General Election 2019 briefing: Leaders debate fallout | Sturgeon not impressed by either Johnson or Corbyn | Tories criticised over Twitter fact check stunt

Hello and welcome to the Scotsman's daily election briefing as voters prepare to go to the polls on December 12.

Leaders debate fallout - Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn neck and neck

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn were almost inseparable in the eyes of viewers after a series of heated exchanges during the first televised debate of the General Election.

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Mr Johnson edged a snap YouGov poll 51-49 although Labour figures were pleased with the showing of their leader in the prime-time ITV slot.

Nicola Sturgeon insisted she "wasn't impressed" with either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn during the Leader's debate.Nicola Sturgeon insisted she "wasn't impressed" with either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn during the Leader's debate.
Nicola Sturgeon insisted she "wasn't impressed" with either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn during the Leader's debate.

The pair clashed over their rival plans for Brexit, with Mr Corbyn describing the Prime Minister's pledge to "get Brexit done" by the end of January as "nonsense", while Mr Johnson suggested his rival was "not fit to lead our country".

Mr Corbyn also accused the Government of entering into secret talks with the US to open the NHS to American pharmaceutical companies in a future trade deal.

Nicola Sturgeon not impressed by either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn

Nicola Sturgeon insisted she "wasn't impressed" with either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn, as the Tory and Labour leaders clashed in the first TV debate of the General Election campaign.

Ms Sturgeon, who was mentioned several times in the debate despite not taking part in it, said she did not believe either man was fit to be PM "on the strength of these performances".Ms Sturgeon was not involved in the debate, organised by broadcasters ITV, after a legal challenge on Monday failed to win the party a place in the head-to-head contest

She said afterwards: "The clear takeaway for Scotland from this debate is that neither of these men should be able to determine Scotland's future."Jeremy Corbyn can't decide if he is leave or remain and Boris Johnson is determined to take Scotland out of the EU against our will."

Conservative Party criticised over Twitter fact check stunt

The Conservative Party has faced criticism after one of its official Twitter accounts was rebranded as a fact checking service during the ITV leaders' debate.

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The Conservative Campaign Headquarters press office account was renamed "factcheckUK" during Tuesday evening's ITV broadcast, offering commentary on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's statements and retweeting messages supporting Boris Johnson.

The move was criticised by independent fact-checking charity Full Fact, which tweeted: "It is inappropriate and misleading for the Conservative press office to rename their twitter account 'factcheckUK' during this debate.

MSPs to be warned of new fire risk from cladding and insulation on public buildings

MSPS are being warned of a potential new cladding danger on Scotland's public buildings, and will be urged to ditch their reliance on a "discredited" fire safety test, in light of the student accommodation fire in Bolton which took 200 firefighters to control.

The warnings about laminate cladding - which is different to the aluminium cladding which burned during the Grenfell disaster - will be put to a Holyrood committee today (Wednesday), with politicians urged to ban combustible materials.

Nicola Sturgeon warns of ‘years of Brexit chaos’ as she lays out independence case

Nicola Sturgeon will today warn that the UK will be “engulfed by Brexit chaos” for years as she lays out the case for Scottish independence.

The SNP leader will use a keynote speech in Dundee to warn that investment across Scotland in a range of key public services like the NHS will be at risk if the Tories are returned with a majority.

News in Brief:

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Scotland's Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has insisted election uncertainty means it would be "sensible" for him to lead for the UK in the annual fishing quota negotiations.

• Council by-elections and polls suggest Labour risks going the way of the dinosaurs as traditionally left-wing voters hold their noses to back the Tories because of fears over the Union, writes Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser.

• A Labour government at Westminster supported by SNP MPs "would spell disaster" for the future of the UK, Ruth Davidson has warned.