General election: Here's what happened on day 23 of the campaign
Boris Johnson was empty chaired in a climate debate, and the IFS criticised both of the biggest parties' spending plans.
Thursday 28 November 2019 21:49, UK
The climate emergency has been a key talking point on day 23 of the campaign, as well as an appearance at Channel 4 by Boris Johnson's dad.
In a sentence: Jeremy Corbyn launched Labour's green manifesto before going head to head with four other party leaders (no Mr Johnson or Nigel Farage) in the first climate debate on Channel 4.
In a paragraph: Mr Johnson and Mr Farage were empty-chaired at the climate debate, with their parties declining to put up the leaders for the first debate on green issues. Both Labour and the Conservatives faced criticism from the Institute of Fiscal Studies who said neither had a for their spending plans.
In 100 words: Five of the party leaders went head to head in a debate on the climate emergency, but Mr Johnson and Mr Farage were "empty-chaired", replaced by melting ice sculptures which had their respective party's logos emblazoned on the front. It prompted a row between Channel 4 and the Tories, and the Tories wrote to Ofcom to complain about breach of impartiality. Michael Gove took questions on Facebook instead, and Stanley Johnson, the prime minister's father, reportedly offered to take his son's place.
The IFS said it was "highly likely" a Tory government would end up spending more than planned, while it cast doubt on Labour's promise to "ramp up" investment levels by £55bn a year.
Still want more? The economic think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said neither the Conservatives or Labour were offering credible spending plans in their manifestos. Presenting the think tank's analysis of the election manifestos, IFS director Paul Johnson said the choice between the two parties could "hardly be starker".
"Little in the way of changes to tax, spending, welfare or anything else.
"Labour, by contrast, want to change everything.
"Their vision is of a state with a far greater role than anything we have seen for more than 40 years."
Overnight, a new poll emerged, of the same model which predicted the 2017 hung parliament despite the Tories being 10 points ahead in other assessments, and showed a huge Conservative majority is likely.
It led to talk across the Labour Party of a need to change campaign tactics to focus on its heartland areas in the North of England and the Midlands, where communities voted to leave the EU in 2016.
The DUP launched its manifesto and attacked Mr Johnson's Brexit plan, while the Conservatives faced calls to stand down a candidate in Ludlow in Shropshire, after he said a Labour rival was "talking through his turban".
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News that the government's position was that the health service is "not on the table" in talks about a post-Brexit free trade agreement, and that a Conservative government would "walk away" if Washington insisted on including access to the NHS.
Moment of the day:
Quote of the day:
I've never tried to deceive the public and I've always tried to be absolutely frank. I may have got things wrong, I may have been mistaken, but I've never tried to deceive people about the way I see things.
Photo of the day:
Fact check of the day: Why the IFS thinks parties are being less than honest with voters
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