7 key moments and bombshells from Keir Starmer v Rishi Sunak TV debate

Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak clashed in their first head-to-head debate of the General Election campaign on the state of the NHS, tax rises and the surging cost of living.

In a heated exchange on Tuesday evening in front of a live studio audience, the PM also faced groans as he tried to blame hard-pressed doctors and nurses going on strikes for NHS waiting lists.

Mr Sunak also was tackled for not understanding what struggling families are going through as he took part in the first television debate of the election campaign. Keir Starmer accused the PM of calling the election now as he knows the economic situation will get even worse before the end of the year.

Here The Mirror looks at the key moments from the first head-to-head debate.

Audience member says she can’t afford to turn her oven on

Mum Paula from Huddersfield told Rishi Sunak she can’t afford to turn her oven on as she confronted the PM over the soaring cost of living. She said: “In the last few years I’ve found it hard to make ends meet. All I do is work to live.

“My savings are gone and I’m genuinely worried about my future. I don’t think you actually understand how this is for people like me.” Paula said she’s been unable to use her oven because of soaring energy costs, demanding: “ So what can you do about that?”

Mr Starmer said: “There will be millions watching this who feel the cost of living crisis bearing down on them.” He said the Government has “lost control” with “people like you paying the price”. The PM said many people had faced a “strain” on “family finances”, as he attempted to claim he has a “clear plan”.

Rishi Sunak mocked by audience over NHS waiting list claim

The Labour leader drew laughter from the audience when he mocked Mr Sunak over his claim that the NHS waiting lists are coming down. Asked how long it would take to fix the “broken” health service, the PM pointed to the damage done by the Covid-19 pandemic, acknowledged it would take time to recover “but we are now making progress: waiting lists are coming down”.

There was laughter when 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.”

Keir Starmer hits out at ‘absolute garbage’ Tory tax claim

Multiple times during the hour-long debate Rishi Sunak claimed the Labour leader would raise taxes by £2,000 “for every working family in the country”. Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has previously raised this figure.

But Mr Starmer said today the claim was “absolute garbage” and said the Conservatives had put “pretend” Labour policies into a Treasury analysis to “get a false readout”. The Labour leader also mockingly dubbed the Prime Minister “the British expert on tax rises” after warnings last year he UK’s tax burden under the Conservative is on course to hit the highest level since the Second World War.

Cancer survivor tells Rishi Sunak the NHS is ‘broken’

Audience member Janet – a cancer survivor – said she had recently lost a cousin who was waiting for surgery. She said: “No one is brave enough to tell us the truth. The NHS is broken. Be honest, how long will it take to fix it?”

The Labour leader said he was “sorry” to hear about her situation and said it was “unforgivable” what has happened to the health service over 14 years of Tory rule. Mr Sunak also said he was “sorry” for her loss. But he blamed the Covid the pandemic, claiming the “NHS is safe in my hands”.

Leaders divided on whether they would use private healthcare

Rishi Sunak said he would use private health care if he had a loved-one stuck on an NHS waiting list – but Keir Starmer said he wouldn’t. Pressed on whether he’d go private, the Labour leader said: “No.

“I don’t use private health. I use the NHS. That’s where my wife works, in one of the big hospitals; as I said it runs through my DNA.” The mega-rich PM admitted last year that he had used private healthcare in the past after coming under pressure to disclose whether he used the NHS. “I am registered with an NHS GP. I have used independent healthcare in the past,” he told MPs.

Rishi Sunak laughed at by ‘teenage Dad’s Army’ National Service

Rishi Sunak was mocked as he defended his “teenage Dad’s Army” National Service plan. The humiliating laughter came as he claimed the heavily-criticised idea would be “transformational” for youngsters. It came after he was challenged by an audience member about the Government’s failure to deliver for young people.

Even Mr Sunak was forced to admit that he hadn’t done enough as PM. He told the ITV leaders’ debate, which saw him go head-to-head with Keir Starmer: “We have an enormous amount to be proud of as a country, but we do need to do more to make sure our young people like you males get the opportunities that they deserve.”

Rishi Sunak hints he would pull UK out of ECHR

Rishi Sunak has suggested he could yank the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if his Rwanda plan is blocked. In a sign of how much Nigel Farage has spooked the Tories, Mr Sunak hinted that such a move could be in the Conservative manifesto.

Asked explicitly if he would pull out of the ECHR, which the UK helped establish, Mr Sunak said: “I believe all our plans are compliant with our international obligations. But if I am forced to choose between securing our borders and country’s security – or a foreign court, I will choose our country’s security.”

Keir Starmer won applause when he rejected the idea outright, saying: “We won’t pull out of international agreement and international applause that is respected the world over. I want the UK to be a respected player on the global stage.” He said the ECHR was set up after the horrors of the Second World War and the UK backed it under a Conservative Government. He said the Conservative Party was now “a million miles away” from that leadership.