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UK general election 2019 campaign in pictures as nation heads to the polls

As the country heads to the polls today, we reflect in pictures on what has been a short, tumultuous and "historic" election campaign.

It began with the Conservative Party way out in front, according to opinion polls, but as election day neared the race grew tighter.

One poll shows the Tory lead over Labour has shrunk to five points, with pollsters now saying the result is "too close to call".

The month-long journey to December 12 has been a bumpy one, with its fair share of twists and turns.

The Tory party has been engulfed in rows about fake news, in one incident being accused of "doctoring" a GMB interview with Labour's Kier Starmer to make him appear stumped on a Brexit question.

(AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)

For the first head-to-head ITV debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, CCHQ (Conservative Campaign HQ) rebranded their Twitter account "factcheckUK", sparking fury online.

The Labour Party has been itself imbued in a row over anti-semitism, with the Chief Rabbi declaring leader Mr Corbyn "unfit for office".

Mr Corbyn then added fuel to the flames by refusing to apologise for suspected racism within his party during his interview with BBC's Andrew Neil. He later said "sorry for everything that has happened".

Broadcasters expecting sit-downs and debates involving all party leaders have themselves become the news.

Channel 4 placed ice sculptures in the place of Mr Johnson and Nigel Farage, Brexit Party leader, after they failed to show up for a debate on climate change.

Mr Johnson then refused to go on Andrew Neil's show prompting the veteran journalist to record a video calling out the PM in a bid to arrange a sit down. The hashtag #chickenBoris then began trending.

Mr Johnson then caused outrage by refusing to look at the picture of a young boy with suspected pneumonia left to lie on the floor of a waiting room of an oversubscribed hospital in Leeds, taking a reporters phone and stowing it in his pocket.

While the 2019 General Election has been called the "worst" in history for negative campaigning and disinformation, it has also had its light-hearted moments.

Mr Johnson has taken to holding his fair share of sizeable fish, wearing hard hats and singing nursery rhymes with toddlers. He even broke through a polystyrene wall with a JCB emblazoned with the slogan "Get Brexit Done".

His biggest competition Mr Corbyn took to wearing aprons, holding babies and getting his beard trimmed by a Welsh barbers.

Jo Swinson, Lib Dems leader, began brick-laying, bar work and boxing to get her message through to the public.

Ending on what was a normal level of hilarity for this year's election, the public was treated to the sight of Mr Johnson walking into a fridge as he was asked for a interview by a Good Morning Britain (GMB) journalist, and Mr Corbyn reading aloud mean tweets about himself.

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