Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are facing off in the first ever two-way election debate between a prime minister and leader of the opposition.
The clash between the two leading Downing Street candidates began on ITV at 8pm, with the debate chaired by Julie Etchingham.
The pair have so far battled over Brexit and Scottish independence, with one particularly standout moment coming as Corbyn declared the PM was “going to sell our National Health Service to the United States and to big pharma”.
Mr Johnson prepared for the debate by visiting a boxing gym in Manchester, while Mr Corbyn posted a video of himself getting a haircut.
During the debate, the Conservatives' press office rather dubiously renamed their Twitter account "FullFact UK"...
Tories rebrand official Twitter account as 'Fact Check UK' during election debate
The Conservatives’ laughable attempt to dupe those watching the ITV debate by renaming their Twitter account shows you can’t trust a word they say’Leaders neck-and-neck in ITV debate, poll finds
Tonight's debate was effectively a tie, according to a YouGov poll for Sky News.
The survey found that 51 per cent of viewers thought Boris Johnson had won, while 49 per cent said Jeremy Corbyn did.
Chris Curtis, YouGov’s Political Research Manager, said:
“Our snap poll shows that the public is divided on who won the debate, with most Labour voters thinking Jeremy Corbyn won, most Conservative voters thinking Boris Johnson won, and very few people changing their minds. But given the Conservatives went into this debate in the lead, they will hope the lack of a knockout blow means they can maintain this until voting day."
Here comes the spin...
A Labour spokesperson says:
“The big moment of the first half was Boris Johnson’s silence when confronted with papers from US trade talks highlighting his secret plan to sell out our NHS to US corporations.
“Boris Johnson’s sell out deal will lead to years of uncertainty and open up our NHS to takeover by American corporations.”
In truth, rather than "silence", Johnson hit back immediately, saying the NHS would never be on the table in any trade deal.
Then there is this from the Conservative Party chair James Cleverly, who claims that Corbyn did not rule out a second referendum to secure the SNP's support. In truth, he very clearly ruled out a deal with the SNP or any other party.
“Tonight Boris Johnson set out the choice facing voters at this election – a majority Government that can get Brexit done so the country can move on, or yet another gridlocked hung Parliament that will spend all of 2020 arguing about Brexit.
“Jeremy Corbyn showed exactly why he is unfit to govern our country. He failed 9 times to say where he stands on Brexit. He refused to rule out a second referendum on Scotland in return for Nicola Sturgeon’s support to put him into Downing St. He wouldn’t say how Labour would tackle unlimited and uncontrolled immigration or how he would keep Britain safe. And his fantasy economics would take a sledgehammer to the British economy – leaving hardworking taxpayers to foot the bill.“The decision on 12th December is clearer than ever: vote for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour for more Brexit delay, a broken economy and the chaos of two referendums. Or vote for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives so we can get Brexit done and focus on our police, hospitals and schools.”
Snap analysis
What did we learn from that? In short, very little. Boris Johnson used every opportunity to turn the debate onto Labour's Brexit policy - a tactic that was somewhat effective initially but is likely to have irritated viewers after an entire hour of soundbites about getting Brexit done or facing "dither or delay" under Corbyn. It was impressive message discipline but has hints of Theresa May's much-ridiculed repetition of her "strong and stable" strapline, and in the end prompted mocking laughter from the studio audience.
That said, at least the prime minister had a clear message. It was far from clear what point Jeremy Corbyn was trying to get across. His answers were often wooly and neither talked up Labour's plans or criticised the Conservatives'. He had an open goal on issues like the NHS and trust in politics but failed to land any solid blows on Johnson apart from one good attack about the Tories selling off the NHS to Donald Trump.
With just over three weeks to go until polling day, it is hard to see how the debate will change anything. Given the current polls, which give the Tories a commanding lead, that means that Team Johnson will likely come away from tonight's debate happier than Team Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn says monarchy 'needs improvement' as leaders face questions about Prince Andrew
Corbyn says monarchy needs 'improvement' in wake of Prince Andrew scandal
The Labour leader and PM Boris Johnson were asked about their views on the monarchy during a televised head-to-head debate on Tuesday night.Leaders asked what they would leave each other under the Christmas tree
We're onto the closing statements...
Corbyn asks people to register to vote. He says they should "vote for hope and vote for Labour".
Johnson says, for the umpteenth time, that the choice is simply: get Brexit done or spend "another groundhog year with another referendum". He says Corbyn has proved tonight that he cannot say if he supports Remain or Leave.
Which foreign leader do you most admire?
Johnson: "I like the EU27, all of them, because they did me a fantastic deal."
