ITV EU referendum debate analysis: Extraordinary personal attacks and a coordinated approach from Leave

  • Brexit
ITV1's EU referendum debate

The Remain camp were aware that some of the research shows that voters don't think that they are putting forward their case with enough enthusiasm and we saw a lot of gusto tonight and actually strikingly, also lots of personal attacks - particularly on Boris Johnson.

Accusations that he's mainly motivated not by a desire to get us out of the EU but more by a desire to get into Number 10 - Amber Rudd, his close colleague, making that charge for example.

And that was one of the most extraordinary things about tonight, something we've so rarely seen, which was members of the same government at each others' throats.

Amber Rudd, the Secretary of State for Energy attacking her colleague - also in the Department of Energy - Andrea Leadsom, and withering about Boris Johnson, saying he was the "last person she would want to be driven home by after a party." It doesn't get more personal than that does it?

It was a very slick performance from Nicola Sturgeon, she is obviously a top class politician. For me, the most interesting thing that her performance highlighted was the broader church of Remain.

You also had Angela Eagle constantly appealing to the interests of trade unions in a very sectarian way, then you had the Tory minister Amber Rudd.

Leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon, Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle and Energy Secretary Amber Rudd Credit: ITV News

Then on the other side, interestingly, it was a much more coordinated approach - a much smaller perceived difference between the Labour MP there, Gisela Stuart and the two Tories Boris Johnson and Andrea Leadsom.

And I think it's a very interesting question whether the focus of Leave - particularly concentrating on immigration; taking back control of borders, taking back control over lawmaking, is what is going to resonate more with voters against the broader Labour-Tory approach of the other side where they represent a coalition but a coalition that sees very different things in the EU.

It's all about economic growth for Amber Rudd and to a large extent it was more about workers' rights for Nicola Sturgeon and of course, for Angela Eagle of the Labour Party.