Corbyn does a U-turn
Leader joins debate as May branded a ‘coward’
LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn did a screeching U-turn to join last night’s leaders’ debate after promising to stay away.
He said not taking part in the BBC showdown – like Tory leader Theresa May – would have been a sign of weakness.
JEREMY Corbyn did a U-turn yesterday to join the leaders’ debate on telly.
Jezza tried to wrongfoot Theresa May after she refused to go on last night’s BBC showdown.
She was accused of “extreme cowardice” after ducking out of the event at Cambridge University.
Her opponents demanded to know: “What are you so afraid of, Mrs May?”
Mr Corbyn had originally also refused to take part unless the Prime Minister was there.
But he suddenly announced that he had changed his mind and did intend to join the debate.
He said: “Refusing to join the BBC debate is a sign of weakness.
“Britain deserves to see a debate between the two candidates for prime minister.”
The Tories parachuted in Home Secretary Amber Rudd as a stand-in for her beleaguered boss.
Seven parties including the Lib Dems, Ukip, SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru were all represented at the 90-minute event.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said Mrs May was “clearly terrified of having to defend the cruel and heartless policies in the Conservative manifesto”.
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage also weighed in, tweeting: “Corbyn doing the right thing by joining TV leaders’ ® debate tonight. Yet more questions for Mrs May. ‘Strong and stable’ seems a long time ago.”
A hashtag #WheresTheresa started trending on Twitter as voters mocked her non-appearance.
However, she defended her absence insisting she was “answering questions up and down the country”.
Mrs May dismissed the TV debate as “politicians squabbling among themselves”.
The Tory leader suffered a difficult day on the campaign trail yesterday after a shock YouGov poll predicted she might blow the election.
It predicted the Conservatives could lose 20 seats, leaving them with just 310 – 16 short of a majority.
And Labour could gain 28 seats, resulting in a hung parliament.
Mr Corbyn suggested he might strike an informal deal with other parties to keep the Tories out of government.
He had previously insisted he was “doing no deals, no coalitions”.
He said yesterday: “I invite you to join us when we celebrate victory.”
Mr Corbyn will follow in the footsteps of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Rihanna by becoming an NME cover star.
He told the famous music magazine that Imagine by John Lennon is his favourite song.