Winner of head-to-head Sunak v Starmer ITV debate after in a single day polls – dwell
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer clashed last night in in a fiery hour-long debate – and the first poll results on the winner are now in.
The Prime Minister and the Labour leader set out their pitch as ITV host Julie Etchingham questioned them on the NHS, immigration, the cost of living and defence.
But she was forced to step in at numerous points to stop the two men talking over each other, with the Prime Minister pursuing a particularly aggressive strategy which saw him interrupt the Labour leader multiple times.
According to researchers at Savanta, Keir Starmer outperformed the Prime Minister in Tuesday’s debate. An overnight snap poll found Keir Starmer beat Rishi Sunak by 44% to 39%.
Savanta found Mr Starmer outperformed Mr Sunak on NHS and public services 63% to 25%, on the economy 52% to 36%, and defence and security 43% to 41%.
Pollsters at the firm also found Keir “came across as most honest” 54% to 29% for Mr Sunak, and that the Labour leader “remained the calmest” 51% to 36% for the Conservative Prime Minister.
YouGov pollsters found in a separate snap poll yesterday that Mr Sunak had narrowly outperformed Sir Keir 51% to 49%.
Yesterday, while the two party leaders were locked in last-minute preparations for the debate, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was hit by a milkshake as he campaigned in Clacton, Essex. Essex Police later confirmed a 25-year-old woman had been arrested at the scene and that a man was apprehended after an emergency worker was assaulted.
Follow the latest on the General Election below
Mum who can’t afford to use oven stuns Rishi Sunak with ITV debate question
A mum has told Rishi Sunak she can’t afford to turn her oven on as she confronted the PM over the soaring cost of living.
During an often bad-tempered ITV debate, the PM was told how bad things were by audience member Paula from Huddersfield. She told him: “In the last few years I’ve found it hard to make ends meet. All I do is work to live.”
Mum who can’t afford to use oven stuns Rishi Sunak with ITV debate question
Rish Sunak’s £2,000 tax claim debunked after Treasury letter emerges
The most senior Treasury civil servant wrote to Labour two days ago saying the £38 billion/£2,000 tax attack “should not be presented as having been produced by the civil service” and that he had reminded ministers of this.
Rishi Sunak told NHS is ‘broken’ by bereaved cancer survivor
Rishi Sunak has been told the NHS is “broken” by a bereaved cancer survivor as Keir Starmer blasted the “unforgivable” state of the health service after 14 years of Tory rule.
In the first heated head-to-head TV debate of the General Election campaign, the PM was also mocked by the studio audience over his claim on NHS waiting lists.
Rishi Sunak told NHS is ‘broken’ by bereaved cancer survivor as Keir Starmer voices anger
Public think Keir Starmer won debate against Rishi Sunak, overnight poll finds
Keir Starmer edged out Rishi Sunak in the first TV head-to-head of the General Election campaign, an overnight poll found.
Mr Starmer and the PM traded blows in the ITV debate, which saw the PM laughed at as he made bold claims about National Service and NHS waiting times. The under-pressure Prime Minister, reeling after two mega-polls suggested the Tories face wipeout on July 4, really needed a game-changer.
But according to Savanta, 44% of viewers thought Mr Starmer had come out on top. That was 5% up on Mr Sunak, who 39% believe had won. The poll of 1,153 adults found nearly one in five viewers (17%) couldn’t pick a winner.
Public think Keir Starmer won debate against Rishi Sunak, overnight poll finds
Audience laughs at Rishi Sunak for two major blunders in live ITV debate
Rishi Sunak was met with laughter as he defended his “teenage Dad’s Army” National Service plan.
The humiliating chuckles came as the Prime Minister claimed the heavily-criticised idea would be “transformational” for youngsters. During a heated ITV debate with Keir Starmer, Mr Sunak was challenged by an audience member about the Government’s failure to deliver for young people.
Miles asked the PM: “What future can you offer my generation, and when will we become your priority?” Mr Sunak was forced to admit that he hadn’t done enough as PM, saying: “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 get the opportunities that they deserve.
“So that’s why we will introduce a modern form of National Service.”
But he was laughed at as he told the ITV audience: “I think it’s going to be transformational for young people in our country, giving them the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in life, fostering a culture of service in our society, bringing it together, but also strengthening our resilience and security for the future. And I think it’s going to be something that’s incredibly positive.”
Rishi Sunak laughed at during ITV debate as he defends National Service plan
Truth behind Sunak’s claim Starmer’s policy will lose families ‘£2,000’
Tory PM Rishi Sunak tonight claimed Labour was going to leave working families £2,000 out of pocket with planned tax increases if Keir Starmer got into power. In a feisty first general election debate, hosted by ITV, Sunak repeated the £2,000 figure again and again before an outraged Starmer slammed it as “absolute garbage” and claimed the Conservative Party “put pretend policies into the Treasury and get a false readout”.
But what is the truth behind the claims? Where does Sunak get his £2,000 figure from and why does he claim Labour’s planned tax policies will see UK families two grand worse off?
Will Labour increase taxes? Truth behind Sunak’s claim Starmer’s policy will lose families ‘£2,000’
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.
7 key moments and bombshells from Keir Starmer v Rishi Sunak TV debate
