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Uk, last TV debate between Sunak and Starmer ends without a winner

A tie between the two would-be premiers: according to YouGov's hot poll, the live television debate between Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer last night ended 50/50, with no loser or winner.

27 June 2024

Il leader dell’opposizione laburista britannica Keir Starmer, il primo ministro britannico Rishi Sunak e Mishal Husain posano nel giorno del Dibattito dei Primi Ministri della BBC.

3' min read

The meeting was the last chance for voters to see the two challengers directly confront each other before the 4 July vote, and for Sunak to try to regain support, as polls give Labour a strong lead.

The debate was very intense, with Sunak on the offensive often raising his voice and interrupting his rival. The premier repeatedly aggressively warned voters not to trust Labour, whom he accused once again of wanting to raise taxes. The premier's repeated call was to 'not give in' to the inevitability of a Labour victory.

Sunak attacks Labour

Sunak has shown that he believes the best form of defence is attack: under pressure from the crisis in public services, health service first and foremost, a weak economy and a series of scandals that have engulfed the conservative party, the premier has opted for a tactic of aggression towards Labour.

The latest scandal, about the bets that some 15 Conservative MPs allegedly placed on the election date to make money by exploiting confidential information, seems to have further damaged the Tories.

Regno Unito, l’ultimo duello prima del voto
Photogallery21 foto

Sunak had only revealed to a few associates his intention to hold elections in July instead of in the autumn as planned, and most of the bets that the authorities are investigating were placed the day before the premier made the surprise announcement of the vote on 4 July.

The latest polls show a further decline in popularity for the Tories. According to Survation, the party that has been in power for 14 years has fallen by 2 points to 18% support, while the Labour party is at 41%.

Starmer presents his vision

In last night's debate, Starmer, much calmer in tone and manner, distanced himself from the '14 years of chaos under the Conservatives', presenting his vision of a 'politics at the service of the people' and his promise of 'country first, party second'.

On the thorny topic of immigration, Sunak accused Starmer of wanting to 'open the doors' to refugees, while the Labour leader presented the fact that 50,000 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel since the premier was elected, 13,000 of them since the beginning of 2024, a record figure for the first half of the year.

According to YouGov, 62% of the audience called the debate 'frustrating'. Between accusations and counter-accusations, data and statistics, the key issue is trust. Voters will have to choose whether to believe that Sunak, premier for 18 months, can really turn over a new leaf after 14 years of decline, or whether to put their trust in Starmer, who since becoming leader in 2020 has transformed the Labour Party, taking it to more moderate and centrist positions.

"The driving force behind this election seems to be the voters' willingness to punish the government for its incompetence, for the caravan, for partygate and now also for the betting scandal," says Sara Hobolt, professor of politics at the London School of Economics.

If the poll predictions turn out to be correct, a political earthquake is on the horizon. Hundreds of Conservative MPs will lose their seats, and according to some projections Sunak could be among them. This is why the PM last night launched the attack, hoping to convince the undecided if not to vote for the Conservatives, at least not to vote for Labour.

Several Conservative ministers have already openly admitted that Labour will win the election, as all polls have indicated for a year now. The strategy is therefore to try to reduce support for the opposition as much as possible, fuelling fears of a 'leap in the dark' in the event of an overwhelming Labour majority. In a week's time, the verdict of the only poll that counts: the ballot box vote.

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