UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s seemingly inevitable path to defeat in the election saw him take another blow tonight after a snap poll of viewers of the Sky News debate with Keir Starmer saw him lose by almost two to one.According to the YouGov survey of 1,864 voters who watched the two take questions in Grimsby, 64 per cent named Sir Keir as the winner and 36 per cent Mr Sunak.It was a blow for a prime minister who needed to use the debate as a means of reigniting his campaign, which has seen the Tories trail Labour by more than 20 points and been dogged by a series of missteps.Noticeably he did not repeat his line from the first debate that Labour would raise taxes by £2,000 for which Sir Keir had accused him of “lying”, after the Treasury’s most senior civil servant disowned the figure. But the opposition leader also only once referred to Labour’s claim that the Tories would lead to a mortgage payment increase of £4,800 over five years after that figure also drew ridicule.Sunak answers questions More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s faltering election campaign took another hit as a snap poll found Sir Keir Starmer won Wednesday night’s TV debate by a significant margin.A YouGov survey conducted after Sky’s Battle for Number 10 found that two-thirds of voters felt the Labour leader performed better than Mr Sunak in the clash.Some 64 per cent said Sir Keir performed better, with 36 per cent saying the prime minister was the winner. YouGov spoke to 1,864 voters shortly after the debate, during which the two leaders were grilled on their plans for government.The debate followed another frantic day on the campaign trail, during which Mr Sunak was forced to push back on suggestions that Labour was on course for a “supermajority” come 5 July.Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, claimed that Labour could record an even bigger victory than the 1997 landslide won by Tony Blair as he urged Reform voters to back his party.( More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe number of female parliamentary candidates vying to become MPs at the general election has sunk to 30 per cent – sparking criticism women are not properly represented by the political system.New figures show the number of women candidates has fallen by four per cent since the last election, according to figures by campaign group 50:50 Parliament.Lobbyists said they took action to boost the number of female candidates but the proportion is much lower than they expected – adding this is partially due to the increase in Reform candidates who are mostly men. Women make up less than a fifth of their candidates.Lyanne Nicholl, chief executive of 50:50 Parliament, said: “We have around 34 million women and girls in the UK and a vast pool of talent within that number.”New figures show the number of women candidates has fallen by four per cent since 34 per cent during the last election 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 have gone head-to-head once again as the race to July 4 and Number 10 continues.The second programme featuring just the Prime Minister and the Labour leader saw the pair set out their commitments to the country in 20-minute interviews with Beth Rigby, Sky News’ political editor, before taking questions from the audience in Grimsby.Both insisted they would not raise taxes for working people, with Sir Keir adding: “I am not wanting to raise tax. I think people are taxed too much already. What I want to do, my central mission is to grow the economy.”Meanwhile, Mr Sunak insisted taxes for working people would “continue to come down” under a Tory government.Following the first standoff between Sir Keir and Mr Sunak, a snap poll by YouGov suggested the Prime Minister shaded by 51% to 49%. However, Independent readers appeared to be more team Starmer following the clash.We want to know if hearing from Mr Sunak and Sir Keir for a second time has changed your opinion on either politician or their party. Who was your winner tonight? Do you agree with the latest snap poll that put the Labour leader in pole position after the Sky News programme?We’re also keen to hear your views on the Tory and Labour pledges and whether you felt questions from the audience were adequately addressed tonight.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