ITV General Election debate: Three issues that could decide the winner
Boris Johnson will go head-to-head with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tonight in the ITV General Election debate – the first of several televised clashes between the pair.
The showdown will air at at 8pm on ITV and will have three key issues to watch out for.
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Brexit
Labour’s Brexit position is likely to be heavily scrutinised throughout the election debate.
The party’s position, if it wins the election, is to negotiate a new deal with Brussels and put that deal to a referednum against an option to remain in the EU.
Controversially, Labour would officially remain neutral during the referendum.
Johnson has already made it clear that he’ll hammer home Labour’s ongoing ambiguity around Brexit.
The Prime Minister has released a letter with four-Brexit related questions that Corbyn needs to answer, including what his personal position would be on a second referendum and if his deal would include freedom of movement.
Johnson’s position, meanwhile, is clear.
He has a deal agreed with the Brussels and has hit the campaign trail touting his “Get Brexit done” message.
However, he too could trip up on questions related to the second phase of Brexit negotiations.
He has previously said they would not drag past December 2020, giving the UK just one year to negotiate a free trade deal with Brussels after we leave the EU.
NHS
Corbyn’s biggest attack line on Johnson and the Tories will be their record on the NHS.
Health service outcomes are demonstrably lower since David Cameron won power in 2010 and will make for an easy target for the Labour leader.
Added to this is the extra £40bn his party has promised to the NHS over five years, which trumps a £34bn pledge from the Tories.
Johnson may find the going tough in this policy area, where Labour has been able to make gravy so far in this election campaign.
Expect to hear extensively about “Tory austerity”.
Personal background
Both leaders will face questions about their personal backgrounds, beliefs and past gaffes.
For Corbyn, it is his handling of Labour’s antisemitism crisis and his links to UK-designated terrorist political parties Hamas and Hezbollah.
Johnson will likely hammer home Corbyn’s past links with militant pro-Palestinian causes and his perceived weaknesses on national defence.
The Prime Minister, meanwhile, will face questions about his past relationship with tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri while he was mayor of London.
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Corbyn has an easy tap-in on this issue by pushing the fact that Johnson gave City Hall money to his friend without reporting they had a personal relationship.
Johnson’s perceived casualness with the truth and past comments that Muslim women wearing niqabs look like “letterboxes” and “bankrobbers” are bound to become attack lines.