Britain votes 2019: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn draw in final debate

Boris Johnson mocked Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘mystery’ Brexit deal in the final TV debate seen as a virtual draw.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly mocked Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s “mystery” Brexit deal in a final TV debate for the British election that instant polling suggested had failed to hand Labour a breakthrough.

The Conservative leader said Mr Corbyn’s neutral stance on Brexit was “a failure of leadership” on the biggest issue facing the country.

He also hit back at claims that his Brexit deal would separate Northern Ireland, accusing the Labour leader of having spent “all his political life supporting the IRA” and campaigning to “break up the Union”.

The moment was a rare highlight in a generally lacklustre second head-to-head clash of the campaign in which both leaders stuck to familiar slogans.

The event, in front of a 100-strong audience in Maidstone, Kent, was the last set-piece of a five-week campaign that ends with next Thursday’s polling day.

The fact it passed without serious incident will leave the Conservative campaign headquarters increasingly confident of success.

Instant polling of those watching the debate suggested that Mr Johnson had won 52 per cent to Mr Corbyn’s 48 per cent.

Chris Curtis, political research manager at YouGov, said: “This is the same as the last head-to-head debate. Last time round it was probably good news for Jeremy Corbyn because actually he was so far behind, neck and neck would help him gain momentum. This time with just six days to go, with the Tories holding a comfortable nine-point lead in the polls, I don’t think neck and neck is good enough and I’m not sure his team are going to be particularly happy.”

Mr Johnson aggressively counterattacked when Mr Corbyn confronted him with a leaked Treasury document spelling out new checks on trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

“Our deal is a great deal,” he said. “I do find it slightly curious to be lectured about the Union by a man who all his political life has campaigned to break up that Union and supported the IRA.”

For his part Mr Corbyn challenged the central Tory campaign pledge to “get Brexit done”, saying that Mr Johnson was prepared to leave the EU without having negotiated a US trade deal.

“He will walk out of a relationship with the EU into a relationship with nobody,” Mr Corbyn said. “That is where the chaos will come.”

Mr Corbyn’s best moment of the early exchanges came when he challenged Mr Johnson over the Conservative government’s NHS record, saying the service was at breaking point. He repeated his claims that US trade talks threatened to raise drug prices.

Replying to Mr Johnson’s denials that leaked papers showed the US was asking to limit NHS bargaining power over pharmaceuticals, he demanded: “Why did the talks go on for two years? It doesn’t take two years to say no.”

In a more confrontational approach than in the first TV debate, Mr Johnson also accused Mr Corbyn and John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, of wanting to overthrow capitalism.

Questioned over the balance between civil liberty and security, Mr Corbyn cited the father of Jack Merritt, murdered in last week’s London Bridge attack, as he defended rehabilitation.

Mr Johnson claimed Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, had said that she wanted to disband MI5. Mr Corbyn said: “There are no plans whatsoever to disband MI5 or any other part of the security services.”

Mr Corbyn accused Mr Johnson of using “racist remarks” in reference to an article that the prime minister wrote referring to women wearing niqabs as looking like letterboxes. Mr Johnson accused him of being “unwilling to take a stand” on antisemitism in his party.

Sir John Major has suggested that people vote against Conservatives to force a second Brexit referendum. The former Tory prime minister urged voters to set aside “tribal loyalties” and deny a majority to his party.

The Times