RISHI Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer clashed angrily over tax in the first TV showdown tonight - with the PM repeatedly warning of a £2,000 hit to families under Labour.
In their first bruising head-to-head the PM said the man hoping to replace him is coming for “your work, your car, your pension – you name it, Labour will tax it. It’s in their DNA.”
YouGov polling shows 51% of people thought Sunak performed best overall in tonight's live debate, with 49% voting for Sir Keir.
The Labour leader refused ten times to deny taxes would be hiked under Labour - as the pair clashed on the NHS, borders and their own trustworthiness.
In a dramatic first TV debate:
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- Rishi ripped into Keir over Labour's tax plans
- He accused Labour leader of having 'no new ideas'
- 'How would YOU resolve NHS?’ demands Rishi
- And accused Keir of wanting to bring in 'retirement tax'
- But Keir hit back calling PM 'desperate'
- And berating him for 'always blaming everyone else'
- YouGov poll shows 51% of people thought Rishi won
Sir Keir slammed Tory “chaos” and said said they had hiked taxes to the highest level in 70 years. He labelled PM an “expert” in putting them up.
They also traded blows on immigration and the European Court of Human Rights. The PM said he would put Britain’s borders before a foreign court every time.
Sir Keir, an ex-human rights lawyer, said he would never pull out of our international agreements.
On taxes - which dominated the debate - Mr Sunak claimed Labour would raise taxes and “raid” people’s pension pots, while Sir Keir branded “Britain’s experts in tax rises.”
A fired up Mr Sunak blasted: “Beyond raising your taxes and raiding your pensions, no one knows what Labour would actually do.
“But you know what I would do? I’ll cut your taxes, protect your pension and reduce immigration.”
In their tense first battle, the pair also bloodied each other on the NHS and the ghost of Liz Truss haunting the Tories.
Early in the clash Mr Sunak warned the public: “The choice for you at this election - stick to our plan and illegal migrants will be on those planes. “With Labour, they will be out on our streets.”
In the first of two TV battles, first blood went to the PM who left the Labour boss gawping when he put him on the spot over resolving the long-running junior doctors’ pay dispute.
The audience sided with the Tory boss forcibly told the Labour leader he won’t meet their demands of 35 per cent as he doesn’t want to raise taxes to pay for it.
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Both leaders confirmed they did not intend to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.
But Mr Sunak directly accused Sir Keir of planning a “retirement tax” because he was not matching the Tory “triple lock-plus” commitment to increase the personal allowance for pensioners.
“If Labour are elected, pensioners will pay tax,” the Prime Minister said. “I do not think that is right.”
He told Sir Keir: “You should explain to everyone why you think pensioners will be paying a retirement tax under your government.”
Mr Sunak added: “Why do you want to put up their taxes?”
Sir Keir shot back by comparing Mr Sunak’s spending commitments to the unfunded tax cuts announced by his predecessor Liz Truss.
As the debate on taxes heated up, Sir Keir admitted: "We will raise some specific taxes".
He name checked slapping VAT on private schools and scrapping a tax break loophole for "non doms".
The PM hit back, arguing that Sir Keir also wants to burden OAPs with a "retirement tax".
TETCHY IMMIGRATION EXCHANGES
And on immigration their exchanges were equally tetchy.
After a much needed advert break, member of the public Steven from Warrington asked why he should trust either candidate to finally stop the small boats.
The PM said under his leadership flights will take off to Rwanda in the summer.
"Stick to our plan and illegal migrants will be on those planes," he said.
Back from the break it was straight into that most fraught of electoral battleground - immigration.
Mr Sunak trumpeted his Rwanda plan and insisted that planes will take off within weeks of his re-election to provide an effective deterrent.
He said: “So that's the choice for you at this election - stick to our plan and illegal migrants will be on those planes.
“With Labour, they will be out on our streets.”
Sir Keir, who has vowed to axe the deportation scheme, branded the scheme a “gimmick” and says he wants to “smash” the smuggling gangs.
He replied by saying Mr Sunak is "the most liberal PM we've ever had on migration" and that the high number of foreigners coming over are the Tories' fault.
He said: “The Prime Minister says it’s too high. Well, who’s in charge?
"He’s the most liberal Prime Minister we’ve ever had on immigration. Eighteen months ago he said that he would stop the boats.
