me. kpmg has confirmed it is not renewing its spo

boris johnson, jeremy corbyn and jo swinson escaping.oris johnson, jeremy corbyn and jo swinson make their election pitches to business leaders. the cbi has their annual conference in london. prince andrew faces pressure to give evidence under oath in the us in the wa ke evidence under oath in the us in the wake of his bbc interview. a new hope, as scientists battled to save britain's ash trees, threatened bya save britain's ash trees, threatened by a fungal disease spreading throughout europe. ina throughout europe. in a moment, the sports news. but first, here is what is coming up. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday, but first, a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. at 8pm, we'll bring you the latest on the backlash faced by prince andrew. pressure is mounting for him to give evidence under oath in the us about his links to sex—offenderjeffrey epstein. at 8:30pm, as part of our election 2019 coverage, laura kuenssburg will unpick the day's political events in electioncast, including a look at business woman

jo swinson speaking there. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz schafernaker.o. this picture coming in from shropshire. a lovely wintry scene, if you like that sort of thing. the story this evening will be heavy rain across southern and central parts of england. this is the weather front that has brought the wet and snowy weather to western parts of the uk. the rain that we did have two days ago is still causing problems across parts of south yorkshire. various severe flood warnings in force on the river don. dangerous levels there but the rain falling right now is heavy across southern areas of the uk. this was central southern england, berkshire, the london area. that sort of thing. not pleasant there. on top of that it is cold, but a big difference in northern england, northern ireland and scotland. the skies overnight, leading to a widespread frost. especially across scotla nd widespread frost. especially across scotland and northern england. in scotla nd scotland and northern england. in scotland in the highlands, i wouldn't be surprised if it gets down to

during this campaign the party has been pushing its leader jo swinson as a potential prime minister —they're at about 15% having seen their support actually squeezed since the start of the campaign. in the event of a hung parliament — like in 2010 or 2017 — the liberal democrats could still be a decisive player — and jo swinson could find herself in the role of kingmaker or coalition partner with one of the two big parties — in the event of a hung parliament — like in 2010 or 2017 — the liberal democrats could still be a decisive player — and jo swinson could find herself in the role of kingmaker or coalition partner with one of the two big parties — although her opposition to brexit could complicate that. susan hulme joins us from westminster it is interesting that there has been a change in her pitch at the start of the campaign, she was talking very much about her becoming a potential prime minister. it started off this campaign on how unpredictable it was. but things have crystallized a little bit since then. a couple of things have happened. we have had the brexit party withdrawa

ten ——jo swinson., but over the next four weeks. she has made it very clear that conservatives are going to say and are already saying, if you vote lib dem, you risk putting jeremy corbyn backin dem, you risk putting jeremy corbyn back in number ten downing street —— in numberten back in number ten downing street —— in number ten downing st. she has we are going to spyjeremy corbyn, we are going to spyjeremy corbyn, we are going to spyjeremy corbyn, we are going —— we are not going to supportjeremy corbyn, it will be interesting to see if there is another hung parliament. and if, as she is saying in this interview with the ft, her preferred option is to have another 2020 election, well, is the public going to be grateful for the public going to be grateful for the party who made it possible to have yet another general election in 2020? you wonder. it is interesting, isn't it, it is almost as if she was slightly prodded into saying that she would prefer to have another election than a pact? i think she

sturgeon, followed byjo swinson, and finally, borisjohnson. swinson, and finally, boris johnson. irrespective of the size of their parties, they will all be given the same amount of airtime, about 30 minutes each. what is different from a conventional debate is that here, the audience will be in charge. they will be sitting here, 150 of them, designed to be representative of the british public asa representative of the british public as a whole. they will be putting their questions directly to the politicians. and from past experience, they can really put them on the spot. so, who knows, perhaps tonight we'll change the whole shape of this general election? the question time leaders special kicks off at seven o'clock on bbc one. iain watson, thank you very much. tonight's question time leaders special starts at 7pm here on bbc one, and you can get live fact—checking and analysis on bbc.co.uk/news, the bbc news app and the bbc news channel. and we'll have more on the election later in the programme. an independent think—tank is warning that the

for the liberal democrats, ——jo swinson.rying to show people that if we do get that done we're not to overspend "like labour might", and we may not see that period of austerity. looking at the main parties, we have all their ma nifestoes main parties, we have all their manifestoes now, from the point of view of education, what excites you most? education is your area of speciality, you work with state schools across the country, you know the pressure they are under, you know the lack of resources, you know what they need. i was really excited, prior to the manifestoes, the talk about extra additional funding, the problem is that the devil is in the detail. when you look at the detail, this particular ma nifesto look at the detail, this particular manifesto that came out yesterday from the conservative party, if you spread 200 and messy feeling —— £250 million for childcare over the early yea rs, million for childcare over the early years, that ends up being a child —— a couple of pounds per child a week. we need to do a lot

i have a moral objection to weapons of mass destruction, unlikejo swinson, i wouldn't be prepared to millions, tens of millions of people. but there is also the opportunity costs of trident, billions, tens of billions of pounds that are required to renew trident, in my view, are better stronger and stronger conventional defence that is more effective to protect our country, but also on hospitals and schools and better social security provision. these are the choices that we should be thinking very carefully about, and you know, if the snp is in that position of influence, then these are absolutely the kind of policies that we will push through. and we'll find out how the conservatives' manifesto launch, the rest of the day's election campaign news — and other stories — are covered in tomorrow's front pages. 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guests joining me tonight are ros altman and mihir bose. the headlines on bbc news.... borisjohnson pledges not to raise income tax, vat or national insurance as he unveils the conservative‘s election manifesto. the tories also prom

