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General election TV debate: Tell us who your winner is as Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer go head-to-head

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are set to clash over the key issues in the first live TV debate of the general election – we want to know what you make of it all

Tuesday 04 June 2024 18:30
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Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are set to clash
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are set to clash (Getty)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer will go head-to-head on Tuesday evening in the first debate of the 2024 general election.

Mr Sunak goes into the ITV debate as the clear underdog, after a YouGov poll pointed to a Labour landslide bigger than Tony Blair’s in 1997 on July 4.

His challenge is to erode Sir Keir’s dominance, while the Labour leader needs to consolidate his lead, project reassurance and advertise his message of “change” after 14 years of Tory “chaos”.

Given the polling gulf between the parties, Mr Sunak may seek to cut through with pointed attacks on Sir Keir’s record as a barrister including his defence of Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir and his work on European human rights cases.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary James Cleverly claimed that voters wouldn’t hear any detailed discussion of Labour’s policies because, according to him, they don’t have any. He told GB News: “I think what people will see during this campaign, and especially in tonight’s debate, is that the Labour Party has a complete void where their policies should be.”

We want to know what you make of the ITV debate. Can debates change the course of an election? Will the conversation help change your mind about either party?

Who do you think will come out on top? And what issues are you hoping Sir Keir and Mr Sunak will address?

Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.

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