"This year alone, 10,000 people have crossed on boats. That’s a record number. So again he’s made a promise and he’s completely failed to keep it.”
Mr Sunak said: “Over the past 12 months the crossings are down a third... I believe you need to have a deterrent. The only way to stop this problem is to say how we will stop it.
"If I’m your Prime Minister, we will have a deterrent the planes will go to Rwanda. What would you do with people who come illegally?”
Sir Keir was applauded when he said: “We need to smash these vile gangs... I do not believe it is impossible to smash these gangs. What I will not do is engage in an expensive gimmick, the Rwanda scheme. If he believed it was going to work, why has he called an early election?”
Sir Keir added: “There’s a pattern of behaviour here. He said waiting lists would fall, they’ve gone up, he said he’d stop the boats, record numbers are coming.
“The promises he makes are not worth the paper they are written on.”
Mr Sunak hit back: “As ever you say one thing up here, but your track record says something completely different and you can’t be trusted on immigration.
"I’m going to put people on planes. What are you going to do? Just tell everybody, what are you going to do with illegal migrants who arrive on planes?”
Sir Keir scoffed: “There’s a pattern of behaviour here. He said he would get waiting lists down, he said he would stop the boats.
“We do have to deal with this problem, we have to smash the gangs that are doing it. I’ve taken down terrorist gangs in my past, I’ve seen how it can be done, we’ll have a Border Force Command if I’m Prime Minister.”
The Labour leader, asked if he would consider processing migrants in a third country, said: “Yes, if that was possible to do it in compliance with international law, of course.
"At the moment people are arriving by small boats and not having their claims processed. By the end of this year, it means 100,000 people are in hotels without having their claims processed.”
There was a round of applause for Mr Sunak when he declared that Sir Keir "can't be trusted" on immigration.
"What are you going to do! What are you going to do!" the enthused PM blasted.
Sir Keir repeated that he will "smash the gangs" - but continued to trash the Rwanda scheme as an "expensive gimmick".
'BACKING EXTREMISTS'
The gloves were truly turned off towards the end of the debate as Mr Sunak accused his opponent of backing extremists.
The PM hit out at Sir Keir for helping hate preacher Abu Qatada fight his deportation in court in 2008.
Rebutting the accusation the Labour leader said he spent his years as chief prosecutor trying to lock up terrorists.
Mr Sunak was asked whether the Tory manifesto would commit to leaving the European Convention on Human Rights if the Rwanda plan was blocked in the courts.
The Prime Minister told the ITV debate: “I’m crystal clear, I believe all our plans are compliant with our international obligations, but if I am forced to choose between securing our borders and our country’s security, or a foreign court, I’m going to choose our country’s security every single time.”
Sir Keir said the UK risked becoming a “pariah” state if it left international conventions.
“We will not pull out of international agreements and international law which is respected the world over,” he said.
“Because I want the UK to be a respected player on the global stage, not a pariah who doesn’t agree with international law.”
Sir Keir said he would not use private health care even if he had a loved-one stuck on a long waiting list for surgery.
Asked the question, the Labour leader bluntly said: “No."
He added: “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.”
Meanwhile, the PM said he would.
To round things off, host Ms Etchingham asked the pair via member of public ‘Gareth on his way to Germany’: “What is the best leadership approach, play it safe or take some risks to win?”
Mr Sunak said: “I actually discussed with, when I met Gareth Southgate, who has the worse job for people giving them their opinion.
“You need to have a clear plan and need to take bold action."
Sir Keir said: “Game plan, bold action, good squad. I think England are going to do very well this year.
“You need a strategy for winning, that’s what Gareth does.
“He’s very, very good at this. He’s built a squad just like I’ve got a brilliant shadow cabinet.”
LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY
Never one to shy away from saying what he really thinks, on social media Nigel Farage compared tonight's debate to watching paint dry.
The newly annointed Reform UK chief and candidate for Clacton-on-Sea posted on X: "Found something more interesting to watch than Sunak v Starmer."
Below the post was a picture of wet paint.
Farage is set to add a major dose of spice to the election campaign as he accuses both leading candidates of being boring, uninspired and unoriginal.
The contest will especially heat up if he takes part in Friday's seven way clash - with Angela Rayner set to represent Labour and Penny Mordaunt taking on opponents for the Tories.
