Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Boris Johnson promises ‘a brighter future’ while Jeremy Corbyn tells the country to ‘vote for hope’ in final election push Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson are travelling across the UK in the final day of campaigning offering competing visions of the UK if they win Thursday’s election. The Labour leader will tell the country to “vote for hope” as he addresses a rally in Middlesbrough and say his party would “save our NHS” if they got into government. And in an apparent attempt to head off Boris Johnson’s central message that the Tories will “get Brexit done”, Mr Corbyn will say: “Labour will get Brexit sorted.” Meanwhile the Prime Minister will highlight that the Conservatives “need 9 more seats for a majority”. He will say: “This is not just about those who voted leave. “However you voted in the EU Referendum, your priorities have been ignored over the last three years whilst parliament has been in gridlock – unable to focus on the issues that matter to you, because it was so busy arguing with itself about Brexit. “That is why we are having this election. So we can deliver on the result of three years ago and then move on, focus on the people’s priorities.” With the polls still showing a healthy Tory lead, Mr Corbyn is attempting to focus on his party’s key offer to voters of putting “money in your pocket” to win over floating voters. He will tell his audience: “My message to all those voters who are still undecided is that you can vote for hope in this election. Mr Johnson’s message to voters is: “The result will define the next decade – will we go forward, grow as a country, unleash our potential? Or will we remain stuck, stood still, unable to make any progress? Tomorrow at the ballot box you have the opportunity to tell politicians that you want Brexit done.” He will add: “There’s only one way to tell them that. And that’s by voting Conservative.” – PoliticsHome Boris Johnson interview: ‘This election is an absolutely critical moment in our national history’ – Telegraph (£) Labour Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth admits that Labour’s Brexit stance is contributing to its ‘dire’ performance… A Labour bigwig has been caught out saying voters “can’t stand” Jeremy Corbyn and revealing his fears for national security under him in a bombshell leaked tape. Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth admitted Labour’s chances of winning seats in the North were “abysmal” and that he “can’t see” Mr Corbyn getting to No10. Mr Ashworth said: “I’ve been going round these national places, it’s dire for Labour. “It’s awful for them and it’s the combination of Corbyn and Brexit….outside of the city seats… it’s abysmal out there… they can’t stand Corbyn and they think Labour’s blocked Brexit.” – The Sun …as Corbyn fails to stand up for Labour leavers who feel betrayed by him over Brexit in TV interview… Jeremy Corbyn today failed to stand up for five million Labour leavers who feel betrayed by his party’s Brexit policy. The party boss, who has now u-turned to back a second Brexit referendum after years of dithering, was asked whether he’d left his supporters behind. He told BBC Breakfast earlier: “I am representing everybody… actually that brings people together. “I am not here to represent the 48 per cent or 52 per cent of people, I’m here to make sure that everybody is represented.” The Labour leader said he would appoint a range of ministers from across the country and Brexit divide to help secure his new Brexit deal if he becomes PM. But he was pressed on his varying range of Brexit positions. Presenter Louise Minchin said: “You said to them, the day after the referendum, we have to respect the decision of the people. “At the end of 2016 you voted for the Brexit process to start, in 2017 Labour campaigned for a jobs first Brexit… In 2018, you said you would not support a second referendum. People heard you say that and now hear you saying something completely different.” He claimed the party had extensively discussed it and debated it before coming to their new position. And Boris’ deal just wasn’t good enough, he said. – The Sun …while 15 ex-Labour MPs launch an advertising blitz against Corbyn Former Labour MPs are launching an advertising blitz to urge Brits to not vote for Jeremy Corbyn. The group has placed adverts in newspapers across the country warning voters “Jeremy Corbyn: not fit to be Prime Minister”. In a blistering attack, they accused the hard-left party boss of having sided with Britain’s political enemies “from the IRA to Russia”. And they warn Mr Corbyn’s failure to stamp out the anti-Jew racism in his own party makes him unfit to lead Britain. The group of MPs are all part of the new anti-extremism group called Mainstream. Two more former MPs – Jim Dowd and Tom Levitt – are the latest MPs to sign up to it. The advert states: “Everyone wants a safer, fairer society. But in this election the Labour Party is set to deliver the opposite. We were all lifelong Labour voters and all former Labour MPs. We are voting for different parties at this election, but we have all come to the difficult decision not to vote Labour.” – The Sun Tory lead narrows in YouGov’s MRP election poll… Boris Johnson is to launch a final assault on Labour’s heartlands as a survey shows that he can no longer be sure of securing a Commons majority in tomorrow’s election. The polling