Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer traded blows on the economy, the NHS and immigration as they faced off in the first TV debate of the 2024 election campaign.
By Faye Brown, Political reporter @fayebrownSky
Sir Keir Starmer said it was “garbage” to claim he would raise taxes by £2,000 as he traded blows with Rishi Sunak in their heated first TV debate.
The Labour leader initially failed to challenge the prime minister’s repeated accusations that Labour’s spending plans would cost each family £2,000.
He eventually called it “nonsense” and “absolute garbage”, saying his pledge to invest in green projects would result in cheaper energy bills.
Politics latest: Voters think Sunak performed better in first TV debate
Labour said the figure is based on misleading information put out in a “dodgy Tory dossier” and called on Mr Sunak to correct the record.
One of their 11 rebuttals is that the costings rely on “assumptions from special advisors”, rather than an impartial Civil Service assessment.
Sir Keir initially struggled to explain this during a debate that saw the pair repeatedly talk over each other, forcing ITV host Julie Ethcingham to intervene and cut them off.
A snap YouGov poll after the clash suggested Mr Sunak narrowly came out on top – with 51% of the audience believing he fared slightly better than Sir Keir.
However Labour’s shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth told our deputy political editor Sam Coates that Labour are leaving the debate “stronger tonight” as he accused Mr Sunak of “lying” about Labour’s tax policies.
“Rishi Sunak out of desperation had to collapse into lying in that debate,” he said,
“We do not have a plan to tax households in the way in which Rishi Sunak described, and we are not putting up income tax, or national insurance and VAT.
“The only party that has made uncosted commitments in this campaign is Rishi Sunak’s party.”
Labour has previously said it does not plan to raise personal taxes and its policies are fully costed.
Sunak laughed at over NHS claims
As well as the economy, the pair clashed over the NHS and immigration, with Mr Sunak groaned at and laughed at by the audience on some occasions.
Audience groans over NHS comment during leaders’ debate
The first rumbling of discontent came after the prime minister was asked how long it would take to fix the “broken” health service.
He pointed to the damage done by the COVID pandemic but said “we are now making progress: waiting lists are coming down”.
The Labour leader countered: “They were 7.2 million, they’re now 7.5 million. He says they are coming down and this is the guy who says he’s good at maths.”
Mr Sunak said NHS waiting times are “coming down from when they were higher”, prompting laughter from the audience. He then blamed industrial action, eliciting groans.
“It’s somebody else’s fault,” Sir Keir said.
In another key moment, both men were asked directly whether they would use private healthcare if a family member was on a long waiting list for NHS care – with Mr Sunak saying he would and Sir Keir saying he wouldn’t.
Immigration debate gets heated
There was also a heated debate over immigration.
Asked by an audience member why either leader should be trusted to do anything about the issue, Mr Sunak said deportation flights will take off to Rwanda “in July, but only if I’m your prime minister”.
“Stick to our plan and illegal migrants will be on those planes – with Labour they will be out on our streets.”
Sir Keir hit back: “The levels of migration are at record highs – 685,000. It’s never been that high, save in the last year or two.
“The prime minister says it’s too high. Who’s in charge? He’s in charge. He’s the most liberal prime minister we’ve ever had on immigration.”
The Labour leader also said Mr Sunak had “completely failed” to meet his pledge to stop small boats crossing the Channel.
Who came out on top?
The pair dished out their usual attack lines throughout the debate – with Mr Sunak accusing Sir Keir of having no plan and the Labour leader going in on the Tories 14 year record in government, particularly highlighting the impact of the Liz Truss mini budget.
A break down of the YouGov polling found that Mr Sunak came out on top in the sections about tax and immigration.
But while he also “won” the debate overall, Sir Keir was victorious in the discussions about the cost of living, the NHS, education, and climate change.
However, in bad news for both leaders, the poll found 60% of people thought the debate was frustrating, compared to 17% who found it helpful and 4% who found it authentic.
Opposition parties rounded in on the pair following the debate, with the Lib Dems saying “the country deserves better”.
The SNP said Scotland wasn’t mentioned once and the showdown underlined “why the overwhelming majority of voters want an alternative to the abysmal choice between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer”.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
