Ahead of the parliamentary elections in Great Britain, the ruling Conservatives are trailing by around 20 percentage points in polls. In the first TV debate, incumbent Sunak appeared combative and repeatedly attacked his challenger, Labour opposition leader Starmer.
The week had started disastrously for the conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. First, UKIP and Brexit Party veteran Nigel Farage surprisingly announced that he would now be running for the right-wing “Reform” party in the seaside resort of Clacton-on-Sea. The right-wing populist, who is now also allowed to take part in pre-election TV debates, could shake up the election campaign and cost the Conservatives a significant number of votes.
And then the polling company YouGov described the expected defeat of the ruling Conservatives as even more devastating than previously thought. According to the poll, the Tories could lose three of the five seats they currently hold. Labour could even eclipse Tony Blair’s 1997 election victory with a landslide victory in the July 4 election.
Sunak appears combative
In the first TV debate on ITV, incumbent Rishi Sunak appeared extremely combative and repeatedly portrayed his challenger Keir Starmer from the Labour Party as someone who would raise taxes excessively. Starmer’s social democratic party wanted to increase the annual tax burden of every employee by the equivalent of around 2,300 euros, the conservative head of government claimed several times: “If you think Labour is going to win, start saving.”
Starmer rejected this and countered Sunak by saying that his Conservatives had raised taxes 26 times in the past fourteen years in government. Taxes were now higher than they had been in 70 years. Sunak was met with laughter from the audience when he said that the situation in the NHS was improving and queues were shorter.
Polls repeatedly show that the poor state of public health care is an important election issue for the British people. While Sunak admitted that he would pay for medical care privately if a family member needed urgent treatment, Starmer rejected this.
No real debate
Whether it was health policy and taxes or education policy and migration, Starmer and Sunak repeatedly clashed, although the time limit of 45 seconds for answers was supposed to prevent this. “Gentlemen, please take it easy,” the moderator repeatedly warned. But this did not lead to a real debate.
In connection with the government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, Sunak had repeatedly threatened to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights in order to avoid legal proceedings. The Prime Minister stood by this – he would always choose the country’s security over a “foreign court”. Starmer positioned himself against a withdrawal: “If I become Prime Minister, we will not violate international treaties and laws that are respected around the world.”
“It was noticeable how little the two liked each other”
A YouGov snap poll after the show ended found that 62 percent of a selected sample found the TV debate frustrating. Starmer was seen as the winner on health, cost of living, education and climate change.
Sunak did better on the issue of taxes, but there was no winner on the issue of migration. Starmer did better overall, said 60 percent. 55 percent voted for Sunak, which he could well see as a triumph given his situation.
Chris Mason, the BBC’s political commentator, summed up the debate as follows: “Personal attacks, aggressive and full of anger, you could feel how little the two like each other.”
Farage wants to make “reform” party the “real opposition”
While the TV debate between Sunak and Starmer did not send anyone into ecstasy, the newly crowned candidate of the “Reform” party, Nigel Farage, meanwhile entered his chosen constituency of Clacton-on-Sea like a messiah. There, 70 percent of the residents voted for Brexit in the referendum and Farage was celebrated by hundreds of supporters.
Farage also believes that Labour will win the election and leaves no doubt that he wants to make the Conservatives redundant. His goal is to make the “Reform” party the “real opposition” and the strongest force in parliament at the next election in 2029.