PM lays down the gauntlet by difficult Starmer to SIX TV debates

Rishi Sunak today laid down the gauntlet to Sir Keir Starmer by challenging the Labour leader to six TV debates during the general election campaign.

The Prime Minister has let it be known he is willing to face-off against Sir Keir every week during the six-week battle ahead of polling day on 4 July.

The challenge to the Labour leader was issued as both main party leaders engaged in a blitz of campaign events on the first full day since the election date was confirmed.

Mr Sunak visited Derbyshire this morning where he posed with an umbrella following his rain-sodden address in Downing Street yesterday afternoon.

As he shocked Westminster by announcing he was sending the country to the polls much earlier than most expected, the PM became visibly drenched by the grim London weather as he spoke outside No10.

Today, alongside a picture of himself being handed an umbrella by Erewash MP Maggie Throup, Mr Sunak posted on social media: ‘Better late than never.’

If Mr Sunak and Sir Keir were to engage in six TV debates during the election campaign, that would be more than any PM has agreed to since TV debates were first introduced before the 2010 general election.

A source close to Mr Sunak told The Telegraph: ‘Rishi Sunak is up for debating Keir Starmer as many times as he likes.

‘And if Starmer doesn’t want to do it, what is he hiding? If he has all these great plans, why doesn’t he come out and say what he wants to do?’

Asked how many debates Mr Sunak would be willing to have with Sir Keir, the source added: ‘We will do as many as we can get. We will do one every week if he wants.’

The Labour leader has previously dismissed claims he would ‘duck’ TV debates as his party enjoys a massive poll lead over the Tories.

He said in January: ‘Look, I’ve been saying ‘bring it on’ for a very, very long time. I’m happy to debate any time.’

After answering questions from workers at William West Distribution in Ilkeston, Debyshire, Mr Sunak is making a campaign stop in South Wales before heading up to Scotland later today.

The PM received a huge boost on the first day of election campaigning as Nigel Farage dramatically killed off hopes of a political comeback.

The Brexit champion insisted he wants to focus on backing Donald Trump’s campaign in the US, as he announced he will not be a parliamentary candidate for Reform UK.

The bombshell will be a massive relief for Mr Sunak, after months of uncertainty about Mr Farage’s intentions.

Meanwhile, there was some other positive news for the PM with signs immigration is finally dipping.

Official figures showed a 10 per cent drop in net long-term inflows last year – although the level was still an eye-watering 685,000, bigger than the population of Sheffield.

The previous record for 2022 was also revised upwards to 764,000.

Ministers argue that reforms tightening rules on dependents and students have only just taken effect.

The PM joked he is ‘drier’ than yesterday and had ‘brought an umbrella’ as he gave interviews from Derbyshire this morning after shocking the country – and his own MPs – by pulling the trigger on a July 4 contest.

He launched a highly personal attack on Sir Keir, swiping that the Labour leader had ‘no convictions’ and voters cannot trust him.

However, he conceded that Rwanda flights will not now take off until after the election.

And the scale of the task facing the premier was underlined this morning with YouGov research showing Labour 25 points ahead – enough for a landslide bigger than that secured by Tony Blair in 1997.

Polling guru Sir John Curtice said Mr Sunak’s decision to call a ballot meant he is ‘either very brave or extremely foolhardy’.

Even senior Reform insiders had admitted they had no idea whether Mr Farage would turn up to the party’s press conference scheduled this morning. 

In interviews last night, the Brexit champion said the PM had chosen to go for political ‘suicide’ branding the Tories ‘Big State liberals’.

But he only said he would ‘think about’ his own plans overnight, suggesting Mr Sunak’s decision to go early had ‘quite a lot to do with me’ – so he did not have time to gain momentum in a campaign.

In a statement posted on X, Mr Farage said: ‘I have thought long and hard as to whether I should stand in the upcoming general election.

‘As honorary president of Reform UK, I am fully supportive of Richard Tice’s leadership and urge voters to put their trust in him and Lee Anderson.

‘I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time for me to go any further than that.

‘Important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5 has huge global significance. A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security. I intend to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way that I can.

‘The choice between Labour and the Conservatives is uninspiring, and only Reform have the radical agenda that is needed to end decline in this country.’

Anxiety has been growing in Tory ranks about the prospect of Reform gifting Sir Keir victory by tempting natural supporters away.

The party has been registering above 10 per cent in polls, potentially enough to doom significant number of Conservative MPs – although experts believe they will not be able to win any seats. 

Richard Tice is currently leader of Reform, but Mr Farage founded the party and has been mulling a comeback for months. 

The timing of the poll in the summer means he might find it easier to campaign, as it is before the US election where he will be stumping for Donald Trump.

But Mr Farage has also pointed out that it is incredibly difficult to get MPs elected under first past the post – having failed himself to win a seat many times. 

Speaking to GB News last night, where he is a presenter, Mr Farage said: ‘I think the timing of this general election has quite a lot to do with me.

‘He (Mr Sunak) was scared. He’d heard rumours – true or not, he’d heard rumours – that I was going to go into the frontline political fray, and if he gave me a six-month run against the worst most insincere Conservative prime minister in history, against the most boring house party guest as leader of the Labour party … I think Reform was a very big factor in this decision.’

He added that Mr Sunak had ‘chosen suicide over obliteration’, and was likely to be left with 150-180 seats, compared to 50 if he waited another six months.

Mr Farage has previously stressed that he will not be joining the Tories, despite a ‘very sweet’ suggestion from Liz Truss that he would be welcome.

The campaign got off to a less than auspicious start last night as Mr Sunak announced the summer election in a dramatic – and soaking wet – Downing Street statement.

As his suit became drenched, and with protesters playing the New Labour anthem of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ in the background, Mr Sunak pointed to inflation being ‘back to normal’ and insisted he was ‘stopping the boats’. 

‘The question now is how and who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future… now is the moment for Britain to decide its future,’ he said.

Even his own Cabinet was kept in the dark until the last minute, with Home Secretary James Cleverly telling ITV’s Peston ‘we don’t get particular advance notice’ and it was largely a matter for Mr Sunak and his inner circle.

The news caused disquiet among Tory MPs fearful of losing their jobs, and those who have already said they will not stand and are having to say goodbye to Parliament sooner than expected.

Despite speculation at Westminster about a Tory rebel effort to oust Mr Sunak and call off the election, one prominent critic of the Prime Minister said it was ‘too late’ to get rid of him.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who has called for Mr Sunak to go, said she understood ‘other letters have been going in’ to 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady but ‘colleagues, it’s too late, I told you six months ago we should have done this’.

Just two more days of Commons business have been scheduled, during which important legislation will have to be rushed through.

Party whips from the Conservatives and Labour are holding talks to work out what outstanding legislation can become law before prorogation – the end of the current parliamentary session – on Friday.

That includes the Victims and Prisoners Bill, which includes measures to establish a compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal.

Sir Keir responded with his own statement last night saying he welcomed ‘a moment the country needs and has been waiting’.

‘A chance to change for the better your future, your community, your country,’ he said.

‘It will feel like a long campaign, I am sure of that, but no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about.’

Preparations are being made for a Conservative rally at the Excel centre later tonight with campaigning due to kick into overdrive.  

But before today the election had widely been expected in the Autumn, and the bombshell is threatening to set the Tory tinderbox ablaze, with MPs telling MailOnline that Mr Sunak has a ‘death wish’.

They warned that the Parliamentary party will go ‘nuts’ at the prospect of charging towards a disastrous defeat.