UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA week is a long time in politics, and since The Independent’s trip to Manchester for the first head-to-head debate of the general election, it has been two.The first time, hacks assembled in the behind-the-scenes “spin room” were eagerly awaiting a clash between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer that could shift the dial in what has looked from the outset a done and dusted contest.This time, Mr Sunak arrived carrying the baggage of a disastrous D-Day gaffe, a Tory election betting scandal and with Nigel Farage hot on his heels in the polls.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.With little prospect of the debate enlightening voters or shifting the dial, assembled journalists seemed more concerned with the unbearable heat of the spin room than whether sparks would fly on the debate stage.Inside the spin room, where Rishi Sunak’s top team sought to convince journalists he was the best man on the debate stage More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak and Keir Starmer slugged out the final televised head-to-head debate to scoreless draw according to a snap YouGov poll as the two prepare to lead their parties into the final week of the election.The YouGov poll gave each 47 per cent with 6 per cent saying neither won.With everything on the line and Labour holding a massive lead of more than 20 points in most polls, Mr Sunak had a tough task to turn around his party’s fortunes as he locked horns with the Labour leader.His tactic appeared to be to constantly repeat that a vote for Labour would be “to surrender” to high taxes, high immigration or a tax on pensions.But in a debate characterised by constant interuptions and bad blood where the two failed to shake each other’s hands at the conclusion, a question by a lifelong Tory voter appeared to capture the the disenchanted mood of the nation.Presenter Mishal Husain with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during their BBC head-to-head debate in Nottingham (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer went head-to-head on Wednesday evening in their final debate of the 2024 general election, just eight days before the country heads to the polls.Hosted by Mishal Husain, it was the third face-off between the party leaders since the prime minister called the election in late May.Following the first head-to-head clash on ITV, John Retoul argued that Sunak was quicker and sharper, but it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, a YouGov snap poll showed nearly a dead heat, with 51 per cent saying Sunak “won”, and 49 per cent Starmer.We want to know what you made of the latest clash between the Labour and Conservative party leaders. Did you find the dynamic tonight different from the previous debate? Who came out on top for you this time? What were the triumphs and sticking points? And have the televised debates during the election campaign changed how you will use your vote at all?Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Join the conversation with other Independent readers below. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer struggled to get their messages across to voters on Wednesday, as protesters threatened to drown out their final televised debate of the U.K. election campaign.As the two politicians vying to become Britain’s leader after the July 4 election faced off live on the BBC, indistinguishable but loud shouting could be heard from outside the venue at Nottingham Trent University in central England.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the building before the debate. Host Mishal Husain acknowledged the distraction, which continued as the two politicians traded barbs about ethics, tax and migration. Protest is a part of Britain’s democracy, she noted.The ruckus made for a messy end to a series of debates that have seen Starmer, Sunak and other party leaders appeal directly to voters.Next week British voters will elect lawmakers to fill all 650 seats in the House of Commons, and the leader of the party that can command a majority — either alone or in coalition — will become prime minister. Labour currently has a double-digit lead in opinion polls over the Conservatives, who have been in power for 14 years under five different prime ministers. ___Follow the AP’s coverage of global elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/ More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailIf the polls are to be believed, Jeremy Hunt’s Godalming and Ash constituency should still be teeming with Tories despite five years of chaos under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.The chancellor is plotting a narrow course to victory in the true-blue Surrey seat, which has been Conservative since its creation as South West Surrey in 1983.But on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, with just over a week until polls open, The Independent struggled to see how Mr Hunt can avoid the humiliation of the infamous “Portillo moment” – when the then defence secretary was unseated at the 1997 election in stunning fashion.After spending the afternoon strolling the leafy streets and wandering along the waterways, we were unable to find a single openly Conservative voter. Mr Hunt’s rivals in the race are Lib Dem Paul Follows, Labour’s James Walsh, Reform UK’s Graham Drage, Ruby Tucker for the Greens and Harriet Williams for the Women’s Equality Party. Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Jeremy Hunt is in for a close race in his constituency More