British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has attacked the Prime Minister Theresa May after she called a snap general election.

A debate is underway in the House of Commons which will then be followed by a vote.

May is expected to secure the two thirds majority needed which will bring forward the election by three years.

She's insisting that the vote will strengthen Brexit negotiations, but she's ruled out facing party leaders in TV debates.

Something which Corbyn has criticised. </s> LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn faced tough questions and a skeptical audience in a live TV event Monday night ahead of next week's parliamentary elections.

It was not a debate, but did air policy and stylistic differences between the two foes. They did not appear together but were questioned separately by members of the audience and by aggressive interviewer Jeremy Paxman.

The June 8 election pits May, the Conservative Party leader who opposed Brexit before the referendum last June but now favors it, against Corbyn, who has alienated many longtime Labour supporters with his hard-left views.

The "Battle for Number 10" show broadcast on Sky News and Channel 4 brought the two prime contenders together in the same studio at the same time, but they did not appear together at any point. Voters are not likely to get a true debate before the vote.

Facing harsh questioning from Paxman, one of Britain's best known TV journalists, May defended her about-face on Brexit. She rebuffed his repeated attempts to get her to say whether she now thinks leaving the European Union is a good idea, saying only that the British voters have decided and that she is determined to get the best deal possible.

"We are doing the right thing in making a success of Brexit," she said, vowing to maintain her reputation as a "bloody difficult woman" during talks with European Union leaders if her party wins the election and keeps power.

But Paxman set the tone by saying that if he were an EU negotiator who had observed all her recent flip flops, he would think of her as a "blowhard who collapses at the first sound of gunfire."

May often found herself on the defensive as audience members grilled her on cuts to the police, National Health Service and education, and a so-called "dementia tax" that might make it harder for elderly Britons to pass on their property to their heirs.

At one point a heckler yelled, "You've clearly failed."

Corbyn did not enjoy smooth sailing either, with Paxman making numerous accusations and typically cutting Corbyn off before he could reply. Paxman challenged Corbyn's refusal to denounce the Irish Republican Army and his having met with Hamas officials and suggested the Labour leader would seek to abolish the monarchy if his party triumphed.

Corbyn said getting rid of Britain's constitutional monarchy is "certainly not on my agenda."

He said he was fighting the election for "social justice" and to reduce poverty, not to change the law regarding the monarch. </s> On the campaign trail today

Fresh from the hot lights of the TV studio, Theresa May will be back on the road as we continue the last full week of campaigning before the General Election as the Conservative battlebus takes the PM to the West Midlands.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn takes to the airwaves on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, after his grilling by Jeremy Paxman, hits the keyboard in a Mumsnet chat at noon, then heads to the BBC One Show sofa in the evening.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron will be in Bermondsey, a seat his party lost in 2015 and will be hoping to regain.

North of the border, and the SNP will be launching its manifesto in Perth.

The not-a-debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May is the political story making the headlines in Tuesday’s papers, with the i calling the clash between the party leaders and Jeremy Paxman “bruising”.

On the inside pages, the paper says both leaders failed “to land decisive blows”, adding that Mr Corbyn “emerged unscathed”.

The Telegraph, perhaps unsurprisingly, takes a different stance suggesting that Mr Corbyn “ducked” a question on whether he would launch a drone strike, while the Times has a story about Mrs May’s plans to “woo” the working class and focusing on getting Labour and Ukip voters to turn to her party.

The other story making the inside pages is Conservative candidate Dominic Raab who provoked anger when he claimed foodbank users were not “languishing in poverty” and instead had “cashflow problems”.

“I am clear about the instruction I have been given, clear about what needs to be done, and ready to get on with the job on day one – while Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t have the belief, the will or the plan to deliver Brexit” – Theresa May, from a speech she is expected to give on Tuesday

“The current patchy support for childcare is holding back too many families. High-quality childcare can transform a child’s life chances and make it much easier for parents to work” – Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as he launches his party’s plans for childcare.

“His interview with Mr Corbyn was a nightmare – and not for the Labour leader” – Telegraph sketch writer Michael Deacon on rottweiler-turned “tired old dog” Jeremy Paxman. </s> LONDON — In the overnight hours of the Labour surge when results pointed toward a hung Parliament, there was a moment of levity during celebrations for a colleague of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s in north London.

A missed “high-five” that ended in an awkward place.

As Corbyn and Labour Member of Parliament Emily Thornberry embraced, pointing at the other with huge smiles, the opposition leader’s attempt at a “high-five” wasn’t seen by his colleague and landed palm flat in a thud against her chest.

Video of the slightly awkward moment was popular on social media Friday.

Labour high spirits were dampened later in the day when Prime Minister Theresa May, in spite of an election debacle that saw her Conservatives lose their parliamentary majority, told the nation she would stay on in a minority government coalition. </s> British PM Theresa May seeks last-ditch Brexit deal with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, enraging many in her own Tory party </s> LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party and a staunch Brexit supporter, attacked her new plan to delay Brexit and open talks with the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.

“This is an utter disaster,” he told Sky News’ deputy political editor Beth Rigby on Tuesday.

