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Mark Harper repeated Rishi Sunak’s claim that Labour will hike household taxes by £2,000 if they win the general election during an appearance on Question Time on Thursday, 6 June.During the first televised debate of the campaign, the prime minster said analysis by Treasury civil servants showed a £38.5bn black hole in Sir Keir Starmer’s spending plans that would lead to each working household paying £2,094 more in tax.Treasury permanent secretary James Bowler said “civil servants were not involved in the production or presentation of the Conservative party’s document ‘Labour’s Tax Rises’ or in the calculation of the total figure used”. More

Two Tory ministers starred in a Gogglebox-style video reacting to the first leaders’ debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.Mel Stride and Gillian Keegan were filmed watching Tuesday night’s (4 June) clash between the prime minister and the Labour leader with what appeared to be alcoholic drinks beside them, similar to the Channel 4 show.The pair offered their reactions to the debate, commenting on the PM’s “crisp” shirt and telling Sir Keir to stop talking about Liz Truss.A YouGov instant reaction poll gave Mr Sunak a narrow win of 51 per cent to 49 per cent in the debate. More

The UK general election campaign is now in full swing, with less than one month to go until Britain heads to the polls.Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will have the opportunity to battle for votes over the coming weeks, with plenty of public appearances and a number of head-to-head TV debates planned.Occasionally, though, politicians can make a slip or two and it seems several high-profile gaffes have marred the early days of the Conservative Party’s election campaign. More

Sir Keir Starmer has branded Rishi Sunak a liar and claimed he had broken the ministerial code for suggesting Labour planned to hike taxes by more than £2,000.The prime minister repeatedly highlighted the allegation during his ITV head-to-head debate with Sir Keir on Tuesday (4 June), claiming “independent Treasury officials” have costed Labour’s policies “and they amount to a £2,000 tax rise for everyone”.But the Treasury’s permanent secretary, James Bowler, said ministers had been told not to suggest civil servants produced the figure at the heart of the Tory attack.Sir Keir today said: “What you saw last night was a Prime Minister with his back against the wall, desperately trying to defend 14 years of failure, resorting – and it was a flash of his character, an insight into his character – to lies. I don’t say that lightly.” More

Households across the UK on Tuesday 4 June watched Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer clash on live television in their 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.But who do the British public think won the first TV debate? 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

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