Rishi Sunak v Keir Starmer – what did we learn?

What did we learn about Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer when the two candidates went head-to-head in the first TV debate of the election campaign?

Are we feeling the benefits?

The opening question from Paula is one on the lips of voters in every constituency – she is working herself into the ground but still cannot afford to live, spending weekends batch-cooking to avoid turning on her oven at peak times.

She asked both leaders what she should do – and it was stark that neither was truly able to say. But Sunak’s words rang particularly hollow as he told Paula “the plan is working” and said Paula was “only starting to feel the benefits”, which was very far from what she had said.

It allowed Starmer to draw a key dividing line with Sunak. “I don’t think the prime minister understands the position that you and other people are in,” he said.

Tax

Starmer’s biggest error of the debate was a comprehensive failure to challenge Sunak’s assertion that Labour would impose £2,000 worth of tax rises. The figure comes from costings by the Conservatives that say Labour has £38.5bn in spending commitments – but Labour says those costings are based on false assertions.

Starmer missed the opportunity 10 times to deny the £2,094 tax rise claim and ignored Sunak’s repeating of that figure for the first quarter of the debate – and when he finally engaged with it, he attempted a long explanation which did not start with: “That’s not true.”

Labour’s election coordinator Pat McFadden was forced to tweet in the middle of the debate: “Rishi Sunak’s claims about Labour and tax are categorically untrue. Labour will not put up taxes on working people.”

If Sunak’s claim cuts through, it could be a damaging one and there will be questions about why Starmer was not prepared enough to challenge it quickly and directly.

Migration

Starmer appeared to suggest in the debate that he would consider offshore processing of asylum seekers as long as it was compatible with international law and human rights law. It is the first time the Labour leader has suggested that and there will be questions over whether it was intended.

Labour has a gap in its migration policy which Sunak highlighted – that the Illegal Migration Act makes it impossible for those arriving across the Channel to claim asylum – so what would happen to those who arrive?

But most crucially, Sunak had no answer to the figures Starmer quoted – he has previously promised to stop boats crossing the Channel but the figures are at record levels.

Getting personal

The animosity between the two leaders was extraordinary, with persistent interruptions and personal jibes. Tax rises of £2,000, an amnesty for illegal migrants – Sunak had plenty of questionable allegations that he wanted to land on Starmer and the Labour leader’s tactic appeared to be to ignore rather than rebut them.

Starmer, too, launched a major attack on his opponent, accusing him of “betting against Britain” in his early career at a hedge fund.

Sunak did not deny it and doubled down, saying he would rather have had his job than have been “defending extremists” – a reference to Starmer’s career as a human rights lawyer.

Overall, the audience seemed more predisposed to Starmer, especially on the economy and the NHS. When Sunak mentioned his flagship national service policy, the audience laughed.

Climate and net zero

Sunak effectively tore up the policies followed by Conservative governments over the past decade and rubbished measures such as heat pumps, electric cars and renewable energy – which Tories have spent millions promoting and legislating to encourage – saying such measures would cost “thousands of pounds” for each household.

Starmer is also exposed on the issue after the party’s U-turn on climate, where he rowed back on a promise to spend £28bn. But Starmer was able to articulate what his party would do to try to tackle the climate crisis, rather than dismissing it as too expensive as Sunak did, stressing Labour’s key pledge of clean power by 2030.