Who won the ITV general election leaders' debate? Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer lock horns

It was billed as one of the biggest moments of the general election campaign – a head-to-head showdown between Labour’s Keir Starmer and the Conservatives’ Rishi Sunak.

Both men will have felt the pressure as they entered the ITV studio in Salford on Tuesday evening.

Recent polls indicate the Tories are heading for a crushing defeat, while Labour is potentially on course to win the largest majority in modern British politics, surpassing even Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide.

So, did this debate change anything? The short answer is no. It generated more heat than light, and neither leader can claim a convincing victory.

Keir Starmer

Sir Keir’s message was clear: the election is a choice between more chaos and division, or “turning the page” with Labour.

The Tory government has “lost control”, he said, pointing to Liz Truss’s disastrous mini Budget. “We’ve got to stop this chaos,” he said.

Mr Sunak said he had a clear plan to take the UK forward, but the Labour leader dismissed this. If Mr Sunak thought his plan was so good, and things were going to get better, why did he call the election now? A fair question.

Sir Keir said the Tory leader “lives in a different world”, and it didn’t take long for him to reference his own family background. Did you know his dad was a toolmaker and his mum a nurse?

The Labour leader was most effective when hammering home his simple message of change. For many voters, this will resonate.

Best moment: Sir Keir ridiculed his rival over NHS waiting times, sparking an exchange in which the audience openly laughed at Mr Sunak.

Worst moment: Mr Sunak repeatedly claimed Labour’s plans will cost households £2,000 each. Sir Keir eventually dismissed this as “absolute garbage”, but he should have addressed it head-on much more quickly.

Scotsman rating: 3.5/5

Rishi Sunak

Mr Sunak almost immediately went on the attack over tax. “Mark my words: Labour will raise your taxes,” he said. “It’s in their DNA.”

He said Labour would hike taxes by £2,000 per household. “Absolute garbage,” Sir Keir eventually replied, but not quickly enough.

Mr Sunak said uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action, and argued no one knows Labour’s plan, beyond raising taxes.

The Prime Minister also asked people to judge him by his actions. “You saw what I did during the pandemic,” he said, referencing the furlough scheme. Elsewhere, he insisted inflation was “back to normal” and wages were growing. A vote for Labour puts “all that progress at risk”.

Mr Sunak said the election was about the future. Critics would say there’s a good reason he doesn’t want to dwell too much on the past.

He held his own in the debate, and landed some blows. But he also interrupted far too often – some viewers may have found that off-putting.

Best moment: Mr Sunak’s attacks on Labour over tax will have played well with some, and were not rebutted effectively enough.

Worst moment: The studio audience openly laughed at Mr Sunak when he insisted NHS waiting times were "coming down from when they were higher".

Scotsman rating: 3/5