Election latest: Rishi Sunak says he'll 'keep fighting hard until last day of election' - as he's asked about D-Day gaffe (2024)

ByJoely Santa Cruz, data journalist

Hamza, an NHS worker, wanted to know how Rishi Sunak plans to deal with underfunding and staff shortages in the NHS.

He says he has personally experienced waiting for eight hours on a stretcher in his local A&E department while in pain.

He's not alone - waits over 12 hours used to be a rare or almost non-existent event in English hospitals.

In April 2024, there were 42,000 instances.

Amy from Leeds is next to ask a question of Rishi Sunak - she says she was a "lifelong true blue" but is now an "undecided voter".

She goes on to say that some actions taken by the government make her feel "ashamed", including Mr Sunak's early departure from the D-Day commemoration in Normandy. Amy asks how he will rebuild public trust in him.

The prime minister repeats that he made a "mistake" and did not meant to "cause any offence or hurt". He says he cares "deeply" about veterans.

Mr Sunak then says his manifesto contains a "very clear plan, a bold set of actions that will deliver a more secure future for you and everybody".

The next question comes from audience member Christina from London, who says people in her community are concerned about policing - and in particular systemic racism and misogyny.

What will the Conservatives do to rebuild trust?

Rishi Sunak says racism and misogyny have "absolutely no place in our society, especially when it comes to the police".

His government instituted a report into the Met Police which the commissioner is now working on, he says.

The PM says he also wants to make sure communities are safe, so his party will put more police officers on the street, toughen up sentencing, and focus on violence against women and girls.

He will put 8,000 more officers on the street if elected, he says.

His party lost 11 police and crime commissioners at elections in May and Labour’s national vote share was higher in this poll, despite law and order typically being an area where Conservatives perform better.

But Sunak’s party fell from a very high starting point.

There are still Conservatives running police forces in 19 out of 37 areas with a police and crime commissioner in England and Wales, with Labour responsible for 17.

The Conservatives are much stronger in the South and Midlands than in the North, however.

Turning to the NHS, an audience member lists "chronic" staff shortages post-Brexit and a lack of pandemic preparedness among his concerns.

He challenges Rishi Sunak on his claim that due to having a family background in the NHS, he has an instilled value of caring for it.

He asks: "How are we going to do that if you try and undermine it at every level."

"With the greatest respect, that's not what we're doing," Mr Sunak replies.

"We're investing record sums into it. We're training more doctors and nurses than we ever have, and there are more doctors and nurses in the NHS today than it's also had," he says.

More heckles from the audience as Beth Rigby confronts the PM on tax. Beth's on fire.

She wins big applause when she accuses the Tories of "a catalogue of broken promises" and people will say it's time for them to "collect their P45".

The session ends on a more cheerful note, though, when he admits to an unhealthy diet, contrary to what many people think, or Haribos and Twixes.

But it was a tough 20 minutes for the PM.

And a triumph for our formidable political editor and her tough and forensic interrogation. Beth for PM!

The first question from the audience is from a father who wants his daughter to buy a house.

He talks about a house costing £425,000, earning groans from the audience.

That's clearly out of many people's reach in Grimsby.

Another example of the millionaire PM being out of touch?

The first audience question for Rishi Sunak is rather direct, with a retired teacher from Grimsby asking the prime minister why his government has "spoilt" young people's "hopes and dreams".

He says Liz Truss's disastrous "mini-budget" has affected his daughter's chances of buying a property.

Mr Sunak says he "wants everyone to be able to own their own home" as it is a "really magical thing".

"The best way for us to do that is to get interest rates down again... that's why I made a priority to bring inflation down," he says.

The prime minister also points to a manifesto promise to raise the stamp duty threshold for first-time-buyers to £425,000.

The audience member interjects, saying: "To be honest Mr Sunak, I don't think she was planning on buying a house that expensive," to laughs from the audience.

Mr Sunak continues with his point and says the Tories will also reintroduce a version of the scrapped Help to Buy scheme.

There's inscrutable shouting coming from the audience as Sunak comes under scrutiny as to whether taxes will really come down.

And there's a groan when he blames COVID and the energy crisis on taxes going up.

The audience really seem to be resonating with the points Beth makes about the Tories record in government - on why anyone should trust what Sunak says, on whether he has delivered on flagship promises such as migration and Brexit.

The prime minister gets his own chance to laugh when he is asked to reveal something about himself people might not know: Spoiler - that he's a bit of a sugar fiend and has an "appalling diet".

But it's a member of the audience who gets the last laugh.. literally.

A chuckle is heard as questions from Beth come to an end. We'll let you decide for yourself if that's a good or bad sign for the PM.

Now for the audience Q&A !

More sticky questions for the PM now as Beth Rigby challenges him over a "catalogue of broken promises".

She cites Brexit, migration, and the NHS.

"You must surely see it's time for you and the Conservatives to get your P45s?"

Rishi Sunak says he can understand people's frustrations but insists the country has "been through two once-in-a-century shocks".

But he repeats his often-used phrase that we have "turned a corner" on the economy.

"I appreciate people want to see positive change, but you don't get any change unless you've got a plan and you're prepared to do bold things," he says.

ByJoely Santa Cruz, data journalist

Mr Sunak claims his plans, which include the controversial Rwanda deportation policy and an unspecified cap on net migration numbers, are the answer to high levels of immigration - reaching 685,000 last year - are "too high".

Much of this is immigration is driven by demand for workers, particularly in the health and social care where staff shortages are high.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of 229,000 workers visas granted in 2023 were for health care roles like nurses and care workers.

The Rwanda policy addresses only a tiny fraction of overall numbers, despite its hefty price tag.

It is already set to cost £370m before any removals take place, according to government spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO), and could reach an estimated £661m.

This chart shows the numberof people arriving to the UK via perilous small boat crossings.

The number this year are higher than at the same point in any of the past six years.

Questions move to tax now - a big issue for the Conservative Party as it pledges tax cuts in its election manifesto in a bid to win over voters.

Beth Rigby presents Rishi Sunak with calculations by our economics and data editor Ed Conway that the tax burden on the country will be higher than it is now under a future Tory government - even with its proposed tax cuts.

Mr Sunak says he hasn't seen the figures and suggests the figures aren't correct.

He adds that under the Conservatives there will be "tax cuts for people at every stage of their life".

Beth asks for a "moment of honesty" on this issue and asks the prime minister a direct question on whether taxes as a proportion of national income will come down by the end of the next parliament under the Tories.

Mr Sunak avoids the question, instead referring again to tax cuts announced by his party this week.