UK leadership contenders clash in live TV debate

The two contenders to be Britain's next prime minister – Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt – went head to head in a lively and occasionally bad-tempered TV debate, clashing over Brexit, tax cuts, and the United Kingdom's relationship with United States President Donald Trump.

Johnson and Hunt traded verbal blows on which of them could see through a no-deal Brexit, and Hunt repeatedly emphasized his rival's refusal to answer questions.

Johnson accused Hunt of being defeatist, while the foreign secretary insisted that only he had a realistic plan for getting Britain out of the European Union.

Johnson called for optimism, playing down the likelihood of a damaging no deal, and repeated his promise to deliver Brexit at the end of October.

Johnson swerved questions repeatedly on whether he would resign if he failed to deliver Brexit by Oct 31 and declined to condemn Donald Trump for his attacks on the British Ambassador Kim Darroch, who resigned on Wednesday morning.

Johnson said that committing to resign if he fell short of his Brexit promise would play into the hands of the EU, and he also refused to rule out proroguing (terminating) Parliament to deliver no deal, calling it "absolutely bizarre" to take the option off the table.

Hunt said such a scenario could potentially lead to civil unrest. "When parliament has been shut down against its will, we've actually had a civil war … my answer to that is no," he said.

Hunt accused his rival of trying to get by "on a wing and a prayer", and said delivering Brexit would require details and not just optimism.

On Johnson's unwillingness to commit on detail, Hunt said: "You have not answered any of my questions. Not one. Because Boris never answers the question, we have no idea what a Boris Johnson premiership would be like."

The exchanges were pointed and personal in nature at times, with Johnson dismissing his opponent's "managerial" style of politics and accusing him of flip-flopping on certain issues.

Other areas where the two men clashed included Johnson's proposed tax cuts for workers earning between 50,000 pounds ($62,000) and 80,000 pounds, his first pledge of the campaign.

Though Johnson insisted those would be "part of the package" which would include measures for those on low incomes, Hunt said it was tarnishing the image of the party.

"I have spent my life trying to convince people we are not the party of the rich, we are the party of everyone, and if the very first tax cut you announce is a tax cut for the rich – that is the wrong signal to send about our party," he said.

Johnson was circumspect on the Darroch emails row, amid attacks by Donald Trump on the British envoy following the leak of diplomatic cables in which he called the Trump administration "inept".

While stressing the value of the "special relationship" with the US, Johnson insisted that only he, as prime minister, would take "important and politically sensitive" decisions such as who should represent the UK in the US.

Hunt responded, saying: "Who chooses our ambassadors is a matter for the United Kingdom government and the United Kingdom prime minister."

The final question to both candidates was what quality they both admired in each other. Both struggled to come up with anything positive.

Johnson highlighted Hunt's previous support for remaining in the EU. "I greatly admire his ability to change his mind and campaign for Brexit now; it is an important attribute," he said.

Hunt's response was even more pointed. "I really admire his ability to answer the question, to put a smile on your face and you forget the question. It is a great quality in a politician, maybe not in a prime minister," he said.