Sunak and Starmer clash over tax in first general election debate

Mr Sunak went into the debate with current opinion polls forecasting a record Labour win, and with his pledges on the economy and his flagship Rwanda deportation policy under scrutiny.

The Tory leader was eager to land blows on his opponent as the first question from the audience focused on how each party would tackle the cost of living crisis.

Sitting in the audience, Paula from Huddersfield said she was struggling with energy and food bills and had used up all her savings – a situation the charity Citizens Advice says they are dealing with 6,000 queries, external on every day.

The Conservatives had set up the furlough scheme during the pandemic, Mr Sunak said, insisting his plan to grow the economy was starting to work.

In contrast, he claimed Labour would pay for its spending plans with “£2,000 in higher taxes for every working family in our country after all the hard work and sacrifice we’ve been through”.

This was a claim Mr Sunak made repeatedly through the debate, which Sir Keir dismissed as “absolute garbage”.

The Labour leader went on to suggest his opponent was out of touch, saying: “Paula, I just don’t know how you feel when you hear a prime minister say, having heard what you’re going through, that the plan is working.”

Both Mr Sunak and Sir Keir were asked to raise their hands if they would raise income tax, national insurance or, with the exception of Labour’s policy on private schools, VAT.

Neither raised their hand, prompting questions about how they would pay for their policies.

The debate continued to be heated as the pair explained their parties’ policies on immigration, which has been thrown into the spotlight after the return of Nigel Farage as the leader of Reform UK.

Mr Sunak challenged Sir Keir directly on his plans on immigration, often speaking over both his opponent and the chair, Julie Etchingham.

Sir Keir responded: “We need to smash the gangs that are running this vile trade, making a huge amount of money putting some of the most vulnerable people in boats across the Channel”, to applause from the audience.

At one point, Ms Etchingham was forced to intervene, saying: “Gentlemen, we will lower our voices.”

Asked about how to cut NHS waiting lists, the audience groaned loudly when Mr Sunak blamed health workers’ strikes for some of the issues – but he then won the first applause of the debate when he added taxes should not rise to fund the NHS.