Election Debate Reaction: Sunak needs 'discipline' but Starmer not clear on taxes | Peter Hitchens 

The worst possible moderator bar none. She persistently allowed Wishy Washy Rishy to make unsubstantiated claims over tax rises and consistently let him talk over Starmer. Before calling them both to account when clearly it was Sunak time and time again. This gig was beyond her, shameful.

It wasn't an exasperated laugh from the audience. It was a laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement.

Please stop playing a clip from 2 minutes into the video at the beginning as a teaser.

To be fair the format was dreadful and gave neither of them any real opportunity to speak about their policies. Let's hope that the debate on Friday will be better. Sunak simply came across as desperately trying to shout over Starmer.

James Bowler, permanent secretary at the Treasury, said the civil service was “not involved in the production or presentation” of a document entitled “Labour’s tax rises”. The dossier was drawn up by Tory strategists, and said it relied on costings conducted by the Treasury. Sunak also repeatedly referred to the Treasury’s assessment in Tuesday night’s TV debate, claiming Labour’s spending plans had a black hole of £38 billion that would mean a tax rise of £2,000 for every family. In a letter sent two days ago seen by The Times, Bowler wrote that the £38 billion figure “includes costs beyond those provided by the civil service”. He added: “Any costings derived from other sources or produced by other organisations should not be presented as having been produced by the civil service. I have reminded ministers and advisers that this should be the case.”

The Daily Mail said, the Liz Trust mini budget was - "THE First Real Tory Budget!" - Enough said!

It seems a bit silly of the PM to allege that Labour are going to tax people more, when the Tories themselves have raised taxes 26 times, and have been unable or unwilling to fund public services. He keeps mentioning "The Plan", but what exactly is the plan? We have no details of the plan, the PM has never explained what the plan is, and shows no intention of explaining it. He has claimed credit for the Bank of England policy to reduce inflation, even claiming that inflation is back to normal, despite the fact that inflation was allowed to run rampant by him, and food prices are still 40% higher than they were 2 years ago, and still rising, so no, Mr Sunak, inflation is not back to normal.

Very poor format, it will change nothing, Sunak shouty and desperate...Starmer should have been more direct..

sunak was rude and entiled he was horrible

Starmer had nothing to say other than look at the past 14 years.

Starmer was honest enough to admit he would raise certain taxes, just not the big three.

Sunak came across as arrogant and petulant!!!

It was an unedifying spectacle all round. The next one will be different. In any case, Sunak showed himself in a new light.

Sunak is lost to ego and goes to whataboutism all the time.

What a deranged country.

Neither of them are worth a tab end, dont waste your vote on either.

Tories raise taxes bye stealth 😮😮

Sunak was like a spoiled little child and he just lied all the way through.

more important things to do, sorted out my sock draw made sure they are all matching pairs!

NHS has been broken for years and whoever gets in will not change this issue

Probably a raid on your pockets Peter. Not ours. Cry me a river. Luv and Peace.

Labour will raise taxes on the rich and stop private school tax evasion - which Starmer stated. Sunak was weak - and had nothing positively to say about the last fourteen years of Tory Government! This country has had enough of this lying cheating out of touch Government, and Labour just need to get in to power and make peoples lives better - that's all - make peoples lives happier and better1 .

OF COURSE I'd use private health care if that was what was best for my loved one. They're my LOVED ONES. Anyone who wouldn't seek every possible opportunity to help them as much as possible isn't showing appropriate care for their family. I'm amazed anyone even ASKED such a question. This has always just baffled me. We're supposed to be nations that celebrate FREEDOM. Individual freedom. That means letting people do what they WANT TO DO. If I want to pay you to do something for me, and you want to take my money and do that thing for me, that is NO ONE ELSE'S BUSINESS. It shouldn't matter what your profession is. You might be an artist, or an engineer. OR, you might be a doctor. It's no difference.

Surprisingly delightful show and panel

It adds nothing to the whole process.

Why can’t people just be honest and no politician is ever honest .. I think this country needs a leader who has lived the life off some of these people , I think that these two are no more than educated criminals

Congratulations to those who had "mentions time as director of public prosecution" on their bingo card of starmerisms

He’s such a intellectual disappointment, in comparison to his much missed brother!

Well well, a silent moderator assassin lurks in the depths of Times Radio. I'm sorry that you feel the need to censor opinion. Keep doing your best for democracy. 💙

Starmer is a liar stating that he wouldn't use private health care if he had a family member unwell and he had the money.

You think taxes will go up? Who would have guessed?

Dear Peter Hitchins, why do you take these people seriously? I don't.

The £2000 is an outright lie

Sunak was petulant

I would be more concerned about the further entrenchment of undemocratic constitutional changes that labour have planned.

Guess NHS waiting lists went up due to strikes and now gone down bit from there.

They have said they are not raising tax for the working people

He has been perf3ctly clear hecis closing loopholes for the rich lol why does no one listen. That's not rasing taxs lol

A load of BS from both party leaders - my vote will read "none of the above!"

A HUNDRED BILLION A YEAR LOST IN TAX AVOIDANCE BY THE RICH. BUT NOT A WORD SAID ABOUT THAT. ABSOLUTELY PERTHETIC.

