We are not talking about debt - we are talking about the deficit - i.e. the difference between government income and government spending.

The deficit in 2009, the last full year of a Labour government was £90bn - or are you saying that is untrue? - by 2009 debt as a % of GDP had started to grow it was 44% and rising it had been rising every year since 2000. It is no surprise to anyone that it fell in the first two years of the Blair government - debt as a % of GDP had been falling since the second world war it is no surprise that its low point was under the Tories under Thatcher.

Th Gov't has more than doubled the UK's debt since 2010 and the interest is now £48bn which is far more than the defence budget.

As for the myth about the EU giving us a FTA once we have left. If Wayand says we'll get a bare bones deal or no deal then that's what we'll end up with. She's been ahead of our game from the start. They've already said that if we leave without a deal the first thing they'll want to discus are fishing arrangements. Johnson has already said he'll will protect UK's fishing industry from EU fishing but how he'll react when EU fishermen start their indefinate blockade of their channel ports stopping British ferries from sailing.
I reckon he'll sell out our fishermen faster then he sold out the DUP. That's his style.

The global financial crisis was caused by the banks.
The deficit you are quoting was caused by the global financial crisis. Before this Labour had reduced the national debt as % of GDP.

Sal, you are supporting a party and leader that is too scared to face direct scrutiny. Therefore, NOTHING that he says is relevant.
He's happy to mock the opposition after their in leaders faced intense one to one grilling's but he's done a runner and is probably somewhere in Somerset with Rees-Mogg, hiding from the press.
How do you rate his chances of negotiating with Trump or the EU and China when he is proving himself to be so utterly weak and spineless.

In the short term, hiding will very likely ensure that he stays in no 10 but, at what cost to both himself and the country.

It's hard to get behind any leader that hides round the back.

It will certainly go up in flames because he suggested putting his oven ready deal in a microwave.

The f00king eejit might just be able to turn a dial on a microwave, maybe.
An oven?
Zilcho chanceo.

Wasn't Johnson's first comment that he had an oven ready deal and all he had to do was put it in the and turn it to Gas Mk4?
Absolutely great comment that!

So Johnson ran one of the biggest cities in the world and did a pretty good job - what of substance has Jeremy Corbyn ever done - the man has never had a proper job in his life - from his very cosy up bringing to now. He did negotiate with the EU and got the backstop removed.

Johnson will have negotiated with a number of people during his time in London - Jeremy Corbyn can't even negotiate with his own party - most of the time he has voted against his own party!! His idea of negotiating with EU is remain in the single market and the customs union so what kind of negotiating stance is that. You think Corbyn would be any better with the US or China?

As for spineless he might be just bright enough not to commit suicide in front of the nation with Neil - suggests him and his team are a bit more savvy than Corbyn and his team. I know which one I would rather have as my PM.

Come on Sal, Johnson agreed a deal with the EU that his predecessor had refused (due to the border in the Irish Sea). He has tried to spin this as a new deal but, he went rummaging in the waste bin to find it and in the process, he's chucked the people of N.Ireland under the political bus.
It's as a direct result of Johnsons actions that Ireland could actually be heading for unification, so, three cheers for Boris



AS I said previously, he and his party did agree to the interview but now, they are running scared. This may protect him from embarrassment but, he is supposed to be leading the country, not hiding from scrutiny - maybe he does have something to hide (probably several things)

We all have things in our life that we wouldn't want out there - with Corbyn its his support of the Arabs/IRA etc. If you were in Johnson's shoes with the polls standing as they are why would you take the risk what have you got to gain?

I ask again what has Corbyn ever done in his life that would suggest he is capable of running anything?

Ireland has a small majority of Protestants compared to Catholics and the Catholics breed far quicker - it is only a question of time before Sinn Fein get control of the north and then there will be a vote for unification - its inevitable nothing to do with Johnson.

If Scotland leaves it will be all down Corbyn - suicide for the Labour party because it will remove all those SNP MPs and the Tory majority will be huge - Labour will never get back in.

You say, what has Corbyn done.
He's already seen off 3 Tory leaders and although I'm no fan of his, he has more honesty in his left foot, than the man in the blue corner.
Maybe he too should have gone for the bulls41t option, something that has worked quite well for Boris, so far.

I think many in London were glad to see him leave because he lost them a fortune. How much was the garden bridge or the water cannons he bought but were never used.
He is currently under investigation due to grants provided to his pole dancing computer expert.
I think you should stand because you have certainly perfected the its not our fault gov. At the last election I heard reference to the coalition of chaos and no magic money tree. How long did it take May to go into coalition with the anti abortion DUP at a cost to the UK of 1 billion pounds.

Oh come on, that was hardly down to to brilliant negotiation. He just just made a different sacrifice. May rejected that deal because she is a Unionist, and he clearly isn’t to the same degree.

What would you say Johnson’s positive qualities are? Allowing for him being something of a political pragmatist, what principles and imperatives do you think guide his thinking and policies?

Hope you dont mind me answering for Sal but, the answer is the principle of "himself".
The guy has no principles and would sell his granny to help his own cause.

I found it quite amusing that he sent his dad and Michael Gove to the "green" debate this evening.
Apparently his diary is too full for him to want to save the planet and he's probably amusing himself with someone else, somewhere else.

You should see the state of the Tory apologists on social media trying to paint Johnson as the victim in all of this. It's phenomenal to watch. They're calling out Channel 4's 'left wing bias' for not allowing Gove to take part in a leader's debate, despite the fact that Johnson was invited, you know, as leader, but decided he had more scones to eat.

Indeed, and now boris has showed us all who really is the chicken and frit one who goes running to his dad.

Really who are the 3 - Cameron was seen off due to losing Brexit due to pressure in his own party nothing to do with Corbyn, May much the same - who is the third?

Labour under him have told more lies than any other political party and his handling of the anti-Semitism issue hardly smacks of honesty. He isn't even honest enough to tell you which side of the Brexit debate he sits? All this neutral stance only works with the dedicated like you.

I have never said Boris is principled - just I would rather have him as PM than Corbyn who simply wants to implement Lansman Marxist trial on the UK.

I guarantee if Corbyn where riding high in the polls he would be taking Johnson's tack on damage limitation - sadly despite giving away everything to everybody he has no trust in the country

Errrrr, Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson. He recently dissolved parliament. And while there's a good chance he'll con his way back in, there's also a chance he might not.

Whatever, senior tories must be heartily sick of having to rock up on news bulletins and current affairs progs to continually try and explain away bojo's various slips and off the cuff comments! Whole selection discussed on Daily Politics today!

He'll just send his Dad from now on to drop an even bigger stink.

Not yet he hasn't - so let's get it factually correct. Corbyn has been at the head of Labour during which time he was defeated by 50 seats and 1m votes by what everyone says was the worst election campaign by any party in living memory. If Labour had had any decent candidates he would have been toast by now.

My favourite one yet...



Priti Patel should be nowhere near daily life, never mind the levers of power. She's an absolute lunatic.

It could be worse - you could have Diane Abbott!!

I'd take Russ Abbot over Priti Patel.