Jeremy Corbyn came under fire over his attitude to terrorism and his divided party after he made the surprise decision to take part in the BBC’s televised leaders’ debate.

The Labour leader had earlier accused Mrs May of “weakness, not strength” over her no-show.

But he faced attacks from the Tory Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who accused him of believing that politics was like a game of monopoly, in which a banker gave out pretend cash.

She told the studio audience that Mr Corbyn would not secure a good Brexit deal, as he could not even secure the support of most Labour MPs.

And she said it was "chilling" that the Labour leader voted against many pieces of anti-terror legislation since he became an MP.

But Mr Corbyn hit back that Mrs May has also voted against similar moves.

Labour has also accused the Tories of putting forward uncosted pledges at this election.

While Mr Corbyn did not deny that he had lost a vote of no confidence among his own MPs, he said that he was "proud" that 300,000 people had elected him Labour leader.

The main challengers to the SNP in Scotland at this election, the Tory MP also attacked the SNP's Westminster leader Angus Robertson over his party's calls for a second independence referendum, saying there was "no referendum result he will accept".

Earlier Mr Corbyn had stoked the ongoing row over his stance on another vote by again saying that he planned to discuss the issue with the SNP.

He also failed to rule out an informal deal with the SNP in the event of a hung parliament, just hours after a new analysis suggested that could be the outcome of next month's election.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has claimed that she can offer voters a ‘cast iron’ guarantee that Labour will oppose a second vote.

But Mr Corbyn threw the party into turmoil this week when he said he would "open discussions" with the SNP.

Earlier the Labour leader had tweeted that Ms Dugdale “and I are both against independence and a second independence referendum because of the turbo charged austerity it would cause.”

Asked if he would urge the SNP to take another referendum off the table, Mr Corbyn said: “Obviously the Scottish Parliament has taken a view.

"I believe the last thing that Scotland needs now is that debate.

"What is needed now is a serious debate about the problems of underfunding of public services in Scotland and the way in which the SNP government has declined to use the tax raising powers it has... and I think it would be extremely wrong and unwise to go into a referendum while the Brexit negotiations were going on so the invitation I would give to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament is think again, the important thing now is to get a deal (on Brexit).”

The SNP argue that the UK that Scots voted to remain a part of in 2014 will not exist after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robertson said that the debate was a chance to show voters which party would be “best-placed to stand up to the Tory government at Westminster”.

He singled out Ms Rudd saying that she had to explain why Scots should trust Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a man she herself accused of “misleading the public” during last year’s EU referendum campaign.

Mr Farron accused Mrs May of keeping voters “in the dark” over her policies.

But on a trip to Bath, Mrs May denied that she was “frightened” to face Mr Corbyn.

She added that Mr Corbyn was paying far too much attention to his television appearances and "ought to be paying a little more attention to thinking about Brexit negotiations".

She later said: "I think the debates where the politicians are squabbling amongst themselves don’t do anything for the process of electioneering,”

The BBC debate also included the Ukip leader Paul Nuttall, Plaid leader Leanne Wood and Caroline Lucas, the co- leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Before the debate started Mr Corbyn had challenged Mrs May saying that her party had “been conducting a stage-managed arms-length campaign and have treated the public with contempt".

Refusing to take part in the televised showdown would be "another sign of Theresa May’s weakness, not strength,” he added.

Mrs May has built her campaign around her slogan of "strong and stable leadership".

But that came under pressure last week when she announced a massive U-turn on her plans to fund social care in England.

The Prime Minister was forced to stage a relaunch of her faltering campaign earlier this week, focussing on what the Tories say is the key issue in his election, who will negotiate a better Brexit deal with Brussels, Mr Corbyn or Mrs May.