Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, clashed over a wide range of subjects in their final head-to-head debate before the general election.
Predictably, most of the acrimony was concentrated on Brexit, where Corbyn stole a march on the PM by setting out a coherent policy.
The final leadership debate before the general election on December 12 was hosted by the veteran BBC presenter, Nick Robinson.
Corbyn said that he will bring Brexit “to an end” by negotiating a new deal before submitting it to a referendum.
By contrast, Johnson stuck firm to the hardline Tory position of exiting the European Union (EU) as soon as possible and no later than the current scheduled departure date of January 31, 2020.
In the debate Johnson was not able to explain – despite several prompts from the host Robinson –how the UK can credibly exit the EU whilst a firm trade agreement is not in place.
Without a trade agreement the UK risks a no-deal exit from the EU by the end of the transition period, which could be as early as January 2021.
The two leaders also clashed over the National Health Service, the political crisis in Northern Ireland and security issues in the wake of the latest terror attack in London.
Corbyn’s strong performance in this final debate is set to boost Labour’s chances in the general election in five days time.