Caroline Lucas has written to ten female MPs calling for an all-women Cabinet. The Green MP proposes a cross-party female leadership team to deliver a new referendum after winning a confidence vote.

Labour was last night accused of betraying the Union to get Jeremy Corbyn into No10 after it crawled over to the SNP and offered them a second independence referendum.

The SNP leader vowed to pass the law on the issue by the end of 2019 with a view to holding the vote in the second half of next year.

Labour looked set to stop Boris Johnson's plans for an early election last night following talks with the SNP. The parties are thought to have agreed an election can only come after a Brexit extension.

Jeremy Corbyn met Ian Blackford, the Scottish nationalists' Westminster leader, yesterday to agree an election should only be held after Britain has secured another Brexit delay from the EU.

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: Just imagine the reaction if a bunch of pro-Brexit English MPs had got onto their hind legs in the Commons and started singing Land Of Hope And Glory.

The Scottish Labour leader today fired a public broadside at Jeremy Corbyn as he warned him not to agree a back room deal with the SNP to get into power.

Dominic Cummings told Downing Street staff that Bill Clinton was more popular as he ignored the Monica Lewinsky scandal and concentrated on his political agenda instead.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said today that any vote of no confidence would have to come after a crunch EU summit in three weeks time otherwise ex-Tory Remainer rebels would not back it.

Labour has been stepping up the pressure for opposition parties to back Jeremy Corbyn as head of a 'unity' government to avoid No Deal Brexit.

Piers Morgan challenged Nicola  Sturgeon to 'suck it up' comparing her defeat in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to Scotland's rugby loss to Japan yesterday.

The State Opening of Parliament saw Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn engage in one of the newer political traditions today - the awkward silent walk to the Lords.

The SNP Westminster leader backs Mr Corbyn's (pictured) claim to be the best person to form a government if a no confidence vote against Boris Johnson succeeds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson could get a Christmas general election. MPs from across the UK are set to vote on Mr Johnson's call for election.

The Labour leader was effectively given no choice but to cave in and back the PM's bill for a snap poll after it became clear it had Liberal Democrat and SNP support.

The scale of infighting within Labour was underlined last night when more than 100 of Jeremy Corbyn's own MPs ignored his orders to back holding a snap election.

The first minister of Scotland said that her party's message would be 'clear, simple and unambiguous - vote SNP to demand independence and secure Scotland's right to choose'.

Jeremy Corbyn is ready to 'throw the UK under a bus' by forming a coalition with the SNP that would break up Britain, Michael Gove has warned. He said that Labour and the SNP were now 'in bed together'.

Boris Johnson said the 2014 ballot - when Scots voted to stay in the union - was a 'once in a generation' decision.

Ian Blackford said today the SNP will draw up a 'wish list' of demands ahead of potential post-election cooperation talks with Labour as he hinted scrapping Trident could be one of the party's red lines.

Jeremy Corbyn caused confusion on a visit to Glasgow by declaring that there would be no ballot on splitting the UK before the next election.

Jeremy Corbyn made yet another attempt to clarify his stance on a Scottish independence referendum today, saying: 'Certainly not in the first two years.'

The Labour leader said he wanted to add 'realism' to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NNPT), with discussions about 'every country's nuclear weapons'.

Mr Johnson has poured cold water on the idea of sharing a stage with Ms Sturgeon, because he is only prepared 'to contest the debates with whoever theoretically could be Prime Minister.'

Nicola Sturgeon tonight claimed Jeremy Corbyn would be willing to sacrifice the Union of the United Kingdom if that was the price of taking power after the election.

Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed she would demand the UK's Trident nuclear deterrent be scrapped as the price of SNP support for a minority Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour's leader in Scotland, Richard Leonard, today suggested that if would only require 'the election of parties into a majority' to provide a mandate.

Lord Kerslake said the Labour party would 'need to have conversations' with the Liberal Democrats and SNP if the election produces a hung parliament. Labour played down the comments.

Boris Johnson today claimed Jeremy Corbyn is not 'tough enough' to stand up to Nicola Sturgeon and reject her demands for a second Scottish independence referendum.

John Nicholson, the candidate for the marginal seat of Ochil and South Perthshire, tried to rally supporters with a tub-thumping speech ahead of the tightly-fought ballot on December 12.

Nicola Sturgeon today demanded £4 billion in extra funding for the NHS in Scotland as her latest price for supporting a minority Labour government.

In a dramatic intervention, Dominic Cummings said the General Election was 'much tighter' than the polls suggested and warned of a 'very real possibility of a hung parliament'.

Nicola Sturgeon's plans for an independent Scotland suffered a hammer blow today after a leading think tank warned splitting from the UK would mean 'more not less austerity' north of the border.

Teenage psychopath Aaron Campbell, who raped and murdered six-year-old Alesha MacPhail on the Isle of Bute, was subject to the SNP's Named Person scheme, a secret report reveals.

STEPHEN GLOVER: The British are respected for their good sense and moderation, or used to be. But they may be about to choose an extremist government that would crash the economy.

The Liberal Democrats lost the East Dunbartonshire seat to the SNP's Amy Callaghan by just 149 votes. Nicola Sturgeon was filmed shaking her fists with joy at the news of her party's gain.

Ms Sturgeon was filmed reacting to the Dunbartonshire East result while doing interviews at the Glasgow count, but has faced fierce criticism over her behaviour.

STEPHEN DAISLEY: Nicola Sturgeon's party went from 35 seats to 48, halving the Scottish Tory MP group and taking Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson's seat of East Dunbartonshire.

EUAN McCOLM: English voters wonder why Boris Johnson is bothering with Scotland as its health service is ailing and school attainment has dropped by more than a third due to changes by the SNP.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon teed up a pitch battle for the future of the UK claiming Boris Johnson will be 'subverting democracy' by refusing a ballot.

ANDREW PIERCE: Ian Blackford, the SNP leader in Parliament, who comfortably retained his Highlands seat, is non-executive chairman of internet provider Commsworld.

The SNP leader made the admission as she addressed the Holyrood parliament and tore into the Prime Minister after his election win. The SNP itself now holds 47 of the 59 seats in Scotland.

Steven Bonnar, the newly elected MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, crossed his index finger and his middle finger as he made a 'solemn affirmation' to the monarch.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she had won overwhelming support north of the border in the election last week - and the PM had no right to block a new bid to break up the UK.

HENRY DEEDES: Word around Westminster is that Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom is for the chop.

Heather Anderson took up her seat on Tuesday to replace Alyn Smith, who had served as an MEP for 15 years but had to step down after being elected MP for Stirling in the recent general election.

The vote was driven by the SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who insisted a second vote on independence is necessary to protect the country from the consequences of Brexit.

The Wombles, who found fame on TV in the Seventies, have come out of retirement to back the Spring Clean. They joined nearly 200 MPs including Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers.

The Labour leadership challenger made the comment at a hustings event last week and provoked fury from the party as she labelled its members 'Tories wrapped up in nationalist clothing'.

YouGov research found 51 per cent north of the border would support independence - the first time the firm has recorded a majority in favour since 2015.