I am no fan but Starmer is smarter than people give him credit. Would it be more powerful for him as opposition to say it was a lie or produce the letter (as Darren Jones has today) by the people who supposedly made the assessment to say it was a lie and should not have been quoted? This over the next few days will lose Sunak more points in the polls, quite literally cocking the gun and pointing it to Starmers head but it goes off and backfires in his own face.

Why is Starmer wearing glassses cost of two and half thousand pounds and shop for food at my local Marks food sore

This is basically a tory broadcast

Peter Hitchens: The Anton Ferdinand of the Hitchens brothers

The question you have to ask is - where were the leaders of the other main parties? Only one of those two men has any chance of forming a government, and the other should be fighting it out with the minor parties to see who comes second.

Mmmmmm Peter Hitchens, daily Mail hardly balanced.....

Good old Murdoch Radio, nothing like the wrong Hitchins brother to hold forth on his absurd observations.

How can taxes be raised anymore ???????

Tories will still be on course to lose.

Sunak needs some serious PR advice. In a world where unfortunately, as Hitchens said personality is king. Sunak came across as arrogant, rude, self entitled and like a toddler who doesn't like being told no (Starmer came across as calm and considered, even if he, as is his want said very little). Even when Sunak told the truth about private healthcare and Starmer (I suspect lied) he won as the NHS is essentially like The Vatican to ordinary British voters on all sides.

But the Tories have announced a large array of new “policies” which will cost lots off extra tax .

Sunak was like acting like an 'orrible nasty Chihuahua on the attack

The gov't policy was thorough for now

To the Ordinary tax PAYE payer have in common, with a British PM, that has a dwelling in California, and paid tax on his UK income, to the tune of £200,000 when his personal wealth, in the UK, is declared as £20million in savings, not his Financial trading accounts, How the Rich LOVE to hide funds, But the NHS can't get any

Tory selfishness times .

Starmer is totally inept. The Tory party are totally inept. What now?! 😕

Peter Hitchins burbles on... and nothing of any value was gained.

Starmer wasn’t clear on taxes because Sunak just made up a load of tosh.

Rishi Lied about labour tax rises to come.

No choice but to tax the rich because the poorest have been squeezed to the limit forced to use food banks some committing suicide!!!!!

True, one of Starmer's good arguments is the Conservatives are taking far too long, for some reason, to turn things around in this country for ordinary people. One of Sunak's good arguments is Starmer will put up taxes by £2,000 on most people already experiencing cost of living pressures.

What a horrible uninspiring choice of candidates we have

Starmer is a joke…..

How did we end up with these 2. Like the USA having to choose between trump and biden

If I hear thart toolmaker story again .......broken Record Starmer

Nice day this morning advisors surely that makes a difference as it must come as quite as short this man is a Tory a very rich man very clever he thinks I'm thinking just a selfish pretty unfair this is

Politicians debating each other and interrupting each other , oh how rude !! have you've seen televised house of commons ? all of a sudden everybody starts living in cloud-cuckoo land .

Vote workers part of Britain No genocide Higher tax free threshold Nationalisation of assets

Why is this absurd Hitchens bloke ever on any show???

😢VOTE GG ✊🏿❤

Kier answers wasn’t convincing. For me its about who he is going to cut Taxes and Kier didn’t do it for me.

The difference between their families NHS connections, is that Sunak’s parents clearly made a fortune running private GP and pharmacies, whereas Starmer’s actually works in the public sector

Sunak sounded so desperate

Peter Hitchens, what a joker.

The mediocre Hitchens had to be the one who survived.

Thatcher was emphatically NOT "first among equals" in 1984 Peter!

The elephant in the room is the Brexit disaster.

Piers morgan spot on - Sunak won it with his boxing jab jab jab, which bashed Starmer. Sunak went in trailing in polls by -27% but won the bout by +2% per you gov poll. That's a 29% turnaround.

Starmer is a born liar. God help this country.

So we desperately want politicians to be held to account and then when they're interrupted to be held to account, we frown upon it, calling it arrogant and entitled behaviour? Our politics is a reflection of our understanding - fragmented and contradictory

Who cares what Hitchens thinks, he has track record of always being wrong. The moderator was shocking, the gig was well above her paygrade.

After this debate.. I'm in for nigel

Thank goodness Reform now have Nigel on board. These two were an embarrassment

This guy lost all credibility after his Alex O'connor huff. Keep him away from the media

Vote Reform rather then Conservative. Vote SDP rather then labour.

Sunsk won and now you are crying 🎉🎉🎉🎉

It's my experience that Rishi Sunak is a liar and cannot be trusted about, "Government integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level", 25/10/22 outside number 10.

A debate between the unelected Sunak and the unelectable champion of Rotherham schoolgirls. Starmer! I have nothing but utter contempt for these worms.

*CAN I BEAR TO WATCH THIS TVV4T...???*

Don't be fooled,Labour always raises taxes! No politicians are the brightest stars in the universe.If they were they would be CEOs of businesses like Tesco,whose CEO has just trousered ten million and not like the MPs average £200,000 every year in 'Expenses'. (Info: Gov.Freedom of Information)

Why interview the clueless Peter Hitchins?

Sunak was very impressive and he will change this country for the better. Starmer was absolutely hopeless. Should he become PM it will be an absolute disaster and he will not last long, Angela Rayner will be the leader , God help us.

Go Farage and the Reform party!!!!

Hitchens is a horrible right wing Tory never going to get a balanced view from him