7 Key Moments From A Bruising Question Time For Boris Johnson And Jeremy Corbyn

The leaders of the four main political parties faced a series of bruising encounters with a BBC Question Time audience – with Boris Johnson having to fend off claims he buried a report into Russian interference in British politics and Jeremy Corbyn confronted over “disgraceful” anti-Semitism in his party.

Ahead of the December 12 general election, each leader was being quizzed for half-an-hour during the Leaders’ Special hosted by Fiona Bruce in Sheffield, with the questions escalating in their hostility as stock lines were greeted with groans and derision.

Here are seven of the key moments.

‘I don’t buy this nice old grandpa’

Jeremy Corbyn faced hostile questioning from the very start as he was confronted over fears for businesses, anti-Semitism, misogyny, freedom of speech and Scottish independence

The first major flashpoint came when an audience member labelled his actions “disgraceful” over a Jewish Labour MP being heckled out of a press conference.

The man claimed the Labour leader “chatted happily” to the same heckler who barracked Ruth Smeeth.

“I don’t buy this whole nice old Grandpa,” he said. “I see that video and that tells me all I need to know.”