next up, lib dem leader jo swinson, her party's policy is clear — stop brexit.atic, she was asked. is revoking article 50 confirming to 17.4 million people that you think we're stupid and didn't know what we were voting for? you want to leave. and i don't think that that makes you a bad person. and i want to remain in the eu and i hope you think that doesn't make me a bad person. you can disagree with me, but you lost. i haven't changed my view on whether i think we're better off in the european union. the liberal democrats standing on a manifesto to unilaterally cancel brexit — and the electoral pact — has absolutely cost you my vote. this is the essence of democracy. i am standing here and telling you honestly what i would do if i was elected as prime minister. i would revoke article 50. she was also challenged on her party's five years of coalition government with the tories. when borisjohnson took the floor, it was trust that came up. how important is it for someone in your position of power to always tell the truth? i think it's... i think it's absolutely v

speaking on the bbc‘s andrew marr show, swinson also attacked jeremy corbyn's neutral stance on brexito stop brexit from happening. well, of course the liberal democrats want to stop brexit, and we will be campaigning to stop brexit. ok, so if that's the case, jeremy corbyn is offering a referendum. you may not like every aspect of what he's saying, but he is offering a referendum, and borisjohnson very much isn't. doesn't that mean you are inevitably going to have to lean towards the labour party and help them form a government, vote things through for them, rather than the conservatives? well, first of all, as things stand, as things stand, borisjohnson is on course to get a majority, and liberal democrats are the best—placed party to stop him. ah, you think that is what is happening at the moment? if you look at the polls right now, that is what they say. now there is, obviously, 2.5 weeks to go in this campaign, and i am working very hard to change that situation. you're not conceding yet, but you think that he is going to win. of course i'm not conceding yet. liberal democrats are

fair amount of scepticism about the likelihood ofjo swinson sweeping into number 10 as prime minister are not keen on heathrow airport being expanded, which the cbi are very keen on. when you look across the piece, i am sure they will all be heard with respect but a dose of scepticism about whether or not their plans for the future can be offered an unreserved thumbs up from business leaders. it will definitely be an interesting day. thank you, chris mason, in westminster for us. if you thank you, chris mason, in westminsterfor us. if you look thank you, chris mason, in westminster for us. if you look at the bbc business pages online, you can see that caroline fairburn, the director general of the cbi, was talking to bbc breakfast about her expectations. she said one of the key thing is that businesses need to hear from party leaders key thing is that businesses need to hearfrom party leaders is how the uncertainty over brexit is going to end. you're watching worklife. a reminder of our top story: ford unveils its electric dreams which it hopes will revolutionise and ignite the indust

in between they will be jo swinson, the lib dems leader.ader. their campaign it seems could use more momentum. and nicola sturgeon who hopes for a new scottish referendum which this time she hopes to win. brexit has magnified all of the bets on the table. promises have never been bigger and trust in politics never lower and they will all try to build up their trust rating this evening. i suspect the time may go quickly. and that question time leaders‘ special will start here on bbc one at seven o'clock. follow the debate with our reality check team on line at bbc.co.uk/news. the time is 6.15. our top story this evening. a man is found guilty of murdering british backpacker grace millane in new zealand. two weeks to write 2a songs! how robbie williams had to work fast to adapt david walliams‘s bestselling book into a musical. coming up on bbc news, sam curran takes the crucial wicket of captain kane williamson as the shadows lengthen on day two of the first test between england and new zealand, who are 209 runs behind. back to the election,

anybody else, not sure aboutjo swinson? you don't know who jo swinson is? half the group. a kitten? she is learning a new, give her time to grow and form her own views and opinions of people get to know who she is and what she is about. bush baby. nocturnal, big eyes. though quite sure where she is coming from yet. bush baby. she is in the shadows, new to the leadership. people don't really know. elephant, she is the elephant in the room. you can see the rest of that conversation — and reaction from the three major parties — on the bbc website by searching for the victoria derbyshire programme. and reaction from the three major parties — on the bbc website by searching for the victoria derbyshire programme. venice has been hit by severe flooding after the highest tide in more than 50 years. the water rose by nearly two metres, affecting around 80% of the city. andy moore reports. this is something you don't see very often. the world famous saint mark's basilica, and a single man splashing about in the floodwaters in front of it. this is what the square norm

not invited and the liberal democrats are already consulting their lawyers over the fact that joe swinson was excluded from an i.t.v. debate due to take place on november the 19th just once and has been talking rally here in london and that the election voters are being told that the only choice they have is between a conservative or labor government but that is simply not good enough. now the laws which govern fair and balanced coverage of political parties in the run up to elections long predate the advent of leaders' debates which only started in 2010 and in the light of the liberal democrat complains the electoral reform society is now saying that there really needs to be new rules perhaps even a debates commission we should have a much more clear and transparent and standardized approach to leaders debates when the election season rolls around it shouldn't just be left to deals with certain broadcasters and the whim of particular party leaders of the broadcasters have issued statements in their defense i.t.v. saying its coverage plans are fair meet our obligations for jew impartialit

our liberal democrat candidate for prime minister, jo swinson! wondered how upbeat the liberal democrats are, there you have it. at their campaign launch in westminster this morning, their promise to scrap brexit if they won was central. both labour and the conservatives want to negotiate and deliver brexit. i never thought that i would stand here and say that i am a candidate to be prime minister. but when i look at borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn, i am absolutely certain i could do a betterjob than either of them! labour's been talking brexit too in harlow in essex, a seat the party needs to win from the conservatives. jeremy corbyn‘s pitch is to negotiate what he sees as a better brexit deal and then put that to a referendum with remain as the other option, all within six months. if you want to leave the eu without trashing our economy or selling out the nhs, you will be able to vote for it. if you want remain in the eu, you will be able to vote for that. either way, only a labour government will put the final decision in your hands. because th