Panic at the ITV Leaders Debate after Jeremy Corbyn turns up after all – but its just a lookalike

A WAVE of panic went round the dressing rooms at the ITV Leaders Debate when it was rumoured that Jeremy Corbyn had actually turned up.

The Labour boss had declined an invitation to be at the televised event after Theresa May had said she would not be participating.

But it looked as though he had changed his mind when what looked like Mr Corbyn was filmed walking towards the venue at Salford Quays.

He was pictured arriving at the stage door of the ITV studios with an entourage after a video of him strolling towards the venue was posted to Twitter.

However it turned out to be a false alarm – and it was in fact a Corbyn lookalike, who failed to make it inside.

But the bearded man was so believable that the other parties began changing their preparations in anticipation of him taking part.

A source at Ukip said the green rooms backstage were abuzz with the rumour, as aides began scrambling to recalibrate their plans for a six-way debate.

However it turns out that it was simply a hoax, and one that nobody has yet owned up to.

The rumour proved to be more interesting than the action on stage – as the leaders of the Lib Dems, Ukip, Green Party, Plaid Cymru and the SNP are facing off.

The Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition refused to take pat in the two-hour debate chaired by broadcaster Julie Etchingham, which saw the four pro-EU politicians gang up on Ukip boss Paul Nuttall.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon described him as a “spokesperson” for Mrs May, and Green leader Caroline Lucas proposed all the minor parties working together – but explicitly excluded Ukip.

After the Lib Dem’s Tim Farron repeated his call for a second referendum on Brexit, Mr Nuttall tore into him saying: “Tim can cry about it all he wants. That’s just the fact. That’s democracy Tim.”