Britain’s Sunak and Starmer Face Off in First TV Debate Ahead of General Election, UK

LONDON, JUNE 4 — Britain’s Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer go head-to-head on Tuesday in the first televised debate of the UK general election campaign. The hour-long spar between Sunak and the man widely tipped to replace him in Downing Street after the July 4 poll starts in front of a studio audience at 9:00pm. It will air on ITV and will see the leaders of the country’s two main parties debate directly with each other and take questions from voters. For Sunak, it represents an opportunity to try to narrow Labour’s lead in the polls, while Starmer aims to protect his party’s position. The debate will be moderated by news anchor Julie Etchingham, marking the first in a series of televised discussions leading up to the election. Public interest in these events remains to be seen, with YouGov research indicating varying levels of engagement from the electorate. Sunak called the election earlier than required, setting the stage for a significant showdown between the two political heavyweights.