Jeremy Corbyn hijacked a Facebook Live Q&A session with Theresa May to issue a direct challenge to the Prime Minister to take part in a TV debate with him.
Mrs May dismissed the challenge and said it was more important to her to take questions directly from voters and that people did not want to see politicians “have a go at each other”.
She became the first leader of a political party to take part in a Facebook Live broadcast, hosted by ITV News on Monday afternoon, answering questions sent in by voters using the social media website.
The Labour leader sent in his own question which highlighted a range of issues including housing, policing and the NHS before challenging Mrs May to a live TV debate.
Presenter Robert Peston told her he had received a query from "Jeremy Corbyn of Islington", who said: "Hello Theresa May, as Prime Minister you've served your elite friends by giving them tax cuts when wages have stagnated, house-building is at its lowest since the 1920s, there are 20,000 fewer police on our streets since 2010 and the NHS is in crisis.
"Do you not think the British people deserve to see me and you debate live and on television?"
Mrs May replied: “What I think is more important is actually that I and he take questions directly from the voters. I don't think people get much out of seeing politicians having a go at each other, I think people want to hear directly."
In the wide-ranging Q&A session, hosted by presenter Robert Peston, Mrs May discussed her experience of type one diabetes, revealing that she injects herself with insulin four or five times a day, and urged fellow sufferers not to allow the illness to hold them back from doing what they want in life.
Mrs May was also asked question on subjects including the NHS, foxhunting, child poverty, rail fares and Brexit.
She was also asked what she would say to voters in London who have witnessed a recent surge in knife crime.
Mrs May said the surge in knife crime was “worrying” but insisted the government has done a lot to tackle it, citing a new offence of threatening someone in a public place and a crackdown on Zombie knives.
She admitted that she had never been foxhunting but said that the issue was about “keeping numbers down” and that other methods of killing foxes “can be so cruel”.
When asked if she could commit to keeping the free bus pass for over 65s, Mrs May replied that voters will have to wait and see what is in the Conservative manifesto.
ITV will on Thursday host a live televised election debate in Salford, and has said that an invitation to the leaders of the seven biggest parties will remain open until the broadcast starts.
But Mrs May has insisted she will not take part in any televised head-to-head clashes with her rivals, and Mr Corbyn has indicated he will not take part if the Prime Minister is absent.
