Rishi Sunak, host Julie Etchingham and Sir Keir Starmer at the first general election debate. Photo: Jonathan Hordle/ITV
Sir Keir Starmer was accused by Rishi Sunak of not having a plan to tackle some of the key issues facing Britain as the two leaders took part in the first general election debate
The two men disagreed over tax policy, ending the junior doctors' strike, social security and immigration.
Here are the key points from the debate.
Immigration
Mr Sunak repeatedly asked Sir Keir what he would do to stop small boats crossing the Channel, but the Labour leader failed to give a specific answer.
Instead, he pointed to his experience as director of public prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service and said he would smash criminal gangs.
He said: “He said: “I will never accept that the only criminal gangs that cannot be destroyed are these vile gangs. I have dismantled terrorist gangs, I know it can be done.”
But the Prime Minister said: “Immigration is too high and we will need to take bold action to bring it down.”
p>“We've cut that figure by a third and now we have deterrents ready to go. Flights will begin in July, but only if I become Prime Minister.
“If Keir becomes Prime Minister, there will be no deterrent to stop people arriving by boat.”
Sir Keir also ruled out withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights.
p> “I want Britain to be respected on the world stage, not seen as an outcast,” he said.
In contrast, Mr Sunak said he would always put protecting the UK's borders ahead of a foreign court.
But Sir Keir, who said he would scrap Rwanda's deportation policy, said that if international courts allowed it, he would consider asylum seekers in other countries.
He said: “Yes, if it it will be so.” it is possible to do this under international law.”
The Labor Party leader said Mr Sunak was “the most liberal prime minister we have ever had on immigration.”Asked by the audience why any leader should be trusted to do anything about illegal immigration, Mr Sunak said deportation flights to Rwanda would start “in July, but only if I'm your prime minister.”
“Stick to our plan and illegal migrants will be on those planes and they'll be on our streets with Labour.”
Labour's tax threat
Sir Keir has refused to deny eight times that Labour is going to tax.
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The couple responded to Paula, from Huddersfield, who said she was finding it very difficult to make ends meet. “All I do is work to live. What can you do about it? she asked.
In response, the Prime Minister said Labor would raise taxes by £2,000, saying it was “in their DNA.”
The Labor leader noted that Tory tax burden increased, but refused to deny that he would raise taxes.
Mr Sunak said: “I know the strain the last few years have put on your family's finances.
“My priority has been to take bold measures such as the furlough scheme and normalizing inflation…
“Now wages are rising and we can start cutting taxes. We're just starting to see the benefits.”
He said the choice was between “a clear plan or a £2,000 tax rise within Labour.”
Sir Keir said: “I am very sorry to hear about the problem you are facing on a daily basis. Millions of others feel a cost of living crisis looming.
“This government has lost control, it has destroyed the economy… Rishi Sunak is nominating Liz Truss at the next election.
Mr Sunak then said: “Keir Starmer would jeopardize all this progress and raise everyone's taxes by £2,000 after all the hard work.”
Sir Keir said: “This is a Prime Minister who, part of a Government that has levied taxes 26 times, said in its last manifesto that it would not levy National Insurance, and this man introduced it. Taxes are at their highest level in 70 years.”
Mr Sunak said: “Mary, my words are: Labor will increase your tax. it's in their DNA. Rising taxes by £2,000 won't help.”
The £2,000 figure comes from a Treasury analysis that looked at 15 labor policies. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, said it showed the party's spending plans would lead to a £38 billion black hole.
He said the gap between what Labor would spend and the measures it announced to raise money was great. £2,100 for every working family.
Raid on state pension
Sir Keir has repeatedly refused to deny Mr. Sunak is that he is preparing a tax raid on state pensions.
The Prime Minister has pressed the Labor leader several times over where older people will pay the “pension tax” if he wins the election.
The Tories have promised to introduce a pension “triple lock plus”, which means pensioners never pay income tax on their state pension.
At the same time, Sir Keir ruled out the possibility of real-terms cuts to non-ring-fenced budgets such as defense after the election, while Mr Sunak did not.
Mr Sunak said: “It is clear that pensioners, under Keir Starmer's leadership, will pay tax on their state pension for the first time in our country's history.”
“Keir Starmer can talk about the past all he wants, but he can talk about the future to pensioners tax increases are coming. Why do you want to do this, why do you want to tax pensioners?
Sir Keir accused the Prime Minister of announcing a series of “desperate ploys” and added: “The big problem with Liz Truss is that she has gone ahead with unfunded tax cuts.”
Junior doctors' strike
Sir Keir was unable to say how he would end the junior doctors' strike as Mr Sunak challenged him in a fiery exchange.
Leader Labor leader said he would “go into the room and you will solve this problem” but insisted he would not agree to union demands for a 35 per cent pay rise because they were unaffordable.
He also insisted he would not use private healthcare even if his relative was stuck on the NHS waiting list. life-saving care.
Sir Keir made his announcement after the Prime Minister blamed long-term strikes by junior doctors for hampering efforts to reduce NHS waiting lists.
To applause from the audience, Mr Sunak said of union wage demands: “I don't want to raise your taxes to pay for it – I don't think that's right.”
Accusing Mr Sunak of In an attempt to shift the blame, Sir Keir said: “You have to come into the room, you have to solve this problem because the NHS has to get back to work.”
The Prime Minister replied: “How would you solve this problem? Just standing there and saying that you will solve this problem is not a plan.”
Social assistance
Leaders were asked: Will there be a fully funded solution for social care?
Mr Sunak said the Tories had committed an extra £8 billion for social care because “the pressure is immediate”. He said they had already introduced reforms.
