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For all the cheers from the Tory benches there must have been a moment during the exchanges when they would have started to wonder if Boris Johnson had made the right decision in calling a snap election.

The Conservatives have staked their fortunes on the popularity of their Brexit message and the unpopularity of Jeremy Corbyn.

The Labour leader, in perhaps his best performance at the Despatch Box, gave them cause to worry on both fronts.

Firstly, he deliberately avoided Brexit and focused on the NHS in all six of his questions.

Secondly, he showed that he could be a far more formidable opponent that the Conservatives have assumed.

The calling of the election appears to have taken a weight off Corbyn’s shoulders.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

He was more comfortable and sharper than he has been in ages.

In the past he has noticeably failed to pick Theresa May and Boris Johnson up for any inaccuracies or unsubstantiated claims.

Today he was whippet like in the way he corrected the Prime Minister on his misleading promise to build 40 new hospitals and his summary of the NHS in Labour-run Wales.

The Conservatives should also be concerned at the contrast between the empathetic way Corbyn can speak about those who use our public services and their leader’s blustering answers.

The Labour leader calmly used his questions to note the failings of the NHS under the Tories from the record rise in the number of patients waiting for an operation to the delays in cancer treatment.

At one point Johnson was so lost for an answer he resorted to accusing the Labour leader of “talking down the incredible work” of NHS staff.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

But the most noticeable exchange was when Corbyn read a letter from Gillian whose mother had died because she could not get an GP appointment.

The Prime Minister’s response was woeful.

“I can certainly say we will deal with Gillian’s concerns,” he said before launching into a rant about how the next election was about leadership.

Perhaps the Prime Minister will be grateful to have got his pre-election messages in but he showed he is vulnerable to detailed questions on the Tory's record and just as clunky and tin-eared as Theresa May when challenged about real people’s lives.

Score: Jeremy Corbyn 3 Boris Johnson 1