UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailKeir Starmer knew that all he had to do was to get through the debate without making a horrible mistake. No wonder he was nervous, unsure whether to address the audience, his opponent, or presenter Julie Etchingham.He had a good start, sounding more sympathetic to Paula from Huddersfield, who has to cook in batches to save electricity – although it took him some time to get round to “my dad was a toolmaker; my mother was a nurse; our phone was cut off”.Sunak knew that he had to disrupt his opponent and unsettle people about the prospect of a Labour government. He seemed relaxed but combative, interrupting Starmer repeatedly and demanding to know why he wanted to make life more difficult for people by putting up their taxes.The Labour leader was slow, again, to respond, eventually calling the figure of £2,000 in extra taxes that the prime minister used “garbage”. It was, he pointed out, arrived at by feeding assumptions into the Treasury – assumptions that included Tory policies by mistake.Sunak scored the first win of the debate on the unexpected subject of NHS strikes, drawing applause from the studio audience, saying the junior doctors want “a 35 per cent pay rise and I don’t want to raise your taxes to pay for that”.Starmer looked genuinely frustrated when Sunak challenged him on how he would resolve the dispute, and was reduced to a sulky “when I can get a word in edgeways”, which he repeated later. But the prime minister had made his point – that Starmer’s airy promise to “get people in a room together” was a bit rubbish.After that, though, Starmer turned the tide, mentioning Liz Truss as often as he could and having the better applause lines. He was clapped for saying that VAT on school fees was “a tough choice, I do understand that”. He was clapped for promising to “end non-dom status completely” – even though, as Sunak pointed out, the Conservative government has already done it – and to make “oil and gas companies pay their fair share”. And he was clapped for promising to “smash the gangs” to stop the boats.Sunak, on the other hand, attracted mocking laughter when Starmer challenged him on his claim that NHS waiting lists were “coming down”. Starmer pointed out that they had gone up since Sunak had promised to get them down; Sunak countered: “They are coming down from when they were higher.”He was also laughed at when he tried to defend national service as an “opportunity” for young people. But he did win the last round of applause for a line that the Tories have used before and that I thought was too defensive: “If you think Labour are going to win, start saving.”By then, Starmer had got over his early nerves and appeared to realise that he was playing politics on easy mode. He kept pointing out that the Tories had been in power for 14 years, and that Sunak didn’t seem keen to defend the record. Sunak kept saying that the election was about the future.Sunak finally had a strong message for his closing statement: “In uncertain times we simply cannot afford an uncertain prime minister. If you don’t know what you’re going to get from Labour don’t vote for it.” But before he got to it, he had to pause to take a sideswipe at the ghost at the feast: Nigel Farage. The election was a choice between him and Starmer as prime minister, said Sunak: “A vote for anyone else makes it more likely that it will be him.”The debate confirmed that Sunak was quicker and sharper, and that Labour’s policies are only barely battle-ready. But it also confirmed that Sunak has been fighting a hopeless battle from the start, and that the words “Liz Truss” are enough to bring most political arguments to an end.YouGov’s snap poll showed nearly a dead heat, with 51 per cent saying Sunak “won”, and 49 per cent Starmer.That was all that Starmer needed to do to clear the most important of the foreseeable hurdles in this election campaign. It was striking that his irritability was more in evidence than Sunak’s past tetchiness, which had been suppressed completely.We had better get used to Starmer’s weary and humourless dismissiveness, because we will see a lot more of it when he becomes prime minister. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe current leader of the trade union movement has warned Sir Keir Starmer that any failure to reverse “14 years of attacks on public sector pay” by a Labour government will not be accepted.Matt Wrack, the president of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), issued the warning amid concerns over the Labour leadership language on pay settlements.In a recent interview with The Independent, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting made it clear that he would not give striking doctors their 35 per cent pay rise demand. Sir Keir then was applauded on the televised leaders debate last night for saying the same.Asked if he was concerned about the language on pay by the Labour leadership, Mr Wrack said: “Yes, I think that is an issue that that needs addressing.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer during the ITV General Election debate (Jonathan Hordle/ITV) More

