Starmer vs. Sunak The Final Debate: Who Won?

One week to go until the general election, Starmer and Sunak have their last head-to-head debate.

Join Rory and Alastair live on YouTube as soon as the debate ends for their immediate analysis as we gear up for the final few days of the general election. Can Starmer retain his lead? Can Sunak turn it around in this last debate?

[jubear]

The guy that posed the, ' Is this the best we have to choose from?' question, (Whom was a lifelong tory I might add) Said later he was STILL undecided and wanted a 'Personality' as a PM. Clearly he was a Boris fan.
We don't need yet another personality, we simply need a PM that sodding does the job effectively with a team behind them that CAN actually govern! Not much to ask for really is it? After 14 years no-ones seen ANY of that sort of thing going on pretty much at all! If Starmer is grey and uninteresting, bring it on, so long as he does the job.

[zappybazinga]

Starmer clearly wanted to stay dignified and look respectable. Sunak was deeply unpleasant. He basically went after the reform vote. I agree with Rory that if you were scoring this as a 6th form debate Sunak would win because he didn’t let Starmer speak, but in terms of likeability and being a decent person Starmer wins and the Yougov data reflects that.

[michealnestor]

Who else watched this instead of the debate.

[AgentGreyFox]

"Maybe if the Prime Minister would listen, he won't be so out of touch with the country" FLAWLESS VICTORY!

[sandramilne-skinner-un]

I don’t agree that the debate was well moderated. The PM was allowed to interrupt far too much. The moderator was not firm enough with him.

[raymondsawyer]

Clement Atlee was not charismatic but he was one of our greatest peacetime prime ministers,

[johnallard]

I agree with Rory about some kind of cultural change. It seems to me that “we” have been swayed by charismatic tories who have turned out to be self-interested etc etc, and we are now recognising the value of the more honest, less charismatic personality who says he will do the right thing for the country …

[trevoradventure]

@Alistair. Spot on about how Kier should have answered the "You are not interesting" question. We don't need an interesting PM. We need a competent one

[stephenconway]

Starmer just had not to fail. He did that. Sunak needed a stunning victory....he failed.

[markendicott]

Richi "won" what exactly? Starmer could have sat there and read the paper and ignored it all and that would still have been more persuasive than small-bloke with platinum chip on shoulder.

[derekwhyle]

Sunak adds rudeness and aggression to his already long list of personality disorders. He might have money but he’s a very poor human being.

[paulgeraghty]

Rory has such a wealth of experience and his clear thinking is a delight to listen to. I hope he can lend some of his clarity of thought to the next Labour administration.

[agedhippy]

All I saw in Sunak was an entitled public school boy with no manners shouting over everybody.

His only tactic he has is shouting repeated unfounded claims in the hope of scaring voters, very project fear.

I dont think any of it changes much, after all the debate events we have had I bet there were not many people were even watching this.

[ianvonmemerty]

I think KS is just being professional in public - weighing and choosing every word he says for any long term possible damage.

[Scot-Forest-Dave]

Sunak was very aggressive and at times looked like a spoiled school child wanting to have his own way all the while, he does not like being told he’s wrong

[anthonysullivan]

I thought Michelle Hussain was in Sunak's camp for a lot of the time. Sad

[monevaluation]

Starmer was cool as a cucumber whereas Sunak was irritable and tetchy.

[PaulYoungs]

Rishi Sunak keeps telling Keir Starmer what Keir Starmer is going to do.. This seems absurd to me.

[kevinwalton]

Sunak came across as an entitled, arrogant, public schoolboy. His comment about buying one’s first home was gut wrenching with absent information . His first flat with his fling was rented at £20, 000 a month …..Now where did that money come from….certainly not a chemists shop!

[andrewelder]

Sunak's aggressive behaviour reminds me of a comment by Dennis Healey's comment about an aggressive response from Geoffrey Howe. Like being savaged by a dead sheep.