General Election 2024 LIVE: Political big hitters weigh in as Rishi & Keir Starmer hammered by voters in TV special

Labour's plans for landlords launching 'bidding wars'

Landlords will be banned from setting up “bidding wars” between prospective tenants, Sir Keir Starmer vowed today.

At a campaign visit in York, the Labour chief pledged to introduce a new law protecting tenants from having to agree to extortionate prices just to secure a home.

But he stopped short of committing to rent caps.

Donning a hard hat and high vis jacket at a new housing development, Sir Keir said: "You can stop the bidding wars because what happens there is the landlord effectively goes between two or three different renters driving the rent up and up and up.

"We won't allow them to do that.

"We will introduce a law that says you can't do it because at the moment what happens is they sort of go back between the renters.”

When is The Sun's live showdown between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer?

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are being interviewed consecutively by The Sun’s Political Editor Harry Cole at our London HQ.

Both interviews will be filmed LIVE in front of an audience of Sun readers.

The Never Mind The Ballots election showdown special will be livestreamed on Monday, June 24 at 5pm on thesun.co.uk and The Sun’s YouTube and social media channels.

Labour vows to clear backlog of NHS waiting lists

Sir Keir vowed to clear the backlog of NHS waiting lists completely by the end of first term of a Labour government. He said he would make a start on cutting waiting lists straightaway.

Pressed on when the public could expect them to come down to a reasonable level, he said: “We will be able to do two million a year on this model.

“That means that over the course of the Parliament, we’ll get it down and clear the backlog completely.”

Sir Keir was also confronted about his flip-flopping views on gender and his treatment of Labour MP Rosie Duffield, a feminist campaigner.

The Labour leader, who once said it was wrong to say only women could have a cervix, said: “On the biology, I agree with what Tony Blair said the other day in relation to men having penises and women having vaginas.”

Keir Starmer slammed over past support for Corbyn

Sir Keir Starmer was called out by the York audience for his past support for Jeremy Corbyn, flip-flopping on trans issues and vague promises to tackle migration and the boats crisis.

Earlier, audience member Emma told Sir Keir that his support for Mr Corbyn gave her concerns about his “integrity and trust”.

But Sir Keir hit back saying: “I’ve always backed the Labour Party.”

He accused Mr Sunak of repeating Mr Corbyn’s mistakes of including “unfunded commitments” in his manifesto.

Rishi slammed over Tory betting scandal

During yesterday's BBC Question Time special, the PM was grilled over the Conservative betting scandal.

Mr Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” to learn of the allegations, adding: “It’s a really serious matter.

"It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities including a criminal investigation by the police.

“I want to be crystal clear: if anyone broke the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”

Rishi Sunak's close protection officer arrested and suspended over alleged betting claim

A close protection officer for Rishi Sunak has been arrested amid over alleged bets on the timing of the General Election, reports claim.

The officer is a member of the Met's Royalty and Specialist Protection, according to Sky News.

This comes just days after it emerged Rishi Sunak's aide Craig Williams was facing an investigation over alleged bets on the date of the election.

Cabinet minister admits Tories are ‘in trouble’ but claims Starmer would be ‘very unpopular’ as PM

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies admitted his party “can’t hide” from polls which are “clearly pointing at a large Labour majority”, but warned Sir Keir Starmer would become “very unpopular, very quickly”.

In a candid interview on our Never Mind The Ballots show, Davies said Partygate and the Covid pandemic were still being raised on the doorstep.

He admitted that “a lot of people are very unhappy” with the Conservatives and “politicians in general”.

‘Only billionaires can afford Labour’s tax hikes’ blasts Sunak

Wealthy capitalists are backing Labour because they are the only ones who can afford Keir Starmer’s tax hikes, Rishi Sunak has claimed.

He told LBC: “They are two of Britain’s richest men, they can probably afford Labour’s tax rises.

“But for tens of millions of people who are working really hard, they can’t.”

This comes after billionaire John Caudwell, a donor who endorsed Boris Johnson at the last election, announced he would be voting for Labour on July 4.

Key promises in Labour’s manifesto

At the Labour manifesto launch last week, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to…

• Ruled out raising income tax, national insurance, or VAT
• Committed to keeping the pensions triple lock, which increases the state pension each year in line with the highest of inflation, earnings or 2.5%
• Promised a benefits shake-up, working with local authorities to get more disabled and sick people back into employment.
• Said he would cut energy bills and introduce a “warm home grant”
• Pledged to remove the ‘discriminatory’ age bands affecting the National Minimum Wage
• Vowed to ban advertising junk food to children along with the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16
• Promised to hike defence spending to 2.5% of GDP
• Promised to slap VAT on private schools to fund 6,500 new teachers
• Pledged to build 1.5million new homes

Farage claims up to 50 Tory MPs will join Reform after the election

Nigel Farage has said up to 50 Conservative MPs could quit the party and join Reform after the General Election.

