Thanasis Gavos

The first televised election debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer in Britain ahead of the July 4 election on ITV on Tuesday night ended without a clear winner.

An instant Sky News poll showed Mr Sunak only narrowly victorious with 51% to 49%.

The Conservative leader accused his rival of raising taxes, failing to guarantee national security and having no plan to crack down on illegal immigration. On the other hand, the Labor leader blamed the outgoing prime minister and the Tories for the deep and protracted punctuality crisis, the “disintegration” of the NHS and the slow pace of the energy transition.

The first topic the two leaders were asked about by a member of the studio audience in Salford in the one hour and ten minute debate was punctuality.

Mr Sunak acknowledged the pressure on households, but referred to the help he gave as finance minister during the pandemic and economic indicators that have started to improve. He contrasted his intention to cut taxes with what he described as a proven policy of raising taxes by Labour, who have taxes “in their DNA”.

Keir Starmer admitted that the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have made things worse, but accused the government of having “lost control”. He noted that taxes have been raised by the Tories 26 times and are at a 17-year high. He said it was an opportunity to start rebuilding the country and the economy under a new Labor government.

Asked about the collapse of the public health and social care sector, the Labor leader accused the Conservatives of “inexcusably” abandoning the NHS, which is “in a worse place than it was 14 years ago” when the Tories came to power.

Mr Sunak attributed the problems to the pandemic which “has done a lot of damage”. He countered that his government had committed to record funding for public health. He said recovery from the pandemic would take time and patient waiting lists were shrinking, with Mr Starmer saying patients on waiting lists remained at 7.2 million, only slightly down from their peak.

On the doctors’ strikes, Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister had failed to address the problem, but failed to adequately specify what he would do. Sunak received applause from the audience when he said that he will not agree to the request for a 35% increase in the salaries of unqualified doctors because he does not want to increase the citizens’ taxes. He accused his opponent of not having a plan.

In education Rishi Sunak said he had made reforms that delivered and supported teachers, while Keir Starmer said there was a huge need for more teachers. He referred to one of the first six steps of his administration to hire 6,500 teachers by imposing VAT on private school fees, a position for which he was applauded.

Coordinating journalist Julie Etsongham noted that both leaders have pledged not to raise income tax, social security contributions and VAT (except for private schools in Labour’s case).

Asked where the money for their pledges would come from, Keir Starmer said, to applause, that he would tax UK residents who declare their tax domicile abroad and the super profits of energy companies.

Mr Sunak said he had already raised the tax on energy companies and stressed that his government would not impose a tax on pensions, which his opponent would do. Mr Starmer replied that the outgoing Prime Minister was adopting the Truss policy of uncosted tax cuts.

On immigration, Rishi Sunak said he has taken bold steps to reduce both legal and illegal immigration. He referred to the “deterrent measure” to deport irregular migrants in Rwanda saying: “You may not like it but I have a plan, what are Labor going to do with these people?”

Mr Starmer has reiterated that this law will be withdrawn if he is elected prime minister. He said net immigration is at record levels, the fault of the Conservatives and Rishi Sunak, who has failed to deliver on his promises. The prime minister countered that there had been a reduction in illegal crossings across the Channel, while Keir Stammer said his aim would be to break up gangs of smugglers based on his past experience as attorney general.

Mr Sunak again suggested he would not hesitate to withdraw the country from the ECHR if it tried to block deportations to Rwanda, with Mr Starmer strongly disagreeing and saying the UK would respect international law and not become a “pariah” state.

Asked about Gaza, the Labor leader described the situation as “unbearable and catastrophic”, calling for an immediate ceasefire, more humanitarian aid and for Britain to lead the way towards a two-state solution. Mr Sunak also described the situation as “terrible”, saying that he supports the American proposal for a truce and declaring that he is proud of the provision of British aid to Gaza. He linked the issue to his promise of a significant increase in defense spending.

He added that “the British people cannot trust Labor with national defense and security”, referring to a statement by Mr Starmer’s deputy leader Angela Rayner that she would like nuclear weapons to be abolished. The Labor leader said he has a track record of convicting terrorists as attorney general.

When asked if they would like a special relationship with the “condemned” Donald Trump if he is elected to the White House, both replied that the UK-US “special relationship” goes beyond faces.

On the subject of climate change, Rishi Sunak commented that he does not believe that the British “must solve a global problem alone” and for this reason, as he added, he has taken bold decisions for the country’s energy security with a less abrupt transition to zero emissions. so that the citizens are not burdened financially. Keir Starmer said the transition to renewable energy should not be seen as a challenge but as an opportunity, with economic benefits among others.

Mr Starmer also dismissed Sunak’s proposal for compulsory military service or community service for 18-year-olds as not a serious gimmick, adding that the measure would be funded from funds for the upgrading of the district. Mr Sunack defended his proposal, amid laughter from some members of the audience, saying it would transform British society and provide skills and opportunities for young people.

The final question was about their leadership style, phrased by a “Gareth traveling to Germany”, an apparent reference from the coordinator to England coach Gareth Southgate ahead of Euro football.

Rishi Sunak replied that he needed a “clear plan and bold action” and Keir Starmer that there must be a game plan and to score, a winning strategy and a good team.

In his final address to the televised audience the Labor leader said he was not playing tricks like his opponent and that he was not pretending there was a magic wand. Instead he proposes a plan based on common sense to “fix” the country, which can and should be improved. The choice, he said, was “more chaos” with the Tories or a chance to rebuild the country with a changed Labor Party.

Rishi Sunak said that the people know what he stands for and will always support him like during the pandemic. With Starmer, he added, in addition to higher taxes, “you don’t know what you’re going to see because he doesn’t know either, because he doesn’t have a plan.” He went on to say that in uncertain times there is simply no room for an uncertain prime minister. “Elect Conservatives for lower immigration, lower taxes and secure pensions,” concluded Mr Sunak.