Katy Balls

Over the parliamentary recess, there's been much speculation over what the government's mooted Whitehall revamp will mean in practice. Part of the plans include a shake-up of the current government departments – the Home Office is expected to be divided, with immigration taken out, while there are plans to beef up the business department. However, the more significant changes will likely take longer to bring into force. Plans are being drawn up to rewire government, change the way the civil service works and ultimately transform the public sector. Today Boris Johnson's senior advisor Dominic Cummings has offered a taste of things to come. In a blog post, Cummings has called on members of the public to apply to work in Downing Street.

After four failed attempts and one ousted prime minister, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill has comfortably passed the Commons at second reading. In fairness, this is not the first time this has happened. In the last parliament, Boris Johnson narrowly managed to pass the WAB at second reading – however, the government then pulled it when the programme motion (which set out a speedy timetable to pass the next stages) was voted down. This time it's a different story. The WAB passed second reading with a large majority of 124  – at 358 votes for to 234 against – while the programme motion passed comfortably at 353 votes to 243 against. This means the UK is firmly on course to leave the EU by 31 January.

One of the most striking things about the government's Queen's Speech was Boris Johnson's focus on where the country could be in ten years’ time: 'Mr Speaker, this is not a programme for one year, or one Parliament it is a blueprint for the future of Britain. Just imagine where this country could be in ten years’ time. Trade deals across the world, creating jobs across the UK, 40 new hospitals, great schools in every community, and the biggest transformation of our infrastructure since the Victorian age.' Rather than simply focus on what his government would do in the five-year term he won last week, the Prime Minister talked about longer term change. This chimes with what Johnson allies privately hope for – a fifth term for the Tories.

The first meeting of the parliamentary Labour party since the party's disastrous election defeat began with a round of applause. Only it wasn't for Jeremy Corbyn. Instead MPs clapped in tribute to those colleagues who had lost their seats in the party's worst election showing since 1935. The reaction the beleaguered Labour leader received was mixed at best – with the session, which ran on for over two hours, dominated by angry outbursts from surviving MPs. Addressing MPs, Corbyn apologised for his role in the result: 'I am very sorry for the result for which I take responsibility. I will continue to lead the party until a new leader is elected.

With a majority of 80, Boris Johnson has his pick when it comes to forming his new look government. However, for now the Prime Minister is contenting himself with a mere minor reshuffle – with plans for a wide-ranging reshuffle in the new year. Today he has filled vacancies in his Cabinet made from MPs standing down, resigning or losing their seat. Simon Hart has been appointed Secretary of State for Wales replacing Alun Cairns who stood down from the role in November over allegations that a former aide sabotaged a rape trial. Hart – the MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire – entered parliament in 2010 and is well-liked across the party.

The Liberal Democrats have capped off a bad campaign with a disastrous results night. The party is on course for a mere 11 seats. To put that into perspective they won 12 seats in 2017. Jo Swinson started the campaign suggesting she could be prime minister. Instead, she has lost her seat. The Lib Dem leader lost her seat of East Dunbartonshire to the SNP. Meanwhile, high profile defectors from the two main parties failed to win their seats, with Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger and Sam Gymiah all missing out. Long-standing Lib Dems have also suffered. Tom Brake lost his seat of Carshalton and Wallington to the Tories. He has held that seat since 1997. This comes after a tricky campaign which saw the Lib Dems squeezed by Labour.

When the first YouGov MRP poll of the election campaign was published last month, it was a cause of anxiety in Conservative Campaign Headquarters. The projection of a Tory majority of 68 was seen as overly optimistic – and there were concerns that it could lead to complacency in the polling booth. The second – and final – YouGov MRP poll of the election campaign does not carry the same baggage. With two days to go until polling day, it now suggests the Tories are on course for a small majority of 28. Were the election held tomorrow, YouGov forecasts that the Conservatives would win 339 seats with Labour on 231, the Lib Dems on 15 and the SNP on 41. The previous MRP poll had Labour losing 44 seats to the Conservatives – this has now been reduced to 29.

It's been a hectic election day for the two main parties. Labour managed to move the conversation to their preferred turf – the NHS – following the story of a four-year-old boy forced to sleep on the floor of an overcrowded A&E unit. As Isabel reports, Boris Johnson's refusal to look at a photo of the boy during an interview has escalated the story further. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was then sent in to calm things down. But that only ignited tensions further after a row ensued over unconfirmed claims a Tory aide was punched leaving a Leeds hospital with Hancock – which were later shown to be false. Labour has released a new party election broadcast this evening which attempts to keep this topic in focus.

You might well expect the final election debate, Johnson vs Corbyn head-to-head on primetime BBC, to provide the most watched moment of the election campaign. In fact, the clip on course to win that accolade has never even been aired on television, and if it were, some of its claims might fall well short of Ofcom broadcasting rules. This video shows an actor called Rob Delaney, American star of the Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe, promising to offer some home truths on the future of the NHS.