Keir Starmer brutally told Rishi Sunak in a brutal BBC debate that he “probably wouldn’t have been so unrealistic” if he’d actually listened to his constituents.
The Labour leader suffered a major blow when the Prime Minister began yelling at him in the final debate of the general election campaign. During the 75-minute standoff, a distraught Sunak repeatedly interrupted his rival over tax, immigration and corruption.
But there was applause when Starmer said “if we’d listened to people across the country more often, maybe we wouldn’t have been so unrealistic.” During the heated debate, Sunak was accused of lying about Labour’s tax plans.
Viewers at home accused him of behaving like a child by continually interrupting him. The angry Labour leader warned that after 14 years of Conservative failure, voters have had enough.
After audience member Sue Berkeley spoke about how “people have been let down by the lack of honesty and integrity” in Westminster today, Starmer said that if elected Prime Minister he would “change the direction of politics and put politics back into ‘serving the people'”.
1.Law-breaking Chancellor vows to kick law-breakers out
Rishi Sunak has vowed to kick law-breakers out of the Conservative party, despite being fined for breaking Covid laws and not wearing a seatbelt.
Challenged by a viewer called Sue, Sunak said the public was “disappointed” by the lack of integrity shown by politicians. Sunak told Sue: “I’ve been very clear that anyone who breaks the law, anyone who breaks the rules, will not only face the consequences of the law, but we will certainly kick them out of the Conservative party.” Party leader Starmer was scathing, pointing out: “We’ve seen partygate before in this Parliament. The Prime Minister himself has been found guilty and fined for breaking rules that he put in place and imposed on other people. And of course we saw what happened with the Covid deal and how much money has been made from that. This requires leadership.”
2. Starmer gets applause for calling PM ‘un-secular’
Keir Starmer told Rishi Sunak that he “might not be so secular” if he actually listened to his constituents. The Labour leader slammed Rishi Sunak mercilessly when the PM started shouting at him in the final debate of the election.
Starmer drew applause when he said: “Maybe you wouldn’t be so secular if you listened to people across the country more often.” The problem we have with this PM is that his world is millions of miles away from the world of people across the country.
3.”That’s a lie and he’s been told he cannot repeat that lie.”
When Mr Sunak claimed in his closing argument that Labour would raise taxes by £2,000, Mr Starmer was visibly infuriated. “That’s a lie and he’s been told he cannot repeat that lie,” he complained.
Many will remember that Mr Sunak first brought up this figure in their first direct debate a few weeks ago. He claimed at the time that it was the work of an independent official, but in fact it was based on figures produced by Conservative advisers.
The Chancellor asked: “Can you afford to pay at least £2,000 more in tax?” And why won’t Keir Starmer be honest about what he’s going to do?”
4.Starmer promises better Brexit deal than Tories’ “failed” deal
The Labour leader shot down Sunak’s desperate claim that Labour would allow “freedom of movement through the back door”.
Instead, Starmer said he would work to improve the Conservatives’ “failed” deal with the EU. “We’re not going back to the EU, we’re not going to be in the single market, we’re not going to be in the customs union and we’re not going to allow freedom of movement,” he said.
“I’m not a defeatist like the Prime Minister,” he said, drawing applause when he said, “I know we can get a better deal than the failed one and I’ll fight tooth and nail for it.” “I’m not going to take back freedom of movement or go back to the EU, but I believe in our country and I will fight for a better deal so we can trade more easily and our economy can thrive.”
5.Minister accused of gambling says it was “harassment”
Labour leader Keir Starmer criticised the Prime Minister’s delayed decision to suspend election candidates under investigation by the Gambling Commission.
And when Mr Sunak was fined for breaking lockdown rules he linked the scandal to Partygate. The statement came in response to an initial question from a BBC viewer who said people were “disappointed by the lack of honesty and integrity” surrounding the gambling allegations.
Mr Starmer said: “When a member of my team was accused of involvement and was being investigated by the Gambling Commission, I suspended him within minutes, because I knew it was so important to act quickly.”
The Prime Minister hesitated, he hesitated, he hesitated until he was finally forced to act.
6.Mr Sunak reveals arrival of over 50,000 small boats after “losing control”
Keir Starmer slams Prime Minister for “losing control” of UK border. Responding to a question from the audience, the Labour leader said: “The biggest threat to our border at the moment is large numbers of people coming across the Channel in small boats.”
“And the numbers are record – 50,000 have come in small boats since Rishi Sunak became chancellor – and the Government has effectively lost control of the border.”
7.”Are you really doing the best we can?”
In a brutal exchange between the two leaders, an audience member asked if they were really doing the best the country could do.
He told the Prime Minister: But you’re a pretty mediocre Prime Minister.” But then he turned to the Labour leader and said, “Sir Keir Starmer, I believe your strings are being pulled by very senior members of the Labour party.
“Are you two really the best people to be the next Prime Minister of our great country?”
Mr Starmer replied: “It’s not surprising that people think that way after 14 years, because this country is in the state it is in. They’ve made a lot of promises about what would happen at the last election that haven’t been kept, and it takes away people’s hope
“The first question was about political integrity, but people haven’t realised that integrity either – there was partygate, there was coronavirus rule-breaking, there was the deal. Covid-19 – some people will instinctively think the first thing they’ll do in a covid crisis is to make money. This is a chance to restore that hope. I don’t think you can do that by making big promises that you can’t keep.”
8.Accuses Conservatives of stoking division
In response to questions, the Labour leader accused the Conservatives of stoking division. On gender issues he said: “The role of the leader of this country is to bring [us] together so that the country itself is less divided. Over the last 14 years there has been a tendency to find differences and divisions.”
9.Mr Sunak ‘has learned nothing from Liz Truss’
Mr Starmer warned that Mr Sunak had “learned nothing from Liz Truss”. He made unfunded promises about how to ease the burden of the record.
“Lots of promises, promises, promises, promises, but where is the money coming from?” he asked. “We have a cost of living crisis that’s affecting people across the country and we’re really struggling because the economy is struggling. With this election we have a chance to turn the tide and start to rebuild this country with a stable economy.”
When Mr Sunak suggested state pensioners would pay less tax under the Conservatives, Mr Starmer said: “It’s better for the Prime Minister to make promises he can’t keep because he doesn’t have the money.
“That’s exactly what Liz Truss got wrong. And there’s one thing we must not repeat in this election – do not go back to the days of Liz Truss with this Prime Minister because we’ll do the same damage.”