It's always difficult to foresee whether a pre-election "debate" - although of course, it wasn't a debate - would sway the public mood and impact on the final outcome of the election. After #MayvCorbyn, commentators quickly got down to the business of writing reviews in an attempt to call the winner. While many journalists called #MayvCorbyn a draw, unsurprisingly, Sky News and The Telegraph announced May victorious.

In the age of social media, when the general public can easily make up its own mind and write its own reviews, the reaction on Twitter is perhaps the best way to find out who actually performed better on the night.

Twitter's #BattleForNumber10 and #MAYvCORBYN quickly showed that the vast majority of viewers agree on Corbyn emerging a clear winner.

May's "strong and stable mantra" is crumbling in front of our very own eyes

A mere two week's ago, the Tory Party's lead in the polls seemed insurmountable, and Theresa May's "strong and stable mantra" was strongly resonating with voters across Britain. After the social care debacle, the IFS' questioning of the financial soundness of the Tory manifesto, and a string of somewhat shaky TV performances by Theresa May, these three once all-powerful words seem to have lost their weight entirely.

#TheresaMayGifs

Judging from the reaction on Twitter last night and this morning, Theresa May's performance last night have confounded her woes. The power of #hashtags can not be underestimated, and #TheresaMayGifs has undoubtedly captured people's imagination.

#Hashtags such as this get all sorts of creative juices flowing, with some hilarious results, though Theresa May herself will hardly be amused.

As for the Conservative Party's reaction to #MayvCorbyn, well, this is what you'll find on #TheresaMayGifs.

May's refusal to face off against Corbyn is viewed as cowardice

Perhaps, May would have been better off accepting the invitation to a direct debate.

Many commentators and members of the public consider her refusal to debate live as a sign of weakness rather than strength.

Interestingly, Jeremy Corbyn took to Theresa's Live Q & A, to quiz her on the issue.

Regardless of how much Theresa May tries to downplay the importance of a #May v Corbyn live debate, the vast majority of people, commentators, journalists, and politicians - apart from the Tories, of course - are having difficulty in accepting May's stance.

The next major pre-election TV event will see the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn partake in Question Time on the BBC, Friday, 2 June. As expected, May and Corbyn will appear one after another, rather than together.
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