Boris Johnson already appears to be fighting a losing battle after EU leaders reacted with dismay at his solution to the Irish backstop.

Rory Stewart today announced he will run as an independent candidate to be Mayor of London after he revealed he is standing down as an MP and has resigned from the Conservative Party.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is said to have briefed ministers that the latest plans put forward by the UK are 'not enough'.

Boris Johnson has restored the Tory whip to 10 of the 21 former Conservative rebels who were expelled after backing a bid to block a No Deal Brexit.

Nigel Farage has hinted the Brexit Party will not stand candidates in every seat at a snap general election - even if Boris Johnson campaigns on a pledge to deliver his divorce deal.

These are 10 of the key battleground seats which are likely to determine the UK's Brexit fate at the next general election.

Boris Johnson will seek to rally his troops for the pre-Christmas showdown by attacking Jeremy Corbyn at what promises to be a brutal PMQs session in the Commons later.

Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson are under increasing pressure to form an alliance ahead of the December 12 snap poll to prevent their two parties from splitting the Leave vote in key constituencies.

Figures from poll trackers which map the various opinion poll firms suggest the Conservatives are on 35 per cent, with Jeremy Corbyn on 25 per cent and the Lib Dems on 18 per cent.

Boris Johnson insisted the Tories are the real party of the NHS as he faced off against the Labour leader for the last time before Parliament dissolves for the campaign.

The Culture Secretary is the latest Tory to say they won't stand in the forthcoming poll after Boris Johnson snubbed Amber Rudd's plea to have her whip restored.

Donald Trump tonight lavished praise on Boris Johnson and urged him to strike an election pact with Nigel Farage as the US President launched a stinging attack on Jeremy Corbyn.

Callum Warren, 27, is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the student while she worked as a parliamentary assistant to another Tory MP at Westminster, who cannot be named.

The former Tory Party adviser has taken unpaid leave to tour the UK electioneering for young female Conservative candidates in marginal seats in the run up to December 12.

Andrew Bridgen backed his Tory colleague who faces calls to resign after he said victims should have used 'common sense' and ignored fire service guidance to 'stay put' in the burning tower.

He is facing calls to resign after suggesting victims of the fatal 2017 inferno who followed firefighters' instructions to 'stay put' in their flats as the building burned had lacked 'common sense'.

A re-edited version of a GMB interview with Sir Keir Starmer yesterday ran online showing him unable to answer a question from Piers Morgan. The full exchange showed him answering immediately.

Some 36 per cent of voters have swung behind the Prime Minister, according to a YouGov survey conducted as the official starting gun was fired on the general election campaign.

An alliance between the Lib Dems, the Green Party and Wales' Plaid Cymru in 60 seats has shaken Boris Johnson's Tories who fear the agreement could deny them victories in marginal seats.

Conservative candidate for the seat of Dover Charlie Elphicke will be replaced by his wife Natalie Elphicke after he was suspended from the party over sexual assault allegations.

The Brexit Party leader said he was offered a seat in the House of Lords last Friday, branding the offer 'ridiculous'.

Nigel Farage, writing on Tuesday, said: 'I have no great love for the Tories, but I can see that by giving Mr Johnson half a chance we will prevent a second referendum.'

Nigel Farage was tonight warned by his political ally Arron Banks that he has '48 hours to save Brexit' and that he must stand down more of his party's election candidates.

Boris Johnson today branded Naga Munchetty's interview questions 'ridiculous' after the BBC Breakfast presenter quizzed him about whether he believes he's 'relatable'.

Boris Johnson has ditched the Tory party's pledge, made in 2015 and 2017, to give MPs a free vote on bringing back fox hunting. Meanwhile Labour is said to double wildlife crime officers.

Boris Johnson today urged Donald Trump not to interfere in the general election campaign when he visits the UK next week for a Nato summit.

Nicola Sturgeon made clear the SNP should be directly represented in the renegotiation Labour says it would launch with the EU.

Boris Johnson and the Tories hold a 12 point poll lead over Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party with the general election now just nine days away.

Kemi Badenoch, 39, from Wimbledon who is a pro-Brexit conservative minister, revealed the challenges of campaigning to be re-elected as MP for Saffron Walden in Essex, with a newborn.

Boris Johnson and the Tories have a 10 point poll lead over Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party with the general election now just one week away.

Following an interview on ITV's This Morning, the Prime Minister used what appeared to be a Huawei P20 to take a selfie with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

All the main leaders apart from Tory Mr Johnson have now taken part in the half-hour BBC One inquisition, with critics suggested he is scared of making an election-losing gaffe.

Channel 4's subtitles of a speech wrongly reported Mr Johnson saying 'people of colour' would still be able to come to Britain after Brexit, with the video then being shared widely on the internet.

Michael Gove gave out the No10 phone number live on radio as he was pushed over whether the PM is running scared of the interview.

A YouGov poll found Boris Johnson performed better in the primetime BBC One clash by 52 per cent to 48 per cent - mirroring the 2016 referendum and a result that will delight Tory strategists.

Boris Johnson and the Tories' lead over Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party has narrowed to just six points with the general election three days away.

Jeremy Corbyn has desperately tried to downplay damaging remarks made about him by shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth.

Boris Johnson today seized on comments made by Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth who said Jeremy Corbyn would be a security risk if he becomes prime minister.

A new YouGov survey showed there are 85 constituencies where the leading party is ahead by five per cent or less and in many of those seats the Brexit Party is standing a candidate.

In an eve-of-poll interview with MailOnline, Boris Johnson accused Jeremy Corbyn of repeatedly 'siding with our enemies' and following the 'line to take' from Vladimir Putin.

Piers Morgan was visibly shocked and Susanna Reid had her head in her hands as Mr Johnson's unnamed aide loudly declared 'for f***s sake' and blocked the path of a GMB reporter.

A survey conducted by Opinium between December 10-11 puts the Tories on 45 per cent overall, down one point, while Labour is up two points to 33 per cent.

Some 23 per cent of those quizzed by IpsosMORI said hey could yet alter their support. The analysis for the Evening Standard also showed that Boris Johnson is on course for a majority.

These are 40 seats which the Conservatives are best-placed to take from Labour - and where Brexit Party voters should switch their allegiance to the Tories, or face a Marxist UK prime minister.

Going in to today, Boris Johnson had a narrowing lead in the polls and is hoping to secure a swathe of northern Labour seats. But Labour sources claim its vote is holding up amid a seemingly huge turnout.

The Conservatives have taken the Workington seat from a Labour in a huge swing, managing to overturn a 3,000 majority to triumph by a stunning 4,000 votes. 

The Derbyshire constituency has been Labour since its inception in the 1950s, but the Conservatives last night trounced Mr Skinner to return a 5,299 majority.

With Labour's 'red wall' of Leave-backing strongholds imploding, Boris Johnson said he had been given a 'powerful' vote of confidence by the British people.

The Labour supporting popstar, who has been singing the left-wing's praises during the campaign, posted the message alongside a sad face emoji on Instagram.

The bitter recrimination between Mr Corbyn' hard-Left supporters and more moderate factions began as soon as the exit polls last night accurately predicted the party's brutal pummelling