Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer, Ed Davey and John Swinney battled it out during a BBC Question Time grilling on Thursday night as they were questioned over key issues such as NHS waiting lists.
The Prime Minister revealed he wished he had made more progress on cutting the numbers of patients waiting for treatment but insisted ‘record investment’ was ‘starting to make a difference’.
Waiting lists in England surged to 7.57 million at the end of April, up from 7.54 million the previous month – but down on a September peak of 7.77 million. More than 300,000 of the waits have been for longer than a year.
Meanwhile, some viewers praised Mr Sunak for his ‘firm’ plan on the small boat crisis while criticising other parties for having a less clear strategy.
The political stakes could not be higher ahead of the general election on July 4, which major polls have suggested will see Mr Sunak lose the top spot as PM.
Here is what our panel of MailOnline readers had to say about last night’s Question Time grilling.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking during Thursday night’s four party leadership Question Time Election special
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking during the BBC Question Time Leaders’ Special in York
BBC Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce poses on the set of tonight’s four-party leadership Question Time Election Special
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey speaks during the BBC Question Time grilling
Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney speaks during BBC’s Question Time
‘Rishi Sunak has done absolutely nothing for waiting lists’: Cancer patient Denise Clarke, 59, from Lewisham, South London
Denise Clarke has been reliant on the NHS for care after being diagnosed with kidney cancer last August.
‘I had an operation on my liver two weeks ago to check if my kidney cancer had spread and the follow-up appointment is in March 2025.
‘I’m guessing if there was cancer they’d call me sooner than that but March next year is what the letter says.
Cancer patient Denise Clarke, 59, from Lewisham, South London
‘So, no, Rishi Sunak can say what he likes but he’s done absolutely nothing for waiting lists.
‘I was diagnosed with cancer last summer but it still took six months to get a slot to have my kidney removed.
‘I’ve seen first hand just how broken the NHS is.
‘So when he talks of record investments, I’m sorry – I don’t think he’s done anything for the NHS.’
Denise said of Sunak: ‘I don’t think he’s got the ability or the willingness to fix it. I can’t afford to go private like he can.’
Denise said of Sir Keir: ‘He seemed to be honest and sincere. He didn’t mess around. He answered questions directly and when he couldn’t answer them, he said as much.
‘He seemed focused and on top of his game – which I don’t think he was in previous debates.
‘I think he looks like a Prime Minister in waiting and I think he’ll probably get it now.’
‘I think the audience were hostile to [Sunak]. I would have booed him off if I was there.
‘If he didn’t like a question, he would act like a petulant child, which is something I’ve seen him do a few times during these debates.
‘Just because you don’t agree with someone, doesn’t mean their wrong.’
‘Rishi Sunak seems to be blaming the waiting lists purely on Covid’: GP Ellie Cannon, 47
‘It is clear from all the debates that waiting lists are the huge health issue for the electorate.
‘That is what it really boils down to. There are other issues of course – industrial action, buildings, access for example – but waiting lists are the health issue that people really care about.
‘That’s hardly surprising because it is what affects people’s lives on a day to day basis.
GP Ellie Cannon, 47, wants waiting list times to go down
‘It was interesting to hear the doctor in the audience talking about the young girl who was suffering from constipation and waiting to be seen.
‘This is the granular detail we hear all the time in the health service, the really profound effects on people’s lives of being stuck on a waiting list.
‘And for me, no one can argue with Keir Starmer when he says he has an evidence-based plan to tackle this huge problem. He namechecked the two hospitals where that plan is in place and is actually working.
‘Labour has a good record on this. I qualified as a doctor under a Labour government and I saw at first hand how they were successful in reducing waiting lists and the NHS is not now the same as the one handed over to the Conservatives in 2010.
‘Rishi Sunak seems now to be blaming the waiting lists purely on Covid, the number of missed appointments in that period.
‘He seems to have slightly changed his mind on this because in the first debate he was blaming striking doctors and I said at the time that he probably wished he had not said that and he isn’t repeating it.
‘If I have to say one thing about Rishi Sunak it is that you have to admire his resilience and strength of character in the face of what is looking like a disastrous election for the Conservatives. That can’t be easy but he keeps coming out and taking the criticism.’
‘I found Keir Starmer very difficult. He does not answer questions properly’: Fisherman Matt Coker, 44, from Dover
‘I came away from that with a greater like of the Liberal Democrats.
‘I genuinely enjoyed that debate tonight as well. I felt like it was done in the right way.
‘Fiona Bruce did a great job. It was excellent.
‘I have a slight concern with the Liberal Democrats though that the answer is just keep borrowing more and money. I’m not sure that’s is the best way of going about things.
