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As it happenedended1575677306

BBC leaders debate - live: Corbyn and Boris Johnson clash on racism, security and Brexit as snap poll finds viewers thought PM edged encounter

Follow all the latest developments as they happened

Adam Forrest,Lizzy Buchan,Benjamin Kentish
Friday 06 December 2019 21:50 GMT
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Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn debate racism and antisemitism during BBC debate

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Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will go head to head for a final TV clash as both leaders scramble to turn the tide of the election campaign in the final week.

The BBC debate comes as Labour narrowed the Tory poll lead with a four-point bounce and Jeremy Corbyn unveiled leaked Northern Ireland-related Brexit documents, claiming they show the public has been misled.

Meanwhile, ​Sir John Major urged traditional Conservative voters to ditch Boris Johnson's party in favour of independent rebels, as hundreds gathered at a rally in London to demand a Final Say referendum.

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Things are getting heated as Jeremy Corbyn brings up Johnson's history of offensive comments.

He says:

"I hope the prime minister understands the hurt that people feel when they hear remarks and articles that he's written in the past. I hope he will regret those and understand the importance of all of us using respectful language in a multicultural society."

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:25
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The next question is about honesty. The leaders are asked what punishment they think is appropriate for politicians who lie during election campaigns.

Johnson says they should be made to "go on their knees through the chamber of the House of Commons scourging themselves with copies of their offending documents".

Corbyn says leaders should be honest about their plans and how they will fund them, and that there is a democratic process in place for holding to account those who do not.

He refers to the Vote Leave claims plastered on the side of a bus and suggests there should be some monitoring of politicians' claims.

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:27
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We're onto the closing statements. 

Jeremy Corbyn says politics can change things. He says a radical Labour government created the NHS and rebuilt Britain after the Second World War. He has a similar level of ambition and tells voters: "On Thursday you can choose hope and vote for real change."

Boris Johnson says the choice that voters face is between a hung parliament and a Tory government that will get Brexit done and invest in health, education and tackling the lost of living. 

And that's it. Reaction and analysis to follow. 

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:31
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Here's the snap YouGov poll on tonight's debate - it's another close one. British politics appears to be dominated by 52:48 splits at the moment...

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:37
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Snap analysis

Jeremy Corbyn may have needed a knockout blow tonight, and he did not land one. That said, it was one of his most assured performances. He was well briefed, landed several moderate blows on Johnson and rebutted his rival's attacks well, including by turning the focus onto the Tories' record of austerity. He also had some good attack lines of Boris Johnson's record of offensive comments and managed to repeatedly make reference to the prospect of the NHS being included in a UK-US trade deal - a genuine fear among voters. 

For his part, Johnson had some success in highlighting the lack of clarity in Labour's Brexit policy, and the uncertainty that the Tories say it would usher in. He also did a good job of getting across Conservative policies on health and education, and rebutted Corbyn's attacks on the NHS strongly.

In short, both leaders performed well, and the snap YouGov poll (see below) reflects that. We know that many undecided voters lean towards Labour and Corbyn's performance may have reassured some of them that voting for him is not as big a risk as they may have feared before tonight's debate. Still, Labour would have wanted him to make a bigger impact. Corbyn performed well but given the current polls, that may not be enough.

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:46
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Nicola Sturgeon is, perhaps unsurprisingly, unimpressed with what she just witnessed...

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:54
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Here are the full results from YouGov's snap poll after tonight's debate...

Who do you think came across as more trustworthy?

38% Boris Johnson, 48% Jeremy Corbyn, 14% Don’t know

Who do you think came across as more likeable?

55% Boris Johnson, 36% Jeremy Corbyn, 9% Don’t know

Who do you think came across as more in touch with ordinary people?

29% Boris Johnson, 57% Jeremy Corbyn, 14% Don’t know

Who do you think came across as more prime ministerial?

54% Boris Johnson, 30% Jeremy Corbyn, 17% Don’t know

Who do you think performed best during the section of the debate on Brexit?

62% Boris Johnson, 29% Jeremy Corbyn, 9% Don’t know

Who do you think performed best during the section of the debate on NHS?

38% Boris Johnson, 55% Jeremy Corbyn, 8% Don’t know

Who do you think performed best during the section of the debate on government spending?

48% Boris Johnson, 43% Jeremy Corbyn, 9% Don’t know

Who do you think performed best during the section of the debate on security and anti-terrorism?

55% Boris Johnson, 34% Jeremy Corbyn, 11% Don’t know

Benjamin Kentish6 December 2019 21:56
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Health secretary Matt Hancock has claimed the debate showed "clear leadership from Boris versus lack of leadership from Jeremy Corbyn".

He told reporters at Maidstone Studios: "There was no game-changer from Jeremy Corbyn and there was the clarity of the position [from Mr Johnson], which has been going down well on the doorsteps."

Asked why Mr Johnson pulled his punches, Mr Hancock said the PM made his arguments "respectfully" before adding: "We've had great clarity of message all the way through."

Chiara.Giordano6 December 2019 22:10
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Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake has said tonight's election debate was "British politics at its worst".

He said the BBC debate, in which Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and prime minister Boris Johnson went head to head, involved "two leaders offering nothing new, nothing different and neither being honest about the pain Brexit will cause our communities".

He added: "Johnson and Corbyn both proved tonight that they are unfit to lead our country and frankly their own parties."

Chiara.Giordano6 December 2019 22:40
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said: "It is clearer than ever that neither of these men should be able to determine Scotland's future - they both represent a danger to our NHS and economy with their disastrous plans to ignore Scotland and drag us out of the EU against our will.

"Boris Johnson's repeated attempts to con the public over his devastating Brexit deal and his failure to acknowledge the mistruths that have characterised his campaign demonstrate precisely why he is unfit for office."

Chiara.Giordano6 December 2019 22:58

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