Sunak and Starmer gear up for intense TV debate
- UK Prime Minister Sunak and Opposition Leader Starmer are preparing for a high-stakes TV debate.
- Both leaders are expected to clash on key policy issues in the run-up to the election.
- The debate is anticipated to be a fierce showdown with potential implications for the UK political landscape.
The debate was a big moment in the campaign and changed US politics forever. Just like the 2010 Brown-Cameron-Clegg debates in the UK. It took 50 years after the Nixon-JFK clash for TV debates between party leaders in general election campaigns to start in the UK. The Tory prime minister said no, comparing it to "Top of the Pops". In 1970, Prime Minister Wilson said no to Edward Heath. This time, the opposition leader turned down the prime minister. Mrs. Thatcher also said no to Neil Kinnock in 1987, as did Sir John Major in 1992, even though he was behind in the polls before winning a surprise election victory over Labour. During the debate, Mr. Clegg appeared strong because he looked directly at the TV camera lens. Mr. Brown and Mr. Cameron made mistakes by saying "I agree with Nick". Mr. Clegg expressed regret for his earlier comments and admitted to not getting everything right. When asked about TV debates in December 2012, he indicated he wanted changes before agreeing. There were different debates involving party leaders. The first was an ITV debate with seven leaders, the second a BBC debate with five opposition leaders, and the third a BBC Question Time with three leaders interviewed separately. Mr. Corbyn faced laughter from the audience for not clearly stating his position in the first debate. Mr. Johnson criticized Mr. Corbyn over antisemitism in the second debate. Rishi Sunak's weak spot in the leader debates is his past as a hedge fund partner during the financial crisis. Labour sees the debates as a crucial test for the prime minister's economic competence. Both sides are preparing for the debate by focusing on policy areas like gender, defense spending, and pensions. Sunak believes the debates can change the narrative, while Labour aims to minimize mistakes and keep the debates personal. The Labour party is preparing for the debate by standing in for Sunak during practice sessions. The focus will then shift to the manifesto after the debate. The "clause V" meeting will address issues not in the manifesto and seek agreement on outstanding matters as the party prepares for government.