Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson went head-to-head in a TV debate on Tuesday night. They are both competing in the Tory leadership contest that will decide who will become the next prime minister.
Johnson is ahead in the polls with over 70 per cent of Conservative Party members backing the former foreign secretary, reports Perspecs.
But who came out tops in the TV debate? Some argue that Johnson got his "mojo" back, while others believe that Hunt was the winner.
The Claim
Leo McKinstry argues that the Tory leadership debate winner was "beyond doubt".
In an article for the Express, he says that the biggest winner was undoubtedly Boris Johnson.
While the debate was "surprisingly lively and substantive", he predicts that it will do nothing to change the momentum in the contest.
By the close of the debate, McKinstry says that Johnson "probably increased his lead with his fighting performance".
He argues: "From his bullish opening statement, he was self-confident, eloquent and often humorous.
"At one stage, Jeremy Hunt accused him of "peddling optimism" but that was precisely why Boris won the encounter.
"Throughout his career, his greatest political gift has been his ability to cheer up people. He certainly did so last night, winning far more applause."
Johnson had previously said that the country must "get back our mojo" - this is something that McKinstry believes that the candidate did in the debate.
The Counterclaim
However, the Independent's Sean O'Grady calls Jeremy Hunt the winner of the TV battle - but adds that the war was already lost.
He says that Johnson looked "alternately embarrassed and amused at his own cheek" and that he "didn't look or sound terribly prime ministerial".
While Johnson "looked a bit weary and bored, and had his hands in his pockets like some scruffy naughty schoolboy", Hunt was sleek and groomed.
O'Grady argues: "Where Hunt consistently scored - and made Johnson look shiftier and more evasive than he does normally (which is saying something) - was when he was precise.
"He laboriously tried to pin Johnson down to specifics - to simply answer a question or two.
"It worked. It made Johnson look second rate."
He concludes that Hunt edged the contest in terms of technique and on the scoreboard - although this will likely not be enough to change the result.
O'Grady adds: "For the public, he was the winner, and the better match for No 10."
The Facts
According to overnight figures from ITV, the Tory leadership debate drew an average of 4.3 million viewers.
The programme - Britain's Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate - peaked at 4.7 million viewers. It was the most-watched programme in its time slot, and the second most-watched on TV overall, behind Emmerdale.
The latest YouGov/Times poll of Conservative Party members, released on Saturday, shows that Johnson is still heading for a landslide victory in the Tory leadership contest.
The former foreign secretary holds a 48-point lead over Hunt with just under three quarters (74 per cent) of members planning to vote for Johnson.
Over eight in 10 (82 per cent) Tory members - and 92 per cent of those who are supporting Johnson - say they are fairly certain which candidate they will vote for. Just 15 per cent say they might change their mind.
The leadership contest started with 10 Tory MPs being nominated by their colleagues, and it was whittled down to two - Johnson and Hunt - across five ballots.
The two remaining candidates will be put forward to the Conservative Party membership - with 160,000 members eligible to vote.
The winner will become the leader of the party and the next prime minister. The result will be revealed on July 23. It will be the first time a sitting prime minister has been chosen by party members.