model that accurately predicted the election outcome two years ago suggests that the Conservatives are on course to win 339 seats, Labour 231, the Liberal Democrats 15 and the Scottish National Party 41. Although that would give Mr Johnson a majority of 28, the poll’s range of possible outcomes stretches from 367 Tory seats to only 311. “Based on the model we cannot rule out a hung parliament,” Anthony Wells, YouGov’s director of political research, said. The finding sets the last 24 hours of the five-week campaign alight. When the survey was carried out two weeks ago it showed Mr Johnson on course for a comfortable majority of 68. – The Times (£) …as The Sun identifies 20 key seats where a vote for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party could let Jeremy Corbyn into No. 10… A vote for the Brexit Party in twenty battleground seats will hand Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10. Boris Johnson faces a fight for the North with Nigel Farage’s candidates breathing down his neck in key constituencies scattered in Britain’s Leave heartlands. In some areas, stretching from Warwick to Hartlepool, it comes down to less than five points as the two parties brawl for the Brexit vote two days before the election, according to a poll by MRP. Mr Farage scrapped plans to stand candidates in 317 seats currently held by the Tories and has urged voters to back the PM in order to get Brexit done. However, Boris’ team are still concerned that splitting the Leave vote could lead to a hung Parliament – or even worse, a Labour government. – The Sun …while the Brexit Party’s founder urges Leave voters to back the Tories after accusing Nigel Farage of going on ‘monumental ego trip’… The founder of the Brexit Party yesterday urged all Leavers to vote Tory as she accused Nigel Farage of going on “a monumental ego trip”. Catherine Blaiklock set up the party earlier this year, registering its name and becoming its official owner. She claims she was elbowed out by the veteran anti-EU campaigner after he demanded total control. Ms Blaiklock turned on her former friend as well as the Brexit Party’s chairman yesterday to say: “Nigel and Richard Tice’s whole strategy has been a disaster. Nigel has failed catastrophically, because you’re not going to get a WTO Brexit. You have to compromise.” She insisted: “If you want Brexit, you must vote Tory now. Why would someone in Hartlepool vote for a property multi-millionaire like Richard Tice.” Mr Farage’s spokesman dismissed her attack on him as predictable, and called her unreliable. – The Sun …as Farage makes a last-ditch appeal to Leave supporters Nigel Farage has urged traditional Labour supporters in Leave-voting seats to vote “tactically and sensibly” to ensure Brexit Party MPs are elected. He said his party needed a “bridgehead” in the next Parliament to ensure Boris Johnson did not “sell out” the 17.4 million people who backed Brexit. Mr Farage said his party could get “over the line” in a handful of seats. And he warned of “years of indigestion” unless there were major changes to the PM’s “oven-ready” Brexit deal. At his final press conference of the campaign, Mr Farage defended his party’s election strategy, which has seen it focus on Labour-held seats such as Grimsby, Hartlepool and Barnsley which voted to leave the EU in 2016. He has come under fire from within his own party for not doing more to help the Conservatives win a Commons majority, an outcome which Mr Johnson has said will enable the UK to leave the EU on 31 January. – BBC News > WATCH: Nigel Farage speaking during a press conference in London Labour’s plans to keep free movement pose a ‘security risk’ to the UK, warns Tory minister Brandon Lewis Jeremy Corbyn’s plans to keep free movement are ‘a threat to national security’ – and would let serious criminals and terrorists enter the UK, a senior Tory warns today. In a major intervention 24 hours before the polls open, security minister Brandon Lewis savaged Labour’s borders policy, warning it would leave our boundaries wide open. He published a detailed dossier highlighting 20 terrorists who would be ‘free to enter the UK under Jeremy Corbyn’. The dossier also issued a list of EU nationals who either entered the country despite having criminal records and committed further offences, or who could not be deported after offending in the UK. Labour’s manifesto suggests the party will maintain free movement rules as part of its proposed new Brexit deal. Mr Corbyn has said he wants ‘a lot of movement’ after Brexit. Senior Tories argue that would mean that under the party’s proposed second Brexit referendum, voters would be denied the choice of tighter immigration controls. It also means the UK would be forced to keep swallowing EU laws which put obstacles in the way of keeping out convicted criminals – even those who have committed serious crimes. – Daily Mail Even Remainer Philip Hammond admits Boris will deliver on his bold Brexit promise Philip Hammond has admitted that as long as Boris Johnson secures some form of majority in the election this week, the Tories will be able to deliver Brexit within a matter of weeks. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, admitted Boris Johnson will be able to deliver Brexit quickly after the election. While speaking to Bloomberg, Mr Hammond insisted that regardless of the majority the Conservatives win, they would be able to push a Brexit deal through the House of Commons. He added that the next step of the Brexit process was crucial.Mr Hammond said: “First of all if Boris Johnson forms the next government I am sure that Brexit will be done very quickly. I mean this in the sense that we will push the withdrawal agreement through Parliament leave the European Union within a matter of weeks. This applies regardless of whether the majority is big or small.” – Express Lib Dems continue to insist they can stop Brexit… Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson says voters need to decide whether Britain is “open or closed”. “Are we generous or selfish, do we reach out or pull up the drawbridge?” she asked supporters at a rally. She insisted that the party’s plans to stop Brexit are popular and that only the Liberal Democrats can secure a second referendum. She also accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of “stoking hostility” and “division and hate”. Ms Swinson denied that the party’s plan to revoke Article 50 had been unpopular, citing a petition calling for revocation that was signed by six million people. She said the Brexit Party’s decision not to contest Conservative-held seats had changed the calculation, making the election harder for her party, so it was now focused on stopping a Brexit-supporting majority in Parliament, rather than revoking it altogether. “Liberal Democrat votes will not put Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn in government,” Ms Swinson said, but added that her party would work with others to stop Brexit. She said each new Liberal Democrat MP would push for a vote for a second referendum. – BBC News …as anti-Brexit campaigners urges candidates polling in third place to step aside in key marginals A tactical voting campaign has made a last-ditch appeal for Labour and Lib Dem candidates polling third in a series of marginal seats to step aside so as to improve the chances of the other party defeating the Conservatives. Vote for a Final Say, which is seeking to ensure a second Brexit referendum by preventing a Conservative majority, has compiled a list of 20 marginal seats in England and Wales where, it says, votes for the third-placed party could result in the Tory candidate winning. Based on constituency-by-constituency projections taken from a major YouGov poll, as well as other surveys, the group recommends five Labour and 15 Liberal Democrats formally recommend their supporters vote for the other party. While the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and Greens have completely stepped aside for each other in more than 60 seats under the remain alliance banner, Labour has declined to take part in any formal pacts. – Guardian UK ports ‘preparing to host EU customs checks’ The shipping industry is drawing up plans for EU border checks in Britain for trade bound for Northern Ireland. The BBC has learned that freight could be diverted through ports with space for inspections such as Liverpool and Stranraer, despite the government denying checks will be necessary. Customs staff at the relevant ports could include EU representatives, under the details of the new withdrawal deal. The government said it has secured a “great new deal.” There is also a proposal for smaller “pop up labs” at ports – mobile testing labs for health checks on food exports. There has been at least one meeting this month between officials and shippers to discuss suitable ports. One key issue is the diversion of freight to ports with enough capacity to process the freight traffic and carry out the necessary checks required by the Brexit deal. The Port of Liverpool has an existing Border Inspection Point for exports outside of the EU. Stranraer could be used to process checks for ships using the nearby Cairnryan port, which has limited space. – BBC News The Battle for Belfast: How Remainers are pulling together to oust the DUP As Northern Ireland heads to the polls on Thursday, the DUP are in a curious position. In 2017, they propped up the Conservative government, proclaiming the great influence their 10 MPs would have at Westminster, and how they could shape the course of their desired Brexit – despite 56 per cent of people in Northern Ireland voting to Remain. After rejecting Theresa May’s deal (too soft), then Boris Johnson’s deal (hard, but with an unacceptable Irish Sea border), they returned to Belfast, with their tails between their legs. In this election, again they’re asking voters to give them a mandate to go and influence the Westminster government – without so much as a hint of irony. The truth is they won’t be hugely punished. Politics in Northern Ireland remains deeply tribal, and many unionists will still back their biggest party for fear of splitting the vote and handing a victory to what they see as the other side. The DUP are also attempting to distance themselves from Boris Johnson’s “betrayal” over the unpopular Brexit deal. So while Sinn Fein will take a fistful of seats along the border, the DUP will still romp home in many of its safe constituencies. But in some seats, Remainers are giving them a run for their money. As many as 60 per cent of voters in Belfast wanted to remain in the EU, yet aside from Sinn Fein in West Belfast, the other three seats in the city are held by the DUP. This week, the pro-Remain parties of Northern Ireland hope to change that. – Independent Northern Ireland leaders in final TV clash before polling day The five