With the UK Elections just a week away, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer went head-to-head in a fiery debate. From the betting scandal which has hit the Tories to the issue of immigration, the two leaders engaged in a long heated exchange with a few personal jabs here and there.
The debate was held on Wednesday in the central city of Nottingham. The two leaders were accompanied by a massive pro-Palestine protest outside the location, which almost drowned out the voices of Starmer and Sunak.
UK Elections 2024: Key Takeaways From Sunak And Starmer's Final Debate
The Labour and Conservative leaders went head-to-head on various topics ranging from the ongoing betting scandal in the Tories to immigration and Brexit.
On Migration
Starmer and Sunak had a long heated exchange in which Starmer stated that the Tory government has "lost all control" over the matter. To this, Sunak urged voters to "not surrender the country's security" to the Labour Party.
Sunak also accused Sir Starmer of "taking people for fools" over the party's plans to reduce immigration to the UK.
On Taxes
Sunak reiterated his message to the voters and urged them to not surrender to Labour. The incumbent PM added that Labour will increase the taxes on everything "from your house to your food".
Meanwhile, Starmer rejected these claims and vowed to work to improve the system which is still reeling from the economic fallout of Liz Truss' unfunded tax cuts.
On The Betting Scandal
In the lead up to the July 4 polls, at least four Conservative MPs have been accused placing their bets over the upcoming general elections.
Addressing the scandal, Rishi Sunak stated that he was "frustrated and furious" upon learning of the allegations against his party members. Meanwhile Labour's Starmer addressed the scandal and stated that there was an urgent need to "reset politics" in the country.
On Gender, Culture And Protecting Women-Only Spaces
During this segment of the debate, Sunak emphasised on "biological sex" and stated that Tories would work towards protecting such spaces.
However, Starmer also made a similar arguement but with a more open-minded approach. The Labour leader stated that the party would work towards protecting women-only spaces but at the same time "all people need to be treated with dignity and respect".
UK Elections 2024: Voter Frustration Shines
During the heated debate between Sunak and Starmer, an audience member asked both the leaders - "are you two really the best we've got?", earning loud applause from audience and raising the concern of votervoter frustration in the upcoming general elections.
UK Elections 2024: Who Won The Debate?
Ahead of the final debate, the Conservative party has been projected for the worst defeat it has seen since the election of Tony Blair in 1997. Sunak, who already has a bad popularity rate amongst the party and Britons, has not been fairing well in the opinion polls as well.
However, after the heated exchange last night, the debate ended with a tie, with both men at 50 percent.
As per YouGov, both men received a total of 50 percent in the snap poll for who won for their headline responses. For their overall performances, the men received 47 percent of votes.
However, despite the debate ending in a tie, the poll suggested that Starmer performed better as a politician and earned 61 percent of the votes and Sunak trailed closely with 56 percent of support.