“Amongst that wing – and a lot of them are very prominent people who are very well known people – there is a feeling that at some point we will have to be in the same party”, Nigel told The Sun.

Singling out Suella Braverman and Jacob Rees-Mogg, he added: “The centre of gravity of the Tory party High Command is so far away from me it is not true. So far away from Suella it is not true. So far away from Jacob it is not true.

“I’m looking to reshape the future of British politics.”

Nigel Farage pledges to scrap BBC Licence Fee

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said his party will scrap the BBC Licence Fee if they were to win the election.

Taking to X, Farage said: “Reform UK will scrap the BBC licence fee.”

Brits currently pay £169.50 per year to fund the broadcasting company.

Minister slams Farage

Tory minister Steve Baker said there is no place for Nigel Farage in the Conservative Party because he "toxifies" debates.

Asked if Mr Farage should join the Tory Party, Steve told The Sun's Never Mind The Ballots: "Not while he continues to speak of minorities in the way that he does.

"I would just observe that as far as I know, one of the people who said that of Nigel was Suella.

“As much as I don't wish to get into a row with Suella, I parted company with her over the way she dealt with a very sensitive issue – tarnishing the reputations of a wider community – and it's just not acceptable in our country to do that.”

Farage claims up to 50 Tory MPs will join Reform after the election

Nigel Farage has said up to 50 Conservative MPs could quit the party and join Reform after the General Election.

“Amongst that wing – and a lot of them are very prominent people who are very well known people – there is a feeling that at some point we will have to be in the same party”, Nigel told The Sun.

Singling out Suella Braverman and Jacob Rees-Mogg, he added: “The centre of gravity of the Tory party High Command is so far away from me it is not true. So far away from Suella it is not true. So far away from Jacob it is not true.

“I’m looking to reshape the future of British politics.”

Nigel Farage compares himself to Corbyn as he declares ‘something is happening’

Jeremy Corbyn probably isn’t the first person who comes to mind when you hear Nigel Farage’s name.

But that’s who the Reform leader compared himself to when he spoke to the Sun this week.

“Something out there is happening”, he told Kate Ferguson.

“I think Jeremy Corbyn had a bit of that in 2017. There are similarities to the Brexit referendum in 2016.

“There are millions of people out there considering voting for us.

“It is bigger than the Brexit Party at its peak. It feels like momentum is building. Like a buzz.”

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told The Sun the PM was a 'busted flush'

He said Rishi Sunak couldn't even tell voters if he would back candidates accused of placing election date bets using insider knowledge.

"It was incredible, the contrast between Keir, who was setting out the hard choices that he's prepared to make, given the challenges faced in the country, and the way in which only he can bring the country together after years of division," He continued.

"Rishi Sunak can't even tell us if he's backing candidates who are accused of wrongdoing on gambling. 

"He can't tell us if he's prepared to have them as ministers in his government. 

"He can't even tell us the extent of the problem."

"This prime minister is a complete busted flush. And if I were a betting man, I would bet that whatever the outcome of this election, Rishi Sunak will not be the leader of the Labour Party, which means a vote for the Conservative Party is a vote for any old clown coming in after the election to take over the circus.

"And I'm sure that is why so many lifelong Conservative voters that I've been speaking to, over the last four weeks are now looking to Labour as the alternative.

"Our challenge in the next fortnight is to persuade people that politics can make a difference - that voting can change things, but the Labour Party is ready to deliver the change the country needs. 

"And we know there are still lots of undecided voters out there. We're not inhaling the polls. We know that cynicism is a big challenge and the Conservative Party's message to Labour supporters is, 'Put your feet up. Stay at home. There's no need to vote for change because Labour's gonna be in government anyway'.

"We know that elections are hard fought and hard won. There are still millions upon millions of votes to be cast in this election."

Tory Minister Kevin Hollinrake said Rishi Sunak 'gave a 10 out of 10 performance'

Reacting to the Question Time debate, he told The Sun: "I think Rishi did a fantastic job.

"I think the clear difference between Rishi’s performance and Sir Keir’s performance is Rishi answered the questions very clearly and very directly.

"They were tough questions of course. But he’s clear on where we are today and where he wants to go tomorrow.

"This is a decision about the future. That's the decision people are taking today."

He added: "I was very pleased at the audience's reaction, particularly to the issue about illegal migration.

"I think he was very strong, very clear about his plan for illegal migration, very clear that we need to detain illegal migrants in this country."

Meanwhile, Bim Afolami, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, told The Sun he would give Rishi Sunak's performance "eight or nine" out of ten.

The shadow Paymaster General, Jonathan Ashworth, told The Sun the PM’s performance 'shows you how weak Rishi Sunak is'

He added: “There are a series of questions over what other candidates knew about bets being made. Did any cabinet ministers know, or did any cabinet ministers place a bet, did any of his junior ministers place a bet.

“Has he even bothered to ask them? Or is he burying his head in the sand like the weak leader that he is?”

Asked why Sir Keir repeatedly refused to set a target for net migration, he said: “Every single conservative leader going back to David Cameron and probably before that has made these promises and none of them have met them.

“Immigration policy is not just about borders.

"It's also an employment policy. It's also a skills policy.

“And what we have is a plan to give people skills and access to good apprenticeships to fill the one million vacancies in the economy today.”

Audience members shout 'shame' from the stands

Some of the audience haven't reacted well to Rishi's ECHR answer and yelled "shame" from the stands. 

The PM looks really quite angry with them, it has to be said.

In the final question, a 19-year-old student asks the PM to name one policy he will bring in to improve his life.

Rishi, who first tries to ask for the kid's life story, eventually says that when he gets a post-grad job, "I will cut your taxes, so you can keep more of the money you earn."

And that's it - things ramped up dramatically in the final hour as both Rishi and Sir Keir appeared a little frustrated at times.

PM grilled over Rwanda policy

An audience member blasts the controversial policy as "inhumane" and asks the PM if he will really leave the ECHR if push came to shove.

The PM said: "15 other European countries... Italy, Netherlands, all of them, said having the option to remove asylum seekers to a safe third country was important."

Asked why he pushed on with the scheme after it was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court, he said: "I respect our courts. We addressed our courts' concerns with a new piece of legislation.

"If a foreign court asks me to choose between our country's national security and membership of that court, I will choose our country's security every single time."

Rishi Sunak on any regrets from his time in No10

An audience member asked the PM if he had any regrets, he says: "Of course I have."

Pushed on what they are, Mr Sunak replies: "I wish we had made more progress on the waiting lists that was important to me. 

"We haven't made as much progress as I would have liked."

Mr Sunak pivots to "focusing on the future" and says the important issue at stake is taxes - who wants to cut them and who will deliver hikes.

He says: "Sir Keir Starmer is going to put up your taxes - I'm fighting to stop that."

'Keir Starmer is promising the same fantasy that Liz Truss did'

Asked why he called an early election, the PM says: "With inflation nearly back to normal, it was the right time to go to the polls.

"You and the people have a choice. I will continue cutting your taxes.

"The alternative, with Keir Starmer as your prime minister, is that your taxes will go up."

He says that "people didn't want to hear it at the time" when he warned ex-rival Liz Truss's plans would cause an economic meltdown in 2022.

The PM blasts: "Keir Starmer is promising the same fantasy that Liz Truss did, and that means that your taxes are gonna go up."

An audience member asks Rishi Sunak why Britain isn't stricter on entitlements for legal and illegal migrants

She says migration is necessary because "our lot is lazy" - but immigrants should face strict conditions on access to public services.

The PM responds: "Illegal Immigration is wrong. 

"When people jump the queue and come to our country illegally it undermines the notion and the sense of fairness that our country is built on. 

"And of course, it puts pressure on public services and it causes security issues.

"But fundamentally, it's wrong and it's unfair. That's why I want to stop it."

Migration policy and skills shortage

The audience now turns to asking the PM about migration, and why, despite a skills shortage, the Tories are intent on halving net migration.

The PM says: "If I'm elected, there will be a legal migration cap.

"There will be votes in Parliament to make sure the numbers come down.

"What we've done is say that if people are going to bring family members here need to be able to support them. 

"I think that's fair, because the more people that are here, there will be more pressure on public services."

Asked specifically about social care, he says: "Unlike almost every other profession you can think of, we have a dedicated Visa for social care."

He says care workers would also have to abide by rules to support their dependants if he is re-elected.

Mr Sunak adds: "What we can't do is support an unlimited number of people who are coming here and not working. That's just simply not right."

NHS pledges

The PM is asked what his message is to Brits suffering on huge NHS waiting lists.

Rishi Sunak admits he "hasn't made as much progress as I would have liked" bringing numbers down.

He adds he's pumped record funding into the health service and that lists are coming down.

But Fiona Bruce clarifies actually they're still going up.

The PM said: "If you have a plan and you stick to it, you can get the results you've seen that on inflation.

"We haven't made as much progress as I would like but because of the things we are doing, what you have seen over this year is waiting lists are now coming down.

"The NHS is doing more today than it has ever done in its history.

"But when you're dealing with 6 million referrals that we are now catching up on, it's gonna take time to get them down."

A college student tells Rishi Sunak that although he supports National Service, most of his pals do not

The PM tells the crowd: "I was with someone just the other day in their early 20s.

"They had seen an elderly person fall and damage their hip, and because they volunteered with the St. John Ambulance, they were able to help that person.

"That one story encapsulates why I think this is a great idea".

But Fiona Bruce pushes Mr Sunak on why two former military big beasts had called it "bonkers" and "electoral opportunism", though the PM says he can't talk about his own chats with the Army.

Asked how he would enforce the compulsory National Service, the PM reveals "access to finances" and "driving licenses" could be considered for possible sanctions - though the specifics will be decided by a Royal Commission.