Rival U.K. Political Leaders Clash in Bad-Tempered Election Debate
LONDON—Britain’s two main political leaders clashed in a bad-tempered debate Thursday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson accusing his Labour Party rival Jeremy Corbyn of being a Marxist who would wreck the economy and the opposition leader saying the Conservative leader was a liar.
The debate, the first of three before the Dec. 12 election, was marked by personal attacks and interruptions, with the two men often talking over each other.
Johnson, who is seeking a majority to push through his Brexit deal, accused Corbyn of wanting to “turn back the clock” to the 1970s with a radical program of nationalization and tax hikes.
“What we’re offering is a program of hope and optimism,” Johnson said. “What he’s offering is a program of misery and despair.”
Corbyn, who wants to renegotiate the Brexit deal and then hold a referendum on whether to leave the European Union, accused Johnson of lying about his Brexit plan and said the Conservative leader was “not fit to be prime minister.”
“He’s a liar, and he’s a racist,” Corbyn said.
The debate was moderated by ITV News anchor Julie Etchingham, who struggled to keep the two men on topic and to prevent them from interrupting each other.
Johnson and Corbyn were joined by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, who is campaigning to stop Brexit, and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon, who wants a second independence referendum for Scotland.
The debate was the first of three scheduled before the election, with the next one set for Nov. 19 and the final one on Nov. 29.
The election is being held because Johnson lost his majority in Parliament when several Conservative lawmakers defected to other parties over his Brexit strategy.
Johnson has said he wants to get Brexit done by Jan. 31 and then focus on domestic issues such as the National Health Service and the economy.