SHOUT OF HIS TINY MIND

PM knows he can't win the argument in stormy TV debate with Keir Starmer

- PAUL HUTCHEON and CHRIS MCCALL

RISHI Sunak has been slammed after his "stroppy" outbursts threatened to derail the first general election head to head with Keir Starmer.

The desperate Tory Prime Minister repeatedly interrupted the Labour leader on last night's ITV debate as his campaign falters amid polls showing a Tory wipeout.

But Sunak and Starmer traded blows during the first one-to-one face off on ITV.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: "Confronted with the facts about how the Tories have failed working people stroppy Sunak couldn't help but have a tantrum on national television. It was embarrassing".

During the one-hour debate, an irritable Sunak repeatedly refused to let Starmer speak.

On tax, Starmer earned a round of applause by raising Labour's policy to end the VAT tax break for private schools.

Sunak defended the perk, Saying: "I don't agree with it because I think people who work hard and aspire to provide that education for their kids should have that freedom. That's what my parents did and I'll support it."

Sunak then claimed Labour wanted to saddle voters with £2000 of tax rises for every working family.

Starmer branded the claim "absolute nonsense" and said the only tax rises were for private schools, energy giants and by scrapping the non-dom loophole for the super-rich.

He branded Sunak a "British expert" on tax rises after saddling the public with record rises when he was chancellor.

Sunak was mocked by the audience on the NHS and was shaky on the cost of living crisis.

After audience member Paula, of Huddersfield, spoke about being in arrears with her household bills and having lost her savings, Starmer said: "What I would say is this - my dad worked in a factory, my mum was a nurse. We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up.

"We were in a position where we couldn't pay our bills. So I know how that feels. In our particular case, we had our phone cut off.