Corbyn: "The general secretary of the United Nations."
What present would you leave under the Christmas tree for each other year?
Johnson: I'd give him a copy of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens
Corbyn: "I'd leave him a copy of my brilliant Brexit deal."
We're onto the quick fire round...
Is the monarchy fit for purpose?
Corbyn: "It needs a bit of improvement."
Johnson: "The institution of the monarch is beyond reproach".
Is Prince Andrew fit for purpose?
Both candidates: The focus should be on Jeffrey Epstein's victims.
Is climate change the biggest issue facing Britain?
Johnson: "It is a colossal issue for the entire world."
Corbyn: "It's the most massive issue facing the world."
Julie Etchingham asks the candidates if they have found a "magic money tree". There is laughter from the audience.
Johnson responds about Corbyn: “It’s a magic money forest he has got”
Audience member asks leaders: "How can we trust you to get us out of this mess?"
The next questioner asks about the impact of austerity. She says the leaders say there is plenty to spend but that neither of the candidates have ever had to worry about money, and accuses them of "silly election giveaways".
Corbyn says nine years of austerity has seen growth in the number of billionaires but also growth in poverty. He pledges a Living Wage of £10 an hour and an end to zero hours contracts.
Johnson boasts that he has "shelved a plan to cut corporation tax", providing £6bn more for spending on the NHS and other services.
Corbyn highlights all the current problems in the NHS. He says "let's end privatisation within the NHS and instead have a fully-funded NHS for all people".
Johnson says his government is investing record levels of money in the NHS and repeats that the health system "will never be up for sale" in any trade deal.
He takes us back about ten years by accusing Labour of having "ruined the public finances" and attacks Labour's "crackpot" plan for a four-day working week.
Corbyn says Johnson is not telling the truth about building 40 new hospitals, and that the figure is actually six.
The next question is about the NHS. A hospital doctor in the audience asks how the leaders will address the crisis in the health system.
Corbyn says the NHS is under "the most unbelievable pressure". He says a friend of his died yesterday of secondary breast cancer. She went to hospital at her GP's advice but had to wait eight hours to be seen, he says.
Johnson says the NHS is one of the best things about Britain and the Tories are determined to fund it for the long-term. He claims again, falsely, that his government is building 40 new hospitals.
Phew. It's the ad break after a frantic first half an hour in which we learned almost nothing. The debate was bad-tempered and frustrating, with Johnson taking every opportunity to turn the debate to Labour's Brexit policy or, as he sees it, lack of one. Corbyn tried to defend it but failed to land any real punches on the prime minister, apart from an effective line about the NHS being on the table when it comes to a future trade deal with the US.
It's been pretty even so far - equally bad, some might say - although Johnson has had the clearer answers and more effective attack lines. It has not been entirely clear at times what message Corbyn is trying to get across. Second half coming up...
Julie Etchingham asks the leaders if they will take personal responsibility for their decisions. She asks Johnson about having failed to deliver Brexit by 31 October as promised, and asks Corbyn about his record on antisemitism.
Corbyn says antisemitism is an "absolute evil and scourge within our society" and that he has taken action within his party, leading to members being suspended or expelled whenever there is evidence of antisemitism.
Johnson just goes on the attack, accusing Corbyn of a failure of leadership on antisemitism, although not as bad a one as on Brexit.
The audience laughs as Johnson is asked whether truth matters in this campaign and says: "I think it does". He says he's been honest about the deal he has done but that Corbyn "won't come clean with the electorate about what he is preparing to do".
Corbyn says all his policies are very clear.
Jeremy Corbyn attacks Boris Johnson over the NHS.
The third question is about leadership. The questioner says both leaders are responsible for a political debate that has become "toxic and degraded, with an appalling level of lies and abuse". How can we trust you, he asks?
Johnson blames Parliament for the state of British politics, saying it has ignored the will of the people on Brexit and that the only way to restore trust in politics is to get Brexit done.
Corbyn says trust is something that has to be earned and that he listens carefully to everyone he meets. "My style of leadership is actually to listen to people and bring consensus", he says.
Boris Johnson is asked about his insistence that he would not allow a border down the Irish Sea, before negotiating a Brexit deal that includes exactly that. He says that under his deal, the whole of the UK comes out of the EU together.
Social media is an increasingly important battle ground in elections - and home to many questionable claims pumped out by all sides. If social media sites won't investigate the truth of divisive advertising, we will. Please send any political Facebook advertising you receive to digitaldemocracy@independent.co.uk, and we will catalogue and investigate it. Read more here.
