Economics dominates the heated debate between Sunak and Starmer in England

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labor rival Keir Starmer sparred on Tuesday night (4) over how to boost the British economy, with the prime minister accusing the opposition of wanting to raise taxes if he wins the July 4 election. .

Both Sunak and Starmer, both Conservatives, stuck to their campaign lines in their first debate, weeks before a general election in which opinion polls suggested Labor would win.

Sunak said he had only a plan to stimulate the UK's meager economic growth, and Starmer portrayed the Conservatives as presiding over 14 years of economic chaos.

In a heated debate – an aspect of politics that has increasingly engaged voters in the UK – the two leaders discussed how to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and the growing public health service and how to reduce immigration.

Most of the questions illustrate what many voters face: a cost-of-living crisis with some struggling to pay their mortgage, long waits for health care and low standards in the education system.

“Uncertain Times”

Little new emerged from their responses, but a poll taken immediately after the debate suggested Sunak had won the contest.

“Keir Starmer is asking to be handed a blank check when he has yet to say what it will buy or how much it will cost,” Sunak said in his closing remarks. “In uncertain times, we cannot have an uncertain prime minister.”

Starmer responded by saying that he would never deliver “the gimmicks or broken promises that Rishi Chung does”.

“Imagine how you'll feel waking up on July 5th and seeing five more years of conservatives, five more years of decline and division,” he said.

“Now, imagine a Labor government returning that rolls up its sleeves and gets on with the job… The choice in this election is clear: more chaos with the Conservatives or the chance to rebuild England with a changed Labour.”

Sunak repeated the Tories' attack that Labor had no plan for the country other than to increase “everyone's taxes by £2,000”.

“Mark my words, Labor will raise your taxes. (It's) in their DNA. Your job, your car, your pension, you name it, Labor will tax it,” Sunak said.

Starmer did not immediately deny the charge, but later called the 2,000 figure “absurd”. Labor has repeatedly said it will not raise income tax or social security contributions if it takes power.

“My father worked in a factory, he was a tool maker, and my mother was a nurse. We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up,” the labor leader told an audience member, adding that he was struggling to pay his bills.

“So I know the agony of worrying when the postman brings a bill, what is this bill, can I pay it? I think the Prime Minister does not understand very well.

The prime minister heard grumblings when he blamed rising health service waiting lists on strikes, and was met with laughter when he said numbers were falling because “there used to be too many”.

Settlement

But he appeared to gain some ground with the public when debating how to tackle immigration, portraying his plan to send illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda as a deterrent that Labor lacked and saying he would put the country's security ahead of any court. a foreigner

Starmer said he also had a plan to tackle immigration, which has become a major concern among voters, and would consider seeking asylum in a third country if doing so did not violate international law.

Sunak, who has yet to cut Labour's lead in the polls to 20 percentage points, has repeated the line that his party only has a plan, while voters don't know what Starmer will do if he takes power.