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LEO MCKINSTRY
The biggest loser of ITV’s General Election debate was Jeremy Corbyn — Boris is still on course for an election victory
THE debate saw political history made tonight. It was the first ever televised showdown between the leaders of the two main parties during a General Election.
But the unique nature of the event was not matched by the drama of the clash.
It turned into a scrappy, uninformative contest with too many interruptions, like a badly refereed boxing match. This was neither a great advertisement for British democracy nor a game-changer in the campaign.
Boris Johnson, far ahead in the opinion polls, had by far the most to lose.
A poor performance or a terrible gaffe could have caused real damage to his bid to stay in Number 10.
Indeed, the risks of disaster live in front of the cameras explain why the front-runner has always avoided a head-to-head debate until now.
But with his gambler’s instinct and his need for a commanding Parliamentary majority, Johnson abandoned this traditional caution.
He was right to do so, for he not only enhanced his authority but he also exposed Jeremy Corbyn’s lack of credibility, particularly on Brexit.
Despite his dismal reputation, the Labour leader has often performed well in debates in the past.
It was his surprising fluency and confidence in this format that helped him win his party’s leadership contest in 2015.
But he was not on his best form tonight. He started nervously, then seemed bored and detached.
He was like a veteran lightweight in the twilight of his career, up against a more youthful, pulverising - if sometimes erratic - heavyweight.
From the outset, Corbyn sustained heavy blows, his feeble defences repeatedly broken by the man from the blue corner.
'CHAOTIC COALITION'
The opening rounds of the bout were devoted to the issue of Britain’s withdrawal from Europe.
That immediately put Corbyn on the defensive because of the hopeless incoherence of his policy.
In fact, even though the entire first half-hour was spent on this subject, even that was not lengthy enough for him to give an explanation of his stance.
The punches landed on him from all sides. Particularly devastating was Johnson’s repeated question as to whether Corbyn would support Leave or Remain in the second referendum that Labour is demanding.
He tried to cover up this weakness with a desperate exercise in distraction, claiming that the Tories’ Brexit plan would mean access for American businesses to NHS assets.
Visibly angry, Johnson comprehensively demolished this charge by promising that the health service would not be on the table in any future trade deal with the USA.
Corbyn was just as weak over the integrity of the United Kingdom.
As Johnson pointed out, the Labour party could well surrender to the Scottish Nationalists over another separatist referendum in return for support in its bid for power, thus forming a “chaotic coalition”.
And to hear Corbyn posing as a defender of the union with Northern Ireland was simply laughable, given his record as a sympathiser with violent Irish Republicanism.
With his powerful Brexit plan which has united his party, Boris Johnson clearly won the first half of the debate, despite a few sniggers from the 200-strong audience when the question of trust in politicians was raised.
UNREALISTIC PROPOSAL
But even here, Johnson gave a compelling answer, pointing out that trust in the political system had been eroded by Parliament’s failure to honour the referendum result. All the Labour leader had was waffle.
Corbyn came back more strongly in the second half, which concentrated on domestic policy.
Here he could indulge in his enthusiasm for promising to spend colossal sums of taxpayers’ money to create his socialist utopia.
But his heavily-subsidised comfort zone was not free from attack. He provoked laughter from the audience when he talked about Labour’s unrealistic proposal for a four-day working week, while he came under further fire from Johnson for his “complete failure of leadership” to tackle anti-Semitism in his party’s ranks.
Nor did his attempted assault on the Tories over the NHS have much impact, since Johnson has pledged his Government’s “absolutely vital” support for the service. So the second half could be put down as a draw.
The debate would have been better if the host, Julie Etchingham, had not interrupted so much.
Having presented previous debates successfully, she made herself the centre of attention, distracting from the exchange between the two leaders.
MOST READ IN OPINION
But the biggest loser of the night was Corbyn, who lived down to expectations.
He needed a knockout but he totally failed to get one. Just the opposite happened. He was frequently on the ropes.
And Boris Johnson is still on course for an election victory.
Jeremy Corbyn says the monarchy 'needs a bit of improvement' during Johnson v Corbyn: The ITV Debate
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