“We are just about to legitimize Corbyn. It is appalling.” </s> Jeremy Corbyn says his crunch Brexit talks with Theresa May went "very well."

After the talks, which lasted just over two hours, Jeremy Corbyn told the Mirror that they had gone "very well" and that he expected to sit down again with the PM soon.

Talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn were took place in the Prime Minister's office in the Commons.

Also attending were Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, chief whip Julian Smith and senior Number 10 aides on the Government side and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey and shadow chief whip Nick Brown on the Labour side.

Amid claims that Labour could table a no confidence motion in the Government if talks broke down, a Cabinet minister told the Mirror they thought that was "unlikely".

"There are a lot of independent MPs in the Commons just now.

"If they vote against the Government in a confidence vote and trigger a general election they will lose their seats."They don't want that, so they may well abstain."

Labour frontbench aide James Frith has called for a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party to push Jeremy Corbyn on a second referendum. 

 

 He said: “Such is the strength of feeling by Lab MPs to input on any deal brokered between @jeremycorbyn and the PM; I’m calling for an urgent PLP meeting tonight after Shadow Cabinet so all Lab MP’s can make the case for our towns, and Labour’s policy of a Final Say on any deal”.

A Labour spokesman said Mr Corbyn was ready for "constructive discussions" and wanted to see his party's demands enshrined in UK legislation as negotiating goals for talks with the EU on the future relationship.

"He is going into these as serious discussions," said the spokesman. "If she is at last prepared to move on her red lines, we are ready for constructive discussions."

Mr Corbyn was also meeting Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for separate talks.

In a tweet following her meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would be "surprised and very disappointed if Labour sold out" for the "bad deal" likely to be available from Theresa May. </s> Britain's main opposition leader has launched his election campaign, painting himself as a populist outsider who will overturn a "rigged" political and economic system.

Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn says Britain's June 8 election is "the establishment vs. the people."

Labour is trailing Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives in opinion polls, and many within the party think the socialist Corbyn is too left-wing to connect with voters.

But Corbyn echoed anti-establishment sentiment that has upended politics from the United States to France. He said in a speech Thursday that the old rules drawn up by political and economic elites no longer apply.

Corbyn said: "I don't play by their rules, and if a Labour government is elected on the 8th of June I won't play by their rules either." </s> Jeremy Corbyn has said leadership is as much about listening as it is about talking as he presented himself as a fluent and relaxed alternative to Theresa May’s strained performance in front of a live audience.

In the first of their TV specials for the election campaign the Labour leader bested the Tory Prime Minister in front of an audience of voters.

May was mocked by the studio audience over the costing of the Tory manifesto after her U-turn on dumping a social care policy while Corbyn appeared to win some people over.

One member of the audience could be seen saying “utter bollocks” as the Prime Minister explained away Tory cuts.

The two did not go head to-head – May has refused a debate – but subjected themselves to a 20-minute Q&A with a live studio audience followed by a grilling by Jeremy Paxman.

Labour won the toss and Corbyn went first.

He was immediately challenged on his two major weaknesses – his historic support for the IRA and his lack of convincing leadership qualities.

Challenged by one man who said he liked the Labour manifesto but did not see Corbyn as “someone who could run this country”, the Labour leader said he saw himself as a listening politician.

“You should never be so high and mighty you can’t listen to somebody else and learn something from them. Leadership is as much about using this, as using this” he said gesturing to his ear and mouth.

The Labour leader was confronted by an angry audience member who claimed the Labour leader had “openly supported the IRA in the past” by attending a commemoration for eight IRA members killed by the SAS in Loughgall.

Corbyn said there was a period of silence for “everyone who died in Northern Ireland” at the 1987 event.

Theresa May’s weakest flank was her U-turn on social care costs.

Having said people in England would have to pay for care in old age if they had assets over £100,000 including the value of their home the Tory leader was put under pressure.

“Its about ensuring that saving are protected to pass on through the family,” said May.

It took her some time to get onto her core leadership message about Brexit negotiations while she batted questions about underfunding of health and education.

She was skewered by Jeremy Paxman on her election U-turn and her policy wobble that made her look like a “blowhard who collapses at the first sound of gunfire.”

With more to lose the Tory leader escaped with her authority dented but just intact.

In contrast Jeremy Corbyn surprised with his relaxed and fluent performance with ten days before the vote.

Jeremy Corbyn has had a good campaign so far and did himself no harm last night.

Under the studio lights, facing intense questions, the Labour leader put in a relaxed and fluent performance.

In contrast, an audience laughing at a PM is never a good look – and they did mock Theresa May.

Corbyn has answered questions on the IRA and Trident so often now he can respond with practised ease. He doesn’t answer straight but managed to sound reasonable.

While Corbyn was at ease, May had a slight air of desperation, second up and knowing her opponent had not stumbled.

TV debates do not change many views but if you were a voter who has not seen much of Corbyn, you might have warmed to him. The studio audience did.

Jeremy Paxman blethered on about the monarchy and Corbyn pivoted the interview on to his core message of fighting poverty.

May fought back for her authority in the interview section and Paxman proved revealingly ineffective.

Television politics has moved on and his predatory instincts looked long in the tooth.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn debates with Conservative leader Theresa May.