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ITV election debate: Re-read updates and analysis on Starmer v Sunak as it happened

Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have gone head to head in the first leaders’ debate of the 2024 general election, in an hour-long programme hosted by ITV.

We will be posting updates on the debate below, alongside reaction and analysis from key commentators. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates.

We are also keen to hear our readers’ opinions on the debate and Starmer and Sunak’s performances. Contact us at [email protected] or on X to share your thoughts, and we will add them to our liveblog.

READ MORE:  Review: ‘The ITV format left little room for debate – but that benefits Labour’

READ MORE: Who won the election debate? Most readers say Starmer but third say Sunak

10.55pm: Thank you for following our live coverage

We are bringing our live blog to an end tonight – thank you for following all the latest from tonight’s debate with LabourList.

If you want to let us know your thoughts on the debate, or anything about the election campaign so far, please email us at [email protected].

10.51pm: More YouGov polling data…

YouGov have published some more data from their snap poll after tonight’s clash between Sunak and Starmer.

Starmer was seen to be better on the cost of living, the NHS, climate change and education. However, Sunak was seen to have performed better on tax and immigration.


The biggest takeaway from viewers? 62% found the debate frustrating…

10.45pm: When is the next TV debate?

If the ITV debate tonight has left you wanting more, you don’t have to wait too long for the next TV debate.

Senior figures from seven political parties, including Penny Mordaunt and Angela Rayner, will go head to head in the BBC’s first election debate on Friday, June 7.

Sky News hosts its first debate in Grimsby next Wednesday, which is also a head to head between the two contenders to be the next Prime Minister.

10.42pm: LabourList readers have their say

A LabourList poll of our readers finds around 48% said Starmer comes out of the debate in a better position, but around 32% said Sunak comes out better.

More details including reader comments in full story here.

10.40pm: Sunak ‘lying’ in debate

Jonathan Ashworth has just been speaking to Sky News and said he resorted to lying in the debate over Labour’s tax plans.

He said: “Sunak, out of desperation, collapsed into lying.”

Ashworth also highlighted Sunak’s uncosted tax commitments, including plans to scrap National Insurance.

10.35pm: Debate ‘won’t change many votes’

Kevin Schofield, political editor of HuffPost UK, has claimed that, although Sunak may have come top in YouGov’s snap poll, “it won’t change many votes”.

10.30pm: Former No10 adviser to Blair offers advice

Theo Bertram, director of the Social Market Foundation think tank and Number 10 adviser to Blair and Brown, has offered his advice to Keir Starmer following tonight’s debate.

He said the Labour leader should spend more time demonstrating empathy, rather than beating Sunak, as well as offering “harder shorter rebuttals”.

10.23pm: Moment audience laughed when Sunak claimed NHS waiting times are falling

10.19pm: Tory attack on Labour ‘pensions tax’ cutting through

What voters are Googling suggests Sunak tax attacks are cutting through…

We had a look at Google search trends in the past hour, and what comes up suggests people want to know Labour’s plans following Sunak’s repeated claims Labour will tax pensioners.

10.14pm: Sunak better in debate, but only narrowly

A snap poll by YouGov suggests the Prime Minister won the first debate of the general election, but by the narrowest of margins. Sunak received 51% to Keir Starmer’s 49%.

10.10pm: ‘Time constraints annoying’

Channel 4 broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy has said that the debate should have been longer to “let people finish a sentence”.

10.03pm: Starmer closing statement

Keir Starmer is ending the debate with his closing statement, saying he offers a “common sense plan to change Britain”.

“Britain can be better and must be better,” he said.

10.01pm: Pollsters say Sunak ‘out of touch’ but ‘more polished’

Pollster Opinium’s James Crouch says: “The PM might go on the attack tonight, but big problem is people just think Sunak is totally out of touch.”

Earlier Luke Tryl of More in Common, holding a live focus group who are watching the debate, said: “Midway through the debate our focus group isn’t impressed. One word reactions: Trust, Convoluted, No plan, Concern, Blame, Scary, Ridiculous. 

