PM: 'If you care about tax cuts, pension protection and lower bills, I'll deliver'

RISHI Sunak warned voters that taxes and migration would rise under Labour, as he faced a public grilling last night.

- Sam Lister, Michael Knowles and Christian Calgie

In a fiery televised appearance the Prime Minister set July 24 as the date the first deportation flight to Rwanda would take off if he was returned to power.

He also promised tax cuts for people at every stage, saying: "If you're someone who cares about cutting taxes, protecting pensions, an approach to net zero that prioritises cutting your bills, I'm the person that's going to deliver for you, not Keir Starmer."

Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir faced back-to-back questioning at the event hosted by Sky News in Grimsby, Lincs - and a turbulent time at the hands of the audience.

Quizzed about the country's high tax burden, Mr Sunak said: "What our manifesto announced is tax cuts for people at every stage of their life - for people in work, for people that are setting up small businesses, that are self-employed, young people who want to buy their first home, for pensioners and for families."

Mr Sunak admitted it had not been an easy 18 months, but vowed he would "keep going to try and do my best for people" and "keep fighting hard until the last day of this election".

He said he was "incredibly sad" to have caused "hurt and upset" over missing an international ceremony at the D-Day commemorations.

During the 45-minute Battle For Number 10 grilling by host Beth Rigby and the audience, Mr Sunak said he understood public cynicism about the small boats Channel crisis.

He said: "We have already started detaining people, airfields on standby, planes are booked, the date for the first flight is out on July 24."