Steerpike

Charles Walker, the former chairman of the influential Conservative 1922 Committee, took to the airwaves last night in an attempt justify Boris Johnson's growing list of TV no shows. The interview followed a Channel 4 leaders' debate on climate change in which the public service broadcaster decided to replace Boris Johnson with a melting block of ice. In return, the Tories threatened to put Channel 4's current broadcasting licence on ice. Speculation abounds that Boris Johnson is attempting to wriggle out of an interview with Andrew Neil following Jeremy Corbyn's disastrous appearance earlier this week. That speculation was only made worse when the BBC press office confirmed that they had yet to pin the PM down.

The Conservatives have launched a new party election broadcast that ran for the first time this evening on BBC One and ITV. The video (which you can view below) is made up of lots of different voters explaining why they're backing Boris Johnson. But what does this advert tell about the Tories' overall election strategy?   Getting Brexit done is still the central message Unlike the Labour party, who are reportedly changing their strategy just two weeks before election day, Boris Johnson is firmly sticking to his central message. But as Katy and James explained earlier on the Coffee House Shots podcast, Conservative strategists are more worried today than they have been at any other point during the campaign.

Elections are a frantic time for parliamentary candidates, as they scrap for a place in the House of Commons. Nonetheless, one of the few things you expect from them is to know the seat they're actually standing in. Apparently not though. Step forward John Nicolson, who was the SNP MP for East Dunbartonshire before he lost his seat to the Lib Dems' Jo Swinson in 2017. Since then, Nicolson has switched constitencies and is standing this election for the Nats in Ochil and South Perthshire. It appears though that Nicolson may have been struggling to keep abreast of the changes. Speaking at a local hustings, the candidate promised to protect his constituents and assured the audience that: 'As you know, only the Scottish National Party can beat the Tories here in East Dunbartonshire.

Jeremy Corbyn's interview with Andrew Neil is likely to be a defining moment in the Labour leader's election campaign. Corbyn struggled to spell out his position on Brexit, refused to apologise over allegations of anti-Semitism and also failed to do his homework when it came to saying how his government would fund its multi-billion pound plans to revolutionise Britain. It's a hard choice but here are the six worst bits from Corbyn's clash with Andrew Neil: Corbyn refuses to apologise over anti-Semitism: The Labour leader was pressed repeatedly to apologise over accusations of anti-Semitism. Four times, he refused to do so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Labour's Jeremy Corbyn had a tough message for rogue, profiteering property owners this morning. In an announcement calling for a 'charter of renters' rights' – designed to protect tenants from landlords who rack up charges on properties in a state of disrepair – the Labour leader promised to 'be on the side of tenants and take on dodgy landlords who have been given free rein for too long.' All's fair in class war. But Mr Steerpike was curious to see if the Labour party's own conduct would match its professed claim to be on the side of downtrodden tenants. The Labour party has its own portfolio of properties (worth over £6 million), which are managed by a separate company, called Labour Party Properties Limited.

Boris Johnson has launched his party's manifesto in Telford this afternoon, joined by his Cabinet who were all confidently clapping away in the front row. All of them, that is, except for one Jacob Rees-Mogg. Eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted the conspicuous absence of the Leader of the Commons. Mr Rees-Mogg has been keeping a low profile after committing the first major blunder of the election campaign. During a discussion with LBC's Nick Ferarri, the MP for North Somerset said that he thought that it would have been 'the common sense thing to do' for Grenfell residents to have ignored the fire brigade's advice and leave the burning building. So is Mr Rees-Mogg currently grounded back in his native Somerset or was he simply watching from backstage? https://twitter.

The Liberal Democrat leader had an awful time on Friday night's Question Time special. The audience was, at best, uninterested in her pitch. A notable moment was when a Remain voter criticised the Lib Dems for their policy of revoking Article 50, calling it 'undemocratic'.

Labour's manifesto wasn't to everyone's liking, but it has found one fan: Lily Allen. The pop star has released a video of her tearful reaction to Jeremy Corbyn's blueprint for Britain. 'It's the best manifesto I've ever seen,' she said, as she openly wept in a video posted to her Twitter account, https://twitter.com/lilyallen/status/1197501067560443904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Mr S has some sympathy: he has frequently felt like crying at the prospect of reading an election manifesto...

Dawn Butler is no fan of Boris Johnson. But Mr S couldn't help but notice the Labour MP's apparent approval for the Prime Minister in the aftermath of last night's ITV debate. Butler attacked Boris as 'full of bluster' but then added: 'Boris Johnson talked about the NHS with compassion, he talked about nurses and doctors. He talked about schools. He talked about all the policies that's going to make the difference in real peoples' lives.' Butler later appeared to realise her mistake by saying Boris Johnson 'isn't even in touch with his own feelings'. Mr S, for one, is confused...