“But across the group a sense that Sunak is more polished and that Starmer isn’t answering the charges Sunak puts to him.”

9.58pm: Mocking laughter for National Service

The audience laughed as Rishi Sunak said re-introducing National Service would be “transformational” for the country.

Keir Starmer has described the policy as “desperate” and questioned why the government hadn’t done it over the 14 years they have been in office if it is such a good idea.

9.57pm: Toolmaker klaxon

Starmer managed to get in his personal backstory early about his father being a toolmaker, his mother a nurse. Politics nerds and Frankie Boyle may groan, but it’s probably the first time many viewers have heard it.

9.56pm: Sunak says Labour can’t be trusted on security

Polling suggests defence is one of the closest races in terms of how each main party ranks on voter confidence.

Sunak claims Labour can’t be trusted to keep Britain safe, and suggests Angela Rayner doesn’t back Britain’s nuclear deterrent. 

Starmer points out he worked on national security as director of public prosecutions, including prosecuting terrorists. He knows “how important it is to keep everybody in this country safe and sound”. He also claims Sunak was “making money betting against the country” while he was acting on national security.

9.51pm: No austerity under Labour?

Keir Starmer’s suggestion we are not going back to austerity is “one to bookmark”, Rigby of Sky News notes.

It’s a good point – if Labour cleaving to tight Tory spending plans does end up meaning spending cuts in power, that risks looking like a badly broken promise.

9.45pm: Labour campaign director: ‘Labour will not put up taxes on working people’

Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden has jumped in to rebut Sunak’s constant claims Labour will hike taxes.

But many Labour folk may share one viewer’s observation on social media: “Well Starmer needs to say that then. He’s had about six chances now and he hasn’t.”

9.41pm: Half-time verdict from Westminster journalists

Some snap analysis from Westminster pundits: 

Beth Rigby, Sky News political editor says: “At half time: Sunak’s team will be happy that he has repeatedly landed the ‘Labour will put up your taxes line’ But it was Starmer who got the only round of applause and the PM who got the groan. Reckon most memorable moment for voters so far was would you use private healthcare.”

George Eaton of The New Statesman says: “Starmer needed a far more succinct response on £2,000 tax rises rather than waffle.”

Alex Wickham of Bloomberg adds: “Half-time view in the press room is that Sunak is having some success in getting down and dirty with the dodgy £2,000 Labour tax rise number.”

Martha Gill of The Observer says: “This is bad. Format bad. Sunak bad. Starmer bad. The constant talking over each other is bad. The very short time limits each has to speak are bad.”

9.39pm: ‘Sunak has failed on stopping the boats’

Immigration is being debated now, with Keir Starmer criticising how many refugees have crossed the Channel this year – a record number. He has called the Rwanda scheme an “expensive gimmick” and has said a Labour government would “smash the gangs”.

9.36pm: Etchingham reminds leaders to not speak over each other

It has been a heated debate so far, with Julie Etchingham reminding Sunak and Starmer not to interrupt each other as the debate returns from an ad break.

9.35pm: Who do you think is having a better debate so far?

Share your views in our poll here – and feel free to edit your responses later on as the night progresses.

9.32pm: Sunak the ‘ranter, Starmer the ‘personable’

Labour candidate and ex-MP Mary Creagh says Sunak is coming across “as a ranter”.

“Shouting over Julie Etchingham. Zero empathy with the lady who is struggling.”

The New Statesman’s Freddie Hayward says: “Sunak’s constant interruptions shows he hasn’t learnt from his poor performances against Liz Truss. Makes him look irritable and impolite.”

Meanwhile comms expert Stuart Thomson writes in to us: “So glad that Keir looks less like his old startled, wooden official photo and more like a personable, potential PM. Impressions will really count tonight. Most people don’t pay much attention to politics so Keir has to take every opportunity possible to make a positive impression.”

