British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer in their debate in Manchester, on June 4, 2024 (Photo: ITV/VNA)

In the 75-minute debate, the two focused on such hot topics as taxes, immigration, border management, health care, Brexit, and a scandal involving certain Conservative Party politicians betting on the election. Starmer criticized Prime Minister Sunak for the scandal, saying Conservative Party members betting on Britain's political future was a sign of the failure of leadership of the Conservative Party. He said he will change this if he wins the election. 

“I think that over the past 14 years, politics has become too selfish. Parliamentarians only think about what they can get for themselves. And one of the things I would like to do if I’m elected PM is to reshape politics so that it returns to public service," Starmer said.

Sunak argued fiercely about the British government's recent policies, including transferring illegal immigrants to Rwanda. The British Prime Minister criticized the Labor Party for not having a tough enough plan to prevent increased immigration to the UK. Starmer said the UK will reach a better Brexit agreement than the current agreement if his party wins.

In a YouGov snap poll following the debate, both leaders received 47% support from viewers, while 6% had no opinion. Meanwhile, in overall polls, the Labor Party is forecast to lead the Conservatives by at least 20 points. A survey by WeThink for "The Economist", published Friday, forecast that the Labor Party will win as many as 465 seats, the most since World War II, while the Conservative Party will only win 76 seats, the fewest in the party's history.