main Stormont parties have discussed Brexit, healthcare and the collapse of the assembly in the BBC election debate. It took place in the BBC’s studios in Belfast on Tuesday night. The general election takes place on Thursday with 18 Westminster seats in Northern Ireland at stake. Four of the Stormont leaders attended the debate, while the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was represented by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. On Brexit, there was little meeting of minds between the parties. Sinn Féin’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill came under fire for her party’s policy of abstentionism. She said that she believed that Irish interests are never going to be served in Westminster and “one or two Irish MPs will never make a difference”. “I have defended the Good Friday Agreement, the all island economy and made sure there was no hard border on this island because we used our influence where it mattered,” she said. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood argued that Sinn Féin want to “stand outside looking in the window”. “I will go and take my seat if elected to try and stop Brexit, and to try and stop austerity that has been imposed on people here, that has been happening for far too long,” he said. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Steve Aiken said Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal would make Northern Ireland a “place apart”. “There is nothing about Boris Johnson’s deal that is good,” he said. “It’s not good for our economy, it’s not good for the future of Northern Ireland and that’s why we need to stop Boris Johnson’s deal.” The DUP’s Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said there has been poor negotiation on behalf of the UK government. He said Mr Johnson’s deal was and is “flawed”. “That’s why we used our 10 votes in the House of Commons to block the deal. The DUP was absolutely crucial when it came to Brexit,” he said. – BBC News Leo Mckinstry: Die-hard Remainers, life-long Labour supporters and Farage fans – it’s time to put our prejudices aside and vote Boris With the General Election fast approaching on Thursday, Britain stands at a crossroads. One path leads to British independence under Conservative leader Boris Johnson – but the other path follows a far darker course into chaos under Jeremy Corbyn’s Marxist cult. A Johnson victory should usher in a new age of prosperity and national freedom, while a Corbyn triumph will end in Brexit paralysis and financial bankruptcy. A Tory Government will ensure that Britain remains an advanced western economy, where taxes are kept down and enterprise encouraged, where as a Labour Government will turn our country into a basket case, wrecked by trade union bullying and the confiscation of wealth. Every citizen who genuinely cares about our future and cherishes British values therefore has a duty to vote against Corbyn’s hard-left Labour. In practice, that requires everyone – from Tory Remainers to hard Brexiteers – backing the Tories – because only a vote for Boris Johnson can be guaranteed to prevent a brutal Corbyn regime. – Leo McKinstry for The Sun Susan Hall: The faster we quit the protectionist EU racket, the better Donald Trump’s recent visit to the UK set off the usual howls of outrage, with Jeremy Corbyn trotting out his fatuous conspiracy theories about ‘selling off the NHS’ – when asked for evidence, of course, he can only point to the finer details of the processes by which the NHS commissions drugs. Among the bizarre allegations being thrown around by both Labour and the anti-Brexit camp in general is that a UK-US trade deal would mean higher prices for British consumers. It’s a claim that ignores the very point of free trade deals, which are designed to lower costs and barriers between countries to facilitate mutual benefits. In reality, the UK’s adherence to draconian EU rules has forced up costs for British consumers in myriad ways. The quicker we leave, the quicker we can begin to rid ourselves of the barriers imposed by the EU’s formidable bureaucracy, achieving lower prices for consumers, better opportunities for business, and greater efficiencies for government. This is not something new, the EU admits that it abides by a ‘precautionary principle’ which is detailed in Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The purpose of this principle was to ensure a high-level of environmental protection, however over time its scope has widened and it has led to a hidden form of protectionism. It’s thanks to the precautionary principle that the EU has set its face against perfectly safe GM foods, biotechnology and pesticides that have no proven danger. For example In 2003, the US started a World Trade Organization (WTO) case against the EU on the grounds that the approval of biotech products was so slow that it amounted to a moratorium. In this case, the EU invoked the precautionary principle. – Susan Hall AM for CapX Asa Bennett: Boris Johnson needs a big Conservative majority, actually Boris Johnson may not have impressed Hugh Grant much with his Love Actually election spoof, but it is a neat and fittingly festive summary of his core message that is guaranteed to be shared far and wide. This motif is so perfect for politicians seeking to woo voters for this pre-Christmas election that Labour’s Rosena Allin-Khan used it several weeks ago. But that should not detract form