UK TV debate draws titters from audience

Johnson, Corbyn square off on Brexit, health in head-to-head televised battle

Britons were glued to their televisions on Tuesday evening for a live head-to-head between the two main contenders to form the nation's next government, a debate that held few surprises other than the derision the studio audience directed toward the party leaders.

Boris Johnson, the incumbent British prime minister and leader of the ruling Conservative Party, tried to use the platform to hammer home his message that a clear majority for his party would enable him to plot the course of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. But the audience, after hearing his well-rehearsed rationale several times, began to laugh and jeer when he tried to repeat it.

And Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, fared no better when he attempted to explain his party's desire to shorten the working week, and when he tried to set out his Brexit stance.

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said it was "striking" how ready the audience was to lampoon the party leaders.

"That seemed a taste of how many people may well feel in this election: That they are being asked to choose a national leader from a less than tempting pair," she said.

But for all the cynicism, nearly 6.7 million people watched the debate, which touched on hot topics, including the National Health Service, the future of Scotland, the relevance of the royal family, and whether people can trust their leaders.

But Brexit was, of course, the big issue and Johnson said a vote for his party in the Dec 12 poll would help "end this national misery" and "get Brexit done". Corbyn responded by saying a Labour government would negotiate a new deal with the EU and offer the British public a choice between it and staying on as a member of the bloc.

Other major rows

One of the major rows of the night came when Corbyn accused Johnson of planning to give health companies from the United States access to the NHS in a post-Brexit trade deal.

"You are going to sell our National Health Service out to the United States and 'big pharma'," he said while holding up a document that he claimed listed secret meetings on the issue.

Johnson insisted Corbyn's claims were "an absolute invention" and said there were "no circumstances whatever in which this government... will put the NHS on the table in any trade negotiation."

Another controversial moment came when Johnson said the Labour Party was preparing to form a partnership with the separatist Scottish National Party, or SNP. He claimed the SNP would support the Labour Party in forming a government in return for a referendum on Scotland leaving the UK.

Corbyn said the claims were "nonsense".

When the dust settled, a YouGov poll found the public were evenly split on who won the debate.

While the tussle continued, the Conservative Party rebranded one of its Twitter accounts as "factcheckUK", which drew complaints that the party was trying to mislead people into thinking the site was independent. Twitter forced the name to be changed back and the Electoral Commission, which ensures fair play in UK elections, said voters were entitled to transparency and integrity from campaigners.

After the debate, UK newspapers expressed a range of opinions on who won that were in line with their political affiliations. The right-wing Daily Mail focused on Corbyn refusing nine times to answer whether he would back a Brexit deal. And the similarly aligned Daily Express insisted: "Boris Johnson tore into Jeremy Corbyn over his 'absurd dither and delay' Brexit policy."

But the left-wing Guardian insisted the Labour leader "successfully attacked the prime minister over the NHS and public services."