Who won the BBC leader's debate? Poll shows whether Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer came out on top

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer faced off for a final time in a firey BBC leader's debate on Wednesday night.

The Prime Minister and Labour leader took part in the debate at Nottingham Trent University, which was chaired by newsreader and journalist Mishal Husain.

It was the last chance the two leaders had to address the nation ahead of the general election which takes place on Thursday, July 4. The debate place in the wake of the betting scandal which has seen a number of candidates and officials investigated over wagers on the timing of the general election poll.

READ MORE: General election 2024 poll tracker: The latest opinion polls and betting odds ahead of July 4

Following the debate, a snap YouGov poll of 1,716 viewers revealed how people feel each party leader performed, and who they think won the debate.

47 percent of viewers said they felt that Rishi Sunak won the debate, compared with 47 percent for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Six percent answered they did not know.

Of those viewers who voted for the Conservatives in the last general election, 82 percent believed Sunak won the debate, compared with 18 for Starmer.

When asked specifically about a range of points in which each party leader performed, 39 percent said Sunak was more trustworthy compared with 50 percent for Starmer. 11 percent said they didn't know.

33 percent said Mr Sunak was more likeable, compared with 52 percent for Keir Starmer. 15 per cent said they didn't know.

When asked who was more in touch with ordinary people, 18 percent of those polled voted for Rishi Sunak compared with 63 for Keir Starmer. 19 percent said they didn't know.

And when questioned who was more Prime Ministerial, 41 percent voted for Rishi Sunak compared with 42 percent for Keir Starmer. 16 percent said they didn't know.

Debate viewers were also asked who they thought came out on top when discussing key debate issues.

On immigration, 55 percent of viewers said Mr Sunak performed the best, compared with 35 percent for Mr Starmer. 10 percent could not answer definitively.

On the economy, 43 percent of viewers voted for Rishi Sunak compared with 47 percent for Keir Starmer and 10 percent saying they didn't know.

On the topic of welfare and benefits, Rishi Sunak got 39 percent of the vote, Keir Starmer got 51 percent, and 10 percent said they don't know.

On Britain's relationship with the EU, 32 percent of viewers said Sunak performed best, compared with 52 percent for Starmer. 16 percent didn't know.

For tax, a recurring topic mentioned throughout the debate, 48 percent thought Rishi Sunak performed the best, compared with 37 percent for Keir Starmer and 15 percent unable to answer.

Viewers were finally asked what they felt about the debate as a whole. The results from the YouGov poll are seen below:

Ahead of the debate, an average of all opinion polls completed during the seven days to June 26 put Labour on 41%, 21 points ahead of the Conservatives on 20%, followed by Reform on 16%, the Lib Dems on 11% and the Greens on 6%.

These are unchanged on the figures for the previous week, with the averages for the seven days to June 19 also being Labour 41%, Conservatives 20%, Reform 16%, Lib Dems 11% and Greens 6%.

The shock summer general election was called by Rishi Sunak on May 22, with elections taking place in all 650 seats across the UK.

Polls will close at 10pm on Thursday, July 4, with counts taking place overnight. Results from across the UK are expected in the early hours of Friday morning.