Rishi Sunak is branding Keir Starmer 'dishonest' as they go head-to-head on BBC One barely a week before the country goes to the ballot boxes.
Rishi Sunak tore into Keir Starmer over immigration and his 'dishonesty' on tax tonight as he desperately struggles to avert a Tory meltdown.
Mr Sunak kicked off the exchanges by fending off a question about Tories being caught up in the election betting scandal, while Sir Keir jibed that the premier had been fined for Partygate rule breaches. But Sir Keir received his own round of applause as he complained that Mr Sunak kept interrupting him, saying if he 'listened' more he wouldn't be seen as so 'out of touch'.The Labour leader struggled as he was grilled on whether he would provide legal protection for women-only spaces, after one of his frontbenchers suggested pre-op trans women should use women's toilets.The Harry Potter author posted: 'It's very important that we protect women's spaces...
The PM accused Keir Starmer of trying to trick Brits as they went head-to-head on BBC One barely a week before the country casts their ballots Sir Keir accused Mr Sunak of being 'bullied' into responding to the betting allegations, after it took weeks for the Conservatives to withdraw support for two candidates.
In response, Mr Sunak said: 'It was important to me that given the seriousness and the sensitivity of the matters at hand that they were dealt with properly, and that's what I've done.'Mr Sunak also faced accusations of being out of touch with the public, after one testy exchange with Sir Keir. Husain then stepped in, saying: 'Hang on, you know what it is like to fall in behind a leader of your party,' in a reference to Sir Keir's time serving under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.A protest outside the Nottingham Trent University building where the debate was held could be heard within the hall and was picked up on the audio of the broadcast.
As the programme ended, Tory leader Mr Sunak also returned to the disputed claim that Labour's policies will cost families an extra £2,000 in tax.The best to run the country? Mr Sunak said: 'It was important to me, that given the seriousness and the sensitivity of the matters at hand that they were dealt with properly, and that's what I've done.'
After audience member Robert Blackstock asked 'are you two really the best we've got', the Labour leader said: 'I'm not surprised after 14 years of this that people feel this way because the country is in such a state. Rather, he said, it's 'the ordinary hope of getting on yourself, getting on for your family, getting on for your community, your country. It has to be rooted, if we're going to restore hope in my view, in returning politics to service, the sense that you come into politics to serve'.
Sir Keir received applause and whoops from the audience, before continuing: 'I'll tell you for why, because if you don't, we end up with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom standing in Parliament making an anti-trans joke in front of the mother of a murdered trans teenager.' The Labour leader could be heard protesting as he spoke, and in his own parting shot he said: 'That is a lie, he's been told not to repeat that lie and he's just done it.'
Allies of the PM hope that messages about the danger of a Labour 'supermajority' is starting to hit home, while there have been tentative signs that Mr Farage's surge might have peaked after he controversially claimed the West 'provoked' Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The enormous win for Sir Keir is being predicted despite signs that he is deeply unpopular with Brits.
The wider picture is of apathy among the public. An Ipsos survey indicated that 75 per cent were dissatisfied with Rishi Sunak, with just 25 per cent satisfied. 'He was asked explicitly, will you rule out putting up taxes for the first time ever on state pensioners? He refused to do so.' A noisy pro-Palestinian demo was taking place outside the venue, and could be clearly heard in the early stages
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