British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak laid everything on the line this Wednesday, in what was the final head-to-head with Labour leader Keir Starmer before the UK general election. The Conservative candidate aimed to corner his rival on taxes, immigration, and gender identity policy, aware that polls still show his party far behind Labour in both vote share and seats in the House of Commons. With the election a week away, Sunak’s only option appeared to be going on the attack.
Sunak once again waved the specter of higher taxes should Labour win and insisted that Starmer has no plan for the country. The Labour leader, more cautious and composed than his rival, dodged some of the charges and said he would not raise taxes on families, though he appeared unsettled when Sunak accused him of wanting to maintain social security spending. The Tories proposed a plan to bring millions of inactive workers back into the labor market.
Immigration debate
The prime minister also pressed Starmer on his strategy to curb irregular migrant arrivals across the Channel. “If Keir Starmer becomes the next prime minister, all illegal migrants will be on the streets,” Sunak warned before defending his plan for deportations to Rwanda. “To solve the problem, a deterrent is needed and it must be clear that those who arrive illegally will not be allowed to stay.”
Despite Starmer’s struggles defending his immigration proposals, including the creation of a border security command, he managed to remind the audience of Sunak’s handling of the issue. “We have records of arrivals since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister. The government has lost control of our borders. This poses a national security problem because we do not know who the newcomers are or what their backgrounds might be,” he stressed.
The Conservative leader sought to shield his government from scrutiny, insisting the election is about the future, while Starmer’s measured approach occasionally worked in his favor, countering Sunak’s more rapid and interruptive style. “You should show a bit of respect to the audience who wants to hear what I have to say without constant interruptions,” the Labour leader told his rival amid enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
Gambling scandal
Even as debates are a strength, Sunak has faced challenges defending his government and his party from the gambling scandal surrounding the election date. Five Conservative members, including two candidates, are under investigation for allegedly betting on an early election. Hints that the investigated used insider information have grown over the past days, and on Tuesday the prime minister withdrew his backing from the two candidates.
The scandal has also touched Labour after news emerged that one of its candidates bet on his own defeat in the upcoming July 4 vote. “When we learned one of our party members was under investigation by the Gambling Commission, we paused him within minutes because decisive action was necessary,” Starmer said, later criticizing Sunak for taking days to make a similar decision. “If I am prime minister, I will ensure politics serves the public interest.”
The polls still favor Labour to win the election, hovering around the mid-40s in percentage of votes, with the Conservatives around the low 20s, signaling a potentially historic defeat. Everything suggests tonight’s debate may not shift the outcome: a YouGov survey taken shortly after the event showed no clear winner, with votes split roughly 50-50 between the two candidates.