Starmer will win the election, but Sunak won the debate

Full disclosure: I went into the ITV election debate wanting and expecting Sir Keir Starmer to walk all over Rishi Sunak, but from my sofa the Prime Minister looked like the clear winner. How so? He kept it simple: he would cut taxes, Sir Keir would hike them up by £2,000; he would stick illegal migrants on a plane, Sir Keir would spring them onto a high street near you; he wouldn’t force you to make expensive green upgrades to your house, Sir Keir would rip out your boiler with his own bare hands then hand you a bill. It was ruthless, fear-mongering stuff, but I suspect it will have resonated with some viewers. 

The Prime Minster was especially adept – read: shamelessly sly – about turning his failings into doubts about his opponent. Every time the Labour leader brought up an example from 14 years of Tory failure, Sunak accused him of being stuck in the past and, more damagingly, of having no plan for the future.