the significance of what Mr Johnson put on his own bits of card. “We’ll have Brexit done,” the Prime Minister is shown promising his target voter, adding by way of caveat: “If Parliament doesn’t block it again”. The role MPs have to play should not be forgotten, given how they frustrated and curtailed Mr Johnson’s actions at every turn and led him to only get Brexit a little further through Parliament than Theresa May could manage. But the Prime Minister faces opposition even from those MPs who loyally backed Mrs May’s deal, with David Gauke responding as he vies for re-election with a sign of his own reading: “Brexit won’t get done, actually”. Recent polls, namely one by ICM giving the Tories a 6 per cent lead, have pushed the average advantage the Conservatives enjoy over Labour dangerously close (at 9.7 per cent) towards hung parliament territory. That scenario would leave Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal at the mercy of the opposition parties, who have little interest in seeing it through Parliament. They will only consider supporting it if – at the very least – the departure voted for by the British people in 2016 is put to another referendum, in the desperate hope of reversing it all. The only way Mr Johnson can prevent that is by securing a majority, as he will then have a solid base of MPs – all of whom have made clear they will back his deal – to drive it through into law. – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) The Times’ endorsement for the general election: Back to the Future All elections are of course important. But the stakes tomorrow are higher than at any election since Margaret Thatcher’s battle in 1983 against a far-left Labour Party led by Michael Foot. As on that occasion, the decision taken by voters this time will set the direction of the country for many years. Labour is promising a radical break with the direction established in 1983 and broadly followed by the governments of John Major, Tony Blair and David Cameron ever since. Put simply, it is proposing to turn the clock back 40 years. It is no exaggeration to say that it would put the country on a path of radical socialism that would lead to economic chaos and the rupture of Britain’s vital security relationships. By contrast, the Conservatives under Boris Johnson promise a swift end to the Brexit impasse while maintaining close links with European partners and paving the way for a return to pragmatic, responsible government. The Tories are offering a resolution to the central issue that has been destabilising British politics for too long. Where Labour is proposing another renegotiation of Brexit plus another referendum, quite possibly to be followed by another referendum on Scottish independence, the Tories have a deal that can be passed quickly if they are returned with a majority. This newspaper backed Mr Johnson to become prime minister in July on the basis that he was an instinctive One Nation Tory who had the charisma and talent to find solutions. Tomorrow it may be tempting for passionate Remainers to register a protest vote with the Liberal Democrats or to vote tactically. But a hung parliament is likely to put Mr Corbyn into Downing Street and prolong Britain’s painful and corrosive divisions. The best outcome would be a big Tory majority, allowing Mr Johnson to form a centre-right government that can secure Brexit and address many of the problems facing the nation. – The Times (£) editorial Quentin Letts: Brits can expect an economic bounce, Brexit certainty, a sense of national optimism and relief if Boris Johnson wins Thirty years ago. a youthful blond guy turned up at the newspaper where I worked. His desk was just behind me. Someone said he was called Boris, which we thought a pretty daft name. At first he kept to himself. He didn’t come to the pub at lunchtime (those were the days) or join our laddish gossip about which girls in the office we fancied. My middle-aged secretary, Maureen, warmed to him but I have to say I doubted this Boris person would go far. So much for my talent-spotting abilities. He went on to become editor of The Spectator magazine and one of the most distinctive writers of our era. Tomorrow, at an hour of mortal danger for our country, he has a chance to win a remarkable political victory. Boris Johnson leads his Conservatives into the General Election and the nation is agog. It is like the moment of truth in one of those Camelot films where the hero is about to charge down the jousting track at the villain in glistening black armour. If valiant Boris loses tomorrow, it could be the end of Britain as an independent and United Kingdom. – Quentin Letts for The Sun Brexit in Brief How to preserve British sovereignty during the transition period? – Torquil Dick-Erikson for The Bruges Group John Curtice’s predictions for the election: the MPs who could lose their seats – Sir John Curtice for the Telegraph (£) How will Thursday’s election affect what happens next with Brexit? – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) This election is about giving Boris Johnson the majority he needs to deliver Brexit and move Britain forward – Jane Moore for The Sun Introducing the ‘oven-ready,’ £1000 Brexit Christmas tree – Telegraph (£) These Remainers just want Brexit done – and are voting Tory to make it happen – The Sun If you want Brexit, you must vote Conservative tomorrow – Rebecca Ryan for FreeMarketConservatives