The battle to replace Theresa May as leader of Britain's Conservative Party has resembled a TV talent show for much of the past fortnight, with contestants knocked out round by round until only Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt remained.

On Saturday, the race veered into soap opera territory with news that runaway favorite Johnson was visited by police in the early hours of Friday morning after neighbors reported a loud altercation involving screaming and shouting at the London home of his partner, Carrie Symonds.

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PM Johnson or PM Hunt?

The Guardian reported that neighbors heard Symonds, a communications specialist, scream and say "get off me" and "get out of my flat."

In a recording of the incident played to the newspaper but not publicly released, potential prime minister Johnson reportedly says "get off my ******* laptop" before a loud crashing noise. Symonds then accuses the former London mayor of ruining a sofa with red wine, adding, "You just don't care for anything because you're spoilt. You have no care for money or anything.”

In a statement, the police said, "At 00:24 hrs on Friday, 21 June, police responded to a call from a local resident in [south London]. The caller was concerned for the welfare of a female neighbour. Police attended and spoke to all occupants of the address, who were all safe and well. There were no offences or concerns apparent to the officers and there was no cause for police action.”

Johnson has been living with Symonds, a former Conservative Party staffer, in recent weeks. He left his second wife, Marina Wheeler, in 2018 after 25 years together.

The accepted wisdom of the Conservative leadership contest has been, "Only Boris can beat Boris." Such has been the domination of Johnson in the votes among MPs and his popularity among the Conservative members who will choose the eventual winner.

Whether the altercation will prove to be a turning point in the race will likely depend on the reaction over the comings days, and whether the tape of the incident is released.

Polling from YouGov, conducted before the incident and published on Saturday, indicated Johnson remained an overwhelming favorite, with little good news for Hunt, the foreign secretary.

Seventy-four percent of Conservative members said they intended to vote for Johnson against 26 percent for Hunt, with only 19 percent saying they might change their mind. Johnson has extended his lead by 14 points. In a head-to-head poll in mid-May, he was 34 points ahead of the foreign secretary.

The only glimmers of hope for Hunt lay in the 31 percent who said they had improved their opinion of him over the campaign and the 40 percent who said Johnson could not be trusted to tell the truth.

Johnson and Hunt are scheduled to debate in Birmingham on Saturday afternoon in the first leadership hustings with Conservative members.

Journalists won't be permitted to ask questions, but Johnson is likely to be put on the spot by the audience. For the first time since the contest began, his victory no longer looks certain.