Sunak and Starmer clash in BBC debate as poll says Reform set to win 18 seats – live

Reform UK is set to win 18 seats at the upcoming general election, a new poll has revealed.

The party is also on track to win a higher vote share than the Conservatives, according to the MRP poll conducted this month.

Reform is predicted to win 18 seats and 17 per cent of the vote share, while the Tories are expected to bag 60 seats and only 15 per cent of the vote share.

Meanwhile, the poll of almost 20,000 voters said the Liberal Democrats are looking to push into second place, with the Conservatives in third – meaning Sir Ed Davey would become leader of the opposition.

The Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus survey, conducted between 14 and 24 June, also forecast that Labour is on track to win a huge majority, winning 450 seats and 40 per cent of the vote share.

The latest five-day strike comes during the hottest week of the year and off the back of a cyberattack on London hospitals which has already resulted in thousands of operations being cancelled.

This week will also see NHS services deal with major events such as Glastonbury and the London Pride march.

There was no winner in the BBC prime ministerial debate, according to a YouGov snap poll.

In a survey of 1,716 viewers, 47% said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer won, 47% said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did, and 6% answered they did not know.

The leaders’ combative back and forths continued until the very end of the debate, with Sir Keir Starmer accusing Rishi Sunak of lying in his closing statement.

Bringing the debate to a close, Mr Sunak said: “I understand why you’re frustrated with our party, with me, I get it. But this is not a by-election, it’s a choice with profound consequences for you and our country. And before you make that choice, think what a Labour government would mean.

“Can you afford to pay at least £2,000 more in tax? And why won’t Keir Starmer be straight with you about what he wants to do? And if you’re not certain about Labour, don’t surrender to them, don’t vote for any other party, vote Conservative.”

In response, the Labour leader said: “That is a lie, he’s been told not to repeat that lie and he’s just done it.”

For his final thought, Sir Keir said: “My message to you is simple: if you want your NHS back, you have to vote for it. If you want a growing economy, you have to vote for it.

“If you want more police on our streets or teachers in our schools, you have to vote for it. If you want to end 14 years of chaos … then that power is in your hands, on July the 4th, vote change, vote Labour.”

Sir Keir Starmer has denied claims from Rishi Sunak that a Labour government would allow “free movement by the back doors”.

“We are not going back into the EU, we’re not rejoining the single market or customs union, and we’re not accepting freedom of movement,” he said.

“I’m not a defeatist like the Prime Minister.”

To applause, he added: “I know we can get a better deal than the botched deal that we’ve got and I’m going to go out and fight for it. Not going to have freedom of movement come back, not going to back to the EU, but going to fight for get a better deal so you can trade more easily, so our economy can succeed, because I believe in our country.”

Mr Sunak said he had negotiated for 18 months and that Sir Keir was saying he could “magic some good thing for us” with nothing expected in return from the EU.

Sir Keir said: “It’s very important when you start those negotiations that you’re very clear on the lines you won’t cross, and I’ve set out the lines I won’t cross.”

The Met Police will lead on investigating a “small number of cases” related to the Westminster gambling row to “assess whether the alleged offending goes beyond Gambling Act offences to include others, such as misconduct in public office”.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “The Met is not taking over the investigation into bets on the timing of the General Election.

“The Gambling Commission will continue to lead the investigation into cases where the alleged offending is limited to breaches of the Gambling Act only.

“Met detectives will lead on investigating a small number of cases to assess whether the alleged offending goes beyond Gambling Act offences to include others, such as misconduct in public office.

“We will provide further information tomorrow.”