RISHI Sunak tonight claimed illegal migrants are “queuing up in Calais waiting for a Labour government” as he was grilled by our readers in The Sun’s election showdown.
He admitted he has not “got the job done” yet on stopping small boats but promised the British public that he has a plan to kick illegal migrants out – while Labour will “release everyone”.
Sir Keir Starmer hit back and called the Rwanda policy an “expensive gimmick” and claimed people from countries such as Bangladesh aren’t being removed to their home nations under the Tories.
The Labour leader said the ongoing small boats crisis is a potential national security risk, because the UK “needs to know” who is coming to the UK.
Sir Keir was heckled by our audience over his party’s plan to smash the gangs facilitating channel crossings, with one man yelling out that he’s “not going to stop the boats”.
Sunak told Sun readers there is a clear choice for voters on July 4 when it comes to dealing with illegal migration.
He said that those who have been detained as part of his Rwanda scheme will either be sent on flights out of the country if he wins or will be released onto our streets if Labour win at the ballots.
We quizzed him over the soaring numbers of net migration – with 685,000 people coming to the UK last year.
Sunak was first up in our election showdown clash tonight:
The PM told our readers that the numbers for net migration are already forecast to halve in the next 12 months – and the Tories will then introduce a legal cap to bring incoming migrants down.
He told viewers: “If I am your PM, flights will go, people will be removed.
“If Keir wins, they are all gonna be released and out on the streets – it’s your choice.”
Pushed on the fact that no flights have taken off to Rwanda since the policy was announced in 2022, he said: “What have I done every time when someone has tried to block it… I’ve kept going.
“I put new laws on the table. We’ve passed those laws to deal with Albania, but this is about the future.
“I’ve got a plan. If you think this is if you think this is an issue… I’ve not heard from anyone an alternative plan.”
He added: “The choice for all of you election is whether you believe illegal migrants should not be in our country.
“They should be able to move out to somewhere else, or we’re all going to be released with the tape and they’ll be out on the streets, but that’s a choice.”
“The Labour party are going to release everyone.”
Rishi Sunak
Asked on how he rates his own performance since he became PM in 2022, he said: “I made sure we could restore economic security and tackle the cost of living.
“You can judge me. I want to be very transparent about what I’m wanting to do for you – and the first of those was bringing down inflation.
“That is a sign of progress.”
The Sun’s Political Editor Harry Cole pushed Sunak on the betting scandal, saying “your bodyguard, your aid, your campaign manager” are all being probed by the Gambling Commission.
He said he was “incredibly angry” when he heard that members of his own party were being investigated over allegedly having a flutter on the date of the election.
Sunak replied: “I’ve been crystal clear, if anyone has broken the rules not upheld the standards, I would expect that they will be held to account.
“They should face the consequences of the law, and they will be booted out and the Conservative Party.
“I was as angry as anybody when I heard about these things. The right thing to do, is to get to the bottom of this and investigate this properly.”
Watch Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer face the questions YOU care about on our Never Mind The Ballots Election Showdown.
Political Editor Harry Cole has grilled the PM first before taking on the Labour Leader in the clash.
You can watch on thesun.co.uk, our YouTube channel and on our social media accounts.
The PM told Rehan, a renter, that he wants everyone to achieve the dream of owning their own home.
Sunak said: “Owning your own home is what allows you to build a life, build a family, that gives you a stake in your community.
“It’s something I passionately believe.
He said he will “reintroduce a new form of Help to Buy which means you won’t have to save up as much for the deposit – it will save you tens of thousands of pounds.
“And the second thing we’re going to do is abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers effectively… That’s gonna save you thousands of pounds and it’s gonna get you on the housing ladder far quicker.
“Again, elections are a choice, the Labour Party have said no to both of those things. You’re only gonna get those things if I’m your Prime Minister.”
He was questioned on the state of the NHS with a heartbreaking question from reader Fliss Gilbert, who lost her dad just weeks ago to cancer.
The PM said six million referrals for cancer have been missed since the pandemic, and it will take a significant amount of time to process the backlog.
He conceded it won’t be fixed “overnight”, adding: “The NHS today, because of the money we’ve put in, it’s doing more than it’s ever done.
“Working flat out and the amount of treatments and operations, all of that is a record level.
“But obviously, it is just a challenge to work through the fact that they’ve got the six million referrals that obviously are coming into the system and we’re going to take time… It’s going to take longer to work through that I’m not going to pretend overnight and be fixed overnight.”
The latest polls put support for Sir Keir Starmer at 40 per cent, 20 points ahead of rival Mr Sunak.
But with ten days still to go, the PM is still raring to gain back ground and avoid a Tory wipeout.
Sunak seemed in good spirits when he took his seat for our show, asking the audience: “Has Harry been telling you any jokes?”.
Sir Keir is second to be interrogated on major issues including the cost-of-living crisis, immigration, national security and the NHS.
He will be quizzed on criticism from JK Rowling over his party’s trans policies.
