General election: Is this a popularity contest of who the public dislike least?
In a difficult week for the leaders, Jeremy Corbyn faced criticism on antisemitism while Boris Johnson failed to join a debate.
Tuesday 3 December 2019 09:57, UK
The Brexit election or the NHS/austerity one?
Both leaders have very different hands to play in this campaign and both are finding that in general elections they can quickly get pulled off their game.
For Jeremy Corbyn, the chief rabbi's assertion that the Labour leader was responsible for the "new poison" of anti-semitism in his party knocked his campaign sideways for much of the week.
Criticism of Mr Corbyn's handling of antisemitism in the Labour Party overshadowed the launch of the Race & Faith manifesto.
It made for extremely uncomfortable viewing as the BBC's Andrew Neil repeatedly asked him if he'd apologise and Mr Corbyn repeatedly ducked.
Cue a hastily-convened press conference on the NHS, 36 hours after the chief rabbi's wounding critique, with Mr Corbyn trying to shift attention back onto the NHS and the risks of a Johnson-Trump trade deal.
Unveiling a 451-page 'dossier' detailing six rounds of preliminary trade talks, which showed officials had held talks on drug pricing and access to NHS contracts, Mr Corbyn said it "proved" Mr Johnson would put the NHS "on the table".
What was crucially missing was confirmation the government would agree to US demands.
Mr Johnson said it was all "nonsense" - but all Mr Corbyn needed to do was put the risk in the voters' minds.
A difficult week, but the Labour leader will have at least been cheered by some evidence of the polls tightening over the week with the Conservative's double-digit lead being whittled back to a single-digit one in a handful of polls.
Professor John Curtice says if the Conservatives' lead falls back to six points, we're into hung parliament territory.
And we mustn't forget either that the lead the Conservatives had going into polling day in 2017 came out the other side as just a 2.4% point lead and no majority.
So team Corbyn believe there's still all to play for with two weeks to go.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has had his own problems this week.
His refusal to appear on a TV debate on climate change resulted in Channel 4 deciding to represent him as a dripping ice sculpture, and he also received a reprimand from Sir David Attenborough.
Even his attempts to get back onto his preferred territory of Brexit at a press conference with fellow Vote Leavers Michael Gove and Gisela Stuart didn't go quite to plan.
Mr Johnson ended up admitting for the first time during this election campaign that the UK could still leave the European Union without a deal.
This being a risk his opponents are pressing, the prime minister appeared to confirm their suspicions that he would leave with no deal if necessary, as he confirmed no-deal planning would continue into the new year.
"[No-deal preparations] are the right thing to have done and to keep in a state of readiness," he said.
"Of course the preparations will remain extant, there's no reason to get rid of them."
And like Mr Corbyn, the prime minister faced more questions about his character, upbraided on Friday morning in a live radio phone-in by a single mum over unearthed comments about "ignorant" and "illegitimate" children.
In an article written over 20 years ago, Mr Johnson said single mums were producing a generation of "ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate children".
The single mum who called into LBC told Mr Johnson she "didn't appreciate what you've said about single mothers, and, by implication, my family".
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But, as with Mr Corbyn on antisemitism, no apology was forthcoming.
When I asked Mr Johnson about those remarks on Friday, he said he'd written "millions of words" and it is possible "to twist them and distort them".
But the difficulties both leaders have had this week on their personal conduct and character is a reminder that this election is more than just Brexit or public services or the NHS or ending austerity.
It is also about choosing who will be our prime minister for the next five years and on.
The public with plenty of questions still about both men, with this election turning into a contest about who the voters dislike least.
The Brexit Election on Sky News - the fastest results and in-depth analysis on mobile, TV and radio.
- Watch Dermot Murnaghan live from 9pm on 12 December
- See the exit poll at 10pm Watch KayBurley@Breakfast election special on 13 December
- Find out what happens next in All Out Politics special from 9am with Adam Boulton.