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The two men running for Britain's prime minister went head-to-head Wednesday night in a final bad-tempered televised debate before next week's general election.
With Keir Starmer's Labor opposition enjoying a huge lead in the polls, the verbal brawl in Nottingham, central England, was Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's last big opportunity to give his conservatives on July 4.
The debate at times turned personal, with Sunak accusing Starmer of “taking people for fools” over Labour's plans to cut immigration, while Starmer accused the wealthy Sunak of being “out of touch with reality”.
Sunak has repeatedly urged voters not to “surrender” to Labor on everything from borders to taxes, while Starmer repeated his mantra that the election represents an opportunity to “turn the page” after 14 years of conservative rule.
The two men also clashed over a betting scandal that ensnared several high-ranking Conservatives and a Labor candidate, and overshadowed discussions on key policies in the final days of the campaign.
Starmer pledged to “reset politics, so that politics returns to public service”, accusing Sunak of showing a lack of leadership in the face of the furore.
Sunak, who promised to restore “integrity, professionalism and accountability” when he was appointed Conservative leader and prime minister in 2022, said he had been “furious” when he learned of the allegations.
“I have been very clear: anyone who breaks the rules must not only face the full consequences of the law, but I will ensure that they are expelled from the Conservative Party,” he added.
But in a sign of the public's low opinion of politicians was one audience member's question: “Are you really the best we have?” — I received loud applause.
Labor has had a lead of more than 20 points in the polls for more than 18 months, with Britons appearing tired of conservative rule dominated by austerity, Brexit and party infighting.
Sunak has failed to reduce the deficit since he called the election on May 22, six months earlier than the law required.
His rain-soaked announcement outside Downing Street was an ominous omen of what was to come.
The conservative leader has since led a lackluster campaign, marked by errors and sparking an outcry for skipping the main D-Day anniversary with other world leaders in northern France.
He has been criticized for taking late action on the betting row, which this week saw the Conservatives withdraw their support from two candidates questioned by the Gambling Commission for allegedly betting on the election date.
One of them, Craig Williams, who was a close aide to Sunak during the last parliament, is said to have bet $100 ($127) three days before Sunak called the vote.
The other, Laura Saunders, is married to the Conservative campaign manager, who took leave when the allegations became public.
The party's head of data also resigned from his role over allegations he placed dozens of bets on the election date.
Separately, Labor suspended a candidate after he bet he would lose the election, while five police officers are also under investigation.
The regulator is believed to be investigating whether anyone had inside information when placing their bets.
Such vacillations are permitted in the UK, but using insider knowledge to carry them out is against the law.
The sordid row sums up a disappointing campaign that has failed to galvanize the public, with polls suggesting that much of the electorate made up their minds months ago.
Labour's lead in the polls increased significantly in October 2022, when Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss spooked markets and sent sterling tumbling with billions of pounds of unfunded tax cuts.
Voters were already showing signs of having had enough of the Tories after the 'Partygate' scandal over illegal Downing Street Covid lockdown parties, which precipitated the fall from power of ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Sunak made a number of headline-grabbing announcements during the campaign, such as national service for teenagers, but they failed to lift the polls.
Arch-Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's decision to run for Britain's far-right Reform Party has also made his task more difficult.
Starmer, on the other hand, played it safe in trying to preserve Labour's lead and return the party to power for the first time since 2010.
He did not announce any new policies, instead trying to reassure voters that Labor will run the economy responsibly and repeating his mantra that Britain is crying out for “change”.
Despite their lead in the polls, Labor still needs a record win to win a one-vote majority, due to the Conservatives' landslide victory under Johnson in the 2019 election.
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