Sir Keir said Labor would put forward a plan that would include the full cost, but did not explain what it was.
He said : “We will have a social care plan and, like everything else in our manifesto, it will be fully costed and fully funded.
“It starts with the workforce because, as you know, one of the biggest problems in social security is the fragmentation of the workforce, poor conditions and many, many people leaving.”
At the start of the debate, leaders asked an audience member named Janet about how they would fix the NHS.
Mr Sunak responded to Sir Keir: “It is impossible to get Janet and everyone else the care they need without the workforce, but the British Medical Association has warned Keir Starmer's pension tax risks an exodus of doctors from the NHS.”
Sir Keir replied that “we're talking about social care”, to which Mr Sunak insisted that “it's all connected”.
VAT in private schools
Mr Sunak criticized the Labor Party for its plan to charge VAT on private school tuition fees, saying those who work hard should not do so. they don't allow it.
“I don't agree with that: people who work hard should have that kind of freedom,” he said. “He's going to raise taxes. This is just the beginning.”
Defending the policy, Sir Keir said: “I believe every child should have the teachers they need.”
“For a child in a state secondary school that they don't have a primary math teacher, and they'll have to live with that for the rest of their lives.”
The Labor leader added: “When it comes to schools, we desperately need more teachers.”
“In maths we have lessons taught by PE teachers, not maths teachers. We will hire thousands more.”
Climate
Rishi Sunak said Labour's green policies would cost thousands of pounds.
The Prime Minister said he was prioritizing energy security and legislation, defending his “bold stance”. decisions” on green policies, while achieving net zero targets.
“The contrast in this election is clear because Keir Starmer will undo all the changes I have made. It will cost you thousands of pounds.”
Sir Keir said renewable energy represented a “huge opportunity… That means bills will be cheaper, renewable energy will be cheaper not only in the short term, but also in the long term.”
“It also gives us the next generation of jobs. Other countries have realized that renewable energy is the future, they are in the race and I want us to win the race… I ask the question: why not Britain?
Mr Sunak was applauded when he said: “If you think the Labor Party will win, start saving.”
Sir Keir cited analysis that showed the 2030 plan would be cheaper under Labor than under the Tories.
“I said it before, I'm going to say it again, he'll accept your taxes are just as right. as night follows day,” Mr Sunak said, to which Sir Keir muttered “absolute nonsense”.
Defence
Mr Sunak criticized Angela Rayner's opposition to nuclear weapons, accusing the Labor Party of threatening Britain's security .
The Prime Minister said Sir Keir Starmer could not deliver the same security in Britain as the Tories because it did not meet his plans to increase defense spending to 2.5 per cent by 2030.
He said, “I don’t want this.” I think the Labor Party can be trusted to keep this country as safe as the Conservatives. The world is a more dangerous place than at any time since the end of the Cold War.
“The man who is going to be deputy prime minister has no faith in our nuclear deterrent, the main guarantor of our security. You can trust the Conservatives to keep our country safe.”
Sir Keir called the allegations “shocking” and added that as chief prosecutor he had helped keep Britain safe from terrorist attacks.
Sir Keir called the allegations “shocking”.
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He said: “For a prime minister who was then making money betting against the country during the financial crisis to now suggest that national security is safer in his hands is insulting and childish.”
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Both leaders were also asked about the Gaza conflict and said they supported a ceasefire and were working towards a two-state solution.
Working with Trump
Both Mr Sunak and Sir Keir noted the UK's special relationship with USA. will continue if Donald Trump re-enters the White House.
The Labor leader said: “If he is elected president of the United States, we will deal with him.”
“The special relationship goes beyond who is prime minister and president because it is a very important strong relationship.”
The Prime Minister said: “Yes, because having a strong relationship with our closest partner and an ally in the United States is critical to keeping everyone safe in our country.”
Clash over national service
Sir Keir slams PM Minister was 'ashamed' of Tories in power as he criticized his plan to introduction of national service.
The Labour leader said Mr Sunak had failed to name a single achievement from the Conservatives' decade and a half in power during the debate.
“All he can do is say: please look to the future, please don't look at what we've done in the last 14 years. We can't go on like this for another five years,” he said.
Mr Sunak hit back, claiming his national service proposals would be “transformative” and telling Sir Keir: “You don't have big ideas like
They also disagreed over the sharp decline in home ownership among young people, with Sir Keir saying it was “shocking” to see people living with their parents even after 30.
The Prime Minister warned that Labour's plans would mean “concreting the countryside” and said tax cuts would help people save on their deposit.
Rishi criticizes Starmer's legal record
Despite Sir Keir claiming his legal background helped show why he could keep Britain safe, Mr Sunak criticized his credentials as a lawyer.
The Labor leader cited his track record as a lawyer , in which he said he had prosecuted terrorist plots.
>Sir Keir said: “Before I became a politician, I was director of public prosecutions, worked in national security, worked on terrorist plots.” .
However, the Prime Minister responded: “I'd rather get my job than work for extremists like Abu Qatada and Hizb ut-Tahrir.”
In 2013, Britain deported radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan, where he faces terrorism charges. It comes after a nearly decade-long legal battle to deport the man once described as Osama bin Laden's second-in-command in Europe.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is a banned terrorist group in Britain.
Advice to Gareth Southgate
At the end of the debate, Gareth on the Way to Germany asked the pair whether their leadership style would be playing it safe or going for the win.
“You need a clear plan. and take bold action,” Mr Sunak said.
Sir Keir said: “Game plan, God Squad. To win you need to have a strategy.” He said Gareth Southgate, the England captain, had “put together a good team, like me with a shadow cabinet.”