The parties are gearing up for their first full week of campaigning since parliament was dissolved on Thursday. This means one-time MPs are now just candidates, and the spending limits are on. Both parties revealed their battle buses over the weekend – Labour’s is emblazoned with ‘Change’ while the Tories have gone for a three-point slogan: ‘Clear plan. Bold Action. Secure Future.’
This week, all eyes will be on the north-west – where Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will go head-to-head in the first debate of the election. The duo will be appearing on ITV on Tuesday at 9 p.m. for their first televised showdown. So far there aren’t many bouts in the diary, with the Labour leader saying he would rather debate voters than Sunak. Meanwhile Sunak and his team are playing hardball when it comes to requests from broadcasters for debates where the two leaders would appear separately.
The pressure is on Sunak to put in a game-changing performance
It means that Tuesday’s debate carries even more importance to both parties.
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