In the first TV debate between the leading candidates before the British general election on July 4, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sharply attacked his challenger Keir Starmer. The debate mainly revolved around taxes, the cost of living in Great Britain and the country’s ailing health care system.

The incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the conservative Tory Party claimed that Starmer and his Labour Party wanted to increase the annual tax burden of every employee by 2,000 pounds (2,348 euros). The head of government repeated his accusation several times on Tuesday evening on ITV.

The opposition leader, whose party is clearly leading in polls, clearly dismissed the allegations as “rubbish”.

“He makes things up as he speaks,” said Starmer about the incumbent. Labour only wants to increase VAT on private schools and the excess profit tax on energy companies. Starmer received a lot of applause for this.

The Labour leader accused the Prime Minister of blaming his Conservative Party for the poor state of the country with long waiting times in hospitals, high mortgage interest rates, sharply increased living costs and a shortage of teachers.

After 14 years, the Tories were desperately grasping at straws, Starmer said. Re-electing them would mean giving the matches back to the arsonists, so it was time for a change.

In the duel, however, Sunak stressed that he had got the economy under control and that inflation had fallen from a peak of more than 11 percent at the end of 2022 to just over 2 percent. He said people should stick with him because his “clear plan” for the economy was working.

The Prime Minister criticized his opponent: “They have no plans for the future.” Labour has had years to come up with their own ideas, but has not presented anything concrete. However, polls currently show Labour with a double-digit lead.

A personal note crept in when Starmer mocked ex-banker Sunak’s wealth, saying his own father was a factory worker and claiming Sunak did not understand the financial worries of the working class.

Commentators generally praised Sunak’s combative tone, with which he repeatedly asked Starmer directly about his plans. However, both politicians appeared nervous – after all, they were arguing in front of a studio audience. Analysts described the two men as cautious and rather boring managers.

A snap poll found that 51 percent of viewers said Sunak had won – 49 percent voted for Starmer.