Sir Keir Starmer performed best overall in Sky News leaders’ event, poll suggests
Sir Keir Starmer performed best overall in the Sky News leaders’ event, a snap YouGov poll suggests.
Almost two thirds – 64% – of those questioned said the Labour leader came out on top, compared to 36% who thought Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did better.
The question was: leaving aside your own party preference, who do you think performed best overall in tonight’s televised leaders’ event?
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Starmer called ‘political robot’
During the Battle For Number 10 programme, broadcast live from Grimsby Town Hall, the leaders each faced a 20-minute interview from Sky News political editor Beth Rigby followed by 25 minutes of questions from audience members.
Afterwards, when the voters in the poll were asked who came across as more trustworthy, 58% said Sir Keir, while 28% stated Mr Sunak.
Also, 56% said Sir Keir was more likeable, compared to 29% for his rival.
According to 71%, the Labour leader came across as more in touch with ordinary people, while 13% opted for the prime minister.
And when the voters were asked who came across as more prime ministerial, 50% said it was Sir Keir, with 35% saying Mr Sunak.
Those sampled were also asked who they thought performed best during the section on the NHS.
According to the poll, 70% chose Sir Keir, compared to 20% for Mr Sunak.
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When it came to who performed best in the section on issues facing young people, 58% opted for Sir Keir, with 27% choosing the prime minister.
On the section about the economy, it was closer – 49% for the Labour leader and 42% for the Conservative leader.
It was almost honours-even on the tax section – 42% for Sir Keir and 41% for Mr Sunak.
Also when the voters were asked which words (up to three from a list) they would use to describe the event, 52% said “interesting”, 47% went for “frustrating”, 37% chose “engaging”, 27% said “helpful” and 26% picked “vague”.
During the event, Mr Sunak was questioned by Beth Rigby about the progress he has made on the five key priorities he set out at the start of last year.
As part of his reply, he commented that junior doctors’ strikes have had an impact on NHS waiting lists – and was loudly booed by a member of the audience as a result.
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Earlier, Sir Keir briefly seemed stumped after an audience member suggested he had become a “political robot” and asked how he would convince people to vote for him.
After a brief pause and a laugh from the audience, Sir Keir stressed a history of public service, particularly as director of public prosecutions, and said he was not “tribally political”.
Asked whether Sir Keir had convinced him, the audience member said: “You don’t seem to answer the question.”
The Labour leader also said his party’s manifesto, set to be published on Thursday, will contain no surprises on tax, while Mr Sunak continued to insist he will “keep fighting hard until the last day of this election”.
Some 1,864 respondents took part in the poll.
A police officer who was driving a van that followed two teenagers shortly before they died in an e-bike crash will not be prosecuted.
The deaths of Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, sparked riots in the Ely area of Cardiff in May 2023.
The officer was facing a dangerous driving allegation but prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.
A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement said: “We fully understand that this will be disappointing news for the families of both boys and will offer a meeting with them to explain our reasoning further.”
Rumours on social media that the teenagers were being pursued by police were initially denied.
South Wales Police said none of its vehicles were in Snowden Road at the time of the crash.
But police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later confirmed it was investigating after video appeared to show them being followed by a van – without blue lights or a siren – minutes before the incident.
Other footage, however, showed the van turn off and it wasn’t following the boys at the time of the collision.
A key factor under consideration was whether there was any point at which the actions of the officers in the van “constituted a pursuit”.
CCTV showed a police van following the bike moments before it crashed
Read more:
Timeline of events before fatal Cardiff crash
The driver and passenger of the marked police van were previously issued with gross misconduct notices.
A second investigation was also opened by the IOPC into issues including police management of the crash scene and treatment of the families.
Riots broke out in the Ely area after the boys’ death. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
A riot of several hours broke out after the boys’ deaths, with cars set alight and fireworks and other missiles thrown at police.
Eleven officers needed hospital treatment and 31 people were eventually charged.
The decision not to charge the police officer driving the van can be challenged under the victims’ right of review scheme.
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