UK election 2024: in heated debate, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer go head to head on economy
- Leaders of Britain’s two main political parties faced off in the first live TV debate of the UK general election
- Voters go to the polls on July 4, with predictions of a record win for the main opposition Labour Party
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour challenger Keir Starmer went head to head on Tuesday over how to boost Britain’s economy, with the PM accusing the opposition party of wanting to increase taxes if it wins power at a July 4 election.
Both Sunak, a Conservative, and Starmer stuck to their campaign lines in their first debate just weeks before a general election opinion polls suggest Labour is set to win, with Sunak saying only he had a plan to spur Britain’s paltry economic growth and Starmer portraying the Conservatives as presiding over 14 years of economic chaos.
In a heated debate – a recent feature in Britain and one which sees more voters tune into politics – the two leaders battled over how to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, growing waiting lists in the public health service and reducing immigration.
Most of the questions illustrated what many voters are contending with: a cost-of-living crisis when some struggle to pay their household bills, long waits for the health service and lower standards in the education system.
Little new was gleaned from their answers, but an opinion poll taken immediately after the debate suggested Sunak had won the contest.