Fisherman Matt Coker, 44, from Dover
‘If you’re not going to get into power than you know you can come up with all sorts of policies.
‘But I think it needs more than that.
‘I found Keir Starmer very difficult. He does not answer questions properly. He does not give straight answers. He just goes around the question.
‘He comes up with policy ideas but does not explain how they will be paid for.
‘He goes around in circles.
‘I want someone in government who will actually argue the difference rather than talk around the problem forever blaming everybody else for it. He takes no responsibility.
‘I thought Rishi Sunak performed the best.
‘I am going to vote for him, without a doubt.
‘He’s actually got some conviction about himself.
‘I really rate him. I think he understands what he says and means what he says.
‘He’s not going playing to the audience and trying to score points.
‘I think out of these debates, he has been firm on the issue of small boats and has a plan.’
‘The Lib Dems have some really interesting policies’: Lawyer Benedict Sharrock-Harris, 32
‘Given that they have had so much air time in these debates, it is astonishing that Starmer and Sunak are coming out and repeating the same things over and over again in parrot-like fashion.
‘At least today Starmer didn’t mention his dad was a toolmaker. The last time he mentioned that in front of an audience they laughed because it’s become such a weary over-repeated line. At least he’s learnt his lesson on that.
‘For me one of the key moments came when Rishi Sunak was challenged about Brexit and asked why he wasn’t crowing about it given that it’s supposed to be the crowning moment of this Government.
Lawyer Benedict Sharrock-Harris, 32
‘And the answer is that he’s unable to crow about it. When he was pressed about the benefits to Britain of being outside the EU he didn’t seem to be able to name any, which says it all really.
‘I also didn’t like the reference to the European Court of Human Rights as a foreign court, given that it was a British judge who was fundamentally involved in setting it up. Even Boris Johnson had the diplomacy to refer to ‘our European partners.’
‘If I had to pick a winner out of all four party leaders it would have to be Ed Davey. For the most part he came over well, although stumbled a little when asked if he really believed he could become Prime Minister.
‘The Lib Dems have some really interesting policies in social care and progressive taxation.
‘I’ve signed up to Swap My Vote. When I live in Streatham it’s a safe Labour seat but I’m considering voting Labour and ask someone in a Tory/Lib Dem marginal to vote Lib Dem on my behalf so it makes a difference.
‘I have to admit I zoned out somewhat while John Swinney was on, even though he comes across reasonably well.
‘It would be interesting to see how the SNP would fare if they had candidates standing in the northern England, maybe as far as Yorkshire. They might do better than people think.’
‘I’m very unhappy with the reality of the Conservatives’: Medical student Jon Craven, 23, from Norfolk
‘I’m very unhappy with the reality of the Conservatives and the damage they have done to the country.
‘Labour in the only party to form an alternative Government, although I am not hugely enthusiastic about some of their policies.
‘I’ll be renting a house not buying one at this stage, so if capital gains tax goes up that wpuld not affect me.
Medical student Jon Craven, 23, from Norfolk
‘I think Keir Starmer did reasonably well but it was a bit of a rehash of the last debate.
‘He gave a confident and assured performance and despite some tough exchanges with Fiona Bruce, it felt like he came out if it without any major bruises.
‘He was probably at his most persuasive when he was talking about the state of the country but it would have been nice to see the Leader leder talk a bot more about his plan for growth as it the key to Labour’s spending plans.
‘But overall he will be happy with his performance tonight.’
Jon, who in his final year at the University of Bristol, said of Sunak: ‘He looked more relaxed tonight than in his previous Sky interview but ideas like national service felt a little flimsy and like an expensive gimmick.
‘It was a bit of a gamble for Sunak tonight and he needed a big win and he didn’t get that.’
Jon previously voted for the Liberal Democrats in his first election and said although the party’s leader Sir Ed Davey’s performance was ‘quite strong’ he didn’t do enough to convince him.
He said: ‘He talked about the need to fix broken public services and he acknowledged that there would have to be tax rises in order to do that
‘He had to defend the Lid Dem record on austerity when they were in coalition with the Tories and their betrayal of students over tuition fees.
‘It highlighted their weakness for me, they are probably a political weather vane: they are left of centre today but in five years time who knows!’
He described Scottish National Party leader John Swinney’s performance as ‘solid but quite dull performance.’
He said: ‘It is hard for them in this election as not only do they have to attack the Tories for their 14 years in Government but defend their own 17 years as a devolved Government for Scotland.
‘Again he was solid and answered questions but he lacked the rhetorical flouris we previously saw from his deputy Stephen Flynn.
‘Labour will be happy they escaped more attacks from the SNP.’