9.30pm: Sunak accuses Labour of ‘pensions tax’

Sunak has accused Labour of planning to make pensioners pay tax on the state pension, while Starmer has hit back over how the Conservatives would plug the black hole from scrapping National Insurance.

9.22pm: Why a head-to-head is good for Starmer as well as Sunak

Wondering what strategy Starmer should adopt tonight, and what to expect. Tom Hamilton, who helped Labour prep for the 2015 debate, has a primer well worth reading here.

He writes: “A one-on-one debate may be what the Tories wanted, but it is far better for Starmer than any alternative format. Putting the smaller parties on the stage elevates them and gives them equal status with the main contenders.

“That helped “I agree with Nick” Clegg to be seen to “win” the leaders’ debates in 2010 and made Ed Miliband’s job much harder in 2015, when the attacks on him from the Greens, Plaid Cymru and especially the SNP could neither be fully ignored (you can’t just let attacks land unanswered) nor fully taken on.”

9.20pm: Labour hits back at Tories on tax

Clearly Labour’s digital team expected Sunak’s scaremongering on Labour tax hikes – they’ve just put out this graphic

9.17pm: Starmer hits out at Sunak over NHS

The second question addresses the state of the NHS, with Keir Starmer describing the health service as “broken” and described the situation as “unforgivable”.

There was a groan from the audience when Sunak raised the impact of industrial action by healthcare workers, while audience members laughed when the Prime Minister tried to claim waiting lists had come down under his leadership.

9.15pm: Watch Starmer’s opening statement

9.12pm: Debate gets heated over tax

Sunak and Starmer have clashed over claims that Labour would raise taxes if they entered government. Starmer said that the Prime Minister is an expert in tax increases, having hiked taxes to the highest rate in 70 years.

9.10pm: First question on cost of living crisis

Keir Starmer, responding to a question on the cost of living crisis, said that people are paying the price after the government lost control of the economy.

He said: “Liz Truss crashed the economy and they made it worse here than in other countries.”

Starmer also questioned why Rishi Sunak has called the general election now if he thought his plan for the economy was working. Sunak responded by claiming Labour would put up taxes.

9.05pm: Keir Starmer kicks off debate with first opening statement

The Labour leader has started the debate with his opening statement and said the election was a choice between “chaos and division” with the Conservatives or “turning the page and rebuilding with Labour”.

He said: “I’m seeking your backing to change the country to make it work once again for you and your family.”

9.03pm: Debate getting underway

The debate has just got started on ITV, being moderated by Julie Etchingham.

8.59pm: Labour guns for ‘scatter-gun’ Sunak

Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, has a new attack line on Rishi Sunak we can expect Starmer to echo tonight.

He said in advance of the debate: “Tonight, the British people will have a chance to see the choice first-hand. Between a desperate Rishi Sunak whose scatter-gunned approach has shredded his economic credibility. Or Keir Starmer who has changed the Labour Party and is offering a credible plan to change Britain.”

8.55pm: What do the polls say ahead of tonight’s debate?

According to a YouGov MRP poll published yesterday, Labour is on course for a landslide victory, with the party forecast to win 422 seats.

You can find out who could be heading to Westminster as a Labour MP if such a result becomes reality here.

8.40pm: Starmer and Sunak to go head to head in ITV debate

Labour leader Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will soon take to the stage in the first leaders’ debate of the 2024 general election campaign.

The debate is being hosted by ITV and moderated by presenter Julie Etchingham. The programme – titled Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate – will last an hour, with the debate taking place in front of a live audience.

ITV’s Good Morning Britain political correspondent Louisa James shared a preview of the set for the debate on X this morning:

Read more of our 2024 general election coverage here.

If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this or any other topic involving Labour or about the election, on record or strictly anonymously, contact us at [email protected]. 

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Tags: Polls / ITV election debate / UK Labour Party / general election 2024 / 2024 general election / Rishi Sunak / UK politics / election debate / Keir Starmer / Parliament / Politics / Conservatives / Rachel Reeves / Labour / General Election / MPs / Elections / Labour Party /
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