General Election 2019: What you need to know today

  • By ITV News Content Producer David Williams

Happy Monday?

The Tories face mounting pressure to publish a report by the Intelligence and Security Committee examining Russian influence in British politics.

Labour's spending plans and migration policy are under attack.

The Lib Dems are enraged at Jo Swinson's likely absence from the box office TV leader debates.

And Nigel Farage is still waiting on the PM before deciding whether to stand his Brexit Party candidates down in seats where they could split the Tory vote.

Welcome to Week Two of the 2019 General Election.

ITV News will be sharing all the key speeches and campaign appearances as they happen throughout the day as part of our Campaign Live coverage.

You can follow all the key live events on itv.com/news Credit: ITV News

Here’s what's in store today:

  • Boris Johnson heads to the Midlands to meet veterans

  • Nigel Farage will be checking his watch ahead of his midday deadline for the PM while continuing his nationwide campaign tour in the North East

  • Labour will reportedly meet to thrash out the details of its migration policy – after shadow cabinet minister Andrew Gwynne refused to say whether the party would end freedom of movement

  • The Liberal Democrats campaign on their “skills wallet” scheme

What else is making the election headlines today?

The view from the campaigns

Paul Brand says Boris Johnson may have to adapt his tactics in the first full week of official campaigning.

Libby Wiener says Labour face a "crucial week" to convince voters Tory attacks on its spending plans are flawed.

Rachel Younger says while the Lib Dems announce an eye-catching voter offer, the party's main aim of the week lies with the TV leader debates.

Emma Murphy looks ahead to a potentially defining day in the Brexit Party campaign as the clock ticks on Nigel Farage's deadline to Boris Johnson.

Calling Peston: The ITV News Election Podcast

Shehab and Daniel will dial in Robert for his thoughts every weekday of the campaign. Credit: ITV News

If a week's a long time in politics, last Friday seems a fair old way away now.

But it ended with some typically punchy analysis from Robert on the SNP's battle for votes in Scotland and the challenges for Scottish Labour and the Lib Dems.

He also gives his thoughts on which parties have had a good or bad first week.

Plus, Paul Brand and his producer Rachel Bradley share their dire diets on the road, before the episode rounds up with expert analysis for election maestro Jane Green. If you thought polling at recent elections and referendums had been wonky, think again...

ITV News Political Reporters Daniel Hewitt and Shehab Khan will be digesting the campaign every weekday - and dial in Robert to get his take on it all.

The Calling Peston podcast will take you behind the scenes of life reporting on the election campaign trail, hearing from our reporters on the road across the country.

Like what you hear? New episodes will appear every weekday afternoon at 5pm. Download it from wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Today's question: How safe is a safe seat in 2019?

Boris Johnson on the campaign trail in Newport in 2017. Credit: PA

Professor Roger Awan-Scully of Cardiff University thinks any parties resting on their laurels in Wales could be in for a shock.

"It would not amaze me to see, once all the votes have been cast and counted, that some seats we had long considered safe for one party or another have ended up changing hands," he told ITV Wales.

He's listed the seats he believes are most vulnerable across the Welsh nation.

The battle for seats was already deemed highly uncertain - even before Alun Cairns resigned on Day One of the campaign.

So which seats are most under threat?

Prof Awan-Scully and ITV Wales' Political Reporter Owain Phillips assess the battlegrounds.

The Conversation: Transformative change appeals to Telford voters

Among the squeals, the giggles, the chit-chat on the playmat, there is a word you won’t hear at the young mums’ drop in, writes ITV News Reporter Ben Chapman.

They are told this is the most important election for a generation; one that will shape their children’s futures. But ‘Brexit’ is not mentioned once when talk turns to politics.

The Park Lane Community Centre is at the heart of one of Telford’s most deprived communities. It houses a food bank, and in the reception area, there is a community fridge.

It is the two-child cap on Child Benefit, and plans to downgrade the town’s A&E that really affect the four mothers struggling to make ends meet.

Read more from Ben Chapman or watch his report above.

'We're excited about Christmas not the election.'

There's festive cheer in Newcastle but - it appears - not overwhelming excitement at the prospect of the national vote during the countdown to Christmas.

But what do voters want to hear from the politicians?

ITV Tyne Tees hit the streets to find out.

Plus, as ever, here are your...

Catch up on the best of the weekend's campaign stories:

What's happening away from the election?

Here's what else is making the news today: