Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are set to engage in another televised debate tonight as a new poll shows Labour holding a significant 20-point lead over the Conservatives.
The YouGov survey indicates that 38% of voters support Labour ahead of the general election on 4 July, while the Conservatives have the backing of 18%. This marks the Tory's joint lowest support since 2019, placing them just one point ahead of Reform UK (17%) and three points ahead of the Liberal Democrats (15%).
In tonight's Sky News program, Prime Minister Sunak will aim to promote his tax-cutting plans to the electorate, following the release of the Conservative manifesto yesterday. He has pledged that, if re-elected, he will implement an additional 2p cut to National Insurance, reducing it to 6% by April 2027. Sunak also promised to abolish National Insurance Contributions altogether for four million self-employed individuals in the next Parliament, as part of his £17 billion tax cut package.
Both Sunak and Starmer will be questioned by Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby and audience members during a live broadcast from Grimsby later today.
Last week's ITV debate between Sunak and Starmer saw heated exchanges over tax policies, with Labour accusing the PM of misrepresenting their tax plans. Sunak criticized Starmer for allegedly planning to increase the tax burden on Britons by £2,000.
The Prime Minister faces additional challenges ahead of tonight's program, as recent figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that the UK economy stagnated in April, showing no growth after a 0.4% increase in March. This data complicates Sunak's assertion that the economy had "turned a corner" following its emergence from recession in the latter half of last year.
Sunak is also embroiled in controversy over his handling of D-Day commemorations. He faced backlash for missing a significant international ceremony in Normandy last week. The controversy deepened when it was revealed that Sunak blamed the overrun of the commemoration events for his late arrival to a TV interview. In an apology to ITV journalist Paul Brand, Sunak explained that the D-Day 80th anniversary events "just ran over."
Political opponents have seized on this incident, suggesting it reflects poorly on Sunak's view of the D-Day commemorations, branding his attitude as "insulting." Photo by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing, Wikimedia commons.