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer clashed on live television on Tuesday night (4 June) in the first debate ahead of the general election.The prime minister hoped to boost his Tory party’s dismal outlook, while Labour’s leader aimed to cement his status as the favourite.Both acknowledged the country’s many problems, from fraying public services to a broken immigration system as they went head-to-head on ITV.They were also told – on multiple occasions – to keep the shouting to a minimum by presenter Julie Etchingham.Here, The Independent takes a look at the key moments from the first TV debate. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak ended months of speculation on Wednesday and announced a General Election on 4 July.The prime minister, outside the steps of 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain, said: “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future.”However, research has suggested the Labour Party has consistently been ahead in opinion polls. On average, Labour is on 44 points, 21 ahead of the Conservatives. Britain’s leading election expert Professor Sir John Curtice said the Conservatives face a “major challenge” to hold on to power and that the election is “for Labour to win”.The Tories may also face more challenges with undecided voters and tactical voting. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was soaked while making a speech outside No 10 (Lucy North/PA) More

Rishi Sunak “exploded Keir Starmer’s claim to be a credible candidate for prime minister” during Tuesday night’s debate, Michael Gove has suggested.The pair went head-to-head on ITV ahead of next month’s general election and a snap poll suggested Mr Sunak narrowly came out on top.Cabinet minister Mr Gove, however, suggested Sir Keir suffered a major defeat.“It exploded Keir Starmer’s claim to be a credible candidate for prime minister on migration, on the doctors’ strike, on tax, on the economy,” Mr Gove said of the debate.“On every single area that he was questioned on, Starmer was found wanting.” More

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were repeatedly scolded for shouting over each other during their first televised debate of the 2024 general election.Mediator Julie Etchingham stepped in several times as the leaders went head-to-head live on ITV on Tuesday, 4 June.The pair were told to “stop shouting over each other” as they were questioned on issues such as NHS waiting lists, taxation, and immigration.Tuesday’s debate came with just four weeks to go until the general election. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThere will be six different types of voter at the forthcoming general election, according to new analysis by a leading pollster.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has identified six distinct categories of UK voter, based on responses to 12 questions put to the public.The groups have shared characteristics, such as gender or social class, and align on key political issues such as the economy or immigration.The underlying data is taken from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, the latest iteration of which will be released in full next week.Professor Sir John Curtice, senior research fellow at NatCen and professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said: “Much of the commentary on the election focuses on questions of performance. But elections are also influenced by voters’ values and their perceptions of politics and politicians. “The electorate is not just divided between ‘left’ and ‘right’, but also between ‘liberals’ and ‘authoritarians’, while many people sit in the middle and are not especially interested in politics. This poses particular challenges for the two main parties, who will have to reach out to voters well beyond their own ‘comfort zones’ to succeed.”Which type of voter are you?Middle BritonsMiddle Britons make up the largest group of voters, comprising more than a quarter of the electorate (26 per cent). They are mostly in the middle ground across political issues and are closest to a “typical” voter, with no clear political affiliation. They are hard for politicians to win over, and not that likely to vote.Well-Off TraditionalistsHighly politically engaged and likely to vote, many Well-Off Traditionalists live in the rural South East. This group holds socially conservative views that often align with Conservative policies. They make up 12 per cent of the electorate.If ‘Apolitical Centrists’ vote, they will probably choose either Conservative or Labour More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has sought to attack Sir Keir Starmer on national security over his past work as a defence lawyer on behalf of radical cleric Abu Qatada.In a fiery general election debate on ITV, the two leaders clashed over the issue of immigration and national security – with both seeking to criticise each other’s past work before entering parliament.While Sir Keir accused the Tory leader of profiting from betting against Britain while working at a hedge fund during the financial crisis, the Labour leader sought to highlight his own credentials in “dealing with terrorist plots” while director of public prosecutions.Abu Qatada fought plans to deport him from the UK More