IT'S GRIM VIEWING
Race for No10 gets brutal as Rishi & Keir face wrath of angry voters in feisty clash that left Labour leader speechless
The two party leaders received blow after blow
RISHI Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were pummelled by disgruntled voters last night as feisty exchanges dominated the race for Number 10.
The two party leaders received blow after blow with up-for-the-fight audience members left unconvinced they were the right man to be Prime Minister.
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The Labour leader was left momentarily speechless when he was labelled a “political robot” which was met with brutal laughter.
The Prime Minister was left feeling the heat as he was grilled over his promises of tax cuts, leaving D-Day commemorations early and failing to control migration into the UK.
The Sky News telly debate came at the half way stage of the election campaign with Sir Keir leading by 20-points in the polls - with Nigel Farage’s Reform party on the heels of the Tories.
Also on last night's clash:
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- Keir was asked 'How can anyone trust you' by Beth Rigby
- Rishi admitted net migration is higher than before the Brexit vote
- The Labour chief was branded a “political robot” - which left him speechless
- Both were hammered on trust issues - Rishi on Covid parties & Keir on supporting Corbyn
- Starmer insisted there would be no tax rises for working people
- YouGov poll said 64% of viewers thought Keir came out on top
Sir Keir Starmer even alarmed hard-pressed motorists on notice that fuel duty could be hiked under a Labour government.
The Labour chief told drivers a decision on the levy would be judged every year costing drivers more in the pocket when the fill up at the pumps.
The warning comes as The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign has poured pressure on every Chancellor - keeping the duty frozen since 2011.
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He said he was not going to “write the next five years of budgets” during last night’s Sky News ‘Battle for Number 10’ debate.
No knockout blows... but plenty punches landed
Analysis by Harry Cole:
No knock out blows for either leader, but plenty of punches landed by the crowd and the presenter.
Starmer did better than BBC outing, but Sunak desperately needs to perk up despite his rough few days.
Easily the TV event of the campaign, so far... But not the last time these two will be grilled.
Want to see these two interrogated by Sun readers... or even ask the questions yourself on June 24?
Our Election Showdown - held just ten days before polling day - is your chance.
Register interest HERE:
Speaking in Grimsby in front of a live audience, he added that measures such as fuel duty would be decided “budget by budget”.
He said: “That has to be decided budget-by-budget, but my track record is we’ve supported the cap on fuel duty every single time it has come up, but I want to do things differently.
“If we just do things in the same way that we’ve done for the last 14 years, we’ll end up in the same mess. I’m not prepared to do that.”
Rattled Keir Starmer asked 'how can ANYONE trust you?' as he's grilled over flip-flopping and support for Corbyn
A decision for shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, if Labour form the next government, would also decide on the temporary 5p duty cut that expires in March next year.
He was also pressed by Sky News’ interrogator Beth Rigby whether there would be no tax rises in the next Parliament.
He said: “No tax rises needed in the plans in our manifesto, no tax rises for working people, no rises in income tax, National Insurance or VAT.”
Asked whether he would put taxes up, Sir Keir said to the first applause of the night: “The Tories are in no position to lecture anyone about tax rises.
“We’ve got the highest tax burden in 70 years… We’ve got to get the economy going.”
During the 45-minute grilling, Sir Keir was left momentarily speechless when an audience member accused him of being a “political robot”.
The man added that he had “formed into more of a politician” compared to when he was the director of public prosecutions.
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Sir Keir said: “I think it probably is a result of coming into politics late, because I am not tribally political, I actually do believe there are good people who vote other than Labour who want their family, their community, and their country to go forward.”
Sir Keir Starmer hit back at claims he was suffering from a “trust” issue in his first exchange in the Sky News debate.
He was quizzed over why he backed Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 election but said he knew the left-wing leader wouldn’t become Prime Minister.
Sir Keir said: “I was certain that we would lose the 2019 election. I did campaign for Labour, of course I did.
“I wanted good colleagues returned into the Labour Party.” Probed once again if he meant it when he said he would support Corbyn, he said: “I was certain we would lose”.
In an emotional moment, he hoped moving into Number 10 if elected would affect his family - referencing both his teenage son and daughter. He said: “The only real fear I suppose I have is for my family.
He added: “I’ve got a boy who is just turning 16, he’s 15-and-three-quarters, and a girl who is 13, these are really difficult ages for my children… My only fear is the impact it’s going to have on them.
“I want them to be able to walk to school and be unaffected as much as I can.”
The Prime Minister insisted he would “keep fighting hard until the last day of the election” despite being 20-points behind in the polls - and the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform party.
He said: “Well, I’ve got to say it hasn’t been an easy 18 months in general but what I’ve done though is just keep going to try and do my best for people and that’s what I’m doing in this campaign.”
Mr Sunak said he believes the economy has “turned a corner”, adding: “We’ve got a clear plan for the future to make a difference to people - to cut their taxes, bring down immigration, to protect pensions.”
He also said that net migration levels over the past three years have been “too high”.
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When probed on how many people will be deported under the Rwanda removal scheme, he said: “We have already started detaining people, airfields on standby, planes are booked, the date for the first flight is out on July 24, I think it is.
“We haven’t given more details beyond that to not compromise the operational security, but there will be a regular rhythm of flights, not just one.”
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AUDIENCE v RISHI: RISHI Sunak was booed by a member of the audience after he blamed the doctors’ strikes for not meeting his pledge to cut NHS waiting lists.
The PM said he did not make “as much progress” as he would have liked. And as he claimed “everyone knows the impact industrial activity . . . ”, one member of the audience loudly turned on him.
BEST ZINGER: SKY political editor Beth Rigby pulled no punches after laying out a brutal charge sheet of the Conservative Party’s missed pledges. It sent the audience into applause.
She said: “It’s a catalogue of broken promises. You must surely see why so many voters think it’s time for you and the Conservatives to get your P45.”
AWKWARD MOMENT: PM and maths whizz Rishi Sunak floundered over some of the numbers put to him.
He did not know what net migration levels were for the past three years (1.9million), nor what the figure was before Brexit (around 800,000).
He also got hot under the collar over rising debt numbers and NHS waiting lists, despite claiming victories on both.
AUDIENCE v KEIR: SIR Keir was asked by a voter in a toe-curling exchange if he was in fact a “robot”. That he is a bit dull happens to be a sore subject for the wannabe PM, who is trying to to dispel that image.
And he paused long enough before answering to appear as if he had actually malfunctioned, provoking brutal laughter from the audience.
BEST ZINGER: “WHEN politicians say they have ‘no plans’ to do something, what they mean is ‘I might’.”
Sky host Beth Rigby expertly translated what Sir Keir Starmer really meant when he gave the flimsy response to a possible increase in capital gains tax if they win power. The Labour leader also failed to rule out a rise in fuel duty.
AWKWARD QUOTE: CHALLENGED over how he could campaign for former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn — whom he has now renounced —Sir Keir insisted: “I was certain that we would lose the 2019 election.”
He also denied being a political shapeshifter, and claimed he never thought Labour had “a chance” of winning at the polls five years ago.
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