Morning Porridge Extra 5th June 2024 – UK Election Debate
Lies, damn lies, and politics…
Last night’s UK election debate between Premier Rishi Sunak representing The Conservatives, and challenger Sir Keir Starmer for Labour was a torrid ill-tempered affair. It has been scored a Narrow Win for Sunak. Predictably the UK media split by party allegiance. (The Torygraph says the election might as well be cancelled because Sunak was so good, Starmer should immediately surrender!)
The “debate” was a badly managed affair. Sunak came out strongly. He won by dint of exploiting the host, over-speaking his opponent, and being the more confident and aggressive speaker. He repeatedly interrupted Starmer, and didn’t answer the questions. On the defensive, Starmer looked increasingly annoyed to be there.
Sunak no-doubt got a lollipop from his minders for winning and following their debate game plan to the letter. He succeeded by following the advice from the Boys Big Book of Politics, as composed by Donald Trump: Tell a big lie, tell it again, keep telling it, tell it again, and eventually it will register. He won the debate by repeatedly asserting his irrefutable truth Labour will raise taxes by £2000 for each tax payer:
- Question about the Cost of Living – Labour will make it worse by raising taxes by £2000!
- Question about Education – Labour will make it worse by raising taxes by £2000!
- Question about the NHS – Labour will make it worse by raising taxes by £2000!
- Question about what colour to redecorate No 10 Downing Street – Labour will make it worse by raising taxes by £2000!
Sunak’s claims do not stack up – the £2000 tax increase is unverified. It is what the Tories calculate Labour might spend if they choose high spending policies. Labour has not yet announced policies – it will do when it reveals its manifesto on June 13th. Starmer tried to say they have been fully costed and will be funded, reminding Sunak of Lis Truss – which prompted yet another interruption.
Sunak’s second success was to deny Starmer any opportunity to refute the Big Lie. Every time Starmer tried to explain the £2000 tax figure was an entirely Tory fabrication based on notional policies thought up by Tory Central Office, or that all Labour’s policies are fully costed and funded, Sunak repeatedly interrupted, turned to the audience in maniacal glee and repeated: “Labour will make things worse by raising taxes by £2000.”
When asked about pensions, Sunak leapt in an accused Starmer of getting set to “make pensioners pay tax for the first time”, and make tax raids on them. The fact is over 1.5 mm pensioners already pay tax under the Tories! Again, Starmer never got a chance to respond to the charge he is going to starve pensioners by taxing 100% of their income! Again, a Tory outright lie was presented as irrefutable fact. The reality is Labour also supports the Triple lock on pensions. Sunak has to “labour” his pensioner support – they are the only cohort of the UK population more likely to vote Tory.
Starmer did admit to two tax rises – a further clamp-down by ending Non-Doms – which Sunak interrupted to declare he’s already done. Again that is Not True. I shall not demean myself by asking if Mrs Sunak has retrospectively paid taxes after her previously Non-Dom status (although some say living in a big house in Yorkshire is effectively living in a foreign land!)
Curiously the biggest cheer of the night went to Starmer after he explained that the VAT exemption on private schooling will be cut – he doesn’t want to do it, but the country can’t afford it. (This will impact many of my friends and will no doubt push some parents out of private education.) But it was a) an honest answer in a dishonest debate, b) in an economy when inflation, higher energy costs and lower incomes hit the poorest hardest, its difficult to justify a de-facto tax benefit that gives wealthier families a head start in education, c) the money will be directed into public schooling. Private education is a choice – not a right. If you want it – and I would – then you have to pay full price for it
I await the next debate with mounting disinterest…
Bill Blain
Author of The Morning Porridge
Wind Shift Capital
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This Morning BBC Verify confirmed Sunaks “Labour will cost every British Tax Payer £2000” claim is based on nothing more than what the Tories think Labour policies could be – and is not based around statements and promises the Party has made.
The BBC also confirmed Starmer was right – queues at the NHS have risen, not fallen since Sunak promised to cut them.
Meanwhile, the Torygraph releases this:The Treasury document that reveals why Labour will cost you £2,000…. it is a treasury examination of policies presented by the Tories for analysis, which the Tories then passed off as Labour policies – which won’t revealed till the manifesto is published.
It’s politics, dear boy !!
Politics has little to do with truth.
Aye… but there was once a time when politics was at least vaguely honest.
It feels like the barometer has now swung against Sunak after last night’s debate. The dangers of lying on air to the British Public are leaving him vulnerable – says the BBC. Truth and honesty counts. Last nights repeated claims that Labour will tax each UK household some £2000 have been exposed as made up by Tory central office and were not backed as fact by the UK Treasury – despite Tory minister’s claiming such this morning.
BBC now has a letter from James Bowler, chief Treasury civil servant which said the Conservatives’ assessment of Labour’s tax plans shouldn’t “be presented as having been produced by the civil service”.
12 times during the debate Sunak told Labour’s tax plans would cost each household in the UK £2000, and that these costs had been calculated by the Treasury based on Labour’s plans.
This was not true
It is now also apparent the policies the Treasury looked at came from the conservatives, and were not based on Labour’s announced plans.
Post Match Analysis now says Starmer more honest than Sunak – Labour Win.
A client called to say VAT should also be applied on: “museums, premier league tickets, caravans, full VAT on alcohol, insurance, helicopters?! and charity events like the London marathon … etc etc etc … VAT on private schools maybe fair but it’s highly selective and targeted at a specific group group of people. Let’s not make this the envy tax.”