British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer came face to face on Wednesday in their final debate before next week’s election. Both launched highly personal attacks on their own and their parties’ credibility.
The debate was held in the central city of Nottingham and was the last chance for Sunak to give his right-wing Conservatives, who are about 20 points behind Labour, a fighting chance in the July 4 election.
He accused Starmer of “keeping people stupid” over Labour’s plans to cut immigration, while Starmer accused Sunak, one of the country’s richest men, of being “out of touch” and too rich to understand the concerns of most ordinary Britons.
Sunak has repeatedly urged voters not to “surrender” to Labour on everything from borders to taxes, while Starmer has stressed that the election is an opportunity for the country to “turn the page” after 14 years of Conservative rule dominated by austerity, Brexit and party infighting.
The debate, broadcast on the BBC with presenter Mishal Husain, ended in a draw, with both receiving 50 per cent of the vote, according to a YouGov express poll.
Debate continues despite protests
As the debate at Nottingham Trent University got underway, indistinguishable but loud shouts were heard from Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside. Hussain recognised the distraction and said the protests were part of democracy in the UK.
Neither Starmer nor Sunak mentioned the demonstration, which fell silent in the second half of the debate. They also clashed over the election date betting scandal, which has involved several senior Conservative politicians as well as one Labour candidate betting against himself.
Starmer pledged to “reboot politics back to public service”, accusing Sunak of lacking leadership over the scandal.
Sunak, who has promised to restore “integrity, professionalism and accountability” when he is appointed Conservative Party leader and prime minister in 2022, said he was “furious” when he learnt of the allegations. He added:
“I’ve been crystal clear: Anyone who has broken the rules should not only face the full consequences of the law, I will ensure that they’re booted out of the Conservative Party.”
Both leaders have met in several debates and public meetings with voters, increasingly focussing on who is better suited to lead the country.
Sunak’s campaign has not fared well since he announced the election outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain in May.
His campaign has been sluggish since then, and his decision to abandon other leaders and skip the main D-Day anniversary ceremony in northern France earlier this month sparked a storm of reaction.
The Conservatives’ fight for public trust
The Conservatives have been struggling for public confidence since it emerged that senior officials, including then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had broken COVID-19 blocking rules to enjoy parties in Downing Street.
Their position has worsened, with Labour’s lead in the polls soaring after Sunak’s short-lived predecessor Liz Truss hiked interest rates in October 2022 and collapsed sterling with unfunded tax cuts.
The Conservatives are also under pressure from the hard-right Reform UK party, whose support has surged since it was led by populist Nigel Farage. Polls show Farage, who has failed to become an MP on seven previous occasions, is well placed to win the east coast constituency of Clacton, beating the Conservative incumbent.
British voters elect 650 lawmakers to the House of Commons and the leader of the party that wins the most seats, alone or in a coalition, will become prime minister.
