General election: Here's what happened on day 11 of the campaign
In a sentence, in a paragraph and in 100 words - Paste BN tells you what you need to know about what's happened in the election.
Monday 18 November 2019 10:24, UK
The general election is creeping closer - here's what happened 11 days into the campaign on Saturday.
In a sentence: The Metropolitan Police said it was assessing two claims of "electoral fraud" after the Conservatives were accused of offering peerages to Brexit Party candidates to get them not to stand.
In a paragraph: The Met confirmed it was making preliminary enquiries, having been written to by Lord Falconer - a Labour peer and former justice secretary. He claimed to have seen evidence from Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe that showed she was "pushed" not to contest the election due to the risk of splitting the Leave vote - in exchange for a place on the negotiating team for the next phase of EU divorce talks.
In 100 words: Despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson flatly denying any peerages had been offered, Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib told Paste BN' Sophy Ridge On Saturday "it has been going on, without a shadow of a doubt".
He added that top Tories were "being economical with the truth" and that Ms Widdecombe had been "offered some sort of negotiating position with the Tory party - from Number 10".
Labour chairman Ian Lavery said that, if true, it could be "political corruption of the highest order".
While Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson said it was "quite right" the allegations should be "looked into and investigated thoroughly".
Still want more? Away from the row, senior Labour figures gathered to sign off on the party's election manifesto that Jeremy Corbyn told voters will "knock your socks off". It will be published on Thursday, according to two shadow cabinet members.
Mr Johnson also took a trip to the tight Tory marginal of Mansfield to speak to voters and tout his Brexit plan. Earlier he announced a £640m "nature for climate" fund which he said would see the government and devolved administrations boost tree-planting rates by up to 30 million more trees.
:: Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
While Ms Swinson highlighted the Lib Dems' pledge to plant 60 million trees a year by picking up a spade and planting one herself in north London. She insisted the idea was "absolutely possible", before heading off to make a pizza.
And Mr Habib raised more eyebrows in his Paste BN interview by saying Remain was a better option than leaving the EU under the prime minister's Brexit deal.
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This could be political corruption of the highest order and in addition to that it could be seen as criminal activity. This cannot be accepted.
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